Cycle of Destiny

Harry, however, lacks the talent for making friends.

Because he ate a lot and was obese, many people ridiculed him. In addition, he was clumsy and uncoordinated, which made him seem particularly stupid in learning martial arts. This earned him just as much ridicule as Veranika.

But Harry lacked her humility; instead, he appeared rather fierce.

His response to being mocked to his face was equally direct—he threw a punch.

The martial arts training received during the pageboy stage consisted only of basic movements such as stabbing, chopping, hacking, and slashing. The training focused on the standard of the movements and did not significantly improve personal strength.

Harry's large size gave him a clear advantage, and he could often leave his opponents with a bruised and swollen nose and eyes with just one punch.

The academy understood that due to their limited strength, they couldn't cause much trouble, and the fear of injury was clearly not part of the knightly code, so they were very lenient with their playful antics at their age.

This is different from Harry's time at the magic academy, where the students are relatively mature and wouldn't choose to mock each other openly. Fighting with magic is taboo, and Harry would likely lose anyway, so Harry there is as docile as a lamb—except for that slap on Nasus.

Harry was completely unrestrained at the Knights Academy. His obesity not only gave him greater strength but also made him more tolerant of being beaten.

If someone kicks him twice, he's fine; but if he throws a punch back, the opponent often can't handle it.

The Knight Academy would clearly not allow such an unfair fight as one against many – even if it were just children fighting.

Of course, even if three or four people ganged up on him, given his fat, he might not necessarily lose.

So during his time as a pageboy, Harry had virtually no rivals, and of course, few friends, except for Veronica.

As they progressed into the servant stage, they gradually began to truly come into contact with power.

During this stage, their martial prowess increases rapidly, and many attendants, even those who are only second-level warriors, can severely injure others with a single move when unarmed. Therefore, the academy strictly prohibits students at this stage from engaging in private duels.

In addition, although they no longer openly mock Harry, the sarcasm behind his back has not diminished at all. After so many years, there are no new words to say.

Moreover, they discovered that as long as they didn't provoke Harry, he wouldn't approach them either, and they gradually stopped paying attention to him. So Harry was lucky that he didn't suffer any retaliation later on.

Harry initially asked Veronica if she needed his help.

Harry saw that after she rejected him, she moved around easily among the students at the academy, and he knew that she felt completely differently from him when faced with such ridicule.

But the two still had a good relationship; however, after that, Harry's gaze toward Veronica held a hint of mockery.

Everyone will eventually encounter this dilemma: how should one respond when a friend speaks ill of another friend in front of them?

If this friend is much closer than another friend, you can easily choose to agree with him.

But if a new friend you've just met is mocking another close friend in front of you, you'll hesitate: should you remain silent, or fiercely rebuke and refute them?

But no matter which way you do it, it will be difficult for your conversation to continue, and your friendship with this new friend is destined to stop progressing.

But Veronica has never faced such a predicament.

When she talked to students she had just met, they often mocked Harry's physique and clumsiness in front of her. Did Veronica remain silent? Did she have a conflict with him?

No, none of that happened.

She joined the group that teased Harry without hesitation, discussing with them what nickname to give him, and even sharing the jokes Harry had made that were yet to be revealed and that only she knew.

Harry knew, of course, but he said nothing. To their elders, they still seemed to get along very well.

However, in private, Veronica sometimes gets annoyed by Harry's gaze, and the two have some clashes.

Harry would say Veronica is snobbish and hypocritical, that she fawns over the noble scions just to get more prestigious invitations during the social season, and that what he admires most about Veronica is her humility.

Veranika would respond by saying that he had no talent to be a knight and was just a "gluttonous pig".

However, these incidents were insignificant to them. Although they disliked each other, they danced in perfect harmony and were very composed when they needed to coordinate with each other. They were truly a very strange pair.

Harry's parents were mostly away from the capital, serving as envoys to a small northern kingdom. On holidays, Harry's home was deserted, with only servants present.

Veranica's mother is determined to take care of her friend's son and her daughter's best friend.

