IWMD 08

Chapter 8

The Rumored Duke’s Daughter (2)

Ding—! Her fingertips gently left the keys after striking the final note. Veronica straightened her back and turned to the instructor who had been listening to her performance. The teacher, who had been standing there with his mouth agape, snapped back to his senses as if ice had shattered inside his mind—and immediately began clapping. Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap! “Good heavens, Lady Hardiness! What a beautiful melody!” His palms stung from how hard he was applauding. He was genuinely shaken. She had perfectly performed every piano piece she had learned so far. The flawless melody produced something almost heavenly. Even for skilled musicians, these foundational pieces were difficult if they hadn’t practiced them in a while—but she had played from start to finish without a single mistake. Her rhythm, once poor and lacking talent, was now perfect. Where had she been hiding this level of skill? And it wasn’t just piano. She went on to play harp, lute, and violin. Her singing was still… somewhat lacking, but everything else was flawless. The teacher poured out praise without even stopping to breathe, unable to believe what he was seeing. Veronica, however, only reacted indifferently. But the teacher didn’t even have the time to care about her reaction. He kept talking about her “hidden musical genius.” The same thing happened in dance class. Following the instructor’s rhythm, Veronica completed every movement without a single mistake. The teacher’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Lady Hardiness! Just how much have you been practicing?! I was so worried about your… lack of coordination—but at this level, you could present yourself anywhere and not be ashamed!” The instructor clasped his hands together and sighed in relief. Beyond that, Veronica flawlessly completed singing, embroidery, poetry recitation, reading, and history lessons. In history class, she spoke without even a stutter, expressing her opinions so clearly that the teacher was moved to admiration. This was shocking because she had once hated learning. She found classes boring and was consistently inattentive. She often skipped lessons entirely to go out and play. She required enormous effort to teach, absorbed things slowly, and needed constant repetition. When she failed to improve, she blamed the teachers for her shortcomings. Because of her words alone, many skilled instructors lost their jobs, making it difficult to find new ones. That Veronica had changed overnight. Now she attended every lesson diligently and worked hard without complaint. Even with a busier schedule after her engagement to the Fifth Prince, she never once complained. And on top of that—she had revealed skills no one knew she possessed. It was nothing short of miraculous. A transformation worthy of being called a miracle. “Thank you.” The person herself, however, remained calm and indifferent. She didn’t look pleased at all, only offering a quiet thank-you. It was hard to believe this was the same spoiled young lady who could never sit still. The sudden change was strange, but the instructors—who were relieved they wouldn’t lose their lucrative jobs—decided it was better not to question it.

After finishing her lessons, Veronica was walking downstairs when Harry approached her. “Veronica! I brought you a gift.” Harry handed her a large box wrapped with a cute ribbon. Veronica, still holding a book under her arm, quietly accepted it. Inside the box was a glass craft piece shaped like a rose, intricately carved and shimmering with rainbow colors. “Didn’t you say you wanted this?” It was a fashionable glass ornament popular among nobles. Veronica had seen it and immediately demanded he buy it for her. The problem was that she insisted on having the exact same display piece—but each artwork only had one original copy. The display piece already had an owner. He had tried to buy a similar one, but she had thrown it away crying because it wasn’t the same. “I managed to request a custom one and had it made.” In truth, it had taken him a full year of persuasion and negotiation to acquire it from the original owner. It had been extremely difficult. Yet Veronica’s reaction was underwhelming, as if she had been forced to accept it. “Thank you, Father.” Harry looked disappointed. Had her tastes already changed? She was always so fickle. “You don’t like it?” “Of course I do. I like it very much. That’s why I begged you to get it. I understand how difficult it must have been to obtain something like this.” Her tone made it sound like she already knew the full story behind it. Still, her reaction was lukewarm. Harry hurriedly pulled out another item. A box decorated with a cute rabbit illustration. “Cookies! From your favorite shop. I even got two boxes!” “Did I really say that?” “You did! You said you wanted to eat them all day, even while sleeping!” “…That sounds like something I might have said.” Again, her reaction was indifferent. The girl who used to love sweets now barely reacted at all. Harry asked seriously: “Are you sick?” “No. Father.” “Yes?” “From now on… you don’t have to do things like this anymore.” “Huh?” Veronica lifted her gaze from the glass rose. “No matter how much I ask or act stubborn, please tell me firmly when something can’t be done. Reject difficult requests. And if I act spoiled anyway, you can scold me.” Harry froze. “I promise I won’t hate you for being strict.” “…Veronica…” “I love you very much, Father.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry, startled, gently placed his hand on her back. The child who used to cry and shout “I hate you!” whenever she was scolded was now saying something like this—it was both shocking and touching. “I love you too, Veronica.” “Then please keep this somewhere safe.” She returned the glass ornament to him and picked up the cookie boxes. Before leaving, she casually handed one box to a nearby maid. Harry stared blankly as she walked away with steady steps.

After that, Harry kept giving her gifts. Beautiful dresses, shoes, jewelry, rare ornaments, expensive furniture—everything she used to want. But Veronica’s reaction was always the same. Cold. “Thank you, Father,” she would say calmly. Then she would always add: “You don’t have to do this anymore.” One day, Harry presented a teddy bear with ruby eyes. Veronica looked at it quietly before speaking. “Do you think I’m a child?” “You’re still sixteen.” “I’ve already had my debut. I’m old enough to marry.” “Don’t say things that make your father cry. To me, you’re still a child.” Harry smiled and placed the bear into her arms. Veronica reluctantly accepted it. After fiddling with it for a while, she said: “Father.” “Yes, tell me anything.” “Things that are excessive will eventually run out. Didn’t you always teach me about frugality?” “I-I did.” “You shouldn’t waste the family’s wealth.” Harry panicked at her scolding tone. “My child… your father has plenty of money.” But Veronica only looked at him as if to say, “I see.” “Then use it for yourself. You’ve already given me more than enough. And I think you should return the value of this—it’s too much.” She handed the bear back. After that, she refused almost all gifts. Harry tried food next—luxury desserts and rare treats—but she only ate a little and gave the rest away to servants. Even flowers were rejected. “If you’re not planning to turn the entire mansion into a flower garden, this is enough.” “But—” “If you keep doing this, it will only make me worse. It might damage your reputation and even our family name. If you truly care about me, please don’t indulge me so much.” Her tone was colder than winter wind. Harry was completely flustered. Even the servants whispered that she had changed—she was no longer the confident, lively girl she used to be. Recently, the instructors who taught her had even requested private meetings with Harry. He sighed, expecting another resignation complaint. But instead, every instructor praised her. They said she might become someone who could shake the world. A genius. Harry was stunned. It was the first time he had ever heard such praise about his daughter. He was happy—any parent would be. But soon, concern followed. The change was too drastic. The daughter who once collapsed from lovesickness suddenly decided to marry the Fifth Prince. The daughter who used to avoid lessons now attended everything perfectly and revealed hidden talents. The daughter who once loved gifts now rejected everything. Everything had changed at once. And it didn’t feel like a good change.

Finally, Harry went to Veronica’s room. She was sitting at her desk in her private study, reviewing the day’s lessons. A sight he had never seen before. He sat on the sofa and tapped the seat beside him. “Veronica. Will you sit here for a moment?”