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Chapter 2
She Went Mad (2)
“Die! Die! Just die already!”
“Ghk! Cough—!”
Caught completely off guard, Asar Roel Diasta collapsed beneath her hands, unable to resist as she strangled him. His blue eyes widened in shock and rolled back while his fingers desperately clawed at the backs of her hands. Around them, people screamed and rushed forward in a frenzy to pull her away from him.
But Veronica refused to let go.
She clung to him like a madwoman, tightening her grip until his pale skin darkened red beneath her fingers. His nails scratched hard enough to draw blood from her hands, but gradually his movements weakened. Even his breathing began to fade.
Had Harry Hardiness not torn her away, she might truly have succeeded.
Veronica thrashed wildly and screamed:
“He has to die! He needs to die right now!”
“Veronica!”
At the horrified shout, her body froze.
Her vacant eyes slowly turned toward her father. The hand that had been clawing through the air gently touched his cheek.
“Father…”
It sounded as though she were calling for him.
Harry immediately ordered the servants to take her away.
But the moment Veronica’s unfocused gaze landed once more on Asar—who was slowly rising with assistance—she lunged toward him again. The servants had no choice but to restrain and drag her away.
Veronica resisted viciously.
She had to kill him now.
Only then could she prevent the tragedy to come.
Only then could she save her family.
Why was everyone stopping her?
Locked inside her bedroom, she fumed with frustration until her father came to visit not long afterward.
Harry knelt before her so their eyes were level.
“Veronica. Why did you do such a thing to His Highness earlier? You’re not so young that you fail to understand how dangerous that was.”
“He used me! He whispered love to me for years and then betrayed me! He framed you and destroyed our entire family! We have to kill him before he uses our house again!”
“My dear… His Highness came here today to propose to you.”
“No! Aaaah!”
Veronica shrieked like a madwoman.
Seeing his daughter claw at her own hair and injure herself, Harry hurried to stop her. Veronica continued thrashing until, unable to endure her own fury, she finally collapsed unconscious.
A full day passed before she regained consciousness.
When the maid saw her awaken, she hurried out of the room. Soon afterward, her father entered again.
When he asked why she had acted that way, Veronica gave the same answer as before.
“We have to kill him. For our sake.”
“Veronica… my child…”
Harry pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed heavily.
Yet Veronica did not change her answer.
Instead, she desperately tried to persuade him.
They had to kill Asar now.
Only then would the family avoid destruction.
Only then would her father avoid false accusations and execution.
It had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She had no idea when another chance would come.
She loathed herself for wasting it.
And so, Veronica was confined.
Until she repented, Harry ordered that she was not to leave her room.
She spent her days tied to the bed, unable to move. Aside from meals or using the restroom, she remained bound there constantly.
Every morning Harry would come and ask her the same questions.
“How are you feeling today? Have you reflected on your actions? Are you willing to apologize to Prince Roel? Thankfully, His Highness says he will not pursue punishment for what happened. Isn’t it fortunate he’s willing to overlook it?”
Veronica ignored every word.
She had no intention of changing her mind or regretting her actions.
Instead, she simply stared endlessly at her father’s healthy, living face.
How many days passed like that?
One morning, she awoke to find the maids untying her restraints.
Confused, she looked up—
And saw a face she could never forget.
Asar.
He slowly approached her, looking awkward and tense beneath the murderous glare she fixed upon him. Beneath the high collar covering his neck, bruises faintly showed through.
“Lady Hardiness. It has been some time since that day.”
“…”
“I thought we should speak. I wish to understand why you were so angry with me that day… why you wanted to kill me.”
Standing before her, he carefully chose his words while wearing a deeply troubled expression.
When her silent stare lingered too long, he visibly grew uncomfortable.
“Lady Hardiness?” he called cautiously.
Slowly, Veronica opened her mouth.
“Please sit down, Your Highness.”
“…Then excuse me.”
Asar looked slightly surprised before taking a seat beside her bed.
Even then, her eyes remained fixed on him.
He smiled awkwardly and continued speaking.
“I heard your health has not been well. Is your condition very serious?”
Apparently, her father had explained away her previous actions as a result of illness.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Lady Hardiness?”
“I heard you came to propose to me the other day.”
“Yes. Though belatedly… if Lady Hardiness is willing. If someone like me is truly acceptable to you, then I would like to return your feelings.”
“I see.”
But her response was so indifferent that Asar looked visibly flustered.
