If You Wish For My Death (6 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
Cassian let out another hollow laugh. It was his way of saying, “Are you still spouting that lie?”
“I dislike women like you.”
His sharp, steely blue eyes locked onto Veronica.
What lay within them was deep loathing. Veronica felt a familiar sense of déjà vu.
“I know women like you all too well. You whisper sweet nothings about eternal love, only to cast them aside the moment they fall for you, acting as if you’re suddenly burdened. You have no interest in the feelings they hold for you—only your own emotions matter. Love is nothing more than momentary amusement to ease your boredom. You even claim emotions are fickle and subject to whims.”
“……”
“It was the exact same with Asar. You shook him to his core with declarations of love so intense they bordered on obsession—only to discard him the moment you’d won his affection, as if he’d suddenly become dull.”
Just what kind of resolve had Asar needed to propose to her?
He had endured the humiliation of proposing to a woman who showed no love for him, who had clung to him with obsessive persistence despite his clear disinterest.
Had it not been for the Emperor’s direct command, he might have refused outright.
But the moment Asar received the imperial order from the Emperor himself, he had resigned himself to it.
Even as he headed straight to the Hardness estate that very day, he’d still managed a smile, thinking he ought to treat well the person who would share his future.
“That kind, gentle man.”
Cassian’s heart ached whenever he recalled that day.
His kind and gentle older brother’s future had ultimately been ruined by her stubborn insistence.
Inside the carriage they shared on the way, Cassian couldn’t utter a single word.
At least his brother’s wish to leave the Imperial Palace would be fulfilled—could that offer any consolation?
And just what insolence had Veronica Hardness committed before Asar himself?
Her actions went far beyond mere petulance over his repeated rejections of her affections.
“Are you doing this on purpose? Or am I simply your next plaything?”
Cassian didn’t hold back his scorn, voicing the frustration Asar himself had never been able to express.
After Veronica Hardness and Duke Harry Hardness caused a commotion upon entering the palace, the Emperor scolded Asar harshly, demanding, “Just how did you act that you failed to secure the fruit right before your eyes?”
The Emperor hadn’t even spared mention of Asar’s leg disability. Perhaps Cassian’s presence had softened the Emperor’s displeasure just slightly.
“Do you even know what people whisper behind our backs?”
“The opinions of others hold no importance to me.”
“They do to me.”
“……”
“If you desire ‘love’ that desperately, perhaps you should attach yourself to someone more useful.”
Despite the blatant rudeness of his words, Veronica only stared at him wordlessly.
No matter how harshly he pressed her, she showed neither displeasure nor anger. Her composed demeanor irritated him.
“Your Highness seems quite well-acquainted with His Highness Prince Asar. You even speak on his behalf.”
“Naturally.”
“Because he’s your beloved older brother?”
Veronica smiled as she said this—the same unruffled expression, entirely untouched by his barbs.
“Oh dear, Your Highness. That sounds rather childish.”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t declare so boldly that you love him and know everything. How can you be certain your brother was truly hurt? And how can you so blindly believe he’s purely kind and gentle? Don’t delude yourself into thinking the brother you know couldn’t possibly harm even a single ant.”
What had Asar done the moment he ascended the throne?
His very first act was the systematic elimination of every other imperial heir—his half-siblings included.
Starting with the Crown Prince who had rebelled, then the second prince who’d supported him, the third prince who’d remained neutral, and even the other princes and princesses who’d merely watched and waited—all were slain. Those who hid were hunted down and killed.
Only the youngest prince, still an infant, was spared—but exiled. Even he surely hadn’t enjoyed a comfortable upbringing.
“Everyone possesses many facets, Your Highness. You’re no exception, are you? You’d do anything for your precious older brother. You’d grant him any wish, wouldn’t you? You’d betray trusted comrades, commit murder without hesitation—even gladly slit the throat of your own fiancée, me.”
Veronica let out a soft, amused chuckle—as if genuinely entertained, despite the grimness of her words.
“I truly don’t understand what you’re so worried about. Nothing you’re concerned about has happened yet. And if you suggest I attach myself to someone ‘more useful,’ who could possibly suit that description better than Your Highness Prince Cassian?”
“What nonsense is this now?”
Veronica knew exactly how far the man before her would rise in the future.
His current position might seem as frail as a leaf trembling in the wind, but Asar was next in line after the reigning Emperor—and this very man had been one of those who’d helped Asar seize the throne.
It was this man who, under Asar’s orders, had drawn his sword against his own half-siblings.
Do you even realize the atrocities you’ll commit one day? Suddenly, Veronica felt an urge to strangle him right then and there.
“……Why are you looking at me like that?”
