“……How on earth did you come to such a conclusion? Where did you even begin to think that way?”

“I met Miss Izu and she was a nice person. Calm and gentle, the opposite of me.”

The last words seemed to carry a strong emphasis. It was then that Cassian realized what Veronica must have been thinking to reach this conclusion.

And his head started to ache. He let out another long sigh.

“Are you imitating Celia now?”

“I’m trying to match Your Highness’s tastes. I understand. You’ve experienced something like heartbreak without even sharing feelings, it’s upsetting even for me to hear.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Are you planning to meet her as a mistress later? If so, please let me know in advance. I need to prepare myself mentally.”

“I said it’s not like that.”

“You don’t have to hide your feelings even from me. How can emotions be easily suppressed? Especially when it’s unrequited love. I’m on Your Highness’s side. Although I can’t become Miss Izu, I’ll try to match your tastes by learning from her. So please don’t abandon me.”

“Do you have any intention of listening to what I’m saying?”

Cassian truly wondered if she was willing to have a conversation. He wanted to understand Veronica’s true feelings. He always did.

“I’m listening, that’s why I’m trying so hard to match Your Highness’s tastes.”

“You don’t need to match them, so stop it. That thought, everything. Just don’t do anything. Please stop thinking altogether.”

“Still, the pain of heartbreak…”

“I said it’s not like that!”

Finally losing his temper, Cassian downed his tea in one gulp.

The hot tea scalded his throat as it went down, but it was lukewarm compared to the irritation burning inside him.

Cassian took a moment to catch his breath, looking at the scenery outside the glass wall.

“I don’t know what you heard, but she and I are not in that kind of relationship. We’ve barely even spoken to each other.”

“You don’t have to try so hard to lie.”

“I’m not lying. We haven’t shared enough emotions to feel anything like love.”

Cassian added with a sigh. Veronica listened with a smile. Whether those words were true or not, she couldn’t know.

Since their engagement talk had fallen through early, they might have had few points of contact.

But Veronica would never know what the actual relationship between the two was like. Nor did she want to know.

“Then does that mean you love me now?”

“Don’t subtly change the subject. It’s not like that either.”

His firmness was as sharp as a knife. Cassian, ruffling his hair in irritation, asked:

“What about you? You must know that her fiancé is Asher.”

“Yes, I know. I even sincerely congratulated them.”

Veronica answered with a smile, refreshingly. Cassian’s eyes scanned her sharply. But there was no gap in her solid expression.

He let out another deep sigh.

“You must have a reason for acting like this. The first thing that comes to mind is the recent incident. Is that why you’re doing this to me? Because I… refused?”

“I was just trying to match Your Highness’s tastes. You said I wasn’t to your liking.”

“I told you not to change the subject.”

He pressed his forehead firmly. Not much time had passed, but he was already mentally exhausted.

“Do you really want to do that kind of thing with me?”

“If I say yes, would you dislike it?”

“To be honest, I’m still not used to our relationship.”

There are things that need time. There are also things that don’t work even with time passing.

Cassian knows this obvious fact, and he doesn’t think she doesn’t know it either.

“Honestly, I don’t understand. Why are you acting so hastily? As you said, we will eventually marry, so isn’t it not too late to do it after we’re married? Then there will be the title of husband and wife, making it easier to request.”

In the end, things had gone as she wished, and somehow they were continuing to meet privately. Considering their relationship up until now, it was a great achievement.

Cassian thought. Isn’t this appropriate? It was a suitable distance for an engagement relationship that had been forcibly arranged.

He had maintained no less distance even with Celia, whom he had known since childhood.

But Veronica wanted to go further.

She insisted on ‘love’ right now. Cassian couldn’t understand. The persistent question finally took a clear form.

Frustrated by the unresolved question, he asked. Veronica was listening intently to his words, her cheeks cupped in her hands as she leaned on the table.

If only her smiling face didn’t seem so out of place in the situation, it would have been fine.

“This seems to be the first time. That Your Highness has thought about me like this.”

“I’m always thinking about you.”

“Really? That’s happy news.”

A short laugh rang out innocently. Veronica straightened her back and picked up her teacup.

The series of movements as she lifted the cup with its saucer and brought it to her lips to drink looked elegant.

Even without deliberately trying to be modest, she was someone who had acquired grace through years of education.

Veronica silently savored the tea and then slightly parted her lips to catch her breath.

Her cheek, though covered with makeup, seemed to still be bruised as she slightly winced in discomfort.

Her downcast eyelids were remarkably long, he thought. When she had said she was confident in her appearance, he had scoffed, but objectively speaking, she did have a pretty face.

If only she would keep her mouth shut, that is.

“Did I seem impatient? That wasn’t really the case.”

The cup clattered against the saucer. Veronica looked at him again.

“Well, Your Highness disliked me. I forgot for a moment because you’ve been treating me well lately. But don’t misunderstand. It’s not wrong to want to get closer to someone you love, is it? I want to get along well with Your Highness, but I always end up making you angry.”

“……”

“It’s just my greed. I’m in unrequited love with Your Highness, aren’t I? I want to get along well from now on. I’m also worried that you might continue to be like this even after we’re married.”

“That’s an unnecessary worry.”

“Is it really?”

Veronica smiled brightly.

“What’s so difficult about acting as lovers?”

Veronica suddenly reached out and took Cassian’s cup. Then she brought it to her own lips.

Her lips touched exactly where Cassian’s had been, then moved away. Cassian could see the remaining tea sliding down her throat.

“It’s as easy as sharing a cup like this. It might seem difficult if you think of it that way.”

Cassian, who had been flustered, widened his eyes. Veronica burst into laughter again.

“Do you dislike it that much?”

