“You came in late yesterday.”
“I was with Her Highness the Princess.”
At Killian’s honest answer, the brows of the Duke and Duchess of Drea subtly furrowed.
The Duke spoke gravely.
“Have you already forgotten what happened at the hunting festival? The Crown Prince and Princess conspired to attack you.”
“It seems certain that the Crown Prince was behind the masked assassins, but not Her Highness the Princess. She was with me when we were attacked.”
His voice was firm.
Indeed, it was nearly impossible to suspect Veronia, with whom he had run for his life, fallen off a cliff together, and shivered in the cold together.
But his parents, unaware of the details, revealed their frustration.
This time, the Duchess added a word.
“That’s the way of the Imperial family, my child. They pretend to offer up the Princess while ultimately luring you into a trap.”
Killian could not argue further. For that was indeed the way of the Imperial family.
The Duke and Duchess continued their worried conversation about the Imperial family.
“The current Imperial family seems to be a collection of utterly cunning individuals. I don’t see any part of them that can be trusted and relied upon.”
“You’re right. I hear there’s strong opposition in the southern regions because they’ve raised taxes further for the war, even though there’s nothing to eat due to drought.”
“What good does it do if the lords reduce local taxes? They just collect that much more in national taxes.”
Tsk tsk, the Duke and Duchess clicked their tongues and shook their heads simultaneously.
“The situation is this bad, yet they’re holding another banquet at the Imperial Palace! I don’t understand what they’re thinking!”
“What are they thinking? They’re probably not thinking at all. It seems there are signs of rebellion in the southern regions… So I’m very worried.”
At the word ‘rebellion’ from the Duke’s lips, a dark shadow fell across Killian’s face as well.
In the time it took for the information that ‘signs of rebellion are showing’ to reach here, they would have already formed an organization and carefully laid out plans.
No, perhaps they had already sprung into action.
Reading concern in Killian’s expression, the Duke carefully opened his mouth.
“There’s a meeting of Club Glory tomorrow, so why don’t you attend with me? Isn’t it about time?”
“…”
“Especially at this meeting, it seems we’ll be discussing the situation in the southern regions and major issues of the empire. It’s a time when the opinions of young nobles are needed more than ever. So…”
“Yes, I’ll attend.”
Killian answered briefly.
Club Glory was a secret society of like-minded high nobles, with the Duke of Drea currently serving as president.
As all members held immense power, it was the place where one could access the most prompt and accurate confidential information on domestic and foreign affairs.
Moreover, matters decided upon after gathering opinions here could be immediately implemented.
Membership in this formidable society was determined almost entirely by heredity.
Thanks to strict confidentiality clauses passed down for generations, few non-members knew the exact nature of the club.
There were only abundant rumors along the lines of ‘they say that…’
When Killian, who had been postponing attendance all this time, nodded readily, the expressions of the Duke and Duchess brightened.
[This is the timeline separator]As the Duke of Drea had said, the atmosphere at this meeting of Club Glory was not very good.
“They say rebellions are already occurring here and there in the southern regions. That’s why Viscount Rotra and the young viscount are absent today.”
The Rotra viscounty was a great estate in the southern regions.
It was said that a letter had arrived saying they could not attend the meeting in the capital as they were busy quelling the rebellion.
“Swift action is needed at this time. If we dally like this, we don’t know when the bomb will explode in other regions or the capital.”
“If we stand idly by in the face of the Imperial family’s current misdeeds, it’s clear as day that the entire empire will soon fall into chaos. We may even completely lose the country.”
They said the movements of neighboring countries were also ominous.
It was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if they started a war, taking advantage of the confusion from rebellion and civil war in the Aesnerdeum Empire.
The future of the country was precarious. Sighs mixed with lamentations burst out here and there.
Amidst the atmosphere of concern over the urgent state of affairs, there was one thought troubling Killian’s mind.
‘I hope Lord Killian likes this gift. I’ve always been grateful. I won’t forget.’
It was Veronia’s voice stored in the glass bottle he had received from her.
Last night, when he shook the glass bottle, he heard the sound of magic stones rolling around, along with Veronia’s voice.
The voice was both fascinating and beautiful, so he listened to it over and over again.
‘But “I’ve always been grateful. I won’t forget”… It’s as if she’s someone who’s about to leave…’
Clearly, it was a light and cheerful voice from beginning to end.
The content could also be seen as just ordinary greetings.
