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chapter 3
“I can’t break off my engagement right this instant, but I promise this, Riel. I will place you on the throne as Empress. You are the only one I love.”
“Do you think I would accept such an offer right now?”
“Then what? Riel, you yourself said it. How could I not love someone who willingly reached out to me when I was stuck in the mud?”
Those words were once spoken by Yuriela when she had rejected the Crown Prince’s confession.
“Just as I’m now reaching out to you when you’re in the mud, why hesitate? This time, hold my hand.”
Yuriela could sense the twisted possessiveness in the Crown Prince’s gaze directed at her.
“You’re insane. You truly are.”
“All those I love don’t love me back. Isn’t it stranger that I’m supposed to be sane in such a world?”
‘Could it really be that everyone died because of me?’
Yuriela began to suspect that all of this might have been a ploy orchestrated by the Crown Prince to claim her as his own.
While Yuriela and the Crown Prince conversed, the man claiming to be the Emperor’s son examined the corpse of Duke Baraota.
“What are you doing? Remove your hands immediately!”
Despite Chaseon’s warning, the man did not stop touching the Duke’s body.
“I told you to take your hands off!”
“I only need to find one thing, so wait. I’m not trying anything strange.”
“What do you mean—!”
“Ah, finally found it. Since you won’t remember anyway, I’ll tell you. Duke Baraota took an item infused with my magic. I only wanted to retrieve what’s mine.”
The man spoke words that made little sense, then tossed a bracelet from the Duke’s hands onto the floor. It shattered instantly, like glass breaking.
At that moment, Yuriela lost consciousness.
When she regained her senses, Yuriela found herself back in the past—on the day she was to marry Duke Baraota.
“Milady, I suppose I should call you ‘My Lady’ now. You look truly beautiful today.”
“Madel! Are you alright? You’re alive!”
“Huh? Milady, what do you mean?”
“You were injured… stabbed with a sword in my place…”
“Huh? Stabbed? Milady, I spent last night imagining how beautiful you would look today at the wedding. Sometimes brides have nightmares from nervousness before their weddings.”
As she listened to Madel’s words while standing, countless thoughts raced through Yuriela’s mind. Was all of this really a dream? Yet it felt too vivid to dismiss as one. Could it truly be a dream?
But no matter how much she thought, Yuriela could not find an answer.
“A nightmare?”
“Yes, it must have been vivid if you dreamed it.”
“Was it really just a dream?”
“Of course. I am perfectly fine, and today you are to be the happiest bride in the world.”
Seeing Madel smile faintly at her, Yuriela felt the pain from moments ago even more sharply.
‘It wasn’t a dream. Somehow, I’ve returned to the past… But if all of it was real, what should I do now? Do I have to admit that Ray truly used me?’
She felt utterly confused.
‘I don’t want to believe it was all a lie.’
Though their marriage was supposedly just a contract, Duke Baraota had been a kind husband. On special days, he spent intimate time with her and carefully looked after her family.
She could not help but love him.
‘That’s impossible. If it were otherwise, why would he have said he loved me at the very end? Even while dying, the last words he spoke to me were that he loved me.’
Yuriela forced herself to recall the image of Duke Baraota confessing his love.
‘There must have been some misunderstanding. Everything the Crown Prince says is just meant to deceive me. And even if he used me, it doesn’t matter. The only one who reached out to me when I was stuck in the mud was Ray.’
Even if someone called her a fool blinded by love, Yuriela wanted to trust Duke Baraota.
He saved her family and her life and awakened her to the feeling of love. She could not let him go.
“Oh my, Duke.”
“Are you ready?”
Reflexively turning her head at Madel’s voice, Yuriela could not take her eyes off Duke Baraota, who was neatly dressed in his wedding attire.
Despite his sharp and masculine features, his straight eyelashes softened his otherwise stern expression. Seeing him exactly as she had wanted, tears naturally welled up in Yuriela’s eyes.
“Are you regretting it now?”
“…No, it’s not that.”
