[The blurb may still change. The final version will take precedence.]
[I]
With the stigma of being an illegitimate daughter hanging over her, Veronica survived the suffocating environment of Mary Geoise by pretending to be Shamrock's good little sister for eighteen years. In the end, she even pretended to be his fiancée.
Veronica: ...Me?
For eighteen years, Shamrock never learned to read the room
"Vinnie, I'll take you to play the 'Killing Game' on your birthday."
And every word he said was as sharp as a knife
"With your level of swordsmanship, you'll have to wait until your next life to stand by my side."
He was also constantly critical and cutting
"The clothes you picked are so ugly they disgrace my status. Is this really your taste?"
What chilled her heart most was that, in pursuit of the secret of immortality, he personally pushed her into a laboratory to become a test subject for his ambition.
Veronica had had enough. How was she a fiancée? She was clearly a maid and a spare vessel!
She didn't want to serve the noble Celestial Dragons anymore, so she decisively chose to fake her death and escape.
Huh? Why is there a man here who looks exactly like Shamrock?
He's warmer, more cheerful, and much better at talking. Hmm... joining his ship might not be so bad?
[II]
Eighteen years ago, Shamrock made a pointless bet with a friend. The stake was his friend's newborn sister.
From that moment on, Veronica became Shamrock's possession.
Her name, her identity, even her right to live in the Holy Land were all granted by him.
At some point, Shamrock grew accustomed to her presence.
He began taking her to banquets, personally teaching her swordsmanship, and even allowing her into his private domain.
But in his heart, Shamrock still thought she was weak
"There's blood everywhere... I'm scared."
He thought she was a nuisance
"Brother, my head hurts so much... Don't go. I don't want to be alone."
And he couldn't stand her ingratitude
"I'm never taking part in that damn experiment again!"
Shamrock often thought that if only he had never looked after her in the first place and had let her fend for herself.
Then the "laboratory accident" struck without warning. Veronica, who had always looked at him, clung to him, and quietly begged, "Could you call me by my name just once?" actually died right before his eyes.
Looking at the empty room, he suddenly felt that something was missing.
[Bonus scene]
The sun shone brightly, its rays falling in little flecks across the freshly printed newspaper on the low table:
His long-lost fiancée was nestled in the arms of a man who looked exactly like him, her expression tender, smiling and laughing with him.
Looking at the two familiar faces in the photograph, Shamrock smiled coldly:
"Veronica... You abandoned me for this filthy pirate from the lower world?"
Reading notes:
1. All logic serves the romance.
2. Includes brothers fighting over a woman and love-triangle drama (sorry, I'm a sucker for this stuff).
3. Enjoy the satisfying resentful-husband vibe of this Celestial Dragon bending for love (sorry, I'm a sucker for this stuff).
4. Love interest: Shamrock. Shanks in the alternate timeline.
Theme: Cherish the present.
