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Chapter 4
Violet’s One Word
To read someone’s mind. That couldn’t be possible.
“No. I don’t have any plans to, and I won’t in the future either.”
“Too bad, but I understand.”
After actually talking with Ash, Violet found him a little strange compared to what she expected.
“Why are you suddenly asking about murder?”
“Because Colbera, that man, collapsed.”
“Right?”
“Aura collision phenomenon.”
The aura collision phenomenon referred to a situation where a lower-ranked swordsman’s entire body temporarily became stiff after being exposed to the aura of someone superior to them.
It could be treated quickly, but if they were unlucky, their body could remain frozen for up to two weeks.
‘So right now it’s vacation, and if Colbera, who suffered from aura collision, is unlucky, he could be left in that state for a long time.’
Could that mean he might die?
“It’s a rare possibility, but if no one finds Colbera while his body is frozen like that, he could eventually die, right?”
“That’s right. Are you hoping that I’ll become an indirect accomplice to this murder, Violet Everdeen?”
Ash spoke so kindly that Violet wondered if she had misunderstood him.
“No. Colbera is someone I truly hate, but I have no intention of killing him.”
Violet answered belatedly.
“Then I’ll take care of Colbera myself.”
“Are you going to call a doctor?”
“Something similar.”
Ash smiled with his eyes curved.
‘There was a saying that beautiful men are all a little strange, regardless of time or place.’
It was a line from Violet’s favorite novel, The Story of Lady Rosennis. The words suddenly came to her mind.
“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll repay you someday. If fate allows us to meet again.”
“Repay me after school starts.”
Violet looked at Ash and impulsively spoke.
“That might be difficult. As you can see, I just threw my withdrawal form at Colbera. Whether Colbera approves it or not, I might get expelled because of what just happened with him.”
“Unfortunately, Colbera, who is currently in a state of mental and physical weakness, has neither the authority to approve your withdrawal request nor the authority to expel you.”
“But just now, I…”
“Besides, if I were him, I don’t think I’d go around telling people that I got beaten without even being able to properly fight back against a student. Don’t you think?”
Hearing that, Violet realized Ash was right.
‘He’s this good at talking, so why did he pretend to be quiet at school all this time?’
Violet’s doubts only grew.
“Withdraw on the first day of the new semester after vacation ends.”
“……Well, formally submitting a withdrawal request is the correct thing to do.”
Ash lightly nodded and turned around.
‘I should say goodbye more normally.’
Violet realized it too late. She was far too inexperienced when it came to things like this.
“Ash.”
When Violet called him, Ash turned his head.
‘What do ordinary friends usually talk about? Ash and I aren’t friends… but still.’
Sunlight poured over Ash’s brilliant silver hair.
The weather was unusually warm today. Perhaps because of the sunlight, Violet’s cheeks gradually turned red.
Talking about the weather. People usually talked about things like that.
“The weather is nice today.”
“Is it?”
“So… goodbye.”
Ash glanced back at him and raised the corners of his mouth, letting out a small laugh as if he found it amusing.
“I saw something unpleasant earlier, Violet Everdeen.”
“Colbera’s appearance when he was sprawled out like a frog was certainly unpleasant.”
“That’s right. So today, look at something pretty and eat something delicious.”
What had today’s conversation with Ash been about?
When she suddenly straightened her back and looked around, she noticed the day was incredibly bright and beautiful.
‘It would be nice to have a friend to drink tea with on a day like this.’
At that moment, Violet remembered something. She hurriedly returned home.
Then she took the small amount of allowance she had left and a single book before entering a café on the main street.
Slightly nervous, she followed the waitress’s guidance and took a seat by the window.
‘My family always told me that, as a bastard child, I had no right to spend money or be happy…….’
But now, it no longer mattered.
She was living a life where she might become the greatest villainess in history. Even her family felt meaningless now.
Drinking a cup of tea in a beautiful place while reading her favorite book.
Most of the things Violet dreamed of were simple.
Violet opened the book she had brought from home. She began turning the pages carefully, as if afraid the old book might become more worn.
The Story of Lady Rosennis.
It was Violet’s favorite romance novel.
The story was about a young lady named Rosennis who was cruelly mistreated by her family, eventually becoming the greatest knight and falling in love with a breathtakingly handsome man.
The romance was nice, but Violet’s favorite part was Lady Rosennis’s way with words.
Lady Rosennis did not use only her fists when taking revenge.
First, she would defeat her opponents with her sharp tongue, and only afterward would she deliver her “fist treatment.”
‘It wasn’t a very famous novel, but to me, this book was practically my only friend.’
Very occasionally, her younger sister Marigold would give her toys she no longer wanted, calling them “gifts.”
This book had been one of them. Violet had read it over and over until it became completely worn out.
The information about the talent of a genius had also appeared in this book.
‘Come to think of it, I became the greatest villainess anyway. So why shouldn’t I live like Lady Rosennis?’
If she had lived the worst possible life, then she could also do the opposite.
When Lady Rosennis first left her home, what had she done?
‘She went to a distant relative and shamelessly asked them to raise her, promising that she would repay their kindness.’
Violet suddenly felt that her neck was empty.
The ring, her mother’s only keepsake, had been given away as charity to a beggar woman.
When she had the ring, she secretly wore it hanging from a necklace.
‘The person who gave me that ring was Uncle Cyril.’
Cyril was Violet’s father Jifried’s younger brother.
However, they had been estranged for a long time. Moreover, Jifried hated Cyril.
Jifried had said that Uncle Cyril was a worthless man who would do anything—whether fighting or something else—as long as he received money.
‘Uncle Cyril was a mercenary. I heard he was a little eccentric.’
She had been around twelve years old.
It was a long time ago, but she remembered that incident clearly.
One day, Cyril came to the house without saying anything and gave her a ring, saying it was “your biological mother’s keepsake.”
[Keep this ring with you every day. Understand? Never take it off, not even for a single day.]
Then he said something she didn’t understand.
Before she could ask what he meant, Jifried stormed in and shouted at Cyril to leave. He even threatened to report him to the security knights.
[From now on, if you even exchange words with that man, you are no longer my daughter. Understand?]
Fortunately, thanks to her quick thinking at the time, she had hidden the ring deep inside her pocket.
Then, when she was fifteen, Cyril came to visit once again.
[I’m sorry. Talking with Uncle is disobeying Father’s orders.]
Violet turned away from Cyril.
After that, until now, when Violet was eighteen, she had never met Cyril even once.
‘Thinking about it now, why did I listen to Father?’
Even now, it would be right to express her gratitude to her uncle for giving her her mother’s keepsake.
‘I’m sure Father once cursed about where Uncle Cyril lived. He said it was an area where courtesans and swindlers lived. He was furious that Cyril had openly put the name Everdeen on the signboard.’
Cyril’s home on Vicolin Street was about a 25-minute walk from here.
Without hesitation, Violet left the café and began walking toward Cyril’s house.
