Proud and willful Veronica, how could she ever allow someone to fool her?
For the first time, someone spoke to her with such an attitude.
Neither perfunctory comfort, nor condescending admonishment.
Instead, it was a stubborn trust—trust in her, the difficult princess.
Veronica’s lips twitched.
As if she wanted to smile.
But she suppressed it in the end.
“…Naive.”
She turned her face away haughtily, her tone regaining that familiar coldness.
“You have no idea what I’m facing.”
“Those people, they’re hateful and troublesome. Even I…”
She stopped mid-sentence.
‘It’s useless to tell this guy about these worries. He might not even understand.’
‘And this is her problem.’
‘She has to solve it herself.’
Veronica’s brow furrowed slightly, and her tone immediately turned impatient.
“Anyway, it’s not something someone like you can understand.”
“Stop being so presumptuous.”
She lifted her chin, once again widening the distance between them.
Harvey didn’t reply.
He just quietly looked at her.
His gaze was not sharp, nor did it pressure her.
Yet it made Veronica’s fingers tighten imperceptibly for a moment.
“…Tch.”
She clicked her tongue impatiently and glared at him.
“That expression of yours is really annoying.”
Harvey smiled and said frankly, “It’s just… I feel like Your Highness might be having a hard time.”
Veronica’s expression froze for a moment.
She immediately looked away, her tone even colder.
“…Who needs your boring sympathy.”
“How could it be sympathy? I wouldn’t dare.” Harvey shook his head honestly.
‘A private slave like me sympathizing with the princess’s plight?’
‘That would be too presumptuous.’
‘They are from different worlds. Being together now is just a coincidence.’
‘Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be heading back to the mansion now?’
Harvey looked contemplative, but didn’t notice the hesitation on Veronica’s face.
Watching Harvey, who was looking down at something, hesitation flickered repeatedly in her eyes.
“…Hey.”
“Hmm?”
Harvey looked up.
Veronica’s expression had returned to its usual composure, but her tone was somewhat casual.
“You’ve read a lot of books, haven’t you?”
Harvey said honestly, “Not really that many.”
‘It’s just Lavia’s private library. The collection is larger than the public library, but it doesn’t have such detailed categories.’
‘And there are dedicated travelogue sections.’
“Then let me ask you.”
She said casually, “Can a person without magical aptitude never use magic?”
Harvey instinctively looked at Veronica.
That chubby little face was surprisingly calm now, as if she were just asking casually.
Harvey thought for a moment. “Not entirely. You can achieve similar effects to casting magic through tools engraved with magic arrays.”
“And there are those famous magic weapons. It’s said that traces of divine artifacts can be found in the distant Lost Forest.”
‘But the latter is no different from myth.’
Harvey knew what Veronica was really asking, and he wasn’t trying to comfort her.
He was just telling the truth.
“So, it’s not necessarily impossible.”
Facing this willful and capricious princess, Harvey remained calm.
“Some things just haven’t been seen by anyone, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be done.”
Veronica’s breath caught slightly.
She stared at him.
She didn’t speak.
Harvey raised the travelogue in his hand. “Most of what’s written in books has already been proven.”
“But what isn’t written in books doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
At this point, he revealed a faint smile.
“Moreover——”
“Even if it’s truly impossible, that doesn’t mean you can’t try.”
“That’s… correct.”
Veronica nodded, then suddenly sighed in dissatisfaction.
“As a direct bloodline of the royal family, I don’t even have the most basic magic perception.”
She let out a quiet laugh.
“Isn’t it… laughable?”
‘How come she’s asking more and more questions, and they’re getting harder to answer?’
Harvey hesitated and said, “Is it?”
Veronica gave a cold snort. “Isn’t it?”
“It’s because I lack magical aptitude that those people gossip behind my back, look down on me, and even…”
Realizing she had said too much, she suddenly stopped.
‘Whether she can use magic or not, she doesn’t really care, but it would be embarrassing in the end.’
She glared at Harvey in irritation.
‘It’s all his fault for making me suddenly feel a glimmer of hope.’
Harvey looked at Veronica, who had suddenly flared up again, a bit bewildered, but he didn’t show any surprise.
He just asked one question.
“What about Your Highness yourself?”
Veronica frowned. “What?”
Harvey looked at her seriously. “Do you think you’re laughable?”
