Veronica thought deeply about Harry’s words throughout the early morning. And when dawn broke, she wrote a letter and sent it.

Fortunately, the other party who was said to keep promises well responded to the request.

Veronica informed the other party of the time and place to meet. And on the promised day, Veronica met him.

“I wondered what it was about when you asked to meet outside.”

“I can’t come to a place like this alone.”

“I thought Count Hardness would be with you.”

“It would be strange to come with my father when I have a fiancé.”

She also needed a solid shield. That shield, His Highness Prince Cassian Theron Diastara, looked up at the church where the wedding was scheduled with an annoyed expression.

He had been told to dress up nicely, but his expression showed he hadn’t expected to attend a wedding.

“Whose wedding is it?”

“Someone Your Highness has met before. You know, the one who followed me last time.”

He let out a short sigh. Then he stared at Veronica.

“You said it was someone not worth paying attention to.”

“That’s right, someone not worth paying attention to.”

“To think our first meeting outside would be at someone else’s wedding. Miss Veronica, you really are unpredictable in many ways.”

“It would have been better if it was our wedding, don’t you think?”

Veronica smiled mischievously. Cassian smiled back but refused to answer.

His disgruntled mood dissipated upon seeing the lavish flower arrangements decorating the church entrance.

“…It’s extravagant.”

“Excessively so.”

The scene inside was even more spectacular.

Large, colorful flowers were arranged lavishly even in the farthest corners, and flower petals were scattered on the floor.

Underfoot was a carpet that was clearly of high quality, spread out like a path and unpleasantly soft. Among the flowers were golden decorations that reeked of expense, to the point of being dazzling.

Most astonishing was the sweet sound of the orchestra playing at the center of it all.

No noble wedding could be more luxurious than this.

“Veronica! Over here! Oh my, Your Highness.”

Lady Arin, who had been calling for Veronica, belatedly noticed Cassian and curtsied. Cassian gave a short bow in return.

Veronica exchanged brief eye greetings with Lady Arin’s companion, her husband Lord Thompson.

“Where is the bride?”

“She’s in that room. But…”

Lady Arin whispered in Veronica’s ear.

“It seems not just anyone can go in.”

Lady Arin had met Magnolia, but there were others who had been denied a meeting. It didn’t seem to be her decision.

Veronica saw two men standing guard in front of the door.

They were clearly watchmen posted to prevent the bride from escaping. And Veronica would probably not be allowed into that room.

What to do. As Veronica pondered, Lady Arin whispered in her ear again.

“Shall I try to divert their attention?”

“Could you do that?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

With a determined expression, the lady linked arms with Lord Thompson and approached the guards. The guards turned their attention to the couple.

“Excuse me. I dropped my ring around here, could you help me look for it?”

“Pardon? A ring?”

“Yes, a ring with a very large jewel. I dropped it somewhere around here but I can’t find it. It’s a very precious ring and I’d be in trouble if I lost it, could you help look for it?”

“Uh, um, yes?”

“Come on. Quickly.”

At the gentle urging, the guards reflexively bent down. And they began searching the floor for the ring the noblewoman said she had dropped.

Soon they began to question why they should be looking for someone else’s ring, but somehow they couldn’t resist the gentle voice.

Even though the noble couple who supposedly lost the ring were just staring blankly at the two of them.

While Lady Arin diverted the guards’ attention, Veronica took Cassian to a suitably secluded spot and told him to stay put.

Cassian’s reaction was understandably not good, but it couldn’t be helped. His role was not needed right now.

“Why do I have to stay here?”

“Men aren’t allowed in the bride’s room originally.”

After earnestly asking him to stay right there as she’d be back soon, Veronica quietly entered the room, taking advantage of the gap Lady Arin had created by distancing the guards.

Magnolia was sitting in the innermost part of the room.

She must be the only bride with such a gloomy face even in her wedding attire.

“Magnolia.”

At the short call, Magnolia suddenly raised her head. Her gloomy expression brightened in an instant.

“Miss Hardness! You came.”

“I was invited.”

Veronica took out a letter from her bag and tossed it. It was Magnolia’s wedding invitation that she had received from Lady Arin.

She hadn’t been asked specifically, but she thought it seemed like she was meant to deliver it.

Whatever the reason, this side was also clearly an invited guest on the bride’s side.

Veronica looked around the room. Even in the small room, flowers and wedding items were piled up, along with congratulatory gifts.

“It’s a more luxurious ceremony than I expected.”

Though to her eyes, it looked more like a beautiful prison.

“Father went to great lengths.”

Magnolia added with a smile.

It sounded like a nice thing to say, but in reality, it was like covering up an unstable ceremony that had almost been called off with extravagance.

