If You Wish For My Death (6 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
“You may have a serious relationship, or you may be enjoying a lighthearted romance—I have no intention of interfering with Your Highness’s views on love. However, you must marry me. Please also consider our public image as a married couple.”
“Ha! Do you even understand what you’re saying, Miss Hardness?”
“Yes, very clearly.”
Veronica turned to look at him as well.
“This isn’t such an unusual suggestion, is it?”
It was extremely common for nobles or royalty to keep mistresses.
Since marriage wasn’t based on affection, they sought someone else to fulfill their emotional void.
Some engaged in simple liaisons, while those craving excitement pursued more perilous relationships.
Of course, Veronica would never tolerate such a thing. Having grown up watching her faithful, devoted parents, she held rather old-fashioned views on love.
Others might keep mistresses, but her husband must not. Understanding someone else’s circumstances was different from experiencing it firsthand.
How could love be split in two? At least, Veronica’s love could not be divided.
Yet exceptions existed for certain circumstances—and Cassian was the ‘exception’ in Veronica’s life.
As far as she had seen last, Cassian hadn’t taken a wife of his own, though he did have a formally betrothed fiancée—or perhaps someone else he held in his heart.
This was Veronica’s own form of consideration, though it seemed it never reached the other party.
“How do you see me?”
His face, slowly hardening, now clearly showed anger.
“If you don’t, then fine.”
“You’re making a fool of me.”
Cassian was furious. Who would ever openly suggest to their future spouse that they keep a mistress? Even if such a thing were possible, saying it outright to their face was the height of insult.
Moreover, what truly infuriated him was realizing how belated this question was.
Shouldn’t she have asked this on the day she proposed the engagement? What would she have done if he truly had someone in his heart?
Then, a memory surfaced.
‘Frankly, Your Highness’s feelings aren’t important to me.’
She really hadn’t cared at all about his feelings.
No—his opinion had never mattered even a sliver from the moment the engagement was settled, but hearing it confirmed so bluntly stung anew.
He wanted to shatter that oddly composed face of hers.
“And what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you truly let go of your feelings for Asar? Just a few months ago, you loved him so desperately?”
“What, are you worried I might take Prince Roel as my lover?”
His expression twisted as if the mere thought was madness—and his eyes asked plainly if she truly intended to do such a thing. Veronica scoffed.
“It seems Your Highness doesn’t trust his elder brother at all. If you lack that much faith in him…”
Asar would never become the mistress of his own brother’s wife. Wasn’t Cassian the younger brother he cherished most in this world?
“He would never do such a thing.”
“So I’m the type who would?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Why, am I taking after my biological father, then?”
Why had the conversation veered in that direction? And besides, his biological father referred to none other than His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.
“This place has too many listening ears, Your Highness. Please watch your words and actions.”
“What is there to be careful about? It’s common knowledge.”
Indeed, the Emperor’s promiscuous nature was widely known among the empire’s citizens.
Famous since youth for his numerous affairs, the Emperor had never failed to obtain anything he desired—and whenever a woman caught his fancy, he acted immediately, regardless of whether she was engaged, married, or even had children.
Rumors claimed more than half the women in the imperial palace had felt his touch. He had sired countless children, including several illegitimate sons who never received official recognition as princes.
Undoubtedly, there were many more secret bastards hidden from the public eye.
Even Harry, ever loyal to the royal family, remained wary of the Emperor’s womanizing ways.
He had feared the Emperor might set his sights on his own daughter—but fortunately, the Emperor feared the wrath of a loyal retainer more than he craved young fruit, so such an incident never occurred.
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have. I only brought it up because conversations like this should happen before marriage.”
Veronica certainly didn’t equate him with the Emperor—but Cassian refused to believe her.
“Must I really assume it’s a misunderstanding? Or did you mention it deliberately?”
“It truly is a misunderstanding.”
“I hear it as the latter.”
Sharp words continued flying back and forth. Veronica sighed and looked up at him,
slowly scanning his angry face. Just as their gazes seemed to linger too long on each other, she glanced once more toward the angelic statue—just for an instant.
“Your Highness may not believe me, but it seems we are destined.”
“What a dreadful thing to say.”
Cassian’s face paled, his expression horrified even at the thought.
“The reason we’ve met again like this is because we are destined. Perhaps even this relationship we now share is fate.”
“I already told you I don’t believe in superstition.”
“My falling in love with Your Highness was also fate.”
“Did you even hear a word I just said?”
He was at his wit’s end. Almost everything she said in conversation was absurd.
