🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 7
The Rumored Duke’s Daughter (1)
During an otherwise dull year, a rather unusual piece of news spread throughout the empire.
The only daughter of House Hardiness had become engaged to the Fifth Prince of the Diasta Empire.
The engagement became the talk of society day after day. And understandably so.
After all, the man Veronica Hardiness had loved so obsessively—enough to fall ill from lovesickness—had been the Fourth Prince, Asar Roel. Yet the man standing beside her at the engagement ceremony was none other than the Fifth Prince, Cassian Theron.
Anyone in the Diasta Empire had heard the name House Hardiness at least once.
For generations, the family had stood closest to the imperial household and produced exceptional warriors. In particular, the current head of the house, Harry Hardiness, was widely respected for his natural martial talent, overwhelming charisma, and generous character.
Knighted at a young age, he earned the Emperor’s trust and was appointed commander of the imperial guard. He later achieved tremendous military glory by leading the empire to victory in a war against a foreign nation many years ago.
So when such a man suddenly stepped down from knighthood at a relatively young age, countless rumors spread.
Some even claimed the newly crowned Emperor had feared Harry’s growing influence and deliberately pushed him aside.
Yet despite the gossip, the Emperor still summoned him frequently even now, proving that House Hardiness remained as powerful as ever.
And Veronica Hardiness—the duke’s only child—was infamous within high society.
Unfortunately, it was not for admirable reasons.
One of the most famous stories about her dated back to when she made her social debut at fourteen years old.
The announcement that “the only daughter of Duke Hardiness” would finally enter society caused an uproar among the nobility for quite some time.
She was the only child of Duke Harry Hardiness, who had never remarried after losing his wife early, and rumors claimed he treasured his daughter dearly.
Whoever married Veronica would one day inherit House Hardiness itself.
Naturally, she became the center of attention before she had even appeared.
And when Veronica Hardiness finally stepped into the ballroom for the first time, her doll-like beauty drew tremendous admiration.
At first.
When she entered the center of the ballroom with the young nobleman chosen as her dance partner, the atmosphere had been warm and welcoming.
That was, at least, until she stepped on her partner’s feet twelve times, danced as stiffly as a block of wood, and finally tripped over her own skirts.
“Waaah— Father!”
Veronica burst into tears right there on the ballroom floor.
Because it happened during the middle of a dance, she was jostled and stepped on by other dancing children as well.
The moment Duke Hardiness saw the scene, he rushed over in panic to salvage the situation.
After coaxing and comforting his daughter back onto her feet, he attempted to help her continue the dance and recover from the embarrassment.
Unfortunately, her dancing skills were terrible—far too terrible for a young lady raised in House Hardiness.
And before long, the moment she stumbled again, Veronica shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Then she shoved her poor partner hard enough to knock him over.
The startled boy burst into tears as well, and the ballroom descended into complete chaos in an instant.
That day became the origin of the many infamous “Stories of Veronica Hardiness.”
Since the event had also been the debutante ceremony for many noble children her age, Veronica’s disgraceful behavior became an even greater target for criticism.
Veronica Hardiness was far too ill-mannered to simply excuse as immature for her age.
And afterward, her behavior only grew worse.
She looked down on families beneath her own status, treated anyone who seemed easy to bully with contempt, and adored those who flattered her. Despite lacking even basic education and constantly exposing her own foolishness, she never once reflected on her shortcomings.
On top of that, she was absurdly greedy.
If something was beautiful or expensive, she simply had to own it.
Her wardrobe overflowed with untouched dresses she had never worn, and her rooms were filled with items she had purchased only to abandon.
There were even numerous incidents where she attempted to take possessions belonging to others, resulting in public fights.
People sighed endlessly.
Duke Hardiness was such a humble and decent man, and Veronica’s mother had reportedly been a gentle and composed woman as well—so how had they produced a child like this?
But much of the blame lay with Duke Hardiness himself.
After his wife died following a long and difficult childbirth, Harry devoted all the love he had left to his only daughter.
He granted Veronica anything she desired.
If she wanted pearls, he would cross the sea to obtain them.
If she wanted the season’s very first blossom, he would venture deep into the mountains before dawn to pick flowers still covered in morning dew.
Raised without ever hearing a single harsh word, Veronica’s personality warped terribly.
Duke Hardiness’s excessive indulgence had only spoiled her further.
Thus Veronica Hardiness came to be known as both “the wild troublemaker of high society” and “the stain upon House Hardiness.”
And then, one day, that very Veronica fell in love.
The arrogant girl who had always relied on her father’s reputation lost her heart to none other than the Fourth Prince of the Diasta Empire.
A weak prince overlooked even within the imperial family.
