“Aren’t you Miss Magnolia from the Lining family?”

It seemed that was definitely her name.

When asked while searching through memories, the woman, Magnolia, opened her eyes wide and nodded once.

“Miss Hardness.”

But there was a tearful tone in the voice calling her name. As if it wasn’t a mistake, her face began to crumple.

More questions spread through Veronica’s mind. The woman who looked like she was about to burst into tears suddenly hugged Veronica tightly.

“That bad man cheated!”

Waaah!

Veronica was flustered. She was very flustered, but she couldn’t just stand in the entrance hall.

She took Magnolia, who was clinging to her neck and crying pitifully, to the reception room. Magnolia was dragged along while still hanging onto Veronica’s neck.

After seating Magnolia on the sofa in the reception room, she ordered a maid to bring water. Then she sat down across from her.

Magnolia’s face was red and tear-stained as she sniffled.

“Miss Lining. What happened?”

Veronica asked calmly.

“Miss Hardness was right.”

Magnolia told her what had happened between sobs.

Bothered by what Veronica had said at the Empress’s recent reading gathering, Magnolia had agonized before having someone follow her fiancé.

She trusted her fiancé, but thought she would feel better once she confirmed there was nothing wrong.

At first there was nothing unusual, but before long her fiancé started going out late at night to a shabby restaurant. It turned out the restaurant only looked that way on the outside, but inside it was a place for people to enjoy entertainment.

It didn’t end there – her fiancé had other women he was meeting separately, and those women changed each time. Some of them were even noblewomen.

“There’s a limit to being promiscuous, but he kept meeting women without rest. I even saw him going into an inn with another woman the very next day after meeting me!”

It was a story Veronica could roughly understand.

She couldn’t help but hear it even though she didn’t want to, as those watching the patient babbled on like it was an interesting tale.

She had roughly guessed there might be other women, but it seems his private life was even dirtier than imagined.

“And do you know what he said when I said let’s break off the engagement? That all men are like this, that he wanted to spend his remaining time meaningfully since the wedding was coming soon, that he wanted to relieve some tension, that I shouldn’t worry because it won’t affect our married life.”

On top of that, his mental faculties weren’t quite right either.

“That jerk! Uhuuung!”

“…Cry as much as you need.”

When Veronica comforted her, Magnolia cried even louder with loud sobs.

She remembered how Magnolia had smiled shyly while receiving congratulations on her marriage not long ago.

She had truly been happy. Knowing the resentment of being betrayed by a loved one, Veronica sincerely felt sorry for her.

She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and went to Magnolia’s side to hand it to her. Magnolia said thank you as she took the handkerchief and buried her face in it.

Large teardrops welled up in her big eyes. Just then, a maid came in bringing water. When Veronica handed it to her, Magnolia quickly gulped it down as if she was thirsty.

“So in the end, did you decide to break off the engagement?”

“That bad man says he absolutely can’t break it off. He shamelessly said what did he do wrong, there’s no problem since we’re not married yet, really!”

“You must have wanted to slap him.”

“I wanted to in my heart. So when he kept putting off talk of breaking the engagement, in the end… yesterday at the dinner between our families, I spoke up first.”

Oh no, Veronica let out a short sigh. She could guess the situation that unfolded afterwards.

“I’m so ashamed. To think I was going to have such a man as my husband… I’m too humiliated to even talk about it anywhere.”

“You didn’t know. It’s not your fault, Miss Lining.”

At Veronica’s words, Magnolia’s face crumpled again as if about to cry. Veronica patted her on the back.

“But how did you know, Miss Hardness?”

“Just happened to.”

Veronica evaded answering. After all, she couldn’t say that in some life we met as neighboring patients in a mental hospital.

Recalling her cheating fiancé, Magnolia shed tears again. Veronica poured water into another glass and drank while waiting for her to calm down.

Eventually Magnolia stopped crying after shedding all the tears she could. Though her complexion was dark, she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Putting down her glass, Veronica asked:

“So, what’s the reason you came here, Miss Lining?”

“Th-that is…”

Magnolia hesitated to speak with her head lowered. Anxiety surged from her demeanor.

Then her face turned to look at Veronica with a grave expression. She grabbed Veronica’s hands with both of hers.

“Miss Hardness. I… I ran away from home.”

“What? Ran away?”

Suddenly running away, what does that… Come to think of it, she was alone.

“Where are the others? Didn’t you bring any servants?”

“I-I came alone.”

“Alone? How on earth did you come here alone…”

Magnolia immediately lowered her eyes, and Veronica was at a loss for words.

“Who came?”

“Miss Magnolia from the Lining family.”

