Never received any gift? 

Diana recalled what she had witnessed that day and exclaimed:

“That blue bead attached to your scabbard. Wasn’t that a gift from Lady Queensberry?”

“Chloe criticized me. She asked why I wasn’t carrying something that contained the color of my fiancée’s eyes. So I purchased it myself because it matched the color of your eyes.”

“What?”

Taken aback, Diana couldn’t respond immediately. It wasn’t a gift?

Come to think of it, Diana had never directly witnessed Lady Queensberry giving Edwin a gift. Even the notion that Lady Queensberry had received a sword from him was entirely Diana’s assumption.

After overhearing a conversation about Lady Queensberry having a sword, Diana had assumed Edwin had gifted her a dagger. But now she realized all of it might have been a misunderstanding.

When she fell from the cliff, the last thing she saw was Lady Queensberry holding a long sword. Perhaps what the ladies had mentioned wasn’t a dagger but that sword?

Hearing Edwin’s explanation, Diana realized she had misunderstood many things. However, that didn’t change the fact that Edwin and Diana were destined for each other.

The conversation seemed likely to go in circles. So Diana concluded it would be better to be honest with Edwin, at least partially.

After hesitating briefly, she painfully opened her mouth.

“…You may find this hard to believe, but I can see the future. I may not know everything precisely, but I can tell that you two are destined for each other.”

Edwin slightly furrowed his brow in disbelief and tilted his head to one side.

“I know it’s hard to believe. But if you trust my words, you won’t regret it.”

“No. I know my own heart. I would never choose Chloe.”

Edwin answered with a confident expression. His firmly closed lips and clearly shining eyes conveyed that he wasn’t lying.

Seeing him like that made her want to believe him. She wanted to, but there were still lingering concerns.

“I’ll believe you. I won’t doubt your relationship with Lady Queensberry anymore, so please be honest with me now. How did you know I was at the villa?”

“About that.”

After hesitating briefly, Edwin carefully began.

“I thought Young Master Orkney would harm you.”

Young Master Orkney? Why would Edwin mention his name? It was true that she nearly died because of Clive, but there was no way to predict this would happen.

“Why would you think that? His reputation is good. A kind, mannered man…”

She was about to mention his reputation when Edwin suddenly revealed his k*lling intent, cutting her off before she could finish.

“He is not that kind of man. He’s vile and wicked. He did terrible things to you, so he’s not worth praising.”

Edwin seemed to know Clive’s true nature well. Hadn’t Clive behaved properly at the Imperial Palace? How did Edwin know?

When she looked at him with puzzled eyes, Edwin shook his head, seemingly having expected her reaction.

“He’s pretentious, so you probably didn’t know his true nature. That’s why you can’t understand my actions.”

“I know. Everything, even what you don’t know.”

The person who knew Clive best was Diana herself. How could she not know when she had met a miserable death at his hands?

But it was surprising that Edwin knew Clive’s true nature. How could he know when Clive would never reveal his true self?

At that moment, a voice she had temporarily forgotten from deep in her memory surfaced.

‘Diana, please! After everything I did to save you! You can’t die twice!’

Wasn’t that Edwin’s voice? Die twice? Could it be…?

Her throat suddenly tightened. Her mouth went dry. No. It couldn’t be.

But the voice she heard then clearly suggested knowledge of Diana’s death.

Maybe. She didn’t mind being thought crazy. Right now, she wanted to confirm if her suspicion was correct.

After taking a deep breath, Diana carefully opened her mouth.

“Could it be… Do you know about my miserable life in the previous one?”

Edwin’s eyes narrowed. He too looked at Diana with an expression of incomprehension. Then, surprising words flowed from his lips.

“Do you remember the life where you married Young Master Orkney?”

“Young Master Orkney, who became my husband, betrayed me and I met my death. Is that… right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…”

Diana was too shocked to respond. What was he saying? How could Edwin remember that?

“This can’t be. I never thought you would remember.”

Diana wasn’t the only one surprised. Edwin also looked at Diana with disbelieving eyes.