In fact, people around would be watching to make sure Magnolia couldn’t run away. Even the guards outside this room were doing just that.

Veronica looked at the face that had been made lively with makeup.

“First of all, congratulations on your marriage.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

“Actually, I wasn’t going to come.”

At those words, Magnolia visibly panicked.

“But I came. I felt I needed to see your face one more time.”

“Oh…”

“Are you really going through with this wedding?”

“Pardon? Yes… I suppose I must…”

“Won’t you regret it?”

Magnolia pressed her lips tightly together. Then she raised her head with a smile on her face.

“I-I think it will be fine as time goes by. He promised to be faithful only to me after marriage, and made a promise to make our married life problem-free. It might be a little difficult at first, but as time passes… after having children and getting used to it, I might even think it’s fortunate I didn’t break off the engagement. Since all the family debts have been paid off, my family’s minds will be at ease now, it’s all good results.”

A lie. Her voice was trembling faintly. Sadness seeped through her smiling face. Magnolia was forcing herself to smile.

“I’m sure I’ll be happy.”

She was trying to deceive herself into being a happy bride. Veronica, who had been staring down at that face, slowly moved her lips.

“But Magnolia. The most important person, you, isn’t happy.”

At that moment, the anxiously smiling face crumpled. Tears welled up in her lusterless eyes. However, the voice of the woman who lowered her head again feigned composure.

“I-It’s okay. Really, it’s okay. It’s just like this now. It’s hard now, but… later, like other people, I’ll surely be smiling while reminiscing, ‘Ah, that’s how it was back then.'”

“…”

Curling her trembling fingers into a fist, she tried hard to ‘pretend’ to be cheerful.

Not realizing she was trembling, Magnolia repeated several times that she would be happy later.

Watching this, Veronica tilted her head back. Irritation surged.

Now she understood. The reason why she had impulsively spoken to her when they first met. Why she hadn’t thought deeply about it despite that. Why she had been reluctant to be associated while being close. The reason why she sometimes felt irritated when looking at her.

Every time Veronica saw her, she was reminded of her own powerless past self.

Clinging to hopeless hope while knowing that happiness would never come, just waiting for help, and pretending to be fine despite being covered in wounds.

The woman before her eyes was herself.

Veronica Hardness, who had clung to a wrong love, who had no choice but to be dragged along knowing she would be used in the end.

“Wake up, Magnolia. That’s not possible.”

A long sigh escaped, enough to make her chest heave. Irritation stirred in her mind. Veronica stared straight ahead.

A surprised face was reflected in her crimson eyes, just like when she had sat receiving people’s blessings in the lavish palace pergola.

“To say you’ll be happy later while being this anxious now, even nonsense would be better than that.”

“Ve-Vero-Veroni.”

“Open your ears and listen to me well. There is no ‘becoming okay’ in your future. That man will eventually betray you and continue to meet other women, your powerless family won’t be able to protect you like now, and in the end, you’ll be thrown into a mental hospital when you become useless. There, you’ll die burned to death while waiting for your husband who betrayed you, not even knowing why you’re locked up. That’s what will happen to you.”

“…”

“Thinking you’ll be okay after marrying such a man is something you’d only say in a dream. It’s clearly bullshit.”

Saying these things, she probably wouldn’t understand. She probably wouldn’t believe it either. But still, Veronica wanted to tell her.

“You won’t be happy, ever.”

That there is no happiness in a reality that even oneself cannot be certain of.

“Then what should I do?”

A voice mixed with tears asked. One step away from despair, she asked for help.

But Veronica had no answer to give her. Just like when she had turned away from her who claimed she wasn’t crazy.

“That’s something you have to think about yourself.”

“What if I can’t figure it out even if I think about it myself?”

“Keep thinking. Until you find an answer.”

“What if an answer still doesn’t come?”

“Then… just do what your heart tells you. They say if you’re going to regret it either way, you might as well do it and regret it. It seems right.”

If it were Veronica, regardless of the family circumstances or what her father said, she would have broken off the engagement, or found a new lover, or found a man to temporarily replace him, or somehow overturned the wedding.

That would have been the same even for the 16-year-old Veronica who knew nothing.

“Because if you don’t do anything, nothing changes.”

There’s no guarantee that things will necessarily get better if you act. It could get even worse.

But sitting still and waiting for help was stupid.

A voice that wasn’t even raised had no way of reaching others. Miracles don’t come that easily.

She had to make the choice. The responsibility was also hers.

Even if that choice brings about another misfortune, that too was something she had to bear entirely on her own.

“Don’t expect your happiness from others.”