Truthfully, from the moment she proposed to him until now, nothing Cassian heard from Veronica had ceased to be outrageous.
She claimed she knew he disliked her and had conveyed his own stance clearly—but Veronica’s attitude never changed.
She kept insisting on this ridiculous lie about loving him, forcing her affection onto him
without the slightest regard for his feelings. Veronica Hardness remained as selfish as ever.
“One day, Your Highness will understand my heart.”
“That will never happen.”
“One can never tell. Just as my feelings shifted from His Highness Prince Roel to you, might not your heart one day soften toward me as well?”
“I already said that will never happen.”
“It might, nonetheless.”
They hadn’t managed a proper conversation since the beginning. This time, Cassian let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, Miss Hardness. Let’s assume everything you say is correct. If you truly love me—then what exactly is your reason?”
“Does love need a reason?”
“Of course it does.”
“Love at first sight.”
“……”
“I knew it from the very first moment I saw you.”
She looked up at the blue sky. It felt like being held in her mother’s arms—a warmth she couldn’t even remember.
The fresh scent of grass lifted her spirits.
She had simply followed the path led by the wind. Her young heart fluttered gently, like the colorful, blooming anemones around her.
“That I stand here now because I was meant to meet Your Highness. That you’ve been waiting here for me. That we are fated to be together.”
To feel love is simply to know it.
Just as one doesn’t need someone to explain how to breathe at birth, how to meet people and form bonds, or how to wish for one’s own happiness—loving someone was just that natural.
“I simply knew.”
Veronica smiled. That fragile, windborne smile once again spread across her face.
And Cassian did not believe a word she said.
Though she had confessed her love to him endlessly, he could never receive it with pleasure.
She claimed he would one day understand her heart—but he knew otherwise. He didn’t believe in her “love.” No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t.
“Upon reflection, it seems there’s still no trust between us, Your Highness. Trust is something built through a relationship. If we continue building ours, you’ll eventually believe in my feelings.”
“My heart will never change.”
Cassian’s voice cut through Veronica’s words. For a brief moment, her expression went blank—then her smile returned.
“I know you better than you know yourself, Your Highness. I know that, despite your rejection now, you’ll eventually come to love me.”
“If I ever love you…”
A low murmur escaped through his clenched teeth. The wind blew again—a cold, sharp wind that coiled around them, reflecting their emotions.
“…then I must have gone mad.”
“That’s wonderful. It means you’ll love me enough to go mad.”
Cassian stared at Veronica as if she were truly insane.
“Everyone experiences mad love at least once in their life.”
“Enough talk.”
He’d never met a woman like her—never yielding an inch, answering every word with crisp precision, yet somehow steering the situation exactly where she wanted it to go.
She had always been difficult to deal with, but previously it was due to the pride typical of highborn families.
Now, she was difficult in an entirely different way—
her thoughts unpredictable, her haughty face seemingly impervious to offense. Cassian felt goosebumps rise.
“This stroll has been long enough. Let’s return to the ballroom.”
He no longer wanted to listen to her nonsense.
Ever since she started chattering about love, his head had ached nonstop. Conversing with her felt like it could give him an illness he never had.
If her plan was to ruin his health, she’d succeeded. Had that been her intention all along?
“Now that I think of it, you mentioned having something important to attend to.”
Knowing full well it was just an excuse to get away from her, Veronica feigned ignorance as she brought it up.
“Unfortunately, I suppose I’ll return to the ballroom alone.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”
Without hesitation, Cassian turned away. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between them. This time, Veronica didn’t stop him.
Instead, her flat voice once again caught his ankle.
“The Imperial Birthday Celebration lasts five days, correct? And afterward, there’s the Imperial Family’s hunting event—I’ll be attending that as well.”
“Why would Miss Hardness attend that?”
He asked urgently, and Veronica answered with a smile.
“It seems Your Highness keeps forgetting we’re engaged.”
“I wish I could forget it altogether.”
“I’ll be attending as Your Highness’s fiancée. You may wish to forget it, but His Imperial Majesty seems eager—almost frantic—to spread news of our engagement everywhere.”
Following the Emperor’s love of hunting, the royal hunting event for princes always followed the Birthday Celebration.
It was purely a family affair of the Diasta Imperial House, though nobles invited by the royals often joined as well.
This time, she had received the right to attend as Cassian’s fiancée.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
“……”
Cassian felt utterly tricked.
After parting ways with the furious Cassian, Veronica paused mid-step on her way back.
Near the ballroom, a man stood waiting—as if expecting her—and fixed his gaze upon her.
“Miss Hardness.”
“……”
It was Asar.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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.