If she threw a punch out of nowhere, she would end up hurting a man who had done nothing wrong. So she tried to set aside thoughts about Clive for now and endure that anger.

Why would she ruin her second life because of such a bastard? Since she was lucky enough to gain a second life, Diana had no intention of repeating her previous life.

Though she didn’t know why God had turned back time, Diana had to use that opportunity somehow. She had to do something to avoid marrying Clive.

“What should I do?”

If she just stayed still like this, would the future change, or would it remain the same?

Diana was curious about how things would unfold if she did nothing. Whether the marriage talks with Clive would really proceed, or whether her father would choose another man.

First, she needed to confirm whether the same future would unfold.

* * *

“Father, who are you currently considering as my groom?”

After observing the situation for three days, Diana visited Duke Winchester’s study.

“I’m thinking of young master Orkney.”

After watching for three days, she confirmed that things were flowing exactly like the life she remembered. Even when Diana acted subtly differently from before, the results were the same. So with a faint hope, she asked her father who he had in mind as her spouse, but it was exactly as she expected…

She felt her energy drain away. Avoiding marriage with Clive really wasn’t going to be easy.

But she couldn’t just stay still. She needed to show different behavior from before.

“Could you postpone choosing my spouse for a while?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

Since Diana had never objected to his opinions before, Duke Winchester seemed quite surprised.

“I want to marry a man I choose myself.”

The Diana of the past would never have dared to say these words aloud. Hadn’t she been badly hurt in the past for acting recklessly?

Back then, she had made a decision. That her father’s words were always right, so she would follow them unconditionally. That she would become a well-behaved, modest, and gentle noblewoman.

Indeed, Diana had killed her own emotions and moved according to Duke Winchester’s wishes.

But now she could no longer follow her father’s choices. Even if the results weren’t good like in her previous life, she wanted to choose for herself now.

“Don’t you like young master Orkney? From what I know, I thought you two were quite close. Wasn’t that the case?”

“We do have a friendship, but I don’t want to think of him as a spouse.”

“What don’t you like about him? I heard his character is excellent and he receives respect from many people.”

‘That’s right. That’s why I was fooled by his character and suffered terribly in the past.’

These words came up to her throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them. She knew well that even if she spoke, her father wouldn’t believe her.

But she couldn’t be murdered by him in this life too. She might have been fooled once by the man who made her life miserable, but she couldn’t be fooled twice.

“I know that. It’s just… I’m not attracted to him. You and Mother love each other, don’t you? I want that kind of love too. You two say those feelings developed after marriage, but I want to find it before marriage. So if there’s no man I like, then I’ll consider marriage with him.”

Since the Duke might feel disappointed, Diana made excuses by bringing up the Duke and Duchess’s relationship. Diana sent a look saying she wanted a husband she could get along well with like the ducal couple.

“Very well then.”

Fortunately, the Duke didn’t oppose Diana’s opinion. But seeing him make a slightly disappointed expression, Clive must have really appealed to him.

‘You’d better give up those thoughts, Father, since there’s absolutely no way I’ll marry the man who ruined my life.’

If she didn’t marry Clive, the future would change, but that alone didn’t completely ease her anxious heart. The fact that Clive wasn’t the only one who betrayed her pained her heart.

Diana recalled those who had come to the villa with her just before her death.

They were currently working diligently at the Winchester household. If not for that incident, she would have thought they were good people.

When the image of them turning away from her pleas for help and grabbing her to throw her off the cliff flickered before her eyes, she felt gloomy. She was also angry.

That showed how much resentment she held against them.

Keeping traitors by her side and watching them wasn’t a pleasant thing. Whenever she encountered them, didn’t Diana unconsciously send them unfriendly looks?

As long as the pain she suffered from them in her previous life remained, she didn’t have the confidence to live facing their faces. What need was there to keep those who would threaten her in the future at the estate?

“Do you have something to say?”

When Diana remained lost in thought without leaving the study, Duke Winchester, who had been watching her quietly, asked belatedly.

“Oh, I was just organizing my thoughts for a moment.”

Diana made a determined expression as she wrote down the names of the servants and maids who had come to the villa with her, then showed it to the Duke.

“I want all of these people dismissed.”

There were over 300 people working at the estate alone. So there would be more who betrayed Diana besides those listed, but she thought those who went to the villa with her were the ones who directly harmed her.

They were likely Clive’s confidants, so removing them from sight would probably give her some breathing room.

Duke Winchester seemed quite surprised by Diana doing something she had never done before, but he silently checked the list. When he confirmed that the number was quite large, wrinkles formed on his brow.

“Aren’t they all diligent workers? Do you really want to dismiss them?”

Because they’re the bastards who betrayed her after Father died. She couldn’t bring herself to say those words. Instead, she had to make another excuse.

“They disrespect me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“They don’t try to treat me as a Duke’s daughter.”

Duke Winchester looked at Diana with disbelieving eyes. Of course. If they disrespected the current Diana, the Duke wouldn’t stand for it, so it shouldn’t happen.

But hadn’t they disrespected her after Father died? She had only omitted the words “in the future,” but since the disrespect was true, she hadn’t said anything wrong.

“If that’s how you feel, then it must be right. I’ll have them expelled immediately.”

After being lost in thought for a moment, the Duke concluded by taking Diana’s side.

Since she never falsely accused anyone or spoke ill of others, he seemed to believe her words. That was fortunate.

“Thank you.”

She felt sorry for having to dismiss them without reason, but it couldn’t be helped. Who told them to participate in murdering her?

Now that she had put out the urgent fire, Diana only needed to worry about how not to marry Clive.

Having finished everything she wanted to say, Diana left the study. As she walked to her room, Diana pondered how to change her future.

Should she introduce a new woman to Clive? She wanted to, but what wrong had the other party done? What if that family also tried to seize everything by any means necessary…

“No. That absolutely cannot happen!”

Diana shook her head vigorously.

Then what should she do to avoid getting entangled with him?

Since she was lucky enough to gain a second life, she had no intention of repeating her previous life, but contrary to her will, she feared that situations might flow like before.

Rather than continuing to feel this anxiety, should she grab Clive right now and threaten him not to do such things?

She wanted to do that, but it was realistically impossible. On what grounds?

What he had done was in the future, not the present. Everyone would think the current him was a kind and good man, so who would know his true nature?

So revenge wouldn’t be easy without framing him. If she made a mistake, it would look like Diana was tormenting him, so revenge was something she needed to think about more carefully.

Then how would it be best to avoid marriage with him?

Since it was still before the ducal house was taken by Clive, it would be better to avoid getting entangled with him somehow, right?

No. Rather than that, finding a spouse who could replace Clive was the priority. So if she was going to choose a companion, it had to be a man with little desire for power and a good personality.

What kind of man should she choose to avoid repeating her previous life?

Since she didn’t know that, Diana had to attend tea parties to gather information. Lady Early was very interested in men. So it would be good to have conversations with the men she recommended.