A prince left with a limp after a childhood accident.
Veronica set her sights on the unimpressive Fourth Prince.
And worse—
It was a one-sided love.
Her feelings were so intense that news of her relentless pursuit and obsessive devotion spread across the entire empire.
Once Veronica became fixated on something, she charged toward it without hesitation. In love, that nature transformed into obsession.
For a long time, the empire found endless amusement in the rumor that the Fourth Prince repeatedly rejected Veronica’s suffocating affection.
And when word spread that she eventually collapsed from lovesickness after failing to win his heart, people merely clicked their tongues.
Obsessiveness truly was poison.
Yet despite all that, she suddenly became engaged to another prince.
When people first heard the rumor, most assumed the information was mistaken—or that perhaps the Fourth Prince had finally relented.
But once the nobles attended the engagement ceremony themselves, they realized the rumors were true.
The man standing proudly in formal uniform was undoubtedly Prince Cassian Theron Diasta.
And the woman standing opposite him in her gown was unmistakably Veronica Hardiness.
The two stood face to face, exchanged engagement vows, and placed rings upon each other’s fingers.
Though they were still little more than immature teenagers, the ceremony itself proceeded with solemn dignity.
Because the Emperor had personally involved himself in the matter, public attention only intensified further.
Still, while the young woman smiled brightly throughout the ceremony, the young man beside her looked thoroughly displeased, causing even more questions to arise.
Regardless, the engagement between the two was officially announced to the world.
Whether the public reacted with shock, dismay, or curiosity no longer mattered.
A strange tension lingered throughout the Hardiness estate.
The chaos surrounding the engagement had passed quickly, leaving only an eerie silence behind within the mansion.
Normally the halls overflowed with noisy footsteps and lively chatter, yet now even the silence itself seemed strangely cautious.
A maid carrying a long silver tray in both hands stopped before a certain door.
After knocking out of habit, she stepped inside and found the young lady of the house reclining lazily at the edge of a long sofa within the charming room.
“My lady, your snack is here.”
The maid lifted the silver tray slightly.
Upon it sat a chiffon cake smothered in pink strawberry cream alongside a teapot filled with warm honeyed milk.
As the maid placed the tray upon the nearby table, she turned toward Veronica—and her eyes widened immediately.
The young lady’s relaxed posture already gave off an unusually languid atmosphere, but what truly shocked the maid was the book resting in Veronica’s small hands.
And it was not some romance novel or picture storybook.
It was a thick educational text with a title that looked painfully dull.
What in the world has gotten into her?
The maid hid her astonishment behind a polite smile.
“My lady. I brought your snack.”
Snack time was normally Veronica’s favorite part of the day.
Today’s dessert was her beloved strawberry cream chiffon cake piled high with pink frosting. Usually, Veronica would rush over excitedly the moment she saw it.
Instead, she merely glanced at the tray before returning her attention to the book.
“My lady?”
“I don’t want any.”
“…Pardon? It’s strawberry cream cake.”
“Yes. I just don’t have much appetite.”
And with that, Veronica continued reading as though she truly held no interest whatsoever.
The maid could only stare blankly at the sight of the young lady quietly reading such a dense, difficult-looking book.
This was completely unlike the Veronica who would normally come running from across the mansion for sweets.
After cautiously observing her for a moment longer, the maid quietly left the room.
Even after she was gone, Veronica remained sprawled across the sofa reading for quite some time.
Then, after checking the time, Veronica finally rose from her seat.
She straightened her wrinkled clothes and stepped out into the silent hallway.
When she entered another room deeper within the mansion, a man dressed neatly in formal attire was already waiting for her.
Her music instructor.
The teacher forced a smile in greeting, but he could not hide the exhausted worry etched across his gaunt face.
“Then… let us begin today’s lesson, Lady Hardiness.”
“….”
Without replying, Veronica walked to the piano prepared in the center of the room and sat down quietly before it.
Behind her, the teacher swallowed nervously.
What horrible sounds would she produce today?
Ever since being assigned to teach her, it was the first time he had genuinely wished for his own ears to fail.
Veronica’s small hands settled atop the keys.
The teacher desperately considered how he might soothe her dreadful sense of rhythm this time. One thought after another raced through his mind:
how high her status was despite her youth,
how infamous she was for replacing servants and tutors over the slightest dissatisfaction,
how enormous the payment for this position was,
and how miserable his livelihood would become if he lost it.
His legs trembled.
I cannot lose this job!
The teacher hurriedly prepared every flattering compliment he could think of.
And then—
Her fingers moved.
The teacher, who had stood there frozen with anxiety and dread, slowly narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
He shot up from his chair.
