Chapter 21: Redemption
“This is of your own making, Miss Veronica.”
Reid’s motion to unbutton his suit was as graceful as unwrapping a gift, the midnight blue scarf he casually tossed aside fluttering to the carpet below—
It was the very one Veronica had personally chosen for him yesterday.
Veronica’s fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress.
Just three minutes ago, this action had been an alluring tease, yet at this moment, it felt like a drowning person grasping at driftwood.
Veronica instinctively took a half-step back, her voice still sweet from moments before, but the tremor at the end was uncontrollable, shattering like glass shards.
“Mr. Reid…”
“Your actions… lack etiquette…”
Thanks to her mother’s training over the years, Veronica at least managed to maintain an air of elegance.
But a thin layer of sweat had already formed on her back, soaking through the silk lining of her morning dress.
Reid pressed closer, the sound of fabric rubbing as he removed his coat resonating sharply in the quiet library.
“Etiquette? Wasn’t it you who locked the door first?”
Reid’s voice pulsed through Veronica’s eardrums painfully.
Veronica slowly lifted her gaze, but froze at the moment their eyes met.
Reid’s eyes, which always held a glint of humor, now seemed as dark as a sky before a storm.
Suddenly, Veronica’s vision began to warp, the gentle hands from her memory that once offered her tea now transforming into talons in the shadows;
the smiling lips now bared sharp fangs like a beast.
Sunlight outside was blinding, the floor’s pattern whirling.
Veronica’s gaze flitted about, finally falling for some unknown reason on Reid’s shoulder, where a strand of hair she had purposely let fall just moments ago remained.
Calm down, Veronica, stay calm.
Veronica recited in her mind, her nails nearly piercing her palm.
Haven’t you figured it out long ago? This is your fate, isn’t it?
To become a commodity, to be a plaything, to be someone’s accessory.
Isn’t it enough luck to encounter a gentle buyer like Mr. Reid?
Ah, a gentle man like Mr. Reid, wouldn’t it feel wonderful to give him your first time?
Think about what your mother taught you, what should you do next?
Her mother’s voice guided her in her mind: “Speak like a nightingale, look like a doe, men are captivated by this.”
Look into his eyes, then open your arms, bury his face in your chest—
Veronica took a deep breath, forcing herself to raise her chin, but all she saw was darkness.
Reid’s perfect face blurred into a dark mass in Veronica’s vision.
Like some kind of monster lurking in the impenetrable night.
Veronica tried to retreat, but her calves slammed into the edge of the coffee table.
Her dress swept across the table, brushing against a crystal vase, droplets splashed on her bare ankle, chilling her muscles.
She should have continued to entice him.
Should have used a sweet voice to strip away his rationality.
But the words that came to her lips had completely transformed.
“I just…” Veronica’s throat moved, “wanted to discuss… The Book of Etiquette…”
This pathetic excuse drew a low chuckle from Reid.
Though she said she wanted to discuss The Book of Etiquette, Veronica was so nervous that she forgot to use honorifics.
Reid suddenly leaned in, and as the scent of cedar enveloped her, Veronica completely broke down.
Veronica cringed against the door panel, everything she had carefully planned crumbling away.
Her platinum hair clung to her neck with cold sweat, the belt of her morning dress had unknowingly loosened, and her chest heaved, betraying her calmness.
Even her collarbone, which she had meticulously dusted with pearl powder that morning, now resembled the neck of a lamb ready for slaughter.
Veronica bit down hard on her lower lip.
Veronica had nowhere left to retreat.
Her back pressed against the door panel, Reid’s knee pinned her swaying skirt support.
Through her thin morning dress, Veronica could feel the outline of Reid’s thigh muscles.
Just like the way she had deliberately wrapped her arms around him when measuring his size that day.
But now their positions were completely reversed; Veronica had lost the composure she had then, instead resembling a panicked gift trying to escape.
Reid raised a hand beside Veronica’s ear, and suddenly the other hand brushed against her cheek, thumb gliding over her smudged lipstick.
“I’ve got you,” Reid’s breath grazed her flushed earlobe, “Veronica… Miss?”
Reid deliberately paused before the honorific, watching Veronica’s forced calm dissolve like a mask shattering.
The anxiety in Veronica’s blue eyes spread like spilled ink, her pupils dilating slightly, the trembling of her lashes growing faster.
In Veronica’s vision, the dark mass that had covered only Reid’s face now seemed to envelop his entire body.
Veronica simply closed her eyes, and though her heartbeat thundered, the voices in her mind grew ever clearer.
What’s wrong, Veronica?
Why still pretend to be innocent at this point? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?
You’ve always tempted Mr. Reid, haven’t you, just to reach this point?
Stop struggling, accept it, Veronica.
Obey your mother’s commands, seduce Mr. Reid into infidelity, and ruin Sister Lena’s reputation.
This is the purpose of your existence.
Veronica’s body trembled, the liquid from the overturned vase spreading on the carpet, mirroring the panic expanding within her chest.
Yet, Veronica waited with her eyes closed for a long time, expecting Reid’s beastly treatment, but it never came.
The anticipated pain did not descend.
Amidst the thunderous heartbeat, Veronica caught a hint of an odd sound with her ears.
A faint “click” echoed as fresh air rushed in.
Veronica suddenly opened her eyes, the key that should have been swallowed by Reid now appearing in the lock beside her—
The door opened.
That brass key shimmered in the lock, and Reid stepped back, bending down to pick up the belt that had fallen on the ground.
That belt was meant to wrap around Veronica’s slender waist, presumably having slipped in the chaos just now.
“I give the same words back to you,” Reid wore that ever-present smile, “Miss Veronica, you deserve to be treated gently.”
Sunlight poured in, Reid adjusted the belt, the Noval family crest embroidered in silver thread gleaming in the light.
As Reid re-fastened it for her, Veronica suddenly realized—
The dark mass that had previously covered Reid’s entire body vanished in an instant, those black clouds that had loomed over him were merely shadows cast by the sunlight filtering through the stained glass.
Veronica suddenly felt an urge to cry.
Not for show, but for the part of herself that had believed in fairy tales, the one her mother had killed with her own hands when she was twelve.