How is this possible? How does he know about the past life? Did he also return? 

Just as she was wondering this, surprising words flowed from Edwin’s mouth.

“Do you know this fact? I am the one who turned back your life. No, not just me. Lady Queensberry and I did it together.”

“What?”

Shocked by the unbelievable story, Diana could only open and close her mouth without asking anything. What on earth was he saying?

“Is, is that possible?”

She must have returned to the past because it was possible. Though she was experiencing it herself, Diana had to ask. 

Returning without any special ability? 

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

A bitter smile appeared on Edwin’s lips. With a shallow sigh, he began to reveal everything he had experienced around the time Diana had died in her previous life.

* * *

In his previous life, Edwin had no choice but to keep hiding his feelings for Diana. A commoner and the daughter of a Duke—the difference in status was simply too great.

Even after becoming an Imperial Knight, then the Captain of the Knights, and receiving a noble title, he still didn’t think he was suitable to be her partner.

So he tried to accumulate more achievements. He wanted to stand by Diana’s side without feeling ashamed.

When a truce was established with the neighboring country, Edwin firmly resolved to have his achievements recognized and propose to Diana.

But that was just his one-sided wish. During his expedition, rumors spread that Diana would be engaged to Young Master Orkney.

“I’m too late…”

Although they weren’t engaged yet, since Duke Winchester favored him the most, Edwin couldn’t step forward.

He had thought she might become engaged to someone, but actually experiencing it felt like his world was collapsing.

Perhaps he had subconsciously thought that she admired him and would wait for him. But reality was cruel.

Where had things gone wrong? If he had known this would happen, should he have accepted her proposal? 

He regretted it now, but it was already too late.

After his relationship with Diana went awry, Edwin had no intention of marrying anyone. He threw himself into work, thinking it wouldn’t matter if he lived alone for the rest of his life.

As time passed endlessly, he heard the news of the tragic accident of the Duke and Duchess of Winchester.

‘Bad luck.’

Everyone thought their deaths were an accident, but Edwin didn’t think so. He had been feeling that something wasn’t right about the recent developments in the Duke’s household.

The reason he knew this when others didn’t was because he had secretly planted spies there.

Call it obsession or lingering attachment if you will. He was simply curious whether Diana was enjoying a happy married life. That’s why he occasionally received news through them.

There had been no issues before, so he hadn’t paid much attention, but after hearing about the accident of the Duke and Duchess, he strangely became concerned. That’s why he planted a few more people in the Winchester household, avoiding others’ eyes.

He feared Diana might make poor choices due to the shock. When he heard she was pregnant, he worried whether she was eating well with her weak constitution.

He even sent nutritious food through servants. While he continued to be unable to sever his interest in Diana, an informant he had planted in the Winchester household delivered troubling news.

That Clive had a mistress.

He met his mistress so meticulously that no one in the mansion knew. The servant said it was by chance that he discovered this fact.

Having an affair after becoming the Duke of Winchester?

Around that time, Diana suddenly left for the villa. While it was natural for her to go there for recuperation, Edwin felt uneasy.

He wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but he had to consider the worst-case scenario. So he took leave and headed to the villa with mercenaries he had hired privately and knights he was close with.

He intended to tell Diana everything when he got there. That her husband was currently having an affair with a maid and the situation didn’t look good. That she didn’t have time to grieve over the deaths of the Duke and Duchess.

It might be harsh, but telling her the truth was all he could do.

But it was already too late. He had sensed an ominous sign when dark clouds suddenly gathered in the clear sky. By the time he arrived, Diana was falling off the cliff.

No!

He ran to the cliff too late. Diana was nowhere to be seen. If she had fallen from such a steep cliff where the bottom was barely visible, the chances of survival were not high.

There was a possibility she could survive if she was lucky enough to get caught on a tree branch, or if something cushioned her fall, but the probability was low.

“Ca-Captain, what brings you here?”

Everyone at the villa seemed confused by his sudden appearance.

“What’s the situation?”