An Interesting Place
After Clementina left the castle—
Veronica, who had been released from the dungeon by Brian, was walking gloomily down the corridor.
(That old hag is completely insane! She’s just jealous because I’m young and beautiful, isn’t she? There’s nothing more pathetic than an old woman’s jealousy.)
Trailing behind Veronica were a knight and a maid.
She normally preferred to act alone, so why were they following her now?
It was because Brian, worried about her, had suddenly ordered it.
For the record, Veronica, as the daughter of a count and the king’s mistress, had originally been assigned both a bodyguard and maids.
However, thanks to her whims, her unreasonable demands, and the baseless accusations that often followed, a large number of her maids had quit.
Each time a maid resigned, Veronica grew more irritated.
It’s not like she did anything wrong, yet somehow it always made her feel like she was to blame.
Besides, the maids were annoying. They constantly meddled in her affairs and were far too uptight.
In the end, Veronica told Brian she didn’t need any knights or maids.
The knights and maids all seemed to be under Clementina’s influence anyway, their eyes cold whenever they looked at Veronica, their expressions full of judgment.
As if I deserve to be looked at like that, she thought bitterly.
When she reported Clementina’s bullying to Brian, he had been furious at Clementina.
“I’ll protect you,” Brian had said, wrapping her in his warm words.
Thinking back on that, Veronica smiled smugly—
But then she let out a sigh of exasperation at the presence behind her.
(… It’s so annoying being followed around like this. I can’t do as I please.)
The knight and maid both looked stiff and dull, just like Clementina.
There was no hint of affection or respect for Veronica in their eyes.
That alone grated on her nerves.
(I’m going to be the queen of this country one day. The most noble woman in the land.)
Brian had told her so himself.
She would surpass that old hag and that insufferable Clementina.
And when that day came—oh, when that day came!!
Just imagining it sent her mood soaring.
Of course, the incident with the dowager queen putting her in the dungeon had been an extreme shock.
(Why do I have to suffer like this?)
Frustrated, Veronica came to a sudden halt.
Then, she remembered something.
(Oh, right… There’s that interesting place.)
It was the place Brian had explicitly told her never to go.
“If something happens there, I might not be able to protect you,” he had warned.
But Veronica never took such things seriously.
She always lived by the belief that it’ll work out somehow—or rather, that someone would make it work out for her.
(I doubt Brian was serious about that, anyway.)
If he really didn’t want her to go, he shouldn’t have told her about it.
Saying something so suggestive only made her more curious.
He wasn’t stupid enough not to know that.
Which meant—
This was actually Brian’s unspoken invitation to her:
If you’re curious, go ahead and check it out.
That’s how Veronica chose to interpret it.
With her gloomy mood from earlier completely gone, she walked down the corridor with a spring in her step.
(Now, what to do about this annoying knight and maid… They’re as dense and oblivious as Clementina… Ugh.)
After a moment of thought, Veronica spun around.
The knight and maid looked at her in surprise.
Veronica pressed a fingertip to her lips and tilted her head cutely.
“Hey. His Majesty was looking for you two. You’d better hurry.”
“…………”
The maid furrowed her brows suspiciously.
Beside her, the knight responded with a cool, calm voice.
“… We’ve been assigned to guard you, Lady Veronica. We cannot leave your side.”
“You’re going to disobey His Majesty’s orders?”
“… We’ll send replacements. Please wait here until they arrive.”
“No. I have plans, you see. I’ll explain it to His Majesty myself. He’s just being overprotective, you know. Clementina is always so mean to me, isn’t she? That’s why he worries too much. He’s scared she’ll do something to me.”
The knight’s expression stiffened at Veronica’s outrageous words.
What do you think about this chapter?
