Chapter 475.2: Veronica’s Heart (2)
Chapter 475.2: Veronica’s Heart (2)
In fact, Roel had only seen fragments of his ancestor’s memories. He was a little surprised when he found out that the owner of the heart was a female. It made the memories a little awkward since they were from a first-person perspective.
The first fragment of memory he saw was nothing special. He was seated in front of a table, studying diligently. Nothing much happened during this period of time, so he wasn’t able to derive much out of it. All he was able to gather was his ancestor’s name that was scribbled on her diary and her socio-economic status.
Veronica Arde.
Judging from the aesthetics of the room, it was likely the later-middle years of the Second Epoch. There was no mirror in the room, so Roel had no way of knowing how Veronica looked. He could only tell she had brown hair from the bangs that barely dangled in his line of vision.
Humankind was at its golden age in the Second Epoch. As the Shadow Eagle of the Ancient Austine Empire, the Ardes were also at the peak of their power.
Money-wise, the expensive ornaments on display and the huge assortment of magic tools to help with their studies were proof of their affluence. Strength-wise, all of Veronica’s servants were minimally high transcendents.
This studying scene lasted till a maid suddenly entered the room. She first bowed to Veronica before saying something that Roel was unable to clearly hear. Veronica’s face brightened up joyfully upon hearing those words.
She followed the maid to her room and changed into a cute but dignified Ancient Austine gown. Roel was finally able to see her reflection in the mirror while she was dolling up. She was a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl, looking to be just a little younger than Roel. She could most definitely be considered to be beautiful, and her physique was leaning toward the slender side.
There was a scene cut to a banquet that was of a grand scale even by Roel’s standards.
Many young men and ladies warmly greeted Veronica as she entered the banquet hall. Without a doubt, she was clearly the star of the banquet. A magnificent layered cake was pushed toward the center of the banquet hall, clearing up any doubts about the theme.
It was Veronica’s birthday party.
Considering her age and her deep-rooted memories about this event, this was likely a banquet celebrating her reaching adulthood. It was just that the scale was unusually big that it brought focus to the Ardes’ financial power.
On top of that, it seemed unlikely that Veronica was a core member of the Ardes.
The main lineage of the Ardes, which later came to be known as the Ascarts, shared a common trait of black hair and golden eyes. This wasn’t just a coincidence but an inevitability brought about by their Primordial Bloodline. Their unique golden candlelight-like eyes were even later used as the Ascart House’s insignia, becoming a symbol representing the Ascarts.
Veronica had met quite a few people with those traits in the banquet, and she greeted each of them with utmost respect. Of them, there was one that left Roel with a vivid impression.
It was a black-haired, golden-eyed man with a tall stature. His entourage comprised people of all sorts of physiques, which hinted at them possessing the blood of other races. Judging from the respectful attitudes others took to him, there was a good chance that he was the leader of the Twilight Sages Assembly then.
That was also where the first fragment of memory came to an end.
The information was all around the place, but it gave Roel some understanding about the original heart owner’s background. He thought that the memories would end here, but he couldn’t be more mistaken.
He plunged into the second fragment of memory.
It was the same first person perspective, but Veronica looked completely different from before. She was now a mature woman with long hair that cascaded down to her waist, indicating that many years had passed since the events in the first fragment of memory.
She was in a crowded meeting room filled with at least a hundred people. It was hard to discern the location, but it could most definitely be described to be magnificent. The delicate aesthetic touch that showcased class and extravagance was not something that Veronica’s study room could compete with.
A solemn atmosphere loomed in the room.
There were quite a few white-haired elders sitting in the center of the room, but other than them, everyone else looked fairly young. Veronica was positioned closer to the center, but it didn’t seem like she had much say in the meeting.
Roel deduced that it was the Ardes’ internal family meeting.
The logic behind his deduction was simple. Amongst those seated in the center of the room, a few of them were the black-haired, golden-eyed individuals Veronica had previously met in the first banquet. That man who had caught Roel’s attention was also among them, and he occupied the principal seat.
Same as before, the voices in the memory fragment were muted, making it impossible for Roel to decipher the purpose of the meeting. Nevertheless, he could tell that there was a huge dissension among the core members of the Ardes, and it unnerved Veronica.