But it was strange.
The more he listened to her voice stored in the glass bottle, the more Killian couldn’t shake the feeling of something grating in a corner of his heart.
‘What exactly… Why am I afraid?’
It was a question he had already asked himself several times.
There were only questions, with no answers to be found.
He succeeded in swallowing a sigh, but it seems he couldn’t hide his expression. The young Viscount Langford sitting next to him asked in a worried voice.
“Count Drea, are you unwell? You don’t look good.”
“Ah…”
Only then realizing that several gazes were directed at him, Killian was flustered.
To think he had been absorbed in other thoughts at such an important gathering.
At a meeting concerned about the people suffering and wailing in agony, he had been worrying about the well-being of Veronia, who was living in luxury at the Imperial Palace.
‘…How pathetic.’
Killian, rubbing his face, stood up from his seat.
“Excuse me. I’ll go wash my hands for a moment.”
As he walked out the door, Killian thought.
There must be something wrong with his head.
Perhaps it was an aftereffect of the war, or an aftereffect of the attack at the hunting festival.
[This is the timeline separator]In Empress Sandra’s room, a shrill voice raised by an octave resounded throughout the entire chamber.
“What? The Princess’s preparations are already finished? It hasn’t even been 30 minutes since you started! Aren’t there still 3 hours left until the banquet begins!”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Majesty the Empress. Her Highness the Princess ordered to wear the dress, shoes, and accessories exactly as shown in the wardrobe catalog, with light makeup and simple hair ornaments.”
“She’s gone mad, mad! She’s lost her mind! We’ve indulged her too much. She’s finally gone mad!”
The elderly maid who reported on Veronia’s actions bowed her head deeply.
The other maids who were focused on Sandra’s hair styling did the same.
They all seemed anxious, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
“This is no time to be idle. I must go to the Princess right now. I need to thoroughly correct her behavior this time!”
Sandra rose from her seat immediately.
She had to teach her a proper lesson.
Thud―
Without even a knock, the door opened and Sandra entered the room, exuding a terrifying aura.
Click, click, the sound of her rapid footsteps was fierce.
“Mother, what brings you here so early?”
Surprised by Sandra’s sudden appearance, Veronia asked with wide-open eyes.
But there was no answer from Sandra’s lips.
Instead, she approached the maids standing next to Veronia.
Then she raised her hand high in the air and struck their faces violently.
Slap! Slap! Slap―
The faces of the three maids standing in front turned in the same direction.
Their struck cheeks immediately swelled red, scratched by the ring, and soon blood trickled down.
“Do you know your fault, you wenches!”
“Yo-Your Majesty!”
The maids, struck without knowing why, bowed their heads deeply and whimpered.
Everyone had a dazed look with wide-open eyes.
“Mother, what kind of violence is this?”
Veronia shouted, looking as if she would pounce on Sandra.
But Veronia couldn’t move an inch. Sandra’s maids standing behind her had firmly grasped both her arms.
“Let go! I said let go!”
Veronia shouted, twisting her body, but the force applied to her arms only grew stronger.
Unable to move at all, Veronia felt devastated.
Sandra, without even looking at Veronia, shouted towards Veronia’s maids.
“How dare you treat serving your master as if it were some kind of child’s play?”
“N-No, Your Majesty!”
“How could that be, Your Majesty!”
The young maids wailed, kneeling on the floor.
Blood from the wounds on their cheeks dripped onto the floor, drop by drop.
“You wenches stood by while your master was making the wrong choice. Can you still call yourselves proper servants? Can you say it wasn’t child’s play!”
Master’s wrong choice? What did I…? Ah… could it be. Veronia finally understood why the Empress was causing such a scene.
She was blaming them for not spending time and effort on preparing for the banquet.
On the day of the banquet, unable to strike the Princess, the face of the Imperial family, she had struck the maids instead.
‘For such a trivial reason, to commit such violence…!’
Veronia glared at Sandra, gritting her teeth. Tears welled up in her wide-open eyes.
The fact that all she could do now was glare made her blood boil.
‘…I must endure. I must endure…!’
Veronia closed her eyes tightly and shouted.
“I apologize, Mother. It’s all my fault. I was reckless. I should have paid more attention to my appearance on such an important day, but I didn’t.”
Only then did Sandra’s gaze shift to Veronia.
As Sandra nodded slightly, signaling, the maids released Veronia’s arms.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