Harry would often receive invitations to dine at Veranica's house, where Veranica's mother always prepared excellent meals and a wide variety of refreshments.

For some reason, Veronica's mother grew to like Harry, whom she hadn't previously valued much, and even considered arranging a marriage between the two.

She knew Harry's parents had always had this idea, and she understood that the thoughts of the two children should not be ignored either.

If her daughter had the same idea, but Harry disagreed, it would damage her daughter's reputation to some extent. So, to be on the safe side, she chose to ask Harry first.

On one occasion, after Harry had finished eating and was enjoying dessert, she made an excuse to send Veronica away and said to Harry with a smile,

"Harry, I'm so happy to see you and Veronica getting along so well."

This sudden remark was clearly a setup; Harry stopped chewing, looked up, and smiled, giving her the answer she wanted.

"Veranika has always been my most trusted friend."

This earnest reply made her smile even wider. She knew this was the perfect opportunity, so she pretended to joke and said...

"I think the only thing missing between you two is her marrying you."

Harry nearly choked on his words, then burst into uncontrollable laughter that sounded like a scream.

Harry tried to control his laughter, but the more he tried, the less he could control it. As a result, he started coughing violently, his face turned red, and all his fat trembled.

Veronica's mother quickly went over and patted him on the back, then handed him a glass of water. After a while, Harry finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure just now."

"I'm glad you're alright."

Harry's expression was serious, but a strange light shone in his small blue eyes as he solemnly answered her earlier question.

"Of course, if I have the honor, this has always been my dream."

Harry didn't laugh when he said that, but you could clearly feel his ribs swaying violently.

Veronica's mother saw how serious Harry's expression was and how sincere his attitude was, and she already understood.

Although she was a little puzzled by Harry's loud laughter earlier—perhaps he liked Veronica so much that he was overjoyed to hear such wonderful news as Veronica marrying him.

Harry was happy, but it was far from what she had imagined.

As Veronica's mother left the restaurant, Harry excitedly rubbed his chubby little hands together. He knew that when Veronica found out about this, her expression would be quite something, but it was a pity he wouldn't be able to see it. However, it had already brought him great joy.

There aren't many sources of joy in life, so every little bit should be cherished.

He even seriously considered whether he should shed a few tears after learning that he had been rejected, but he was afraid that he would burst into laughter and ruin this heartbreaking scene.

Veranica's mother was overjoyed to have gotten the answer she wanted. Now all that was left was for her daughter to agree. The two had been childhood sweethearts, and Veranica's mother couldn't think of any reason why her daughter would refuse.

She then approached Veronica, expressed Harry's desire, and stated that she and Harry's parents also approved of the marriage.

Unexpectedly, as he was sharing this joyous news, a terrible change occurred to Veronica.

Her originally fair face gradually turned completely bloodless, as if her flesh and blood had been suddenly drained away and her skin had been stretched tightly to her skull, a truly gruesome sight.

Her lips tightened, revealing her teeth, and her eyes nearly bulged out, as if she were about to die, in extreme pain.

Moreover, her feet seemed to be unable to support her weight, and her body began to sway, as if she might fall at any moment.

Veranica's mother quickly helped her to sit down in a chair.

Veronica, like Harry, took a while to recover.

Afterwards, she told her mother weakly that she and Harry were just friends, that she had no other feelings for each other, that Harry was not her type, and that there was no way they could be together.

Although Veranica's mother was somewhat disappointed with her daughter's answer, she understood that it was her daughter, not herself, who would inherit the title, and that her own glory could only depend on her daughter.

It's a pity that Harry's strong desire will be dashed.

The two reacted so violently that Veronica's mother had never expected it, and she didn't know how to tell Harry. Fortunately, she hadn't been asking him seriously at the time.

When she looked at Harry afterward, she could clearly feel the expectant look in his eyes, but because Veronica did not have the same feelings for him, she could not give him the answer he wanted, so she could only avoid his gaze.

Nothing changed after that; she would still invite Harry to lunch and afternoon tea. But after this incident, Veronica's mother's invitations carried a distinct hint of guilt.