A secluded garden settled under bluish darkness. Trickle, trickle—water flowed from the fountain installed in the artificial pond, producing a refreshing sound. The surrounding trees rustled under the lighting, taking on a mysterious hue.

In front of the pond, he spoke.

“Lady Charlotte, I would like to request marriage from you.”

I stopped walking and looked up at him. The one who wore a perfectly tailored black uniform and spoke of “marriage” was Clayton Veil Ro Medvez. He was the Duke of Serhart and the King’s loyal dog.

Despite his unsavory nickname, he possessed looks that more than made up for it. Wavy black hair, silver-gray eyes that seemed to draw in one’s soul, and red lips that formed beautiful lines. 

A man with a straight, solid build who exuded an unapproachable aura.

Anyone who saw him would fall in love at first sight. Naturally, they would accept his proposal as well.

“I refuse.”

Except for me, of course.

The soft moonlight gently wrapped around his face, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Will you tell me why?”

“Because I absolutely, positively do not love you, Your Grace.”

I emphasized each word.

“You don’t love me…”

“Isn’t it the same for you, Your Grace?”

It wasn’t even a difficult question, yet Clayton fell into thought with a serious expression.

“Moreover, a ‘request’? Who proposes marriage like a business transaction? Do you make marriage ‘requests’ to other young ladies too?”

“This is my first time.”

“Then let me give you some advice. Never propose like this. Everyone will find it unpleasant.”

“That won’t happen, so rest assured.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. Just because he wouldn’t propose to other women, why on earth should I feel reassured?

He doesn’t know right now. He has no idea how much I’m counting down the days for the exact opposite situation to come.

“Even in a political marriage, any woman wants to be shown interest.”

“How?”

“Since I’m the first to receive your proposal, I’ll specially teach you.”

I approached him. He stood upright like a cold marble sculpture, watching as I took his hand and lifted it slightly.

“Watch carefully. A proposal isn’t something you offer stiffly like a transaction. You need to at least express something like ’I have feelings for you.’”

I looked straight into his eyes and offered my advice. With complete sincerity. Because I sincerely hoped he would hear this advice and marry another woman.

That’s when it happened. My left palm, which was holding his hand, began to tingle. Again. That strange pain was starting once more.

I hadn’t looked, but a strange pattern must have appeared on my palm as well. While I was frowning and focusing on the pain.

“I have feelings for you, Lady Charlotte.”

He parroted my words.

“I meant for you to say that to the other woman.”

“I merely followed your teaching.”

The conversation was going in a strange direction. I was about to open my mouth to correct him again.

“Since I’ve shown this much interest, marry me.”

As expected, he hadn’t listened to a word I said. He was clearly pretending not to hear that I was rejecting his proposal.

Then I’d have to say it clearly so it would stick in his ears.

“Thank you, but I’ll decline. I’ll yield to another young lady.”

I gently curved my lips upward and smiled brightly at him. Because in this life, I would absolutely never get involved with him.

Because. He was the husband who watched coldly without a shred of compassion as I had to drink poison in my last regression, the man who stood by and did nothing as my family fell to ruin.

Marriage with such a man? I had already painfully experienced his cruel nature, and the end was a miserable death.

Now, in my second regression. I would never repeat the same misfortune with him again.

* * *

My name is Evelyn Lorenfort. As the daughter of Marquis Lorenfort, who had reached the pinnacle of power and wealth, I lived a life enjoying everything.

Of course, there were those who called me an “arrogant villainess” and tried to drag down my reputation, but most people worshiped me. However, the moment my beloved father was framed and falsely accused of treason, the days of h*ll unfolded.

Without even a chance to protest our innocence, my father and brother were publicly executed, and I drank poison. And then the regression began.

I returned to the past, before those terrible events happened. Without time to be amazed, I threw myself into changing the future.

I married Duke Clayton Veil Ro Medvez, the King’s closest confidant, and made him my ally. I believed that with his help, I could prevent the downfall of House Lorenfort.

However, what I overlooked was that I underestimated his loyalty to the King. He showed no mercy to those who would betray the King. Even if they were falsely accused by fabricated evidence.

No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t change fate. And so I drank poison once more and thought everything was over…

Gasp. Like waking from a nightmare, I opened my eyes with a start.

Even though the fresh morning sunlight tickled my cheeks, I still felt like I was floating in a dream.

“Is this… did I regress again?”

I sat up and stared blankly at the shadows embroidering the blanket. Soon, with trembling hands, I fumbled over my face, neck, and arms.

“I definitely drank poison and died again.”

The sensation touching my palms was warm and vivid. Unbelievably, I had come back to life once more, and my second regression had begun!

As I realized this, joy swept through my entire body. Just as I was about to leap out of bed in delight, a question suddenly occurred to me.

Does regression normally continue, sending you back to the past over and over until you achieve your goal?

“…”

Only God would know the answer. For me, as long as I could change the future, I welcomed however many regressions it took.

Just as I was about to settle on that conclusion, the last scene from my previous regression came to mind. Specifically, the words spoken by the knight who had offered me the cup of poison.

“…However, God has chosen you.”

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like something said casually to a condemned criminal facing death.

Why would God choose me? With what intention? I’m not even a devout believer. Most importantly, who was that knight to say such a thing?

All sorts of questions lined up in my head. I tried to recall the knight’s face.

“Ah.”

At that moment, my head rang and a dizzying vertigo struck. Like something was trying to prevent me from approaching a forbidden territory.

I hunched my back and pressed my forehead. Then soft, thin strands of hair flowed down between both cheeks.

