Chapter 8 Someone Who Doesn’t Like Me
Their gazes met, and Veronica stood up, embarrassed.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Sir Killion. I thought no one was here… I didn’t mean to disturb you, then…”
Veronia turned and was about to walk out the door.
But Killion’s voice called her back.
“Your Majesty, may I ask you something?”
He couldn’t bear not to ask.
He wanted to ask her what had happened, what had changed, why had she been so different, why had she been so unkind when she could have been so gracious?
How dare he be disloyal to the noblest woman in the country.
“Yes. What is it?”
Veronia’s eyes widened at the unexpected question and she looked up at Killion.
“Is this… a new trick of yours?”
“A new trick?”
The words came out of her mouth instead of what she really wanted to ask.
Oops, she wanted to, but it was too late. Killion gritted his teeth, waiting for an answer.
“You look a lot different than you did two years ago.”
“Different?”
Veronia’s voice quivered slightly in embarrassment.
Thump, thump, thump, her heart was racing.
She had to keep a poker face, but it wasn’t easy.
‘What happens if they find out I’m not the real Veronia, but a fake who’s been possessed? Is it the death penalty? Or human experimentation?’
She swallowed hard and waited for Killion’s next words, her stomach burning in the seconds that passed.
“You were the kind of person who didn’t hesitate to hug you on sight and kiss me on the lips.”
“…”
“You always danced with me, not just the first dance, but the second and third. Never missed a beat.”
“Ah…”
Veronia’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
‘… So that’s how you behaved, Veronia, you just hugged someone you didn’t like, you just kissed them… and you were like…’
It was understandable that Killion thought it was weird that she was suddenly so close to him.
Hah, Veronia let out a shallow sigh and blamed herself for not being more organised.
But the water had already been spilled.
She would look strange if she hesitated to admit her mistake.
“I already feel different, so I’ll just have to continue to show that I’m completely different!
She didn’t even know if it was a good thing.
It was a relationship that she had to break off anyway.
‘Should I definitely cut it off and throw it away at this point?’
Killion glanced at Veronia and continued his words.
“You’ve always used all sorts of tricks to get my attention, and this one is particularly skilful.”
Ah, if the trick was right, of course. Finished speaking, Killion drained the last of the champagne from his glass and smirked.
Veronia was easy to spot.
The mocking meaning behind Killion’s smile.
She could understand Killion’s confusion at her sudden change in behaviour.
But trickery? Skilled?
‘I don’t like the tone, and I don’t like that smile.’
Clearly, he was firmly misunderstanding something.
I’ll have to clear up the misunderstanding.
They say the best defence is an offence. Veronia gritted her teeth and spat out a voice that stripped away the warmth.
“Sir Killion, you’re half right and half wrong.”
“What?”
“Two years is a short time if you ask me, and a long time if you ask me. I am no longer the Veronia you knew two years ago.”
“…”
Killion gave her a puzzled look, but Veronia continued.
“I guess I’ve grown up, because I’ve learnt a lot since then, like this.”
Veronia’s gaze on Killion was fierce.
Killion’s mouth went dry with nervousness.
“I don’t have to like people who don’t like me. I only give back what I receive. I’ve come to realise the meaning of these words and apply them to real life.”
“…”
“I know Sir Killion doesn’t like me, and you haven’t for the last ten years, so I’m not going to like you anymore either. It’s not like it’s a new trick.”
“…”
“Rest assured, I won’t even try to get your attention. And please don’t be under any illusions, then.”
Having said her piece, Veronia turned on her heel and quickly walked away from the terrace.
Her heart pounded in her chest, not so much from the exhilaration of having made a scene, but from the knowledge that she had finally taken a step back from the original.
‘Veronia clung to Killion all her life, until the day she died.’
At first, it was a sense of duty.
Killion was her arranged marriage, the Emperor and Empress had made it so.
You had to like him, of course, and try to win his favour.
‘And then, gradually, it is said, she genuinely grew to like him… but was she?’
Veronia had spent her entire life as an imperial puppet.
When she was told to laugh, she laughed, when she was told to cry, she cried.
To speak, she spoke, to keep her mouth shut, she kept her mouth shut.
To dance, she danced, to sing, she sang.
She was that way from the moment she was born. There was never a time when she wasn’t.
She never learnt to recognise her true feelings, never learnt to express her true feelings.
‘So the original Veronia’s feelings for Killion are most likely not real. And because they weren’t real, they could easily turn into obsession or jealousy.’
Of course, we don’t know for sure, and we never will.
The real Veronia had disappeared after drinking the poison the Empress had prepared.