Cassian narrowed his eyes.
“How am I looking at you?”
“With a dangerous gaze.”
“That can’t be.”
Veronica subtly veiled her crimson eyes and smiled radiantly. Cassian felt a creeping sense of unease.
“I understand Your Highness’s meaning perfectly. Though you claim to speak for your brother, deep down you believe I must have some ulterior motive for acting this way.”
“It seems you do.”
“If I do… will you grant it?”
“Try me.”
“Don’t answer so confidently. How can you possibly know what I desire?”
Cassian hesitated, a flicker of regret for having spoken too hastily crossing his face.
Veronica, however, continued smiling sweetly as before.
“If what I wanted was Your Highness’s heart—could you hand it to me right now?”
“……I truly don’t understand the point of such lies.”
“Why would it be meaningless? Simply being able to convey my feelings to Your Highness Prince Cassian holds great meaning for me.”
“……”
Cassian fell momentarily silent, pondering how to unravel this woman’s true intentions. In that moment, Veronica stepped backward.
“If I’d wanted material things, I would’ve said so outright. If I craved power, I would’ve become the Crown Prince’s consort. Since that’s not the case, please don’t misunderstand me—and don’t misjudge my feelings either.”
“……”
“Shall we continue our walk, then?”
Veronica resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
It was utterly baffling that, despite their exchange of cutting words, she showed no intention of ending their stroll together.
Moreover, she hadn’t properly answered a single one of his questions.
Watching Veronica walk ahead, Cassian let out another hollow laugh.
Then, hardening his expression, he turned sharply in the opposite direction—preparing to leave her behind for good.
Yet his resolute step halted after only a few paces. He turned back.
Though she surely must have heard his footsteps fading, she didn’t look back. Her unwavering back seemed to see straight through him.
With a sigh, Cassian finally trudged heavily toward her once more.
As they walked in silence, they soon found themselves entering the central garden—
the most prominent of all the gardens scattered throughout the palace grounds.
Not a word passed between them the entire way, leaving only an uncomfortable silence born of unresolved tension.
Veronica abruptly stopped walking. Cassian, who hadn’t noticed her halt, only stopped a moment later.
When he turned back, he saw her gazing fixedly at something to the side.
“What are you doing?”
Cassian started toward her but suddenly froze mid-step.
Winds from every direction swirled around them.
Her neatly pinned-up hair came undone in the gust, and the long white ribbon trailing down fluttered wildly in the air.
Loose strands danced softly around her face, revealing an expression frighteningly stiff—
a stark contrast to the woman who’d just moments ago smiled amiably, unmoved by any taunt or insult.
Unconsciously, Cassian stared intently at her. Then the wind grew fiercer, blurring his vision.
He raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Through the gaps between his fingers, he saw the world sway unsteadily, as if losing its balance.
Hair whipped about, clothes wrinkled, everything fluttered—yet her slender figure remained perfectly still.
Would it be strange if that very stillness made him uneasy?
The strong gust quickly subsided. Cassian blinked, his mind clearing as if waking from a dream. He absentmindedly swept a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Do you believe in fate, Your Highness?”
“I have little interest in superstition.”
“I do.”
Cassian, adjusting his clothes, gave a faint chuckle.
“I wouldn’t have taken you for someone so romantic.”
Veronica smiled in return, but her smile vanished as quickly as the wind.
A heavy silence settled over them. Veronica offered no further words, her gaze fixed steadily to the side.
Only then did Cassian follow her line of sight.
Peeking through the profuse white buds of a viburnum shrub stood a small cherub statue—
something Cassian, though born and raised in the capital, had never seen before.
The infant angel, gazing skyward with a tiny arrow in hand, bore delicate wings on its back, surrounded by a circular drape of flowing fabric.
At first glance, it appeared to be fluttering upward—but upon closer inspection, it seemed instead to be falling while looking toward the heavens.
Statues of angels were everywhere in this country. One didn’t need to search far—even a brief stroll through the streets would reveal many.
Similar angel statues were common even within the palace grounds.
This particular one, though overgrown with moss and vines from long neglect, held nothing especially remarkable about it.
Yet Veronica couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. Despite its ordinariness, she stared at the statue for quite some time.
Cassian glanced once at Veronica, then turned back to scrutinize the cherub again—but found nothing unusual about it.
“Might you have someone special in your heart?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I’d understand even if you took them as your consort later.”
“What did you just say?”
He repeated the question, stunned by her audacity. Veronica kept her eyes fixed on the statue.
Cassian was left speechless. He’d never realized people could be so utterly bewildering—until now, speaking with her.
Unfazed, Veronica pressed on with even more outrageous words.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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.