If You Wish For My Death (6 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
On this day, the majority of the nobles of the Diasta Empire headed toward the Imperial Capital.
This was because His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, who held immense self-regard, was hosting a royal banquet to receive blessings for his birthday.
Unless one was on the brink of death, even if recovering from a near-fatal illness, one had to rise from their sickbed and attend the banquet.
Otherwise, they would fall out of favor with the narrow-minded Emperor and suffer for a long time.
‘Count Jerril once missed the banquet to hold his wife’s funeral after her sudden passing and incurred the Emperor’s displeasure. Ever since, he’s struggled not only to advance in politics but even to retain his current position.’
The Emperor was that petty. And that wasn’t all—gifts also had to be prepared.
Yet, one couldn’t simply offer anything.
To appease the Emperor’s temperament, one had to provide elaborate explanations about how expensive the item was, how rare it was to obtain, or how deeply meaningful it was—essentially, abundant superficial flattery was mandatory.
For families of lower status, this occasion was also a rare opportunity to win the Emperor’s favor.
Thus, people fiercely competed to find even more expensive and higher-quality items to present at the Emperor’s birthday banquet.
Add to that sumptuous delicacies and dazzling spectacles—this event was, in a word, the pinnacle of extravagance.
Naturally, the Hardness family also attended the Emperor’s birthday banquet every year.
‘Seriously, His Imperial Majesty certainly has no shortage of free time.’
Veronica clicked her tongue as she watched the endless line of carriages entering the Imperial Capital’s gates.
Just imagining the Emperor grinning smugly while receiving gifts lavish enough to replenish the imperial treasury multiple times over made her sick to her stomach.
Well, admittedly, she herself was no different from them at the moment.
Glancing beside her, she saw her father Harry wearing a subtly tense expression.
He had been wracking his brain for months over what gift to present to the Emperor.
Since he was a man distant from luxury and indulgence, such occasions were undoubtedly a burden for him. Each year, rather than competing in extravagance, he opted for quality—he carefully balanced rare gifts with meaningful intentions.
Though, truthfully, no matter how sincere their efforts were, the Emperor wouldn’t care in the slightest.
“Don’t worry, Father. You always take such care in choosing gifts for His Majesty. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
It wasn’t just empty reassurance. No matter what gift her father had prepared this time—even if it were something bought from a street vendor—the Emperor would be delighted.
After all, the greatest gift the Emperor had received so far was her engagement to Cassian. He was surely already drooling over the future gains their marriage would bring.
“Therefore…”
Unaware of this, her father gave her a grateful smile.
The Emperor’s birthday banquet was held in the grandest ballroom of the Imperial Palace.
Even within the palace grounds, a steady procession of nobles flowed toward the ballroom. Given that most of the nobility attended, the number of guests was considerable.
Just a few years ago, many who received invitations still couldn’t enter the palace. But since the Emperor showed no leniency toward such circumstances, one had to attend at all costs just to be seen.
Even the exact time of arrival became a game of subtle maneuvering.
So many tried to attend on the very first day of the banquet in hopes of catching the Emperor’s eye first that frequent accidents occurred. Eventually, the royal household began issuing invitations with staggered dates to divide the crowds.
Thanks to this, most could now attend comfortably without difficulty.
At the entrance of the ballroom, attendants verified invitations and recorded names onto the guest registry.
Once their identities were confirmed, nobles entered the ballroom one by one. Veronica and Harry also signed the registry, waited their turn, and then proceeded inside.
The first impression upon entering the ballroom was, as always, how dazzlingly extravagant the space was.
It brimmed with opulence, as though it stood at the very heart of indulgence and luxury.
Another line had already formed before the golden staircase at the center of the ballroom.
The crowd was heading toward the Emperor and Empress seated side by side at the top of the stairs. Though princes and princesses stood beside them, what caught the eye first were the myriad colorful gifts.
Thus, even after entering the ballroom, waiting continued. After patiently taking their turn, Harry and Veronica finally reached the foot of the staircase.
“We humbly greet His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.”
“Oh! There’s our Duke Hardness!”
Upon seeing them, the Emperor grinned from ear to ear, showing obvious delight.
His deliberate use of “our” was transparently obvious—and the surrounding crowd immediately stirred at his words.
Harry handed his prepared birthday gift to an attendant—a pen and ink set crafted from beautifully hued fur.
He also presented an expensive fabric he’d specially acquired and added an explanation for why he’d chosen this particular gift.
It was a moment that revealed just how much her usually ineloquent father had agonized over it.
And just as Veronica had anticipated, the Emperor paid no attention whatsoever to the gift itself.
He was far more delighted simply by their presence.
No matter what Harry said, the Emperor responded with exaggerated enthusiasm, unable to hide his smug chuckling.
Watching this, Veronica nearly let out a scornful smile before she could stop herself.
Quickly composing her expression, she straightened her posture and glanced toward Cassian. He stood somewhere midway along the Emperor’s left side.
His face remained impassive, eyes fixed firmly on the floor, not even sparing them a glance.
Yet the Emperor showed her great interest.
“Veronica.”
“May the glory and peace of the sun descend upon you. I, Veronica of House Hardness, offer my greetings.”
“Haha! What’s with the formalities between us? The last time I saw you was at your engagement ceremony. You’ve grown even more beautiful since then! Duke Harry must be looking forward to your future.”
“She’s still full of shortcomings.”
“Nonsense! She’ll become a truly exquisite woman! Word has spread even within the palace about Lady Hardness’s perfect refinement. Our fifth son is truly blessed to have such a graceful and admirable woman as his bride.”