“Uh…”

I froze with my arm raised. I rolled my eyes to look at the hair.

Silver hair sparkling in the morning sunlight caught my view.

Silver hair? Eyes wide, I frantically grabbed a handful of hair. Even when I shook the hair in my hand vigorously, the color didn’t change.

It was silver. Not the reddish-brown it should be!

“What on earth is going on?”

Does hair color change when you regress? In my bewilderment, my questions about that knight vanished completely.

That’s when it happened. Slam—the door opened without warning.

“Gemma, what’s wrong?”

My personal maid Gemma was a girl with manners ingrained in her, so she never barged in like this. Yet she entered urgently without asking permission?

This clearly meant something major had happened.

Could I have regressed to the day they came from the palace to arrest Father? My heart sank.

If that was the case, there was far too little time to change the future!

“Just how long are you planning to sleep?”

But the person who entered the room wasn’t Gemma.

“…Mother?”

My eyes widened. I never imagined I would see my deceased mother.

I couldn’t mistake her for someone else, because the noblewoman standing before me looked exactly like my mother in the portrait hanging in Father’s study. 

Though my memories were faint since I lost my mother when I was young, I had looked at that portrait every day, so I couldn’t be mistaken. Seeing the person from that portrait standing here alive left my mind in chaos.

For a moment, I wondered if I had regressed to my childhood when my mother was alive. But judging from the face and hands I had just felt, I was an adult woman.

So that noblewoman was not my mother.

“What did you just say? Did you call me ‘Mother’?”

Ha, the lady let out a hollow laugh. Only then did I recognize who she was.

“Rosalinda, Countess Fraxon.”

That woman was the one Count Vern Fraxon remarried immediately after his wife died. I remembered being surprised when I first saw her because she resembled my mother in the portrait.

“That’s more like it. I thought you’d gotten amnesia or something. Otherwise, there’s no way you’d call me ’Mother.’”

Rosalinda twisted her lips and sneered. It was such an obvious statement that I didn’t know how to respond.

Even without amnesia, there was no reason for me to call her Mother.

“Why would I call you Mother? You’re a complete stranger.”

“I swear, I’ve been putting up with you, but—!”

She trembled with clenched fists, unable to continue. Her flashing eyes looked ready to claw at me any moment.

That aside.

“Why is Countess Fraxon here? I don’t recall inviting you.”

“What?”

“I’m asking why you’re in this mansion.”

“Are you still half asleep?”

“No. I’m fully awake.”

“Then have you really gotten amnesia? Or… oh my, I heard you were humiliated yesterday, so you must be in shock.”

“Humiliated? Me?”

It was absurd. Who would humiliate me, Evelyn Lorenfort? If anything, I would break their spirit.

“You’re going to pretend it didn’t happen after being mocked by Lady Evelyn Lorenfort at the Deliant Count’s banquet?”

“I am that ’Evelyn Lorenfort.’”

At my words, Rosalinda looked at me like I was insane. Silence descended on the room.

A moment later, sharp laughter tore through the air. Rosalinda threw her head back and laughed madly.

“Using your mother’s face so freely…”

I frowned and glanced at Rosalinda. Her forest-green eyes, fresh like rain-soaked woods, shone with cruel delight, unlike my mother in the portrait.

“Why are you laughing?”

At my sharp question, Rosalinda finally stopped laughing and said with amusement.

“You’re Lady Evelyn Lorenfort?”

“That’s right. And you’re currently at the Lorenfort Marquis estate. What’s your reason for visiting the Marquis estate so early in the morning?”

“Good heavens! Being humiliated yesterday must have really shocked you.”

“You keep saying humiliated, humiliated—what humiliation are you talking about?”

“You didn’t give it, Lady Evelyn gave it to you!”

“So who did I humiliate…”

The conversation had been going in circles from the start. It felt like we were each just spouting our own words.

But even then, I didn’t think much of it.

“Lady Evelyn said you were pretending to be innocent and acting coy. She openly scolded you for secretly pining after Duke Medvez while pretending otherwise, pretending to be above such vulgar emotional games.”

Only after hearing Rosalinda’s explanation did I vaguely recall the memory of that day.

* * *

The Deliant Count’s banquet was an event attended by young unmarried nobles. There, people would ask attractive members of the opposite s*x to dance, and it was common for love to be whispered or confessed in the beautiful gazebo.

While everyone was subtly sizing each other up and engaging in a battle of wits.

“Lady Charlotte, you’ve completely fallen for Duke Medvez too, haven’t you? All the young ladies gathered here feel the same way.”

A young lady winked at Lady Charlotte Fraxon.

“No, I don’t particularly care for His Grace…”

Charlotte waved her hand and smiled awkwardly.

“You don’t like him? Don’t lie. You were just staring at His Grace like you were in love.”

“You saw wrong. I have my own personal taste, after all.”

“Then what type of man do you like, Lady Charlotte?”

Charlotte’s eyes automatically turned toward Clayton. At that moment, Clayton, who had been conversing with another noble, turned his head and gazed in Charlotte’s direction.

His silver-gray eyes beneath his handsomely extended eyebrows sparkled mysteriously under the chandelier light. His gaze swept the surroundings indifferently before settling on Charlotte.

Startled, Charlotte quickly lowered her head. Like a delicate lily, her lips trembled as she couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Oh my, His Grace seems interested in Lady Charlotte! Lady Charlotte, this is your chance! Hurry and go talk to him.”

“No, I don’t intend to…”

Flustered, Charlotte turned pale and shook her head repeatedly. And what did I do when I saw that?

“This is too frustrating to watch.”