The meeting lasted for a long time, and the leaders of the house finally came to a consensus. Everyone in the meeting room rose to their feet. One by one, they were assigned to one out of three groups under a leader’s instructions.
When it finally came to Veronica’s turn, the leader revealed a conflicted look. After much consideration, he pulled Veronica to the side and told her something. Veronica nodded in acknowledgment before making her way toward the largest group.
Roel noticed that the largest group had the weakest transcendents; most of them were either ailing elders or children. In comparison, the other two groups were much stronger.
One of those two groups was being led by the black-haired, golden-eyed man whom Roel previously suspected to be the leader of the Twilight Sages Assembly whereas the other under the command of a young lady. They proceeded to further divide their respective members into smaller squads.
Witnessing this scene, Roel was reminded of Astrid’s description of the Arde House’s command chain. He reckoned that these were the smaller teams that the Ardes operated in when dealing with a critical situation.
Looking from this perspective, Veronica’s group was probably the reserve group.
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the leaders made a speech to the crowd. Roel couldn’t hear the content of the speech, but he could see worry on the faces around him.
The second fragment of memory ended here.
The muffling of the voices severely limited the information Roel acquired from the memory fragment. All he could make out was that the Ardes had gathered their clan members together to make an important decision, and this decision was likely an important turning point for both Veronica and the Ardes.
Other than that, he had the honor to meet many of his ancestors. The Ardes likely had good genes judging by how most of them were either suave or gorgeous, though this was just a minor detail in the larger scale of things.
Roel had a feeling that there were other memories to be seen, and he was quickly proven right.
The third fragment of memory slowly surfaced, but unlike the previous two, it was not peaceful.
In the night, a magnificent mansion was collapsing to a blazing inferno. All sorts of valuable items either shattered or were burned into ashes. Amidst the flames, Veronica was carrying a child with her both hands, and leading in front of her was the maid who had taken care of her from a young age.
Roel was hardly a gynecologist, but he could tell that the child was likely born not too long ago. This reminded him of the brief conversation Veronica had with one of the clan leaders in the second fragment of memory; the man had eyed her abdomen several times over the course of their talk.
Piecing the information together, Roel guessed that Veronica was already expecting during the meeting in the second fragment of the memory, which was why the clan leader had assigned her to the reserve group.
Who could have thought that this act of goodwill would lead to such an outcome?
It was likely an unexpected attack, judging from how Veronica was still wearing her white nightgown. The assailants had managed to inflict a gaping wound on her maid’s chest, causing blood to gush out. The child in Veronica’s arms wouldn’t stop crying.
Veronica tried to entrust the child in her arms to her maid, but the latter adamantly shook her head. The two of them appeared to have a divergence of opinions. Veronica pointed to the maid’s chest wound and said something, and the pale-faced latter finally assented with a nod.
Perhaps it was due to how vivid this piece of memory was, Roel was actually able to hear her voice.
“… Bring him to safety,” she said.
Veronica placed her child into her wounded maid’s arms. The maid burst into tears, but she quickly wiped off her tears and leaped out of the window with the child. She soon disappeared into the dark night.
Veronica stared at their departing silhouettes for a long time before she began changing her clothes. With a dignified appearance, she made her way to the burning courtyard, where many shadows collided in the raging flames.
She summoned her ancient god and charged at the enemies.
The third fragment of memory ended here. Much to Roel’s surprise, it didn’t show her moment of death. He had two theories regarding that. One, she had died in a chaotic battle that didn’t register vividly in her memories. Two, she didn’t think that the battle was important.
To the Veronica who had just become a mother, her child’s safety was much more important than hers, to the point that even death paled in comparison. That was why her memory stopped at her separation with her son.
Roel felt awful.
It was only just a few fragments of memories, but he had witnessed the important moments of Veronica’s life. From her studious childhood to her maturing as a dignified member of the Arde House, the arrival of a disaster, her sending her child away and dying on the battlefield, this was the trajectory of her life.
Her feelings resonated within him, especially when she quietly watched as her child departed with her maid. The motherly love brimming in her eyes then were indescribably bittersweet.
After witnessing Veronica’s life, Roel was even more unable to accept how someone had defiled her corpse by digging out her heart. To his surprise, even though Veronica had already passed away, there was still something left in the beating heart…