She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
After a long moment, Veronica let out a scoff.
“Of course not.”
She lifted her chin. “I am the princess of Rune. Those people are just jealous of my noble status.”
Harvey couldn’t help but smile wryly.
‘He suddenly wanted to take back his earlier assessment.’
‘With a princess like this, Rune… he didn’t know if it was good or bad.’
Veronica walked gracefully to the railing, her gaze landing on the statue in the center of the distant hall.
Light fell from above, illuminating that figure, making it even more pure and flawless.
Veronica stared at it for a while.
“…Do you think that’s beautiful?” she suddenly asked.
Harvey followed her gaze.
“It’s very beautiful.”
He said, “The lines are clean, the proportions are good.”
“The sculptor must be very skilled.”
Veronica’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
“Right.”
The smile at the corner of her lips was faint. “After all, it’s ‘Veronica’.”
Harvey didn’t respond.
‘He looked at the statue again. The meticulously carved craftsmanship held who knows how many years of the artisan’s effort.’
‘Isn’t beauty to be expected?’
‘If it weren’t beautiful, the craftsman himself would be in danger, right?’
‘After all, it was a royal commission.’
He didn’t have time to speak——
“Your Highness!”
Two maids hurried over from the other end of the corridor, looking somewhat tense.
“We’ve been looking for you for so long——”
Veronica’s thoughts were interrupted, and her expression instantly tightened.
She let out a cold “tch.”
“What’s all the noise?”
She looked at the two maids impatiently. “Let’s go back to the academy. I’m bored.”
With that, she didn’t even glance at Harvey again and walked straight out.
Facing the questioning looks from the two maids, Harvey shrugged innocently.
‘He only said a few words. He didn’t do anything.’
‘Could it be because he praised the statue?’
‘But the statue really was beautiful. Even she thought so.’
‘No flaws to find in the proportions or details.’
‘The artisan’s skill was outstanding.’
‘He couldn’t just spout nonsense to please Her Highness.’
They walked out of the hall one after another.
It was just past noon, and there weren’t many visitors.
The carriage was already waiting nearby. The maid respectfully opened the door for Veronica.
She hesitated for a moment but didn’t choose to board.
Veronica said, “Walk back.”
Both maids were taken aback.
“Y-Your Highness?”
“The academy is still some distance away…”
“And——”
They exchanged glances, looking clearly troubled.
‘Letting people see the kingdom’s princess walking on the street would be too undignified.’
‘But earlier, the two of them had followed Her Highness while she strolled through the market for so long, so they really had no ground to object.’
‘If this continues…’
“We’ll take the carriage when we get near the academy gate.”
Veronica’s tone was calm, but left no room for discussion.
“I want to walk.”
The two maids opened their mouths, looked at each other.
In the end, they said nothing.
They could only force a bitter smile and respond, “Yes…”
Harvey didn’t think much of it.
‘It’s just walking. Miss Lavia even runs wild.’
But looking at Veronica who had already started walking, he couldn’t help asking, “Your Highness, why are you suddenly not taking the carriage?”
Veronica halted.
She turned her head and cast him a cold glance.
“None of your business.”
With a light snort, she continued walking.
“…”
Harvey rubbed his nose and didn’t ask further.
From an angle no one could see, Veronica pinched her own side.
Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she resumed her nonchalant expression.
Only her steps were a bit steadier than before.
The streets of the North District were quite empty. Most were carriages hurrying past, with few pedestrians.
The two maids stayed close behind Veronica.
Harvey lagged a bit behind, casually scanning the surroundings.
The street was eerily quiet.
Even the sound of carriage wheels grinding against the stone slabs behind them seemed distant.
Sunlight fell on the ground, baking the stone slabs until they gleamed.
He suddenly stopped.
“…?”
The light above the street seemed to have undergone some kind of distortion.
An indescribable sense of dissonance rose in his chest.
Veronica noticed Harvey hadn’t followed and glanced back at him.
“You——”
Before she could finish.
The street, previously empty, was suddenly dyed an extremely vivid fiery red.
The next moment.
A scorching aura instantly spread, and a large amount of fire elements suddenly gathered in the air.
An instant later.
Blazing flames turned into flying arrows, all shooting toward Veronica ahead.
“Your Highness!——”