‘From this day forward, there will never be a Veronia who likes Killion, and I made sure of it.’
Well done! Veronia patted herself on the arm and muttered words of praise.
‘Keep up the good work, and soon we’ll be free of the original, and we’ll be free of the palace.’
***
Tea time with the Empress Sandra.
“Yesterday, you and Sir Killion only danced one dance.”
Sandra recited the line, not deviating from the expected.
Veronia, who was sitting quietly, slowly opened her mouth.
“It was my own strategy, mother.”
“Strategy? Like what?”
When Sandra asked in a mocking tone, Veronia dropped her shoulders and answered in a sullen voice.
“Well, the fact is, all I’ve been doing is flirting with Sir Killion, and I’ve never been able to win his heart. I know, it’s all my fault, I wasn’t charming enough.”
The response I’d rehearsed last night in anticipation of the Empress’ rebuke slipped out.
“But I can’t afford to fail anymore, can I? So I’ve changed my strategy.”
“And what kind of strategy is that?”
“A strong-weak strategy.”
“Strong and weak… what? What are you talking about?”
Sandra frowned at the unfamiliar sound.
It didn’t sit well with her that Veronia knew something she didn’t.
“The strategy is to approach strongly, then withdraw weakly, then approach moderately again, and then withdraw weakly again. Of course, I don’t know if it will work out yet, but I’m going to give it a try.”
“Ah… that strategy!”
Sandra pretended to know it. As if she’d known it for ages.
And she hadn’t forgotten to kill Veronia’s.
Chin up, Sandra stared down at Veronia, puzzled.
“I doubt you could pull off such a high level of psychological warfare, but at least you’re trying.”
Sandra waggled her eyebrows and sipped her fenugreek tea.
Veronia raised her teacup in response.
“So, strategically, since you backed off yesterday, when are you going to come on strong?”
“Today.”
“Today?”
Sandra’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer.
“Yes. I’ve written to the Duke of Drea that I’m coming to visit.”
A year ago, Killion had been knighted and made an earl, with a title and estates, in recognition of his services on the battlefield.
But when he was in the capital, he didn’t get his own mansion, staying at his parents’ ducal residence.
“Sooner or later.”
The corners of Sandra’s mouth twitched upward as if she liked Veronia’s answer.
But still, the top-down advice continued.
“Please, do it right this time. You’re going to have to prove your worth, and how good would it be to announce your plans to marry into the imperial family at a time when Sir Killion’s popularity is soaring?”
Oh no, not that one again. Veronica didn’t want to respond to the nonsense, so she decided to focus on her dessert.
As she munched on the soft cheesecake, Sandra’s words went in one ear and out the other.
“It’s going to be the biggest wedding in the empire, Veronia, and it’s going to make the world take notice of you, and of this imperial family!”
“…”
“So, Veronia, you will be even more… But, my dear, are you listening to me?”
“Of course I am. It’s a grand wedding! The cake is delicious. Have some.”
Veronia smiled, hiding her true feelings, and held out the dessert plate.
Sandra furrowed her eyebrows, as if she was displeased.
“What are you going to do if you get fat eating like that?”
“You said I needed to gain some weight.”
Veronia said, glancing down at her chest.
Sandra remembered the words vividly, as she had said them just yesterday.
With nothing to say, she took the dessert plate from Veronia’s hand.
***
Veronia climbed into the carriage.
The official purpose was to visit Killion, but the truth was different.
“First, let’s go to Mackin Street.”
“What brings you to Mackin Street, Your Majesty?”
At Veronia’s command, the maid Linda tilted her head and asked.
Mackin Street was lined with shops selling magical paraphernalia, not a place for Veronia, who had no magic.
“To buy a surprise for Sir Killion.”
“Oh, a surprise! How romantic, Your Majesty!”
Seeing Linda smiling brightly and clapping her hands, Veronia also laughed along.
Veronia was glad she had chosen to accompany Linda, the most innocent of her many maids.
Just as visiting Killion was an excuse, so was preparing a gift for him.
Veronia intended to visit the Information Guild.
‘This better be the right place.’
This was the first time since her possession that she had left the palace on her own without an official ceremony.
She couldn’t help but feel nervous.
She had read the original story many times, and She knew it inside out.
But there’s a big difference between knowing something in your head and actually doing it.
So, not only did we always have to be on the safe side, but we also had to keep in mind variables that we could encounter without realizing it.
‘Besides, I’m already twisting the original story a bit because of me, so I have to be extra careful…’
Veronia balled her fists tightly to hide the trembling in her fingertips.