The question was light. Although the meaning behind it was by no means light, the cheerful laughter at least tried to lighten the stiff atmosphere.

Cassian was flustered again. He hadn’t meant it that way.

The conversation naturally broke off. Veronica returned Cassian’s cup and picked up her own.

She didn’t particularly drink from it, just swirled the tea inside in circles.

The bright midday sun pierced through the glass ceiling and poured down on her.

Her light brown hair looked like fine threads as it caught the light. Each of those thin threads moved with her hand movements. Swaying, swaying.

Suddenly, her wet lips caught his eye. Cassian turned his face to the side. His chest, which had seemed to open up a bit, felt uncomfortably tight again.

“What would Your Highness do if there was an unchangeable fate?”

“That again? I told you I don’t believe in things like fate.”

“Still. What would you do?”

“…If I could accept it, I would. If not, I’d look for another way.”

“But what if it still happens?”

“……”

“What must happen will surely happen. That’s what fate is, I suppose. It’s quite a romantic word, fate. Just like how Your Highness and I are sitting here like this.”

What’s romantic about this situation where one person is spouting nonsense and the other is trying to calm their inner anger? And there she goes again with the fate talk.

Cassian glared at her as if nauseated. Veronica laughed again.

“Your Highness will end up marrying me.”

“I know that too. Haven’t I heard it from you to the point of nausea?”

“You will certainly marry me.”

“Yes. I know that very well.”

“But we don’t know when we’ll get married.”

“……”

“We don’t know when we’ll hold the wedding ceremony.”

Veronica hadn’t always died after witnessing Harry’s death and the family’s extermination.

There were many times she didn’t even reach that point before dying.

There were accidents, assassinations, and mostly suicides, but there were also countless times she nearly got raped by men she couldn’t even remember.

There were times she died from illness after lying still in bed, refusing meals.

At some point, these deaths became unmemorable.

Just meaningless time, as insignificant as flowing lake water. There are times when life is more painful than death.

“…We’ll hold it when the time comes.”

“Your Highness seems to have plenty of time. But I don’t. And, Your Highness, your time isn’t that abundant either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it wouldn’t be strange if someone died tomorrow.”

While Cassian narrowed his brows at these incomprehensible words, Veronica downed the remaining tea.

“Has something happened to Duke Hardness?”

At those words, Veronica burst into laughter. He couldn’t understand what was so funny.

“Nothing has happened to Father right now.”

“Then why are you saying such things?”

“It’s not like I said anything wrong, is it?”

A person you met smiling today could suddenly die tomorrow.

They could pass away in an unexpected accident or fail to wake up due to a worsening illness.

No one knew.

No one could have predicted that the Hardness family, who held high power trusted by the Emperor, would be exterminated overnight, and that it would be by the Emperor’s own order.

“Your Highness. Every day is precious to me now.”

“……”

“Really precious.”

Yes, precious. How could this moment not be precious? At the same time, it was useless.

If she couldn’t fulfill her wish, all this time would be meaningless.

The decision rested with the man before her.

Because he was a man who wouldn’t easily give even a speck of his heart, Veronica couldn’t help but feel more urgent.

She needed to burrow deep into his heart as soon as possible, but progress was too slow.

“How can I get closer to Your Highness’s heart, I ponder this every day. You’ll probably dislike even this. If only I were to Your Highness’s taste, it would have been better, but that’s regrettable.”

“I don’t dislike it.”

Veronica’s eyes widened. Cassian grumpily rested his chin on his hand and unnecessarily picked up and put down his empty cup.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just saying I don’t hate it to death.”

“Is that so.”

“And I’ll say it again, I don’t believe in things like fate. Where is there a fate that can’t be escaped? Such words are made up by people who want to blame their own shortcomings on fate. In the same vein, I don’t particularly like plays either. So, just act as usual.”

“……”

“Don’t talk about fate or whatever nonsense. Don’t do unnecessary things trying to match my taste. Stop reading weird books too. Everything you do just ends up angering me anyway.”

Cassian sincerely pleaded. He genuinely wished she would stop having such strange thoughts.

That was all he wanted from her – well, not quite, but he hoped she wouldn’t irritate people with her outlandish ideas.

Then Cassian frowned.

“No, I misspoke. Don’t do as you please. Let’s just not do anything at all.”

“Your Highness’s heart is really hard to match.”

“Let me ask you honestly. You actually have no intention of matching it, do you?”

Seeing how she acted while claiming to match his tastes, he honestly suspected she might be playing around. Or maybe she wanted to vent about the recent incident. This seemed more likely.

“You make people flustered, then perplexed, and then suddenly start talking about fate. When I’m with you, I experience dozens of mood swings in a day. I can’t say it’s comfortable being with you…”

There seemed to be a lot implied after that ‘comfortable’.

“…But that doesn’t mean you need to become a different person. Even if you act differently, it’s not like you as a person will change anyway.”

Please don’t make unnecessary efforts, Cassian added grumpily as he turned his gaze to the window.

Sunlight scattered around him. Even in that light, his sullen face was clearly visible.

“Is your cheek… alright? It seems like there’s still some swelling.”

“It’s fine.”

“That’s good.”

The silence that followed lasted quite a while.

Cassian stubbornly stared out the window, while Veronica lowered her gaze and fiddled with her teacup.

Although there was no tea left in the cup, for some reason, she too stared intently into it for a long time.

“You still haven’t given up!”

“Of course not.”

During a royal banquet, as soon as they stepped onto the balcony after Veronica said she wanted to be alone with him, she pounced on Cassian.

With his experience from previous encounters, Cassian’s reactions had become quicker, and he was barely able to avoid being knocked down.

He landed on his bottom, hit the back of his head on the railing, and didn’t forget to use his hands to block her as she lunged at him.