Yuriela shook her head vigorously. She had never once regretted marrying Duke Baraota, not even when he was bleeding before her eyes, nor when she saw Madel trying desperately to save just him.
Even when she heard from the Crown Prince that Duke Baraota intended to use their marriage for rebellion, she had never regretted it.
“Then why are you crying?”
“I don’t know… these tears keep coming.”
‘I’m really glad to see Ray again.’
Duke Baraota took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.
“Your face will be ruined. Are you hurt?”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. And stop apologizing for trivial things. You are a Duchess now—should you?”
Yuriela blinked, surprised to hear this again from Duke Baraota.
‘He said that before too—don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault.’
“Finally stopped.”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s go. The ceremony will begin soon.”
Yuriela once again took Duke Baraota’s hand, and they entered the wedding hall together.
The Crown Prince recalled Yuriela’s face crumbling the moment she saw him.
‘Our innocent Riel… with that expression, she can’t help but notice. She also remembers everything, just like me.’
A sly smile curved the Crown Prince’s lips.
‘Finally, Riel will be mine.’
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Returning to check on Yuriela, Duke Baraota spotted the Crown Prince at the door and looked at him warily.
“I should return to the palace now. There’s much to be done.”
“But isn’t this the opposite way?”
“Oh, is that so? It seems I lost my way after such a long time at the Duke’s residence.”
The Crown Prince smirked, patting Duke Baraota’s shoulder. It felt almost as if he was saying, don’t worry about anything anymore, which made the Duke’s stomach twist.
“In that case, I’ll call the butler. It wouldn’t do for me to leave without proper formality, would it?”
“No need for that. Ah, by the way, is your name Yuriela Longo?”
Longo was Yuriela’s surname before marriage.
“Yuriela Baraota now.”
“Ah, yes. Yuriela Baraota now.”
The Crown Prince pouted as if slightly disappointed.
‘Why return on the day of their wedding? If she had returned to when she was still Yuriela Longo, I could have made her completely mine.’
“Duke, I’ll send you Erika Medina. You can send Yuriela Longo to me. It’s not a loss. You asked me to return Erika Medina, didn’t you?”
“That was in her childhood when she knew nothing.”
“Really? But wasn’t it so heartbreaking? And Yuriela wasn’t simply taken—it was to hide from my mother’s gaze.”
Duke Baraota clenched his lips, unable to respond further.
“I thought you would miss your former fiancée, Duke. Apparently not.”
“She’s now betrothed to the Crown Prince. My relationship with her is over.”
Erika Medina was originally engaged to Duke Baraota. They had grown up together and had not developed romantic feelings, but neither did they have a bad relationship. Instead of love, they built trust.
Reitz Baraota thought he could remain on good terms with Erika until the previous Duke and Duchess died suddenly.
Though not very young, Reitz had to suddenly inherit the dukedom and live in chaos.
Then, unexpectedly, the Medina family demanded an abrupt annulment.
“Shouldn’t you provide a reasonable explanation? Why suddenly break off the engagement?”
“A proposal from the royal family arrived. The Baraota family is a fine match, but compared to the royal family, it is insignificant. For Erika’s future, sign the papers. I’m sorry.”
Hearing that the royal family had proposed, Reitz wanted to hear Erika’s side first.
“I do not love the Crown Prince. You know that.”
Upon hearing Erika’s honest words, Reitz went to the royal family and requested that the engagement be annulled. Of course, the request was rejected.
“Erika, I went to the royal family.”
“What? You—”
“I asked them to cancel the proposal made to you.”
“Why would you say that!”
Until then, Reitz thought Erika was speaking out of concern for him.
“Reitz, listen carefully. Don’t do that again.”
“Don’t worry. The royal family can’t do anything against me anyway.”
“That’s just for you. I’m to be Empress. But because of your reckless actions, my position has become difficult.”
“…What? I thought you didn’t love the Crown Prince.”
Only then did Reitz realize that Erika’s words didn’t mean she didn’t want to go to the royal family.
