Chapter 55: Pain, Meaning, & Righteousness

Harvey shifted his gaze away from the statue, resting it on the rounded back in front of him.

Veronica hadn’t spoken for a while, and her expression revealed little change.

But he could still sense that her mood was off.

The two maids behind them were also clearly aware of it.

The worry in their eyes ran deeper than Harvey had imagined.

One of them stepped forward half a step, as if about to say something.

Veronica suddenly turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the maid.

Then she gave a light snort.

“What?”

Her tone was as arrogant as ever.

“Making that face—are you worried about Your Highness?”

A hint of dismissive smile tugged at the corner of Veronica’s lips.

“Don’t worry.”

“Isn’t it only fitting that the common people look up to me like this?”

She said it lightly, but her expression was somewhat unnatural.

Even Harvey could tell she was saying one thing but feeling another.

The two maids lowered their heads helplessly.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Veronica stood in the center of the hall, with the statue behind her.

Light fell from above, dividing her and the statue into bright and dark spaces.

As if two completely opposite extremes had been forcibly pieced together.

Harvey looked at her and didn’t pick up on that remark.

Nor did he call her out. Instead, he smoothly added.

“Indeed.”

“Statues are made to be admired, but…”

He paused deliberately, a hint of a smile on his face.

“Few have the chance to see Your Highness’s true side, like I do.”

The words fell into silence.

Veronica was momentarily stunned, turning her head to look at him.

She hadn’t expected to hear such a reply.

The next moment, she gave a light snort.

“Of course.”

Her tone carried a pride that came naturally.

“I am—after all—a generous and graceful Princess.”

Harvey nodded with a smile.

“Yes, that’s right.”

That indescribable tension was quietly soothed by his words.

Following behind Veronica, they soon entered the reading area.

The spacious gaps between the bookshelves allowed Veronica to browse the categorized shelves without worrying about others.

But her mood seemed far from as relaxed as before.

As if remembering something, she suddenly asked.

“What are you here for?”

Harvey replied.

“I want to borrow some books.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow.

“Borrow books?”

She looked him up and down, her tone clearly puzzled.

“A servant like you can also read?”

This was said as a matter of fact.

No malice.

But also no attempt to hide it.

The two maids beside her also looked at Harvey, their expressions carrying the same question.

Harvey’s expression didn’t change.

In their eyes, he clearly wasn’t the type who “could read.”

“I want to learn more about things.”

“There’s a lot in books that I don’t get to see in daily life.”

Veronica looked at him in surprise, then clicked her tongue lightly.

“Troublesome.”

“If you had told me what books you wanted earlier, there’s no need to come all the way here. Just tell me directly.”

“I’ll have someone deliver them to your hands.”

Harvey was taken aback, then shook his head with a smile.

“Thank you, Your Highness, but there’s no need. I’ll just borrow them myself.”

Veronica frowned.

“What’s the difference?”

Harvey looked at the people ahead carrying books and murmured.

“…It’s probably different.”

He sounded uncertain, but didn’t explain further.

Veronica stared at him for a while, unable to understand what this strange male servant was thinking.

Shouldn’t he just need to serve that wicked woman well?

Why does he seem to have just as many worries as she does?

“Alright, then find what you want yourself. Luo Lan, let’s go.”

With that, she raised her head and walked toward another bookshelf.

Harvey saw the two maids smile and nod at him as they followed this unreasonable princess.

They deliberately gave him free time.

He was a little surprised, but didn’t refuse Veronica’s “kindness.”

Dust floated in the sunlight, and the air was filled with the dry scent unique to old paper.

Harvey paced between the shelves a few times and finally took down a book from a high shelf that had clearly been rarely touched.

It seemed to be an encyclopedia recording the customs and products of various regions.

He walked to a corner of the bookshelves and sat down on the floor.

The dim light isolated this corner from the world.

On the slightly yellowed pages, neat handwriting was inscribed.

In such a quiet environment, time itself seemed to slow down.

Not far away.

Veronica entered another row of bookshelves with her maids.

Although coming to this library had been suggested by someone else, she had indeed been looking forward to it.

But now, she was no longer in the mood.

Veronica casually pulled a few books from the shelf and flipped through a couple of pages.

Then she put them back with a look of impatience.

‘What a bore.’

The two maids were currently gathered around a craft manual, discussing something she wasn’t interested in.

Veronica began looking for Harvey again.

Instead of the trouble of flipping through books herself, it was more interesting to have that “walking encyclopedia” explain things directly to her.

Soon, she noticed that seldom-visited corner.

And the solitary, slender figure sitting there.

She walked up to him.

“What are you reading?”

And he deliberately sat in such a cramped corner, making her search for a while.

A shadow fell over him. Harvey looked up at her.

He didn’t answer her question immediately. Instead, he asked curiously.

“Did Your Highness find anything you like?”

Veronica shook her head. Looking at the book in his hands, she asked again.

“What’s that book in your hands?”

Harvey glanced down at the page, pressing his fingertip against the corner of the paper.

He explained.

“It’s a travelogue. It tells the experiences of an explorer.”

“He’s been to many countries, many of which are his firsthand experiences.”

Veronica frowned, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“What’s the use of reading this?”

“You can’t travel anyway.”

Not to mention traveling, it would be impressive if he could even leave the Royal Capital.

Recalling Lavia’s possessiveness shown in front of her earlier, that wicked woman would never let him leave.

But traveling…

A trace of longing appeared in Veronica’s eyes. She had naturally thought about it too.

But she never planned to act on it.

Not to mention that a royal outing was extremely troublesome, she also had no way to deal with the dangers outside.

Harvey smiled.

“I don’t necessarily have to go myself for it to have meaning.”

“Seeing farther places through others’ experiences—that alone is worth reading.”

Veronica looked at him and fell silent for a moment.

Perhaps it was because this corner was too remote.

Or perhaps his answer had touched a deeply buried memory of hers.

Veronica stood in the shadow of the bookshelf, as if deliberately hiding herself in this cramped corner.

“But things that are already hopeless from the start…”

“Wouldn’t knowing too much just bring more pain?”

She murmured softly.

Like her own experiences over the years.

She really didn’t want to know.

She didn’t want to know that she was just a posed doll.

Now replaced by that more perfect image in the hall.

—That statue named “Veronica.”

‘No one would complain about “her.” Even the pedestal is covered with flowers and thank-you letters. —If that statue is the Veronica everyone expects, then what am I?’

Through those trembling eyes, he seemed to see something deeper.

Like a tiny crack oozing real, bloody color from within.

That sorrowful gaze touched his nerves.

All her sharpness and pride before seemed merely a shell draped over her.

Peeled away, the inside was hollow and unsettling.

Harvey’s expression turned serious.

“But if you know nothing—”

“Then you really can’t change anything. You can only passively accept and passively endure.”

He looked at her, his voice very soft.

“The pain, at least, shows—”

“That Your Highness hasn’t taken all of that for granted.”

Harvey smiled at her.

“That’s not your style, is it, Your Highness?”

The moment his words fell, the sunlight happened to shift.

Warm light poured down.

It brushed past Veronica’s hair and landed on Harvey’s cheek.

She looked down at him.

Veronica had never seen such a gaze before.

Clear eyes.

Within them flowed an unwavering affirmation.