They hadn’t even married yet, yet he was already treating them as husband and wife.
“Cassian, what do you think? Isn’t she too good for you?”
When the Emperor singled him out, Cassian reluctantly turned toward Veronica with a sigh-like exhale.
Dressed in his formal uniform, he shone as he had during the engagement—but his face, seen again after six months, remained as cold as ever.
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Even though Cassian’s reply was purely perfunctory, the Emperor laughed boisterously, utterly lacking in dignity. He was the only one laughing.
Cassian’s brow furrowed slightly, and even the Crown Prince, the other princes, and the Empress remained silent. Harry felt conflicted, as if his daughter had been needlessly dragged into gossip.
“Your Majesty flatters me.”
Yet Veronica found the whole situation utterly ridiculous. After shooting a quick glance toward Cassian’s side, she lowered her head.
“I’m rather looking forward to tonight’s ball.”
After their audience concluded, Harry remained silent for a moment. Veronica studied him—his pale complexion was understandable under the circumstances.
“I’m fine, Father. Please don’t worry.”
“But…”
“I really am alright.”
It was far too late to back out now.
She had been the one who originally desired this engagement, so any resulting burden or pressure was hers alone to bear.
Besides, she herself had most eagerly wished for precisely this kind of situation.
“Miss Hardness.”
From a distance, a girl who appeared to be Veronica’s age called out to her. Harry gently nudged Veronica’s back.
“Your friends are calling you. Go ahead.”
“…I’ll be back shortly.”
“I’m fine here, so take your time and chat leisurely.”
After reassuring her father once more that she’d return soon, Veronica turned away.
As she approached, the girl immediately linked arms with her, acting overly delighted.
“It’s been so long since you’ve shown your face. Aren’t you just too busy these days?”
“…”
“How hurtful—you didn’t even ask how I’ve been.”
When Veronica just stared at her silently, the girl looked slightly flustered and suddenly produced something to hand over.
It was a letter. Veronica’s eyes fell upon it.
“It’s the invitation to that salon you kept singing praises about—remember? You know how rare this is, right? Only truly refined people attend, and they don’t let just anyone in. I barely managed to get this for you after begging.”
But Veronica didn’t take the letter. The girl blinked in confusion.
“Aren’t you taking it?”
“No.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because I don’t need it. And, Miss Are.”
Veronica looked away from the letter and fixed her gaze on the girl—Miss Are.
“I have something to say to you as well.”
“What is it?”
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped bothering me.”
She slowly took in the girl’s shocked expression.
“And don’t pretend to be close to me when we’re not even friends.”
The girl standing before her was once someone Veronica had believed to be a true friend.
After her naive debut into high society, when she struggled to get along with others, this girl was the first to approach her—the first friend she’d made.
Veronica had met others through her, formed friendships, and built a social circle. They shared tastes and enjoyed hobbies together.
When her father was taken away and their mansion placed under surveillance, Veronica had immediately turned to her for help.
But when she couldn’t reach her, Veronica secretly slipped out of the mansion to see her in person.
Seeing Veronica suddenly appear before her, the girl showed obvious discomfort—but calmly soothed her and dismissed everyone around them.
Once they were alone, however, she took one look at Veronica’s disheveled state, grimaced, and said,
“Miss Hardness, how can you act so recklessly? If word gets out that I’m close to House Hardness during times like these, what will become of me? Don’t you think that’s terribly unfair?”
“I—I’m sorry. I was desperate. Miss Are, please help me. It’s all a setup! I can explain everything.”
“But even if you tell me, there’s nothing I can do. What exactly did you expect from me in the first place?”
“A-Are…”
“Sigh—Miss Hardness, please come to your senses. Having socialized with you this much is already enough. One must know their place. Surely you don’t actually believe I associated with you because I liked you?”
“…”
“If you’re this oblivious—if I only kept you around because your influential family backed you. It wouldn’t hurt to maintain some connection with House Hardness. Everyone else felt the same, you know. Didn’t you ever realize how much people talked behind your back?”
“…”
“They were all just humoring you. Now that even your once-great house has fallen, who would want to associate with someone like you—so lacking in grace and full of greed?”
With that, she coldly brushed off Veronica’s grasping hand, warned her never to come again, and turned sharply to go inside. That was the end of it.
Veronica had gone back one last time, hoping against hope—but the girl refused to see her. Instead, she was driven away as if pelted with salt.
“I already know you never liked me. You flaunted our friendship publicly while secretly digging up my flaws to belittle me behind my back—you even spread rumors about me. Yet you stayed by my side, feigning ignorance, and offered empty comfort whenever I seemed upset, all because you hoped to gain something from it.”
“H-Hardness…”
“Did you really say you got this for my sake?”
Veronica took the letter from the girl’s hand—and dropped it carelessly to the floor.
“But what should we do about this now?”
The letter crumpled beneath the girl’s feet.
“I don’t need it anymore.”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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this chapter was extremely sad. I like the fact that the author keep emphasizing on her past life, like not to let go her trauma. I i have read many fast pace regression novels when as soon as fmc finds love everything else just goes really fast and nothing else matters almost as if forgetting the revenge which was suppose to be the priority, so far loving this novel i hope they don’t ruin it.
I can totally understand the fmc she don’t want fake friends cause she already has a experience where she thought someone was her friend but they where only using her for her status. I mean its always hard to trust people when u been betrayed badly. I can totally understand her having trust issues.
she must be thinking something really romantic is going on between them. If only she knew what her favorite is scheming in that head of hers.