Can’t Let My Guard Down
“… Excuse me?”
I tilted my head, and Veronica, tears streaming down her face, spoke again.
“Will, Lily, Milky, Pinky, Blanc, Marron… You took them all, Lady Clementina. Please… give them back…!!”
“……”
I fell silent for several seconds, then slowly exhaled a thin breath to organize my confused thoughts.
(Right. Of course… I know exactly what kind of person Veronica is…)
Looking at the crying Veronica, I first spoke the most important thing to establish in this situation.
“I don’t recall giving you permission to call me by my name.”
“But you said before I could!! No, that doesn’t matter right now!”
It matters, though…?
Veronica cut off the conversation on her own and started sobbing again. She covered her face with her hands, letting out hiccuping sobs of sorrow.
“They’re not in the garden anymore…!! You took the cats, didn’t you, Lady Clementina? You said naughty cats need discipline…!”
“That was—”
Veronica cut off my words.
“Where are they now!? Don’t tell me you… got rid of them—”
“I didn’t. Enough, Lady Veronica. You brought those cats here but abandoned them. That’s why I took them in.”
Sarasa and Mary were used to Veronica’s little melodramas, but young Lilia, who didn’t have much experience dealing with her, couldn’t hide her surprise.
(Well, of course… with how much noise she’s making.)
Veronica looked startled by my firm tone, but quickly glared at me again with defiant eyes.
“I never gave them to you!! Give them back!”
“If I give them back to you, you’ll just neglect them again. You do understand, don’t you? Living creatures need more than affection to grow.”
“… Are you saying that because you know I can’t have children!? You don’t want me to have any, so you—!!”
“What are you even saying? In any case, the cats you brought from who knows where are now being properly cared for at the Clausenitzer Ducal estate. Is that all you wanted to discuss?”
Dealing with Veronica was utterly pointless.
She interpreted everything however it suited her—and the worst part was, she genuinely believed it.
Engaging with her seriously was a waste of time.
Three years ago, I had thought of Veronica as a friend.
☆
When His Majesty introduced her as his mistress, she was just a young girl who had only recently made her social debut.
She had looked at me anxiously, clearly uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
I had been bewildered and shocked when I was suddenly introduced to his mistress.
But once things had reached that point, I had no choice but to accept it.
Of course, there had been a time when I dreamed of marrying for love, like my parents.
But as a daughter of the Clausenitzer Duchy, I gradually came to believe such a thing might be impossible for me.
That belief solidified when my engagement to the royal family was decided and I learned the reasons behind it.
From that moment on, I became keenly aware of my role as a member of the Clausenitzer Ducal family.
I married His Majesty and became part of the royal family.
Through my marriage, the royal family would regain the trust it had lost—and I, too, had to work toward that end.
“Pleased to meet you, Lady Veronica.”
I had made a conscious effort to sound gentle.
The young girl, relieved by my demeanor, relaxed visibly.
From then on, we often had tea together.
I truly believed we had a friendly, even close relationship.
… Until that day.
Three years ago, I was nineteen. Lady Veronica was fifteen.
It wasn’t until six months later that I realized I shouldn’t have trusted her.
At a social gathering, I ran into Lady Lucia of the Runken Duchy, who warned me.
“The daughter of Count Belnett… Lady Veronica, was it? You shouldn’t get too close to her.”
“Did… something happen with her?”
When I asked, Lucia furrowed her brows with a troubled expression.
Then, glancing around cautiously, she lowered her voice to a near-whisper.
“… She’s been saying at various parties that you’re forcing her to socialize with you. You’ve been having tea together often lately, haven’t you? She cried, saying how unbearable it is.”
What do you think about this chapter?