“Ah, the Lining family. Their esteemed daughter. Come to think of it, I heard she was about to get married.”

“She said the engagement was broken off.”

“Oh no, how did that happen?”

Harry asked in surprise as he loosened his collar.

Unable to gossip about her extremely personal circumstances, Veronica vaguely said “It seems that’s how things turned out somehow.”

“There are more circumstances, so I gave her a guest room.”

Magnolia, who had declared the engagement broken at the dinner between the families, came alone to this Hardness house she had never visited before, without a single servant, carrying just one small luggage bag.

When asked how on earth she got here, she said she initially left with people from her family, then ditched them halfway and borrowed a passing person’s carriage.

It was close to a miracle that nothing happened to a woman in such obviously luxurious attire traveling alone.

Where did such courage come from in someone who looked so timid?

But it was too reckless an action. Even Veronica couldn’t take it lightly.

When scolded that it was dangerous to go around alone in such attire even if it was urgent, Magnolia immediately shrank and reflected.

For now since it was late, Veronica gave her one of the guest rooms.

“I see. I’ll let the others know too.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Veronica stood up after finishing her business. Harry smiled at her.

“I didn’t know Miss Lining was friends with our daughter.”

“We’re not friends.”

“Hm? You’re not friends?”

“No, we’re not.”

When Veronica answered firmly, a question appeared on Harry’s face.

“Then why did she come here if you’re not friends?”

“Seems she had nowhere else to turn to for help.”

“Oh dear.”

Harry let out a short sigh. He said he would make sure she was comfortable during her stay. Veronica bid him goodnight and left Harry’s bedroom.

The next morning, Magnolia joined them for breakfast. Harry and Magnolia greeted each other for the first time there.

“I am Magnolia Lining.”

“I’m Harry Hardness. Pleased to meet you.”

Seeing Harry welcome her kindly, Magnolia let out a slightly stiff breath.

Even someone ignorant like her couldn’t help but be nervous at the aura of Harry Hardness, who was once renowned.

“How was your sleep last night?”

“It was very comfortable! The bed was soft and spacious, everything was good.”

“I’m glad. If there’s anything you need, just tell the head servant anytime and they’ll help.”

“Yes!”

Harry smiled kindly at Magnolia as she answered energetically.

Today’s breakfast was prepared for the guest. Magnolia continued to act stiffly while holding her fork.

Next to her, Veronica maintained her composure throughout. As a result, Magnolia’s unnaturalness stood out even more.

Harry looked adoringly at Magnolia, who couldn’t even make eye contact due to nervousness.

As the meal was ending, Magnolia carefully opened her mouth.

“Um, Your Grace. I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Could I… stay here for a few more days?”

Harry’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Veronica. Veronica was looking at Magnolia.

Harry hesitated, but seeing Magnolia’s desperate face, he ended up allowing it.

There was a knocking sound at the door.

“Miss Hardness.”

The door opened and Magnolia poked her head in. But not seeing the person she was looking for, she entered the study attached to the bedroom.

There she found Veronica sitting at the desk and quickly approached.

“Miss Hardness. What are you doing?”

Veronica glanced at her before returning her gaze to its original place.

“I’m writing a letter.”

“Oh, perhaps with His Highness the Prince!”

Her excited tone was somehow strange, but when Veronica answered yes, Magnolia made a fuss.

Curiosity sparkled brightly in her eyes.

Veronica resumed moving her pen which had paused when Magnolia came. Magnolia, who had been looking at the writing on the clean paper, glanced at the letter placed beside it.

Her eyes widened as she read the contents in the slightly opened paper.

“Weren’t you going to send a letter to Prince Theron?”

“That’s right.”

“But…”

Magnolia’s eyes landed again on the letter received from Cassian.

She looked confused at the brief content that barely went over one line, devoid of any emotion.

It didn’t seem like a love letter no matter how she looked at it. Veronica stretched her crooked lips into a long line.

“His Highness is very shy.”

“Ah! I see.”

Magnolia clapped her hands as if understanding something. Veronica’s face quickly lost expression as she turned her head back to the desk with a smile.

“The Duke isn’t here today.”

“He went out.”

He had a domain and could live there, but the Emperor had personally prepared this mansion for him to live close to the imperial palace, so he had no choice but to stay here.

He appointed a proxy lord in the domain, but Harry frequently went there to manage it. As a result, there were many days when the mansion was empty.

“Of course! The Duke must be busy too.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Afterwards, only the sound of the pen scratching filled the room.

Veronica’s cheek kept stinging as she wrote the letter. When she finally turned around, Magnolia smiled sheepishly.