Expressionless, Veronica glanced toward the water pitcher on the nearby table.
“I’m thirsty. Would you pour me some water?”
“Ah.”
Though it was hardly an appropriate request to make of a prince, Asar waved away the startled maids and obediently stood. He poured water into a glass and held it out to her.
Yet instead of taking it, Veronica simply stared at him blankly.
Confused, he tilted his head.
“My hands are too weak. Could you come a little closer?”
She lifted her trembling hand.
After briefly glancing at her thin wrist, Asar leaned nearer.
At that moment, Veronica smiled sweetly.
He was too focused on her pale, weakened appearance to notice one of her hands slipping beneath the pillow.
“Die!”
The dagger hidden beneath the pillow slashed toward him in an instant.
Asar barely jerked backward in time. The blade grazed his cheek by a hair’s breadth.
Veronica immediately lunged at him.
Climbing on top of him, she tried to drive the dagger down into his body. Asar barely managed to seize her wrist and stop her, but Veronica pushed down with terrifying force.
“Die already! Die! DIE!”
“Eek! Milady!”
The maids screamed.
Hearing the commotion, people rushed into the room. Chaos erupted.
Even with several people trying to restrain her, Veronica refused to yield. No one could understand where such monstrous strength came from within her frail body.
Then suddenly—
A powerful shove sent her body flying backward.
Her vision widened slowly as she was thrown through the air.
And there she saw him—
Her father.
“Veronica!”
Harry reached desperately toward her.
Veronica reached back.
But neither could grasp the other in time.
Her body fell through the open window.
—
Veronica’s eyes snapped open.
She was lying in bed once again.
Her entire body was soaked in sweat, ragged breaths spilling from parted lips. For a moment she could not tell whether what had just happened was dream or reality.
The thought that her father himself had accidentally pushed her to her death filled her with unbearable sorrow.
But more important matters remained.
A knock sounded at the door.
Then the maids entered.
It was a familiar scene.
“Lady Veronica. A guest has arrived.”
Immediately, the maids began preparing her.
Though startled by her tear-streaked face, they calmly continued their work. While their attention wandered for a brief moment, Veronica secretly stole a pair of scissors and hid them away.
Then she entered the reception room and met Asar once more.
The loathsome man who had supposedly come to propose.
“Lady Hardiness.”
This time, she made no mistake.
Veronica strode directly toward him, pulled out the hidden scissors—
And stabbed them into his throat.
“Aaaah!”
“Veronica!”
People screamed as someone rushed toward them.
Meanwhile, Veronica calmly plunged the blades repeatedly into his neck.
His beautiful face twisted in agony as horrible choking sounds escaped him.
She delighted in the look of utter disbelief in his eyes.
By the time powerful hands finally dragged her away, his twitching body had already gone limp.
“Your Highness!”
One of his attendants checked for a pulse.
Then slowly shook his head.
A horrified gasp spread through the room.
Watching everything unfold, Veronica felt overwhelming ecstasy.
“Ahahahaha! Serves you right! Serves you right!”
Unable to suppress her joy, Veronica laughed wildly.
Cackling.
Laughing while standing over the man she had just murdered.
Everyone who saw her looked at her in horror.
She was immediately arrested.
Charged with murdering royalty, she was dragged to the imperial palace and imprisoned.
A trial followed.
Her sentence was beheading.
The days leading to the execution were terribly boring, but she endured them easily enough, satisfied that she had achieved what she wanted.
Though admittedly—
Facing execution itself was terrifying.
And so Veronica died once again.
When she opened her eyes, she was sixteen again.
This time, she needed no time to understand what had happened.
She did not care why she kept returning to age sixteen, nor why this strange phenomenon was occurring.
To her, it was a blessing.
“Lady Veronica. A guest has arrived.”
“Yes. I’ve been waiting.”
Looking at the maids who came to prepare her, Veronica smiled more brightly than ever before.
As they dressed her, she secretly stole another pair of scissors.
Then she met Asar again—
And stabbed him in the throat once more.
This time, most of the blade sank cleanly through flesh in a single strike.
His handsome face twisted in agony exactly as before, disgusting choking sounds spilling from his lips.
“Ahahaha!”
Watching him clutch his spurting throat as he died, Veronica laughed cheerfully.
Then, without hesitation, she stabbed herself in the throat as well.
It was far easier than waiting for execution.
And when she awoke again—
She was sixteen years old once more.
