Since they had been lovers even before planning the carriage accident, perhaps they had been whispering words of love to each other just yesterday.

Veronica forced herself to pull herself together before her thoughts could sink any further into darkness.

“Ah.”

At Veronica’s unusual response, Mary let the corners of her eyes droop, looking close to tears.

It was plainly meant to make her look pitiful to the others watching.

Once, Veronica, too, had felt compelled to protect her whenever she looked so fragile and helpless.

She had thought she should look after Mary, who might be lonely after losing her mother, just as she was.

How foolish she had been.

“No. It’s so pretty, I must have been mesmerized by the flowers.”

“It’s not that special…”

The way she twisted shyly in embarrassment was truly lovely.

Her hair was as vivid a red as the tulips embroidered on the handkerchief, and her dark blue eyes shone like jewels.

Her beauty drew the eyes of men and women alike. Despite the stigma of her illegitimate birth, she shone as befitted a woman renowned in society for her looks.

Veronica took the handkerchief from her and put it in her handbag.

“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”

“If you need it, don’t hesitate to use it! I can embroider another for you anytime!”

“All right.”

“Make sure you use mine before any other handkerchief, won’t you?”

Why had she never realized?

Why had she never suspected that those eyes, sparkling with anticipation, were dreaming of her ruin?

Veronica silently looked down at Mary, who clasped her hands and beamed as she kept drawing attention to the handkerchief.

Her chest burned as she imagined them laughing and mocking her over the handkerchief she had unwittingly delivered to Carter.

Her fingertips trembled.

Clasping her hands tightly, Veronica struggled to suppress the rage threatening to escape her control.

“Yes, I will.”

“Take care, Veronica.”

“Thank you, Mary.”

“But, you know…”

Mary stopped Veronica as she turned to leave, drawing out her words.

Hesitation showed on her face as her voice trailed off.

“What is it?”

When Veronica asked, struggling with her frustration, Mary pressed her lips together and put on a sorrowful expression.

“Why are you suddenly calling me by name?”

Despite her hurt expression, Mary’s eyes brimmed with a viciousness that bordered on madness.

Unlike before her return, when she had known nothing, Veronica could somehow read her thoughts plainly.

‘How dare someone like you.’

It was both laughable and disheartening.

Just how little had Mary thought of her?

Veronica was the one entitled to think, ‘Someone like you,’ not Mary.

She was the one who rightfully ought to covet everything belonging to House Medlin, including the title of count.

At Mary’s absurd attitude, Veronica wanted to raise her voice and demand why she objected to being called by name.

But she could not do that now.

She first had to establish for certain whether it had merely been a horrific nightmare or whether she had traveled back in time.

As the silence stretched, a cold gleam entered Mary’s smooth, dark blue eyes.

Veronica deliberately feigned distress as she spoke.

“I’m sorry. It came up at a tea party before.”

“A tea party…?”

“Oh, pretend you didn’t hear that. I’m late, so I’ll be going.”

Deliberately acting as though she were flustered and trying to escape, Veronica hurried away.

“Veronica!”

Mary kept calling after her, but Veronica ignored her and walked on.

Imagining Mary flustered, uncertain how to respond to her sudden change in attitude, left her with a strange feeling.

“My lady!”

Anna was waiting beside the carriage.

“I’ll be off, Anna.”

“Have a safe journey.”

Anna glanced toward Mary, who was still calling Veronica’s name.

There was a hint of disapproval in her eyes.

In truth, Anna had never seemed particularly pleased to see Mary.

She had also reminded Veronica of Mary’s position several times, advising her that being so familiar with her would do her little good.

Each time, Veronica had brushed it aside as the same old nagging.

Perhaps Anna had seen through Mary’s true nature.

No, perhaps Veronica had been the only one who had not.

“Anna, when I get back…”

“Yes, my lady?”

At those few words, Anna turned from Mary to Veronica, her eyes brightening.

Veronica felt tears welling at the affection in her gaze.

The love she had yearned for had been right beside her, yet familiarity had kept her from recognizing it. Like a fool.

“You must listen to what I have to say, all right?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Perhaps Anna had noticed the wavering in her eyes. She took Veronica’s hand and helped her into the carriage.

As Veronica settled into her seat and smoothed her dress, Anna smiled gently and bade her farewell.

“Have a safe journey.”

Just before the carriage door closed, Veronica caught sight of Mary’s small figure in the distance, staring at her as though she could not believe what had happened.

Only then could Veronica put a name to what she had felt earlier.

“Ha-ha.”

It was elation.

Seeing that bewildered expression for the first time felt good.

She liked seeing Mary lose her composure when she had always tried to lecture her as though she were her real sister.

Only then did Veronica recognize her deepest desire.

She wanted them to feel the same betrayal she had felt just before dying, when all her trust and love had been stripped away in an instant.

No, she wanted them to suffer even more.

She wanted them to die with nothing left, unaware that everything they had was slowly slipping away.

The door closed, and the carriage slowly set off.

She wanted her first meeting with Carter, whom she had loved with all her heart, to confirm beyond doubt that this was reality, not a nightmare.

Only then would she feel justified in taking cruel revenge on Carter and Mary, who had made a fool of her desperate yearning for love.

Hoping to carry out every one of the dozens of revenge schemes swirling through her mind, Veronica forced her trembling body to calm and closed her eyes.

* * *

After traveling for some time, the carriage lurched violently, throwing Veronica off balance.

“Ha…”

Her laugh, bitter yet relieved, settled low beneath the rattling of the carriage.

Another violent jolt sent one side of the carriage tilting sharply.

“Ugh.”

A curtain rod fell onto her thigh, sending a throbbing pain through it.

Before she could right herself, another jolt threw her sideways.

A carriage wheel seemed to have come off.

The first time, she had been too panicked to do anything but scream. Now, experiencing this “unexpected accident” again, Veronica calmly assessed the situation.

The coachman had served House Medlin for many years. He always checked the carriage’s safety dozens of times before allowing any member of the household aboard.

Not once since he had begun working for them had a wheel come off a carriage while it was moving.

In other words, this carriage accident, once dressed up as a romantic encounter, had been their doing.

The fateful coincidence Veronica Felton had been destined to treasure for the rest of her life had never existed.

It had merely been a path leading straight into a filthy hyena’s jaws.

“My lady!”

At the coachman’s frantic shout, a wave of self-loathing washed over Veronica. She could not even laugh.

Knowing nothing was this terrifying.

Not knowing what the person she loved thought when he looked at her, or what someone she considered family was thrusting at her.

The tilting carriage had thrown Veronica into a crumpled heap in one corner. She let out a deep sigh and braced herself to stand.

Then she heard an urgent voice.

It was familiar to Veronica Felton, but still strange to Veronica Medlin.

“Are you all right?”

That single shout confirmed everything she had doubted. Those horrific memories were no mere nightmare.

They were all things Veronica had lived through and felt.

Their deceit and betrayal. Even the piercing scent of death.

As Veronica realized she truly had returned to the past, her body went rigid.

“I’ll help you.”

The carriage door creaked as it was wrenched open.

Through the doorway, she saw him gleaming in the sunlight.

Carter Felton.

The man she had believed was a love brought to her by a fateful coincidence.

The man she had thought was the only one who trusted and loved her.

And the scum who was the lover of the woman she had considered her half sister and loved as a full sister.

“It’s dangerous. Take my hand.”

His gentle expression, the hand he softly extended, and his words were identical to her previous life, down to the last syllable.

Veronica let out a hollow laugh as she looked at him.