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Chapter 08
Violet’s One Word
First, Violet returned home.
Her family still had not returned from their trip, and only the empty house greeted her.
‘Uncle Cyril was a really strange person. But I don’t dislike him.’
Violet stared down at the book “The Story of Lady Rosnis”.
‘If I disappeared without saying a single word to my family, would I feel relieved?’
The more she thought about it, the more she understood what Cyril had said.
Everything that had happened until now, the fact that she wasn’t actually an illegitimate child, the humiliation she had suffered all this time…
What she needed was a reset.
The next morning, Violet quietly opened her eyes. She went to the kitchen, found some food, and ate.
Her supplies were almost running out. Violet carefully ate the dry bread, trying to make it last.
‘Did they say they would return in about three days?’
Bang! Bang!
At that moment, someone began pounding on the door.
“Who is it?”
Violet went to the entrance and opened the door.
“Young Master Bluedin wishes to see you. Please come with me immediately.”
Bluedin, Violet’s fiancé.
He was someone who looked down on Violet at every opportunity. Naturally, his servants also treated her with contempt.
Just like this servant, who was speaking arrogantly while looking down on her.
If this had happened in the past, Violet would have lowered her head and followed the servant.
But not anymore.
“If he has something to say, tell him to come here himself.”
“Judging by the looks of things, your family members aren’t home. Are you really saying you’ll let a strange man into an empty house just because he’s your fiancé?”
The servant was unusually talkative today.
‘Either way, I do need to meet Bluedin.’
One of Cyril’s missions, the list of “people who need to hear a word from me,” included Bluedin as well.
Bluedin was the only son of the commander of the capital’s knight order. His home was practically a fortress, filled with countless knights.
‘Does he want me to go there and lash out at him?’
Anyone who had learned even the basics of tactics would know that wasn’t the right move.
“I have to go to the academy today for self-training. I already reserved a training room. If it’s really that urgent, tell him to come there.”
“Huh, well…”
Perhaps because Violet was known for being gentle and obedient, the servant looked flustered.
“Instead of ‘well,’ shouldn’t the proper answer be ‘yes’? I heard Bluedin places great importance on his reputation. If he hears that his fiancée was spoken about behind her back, what do you think he’ll say?”
The servant’s expression changed as if he had just realized his mistake.
I did it!
Violet felt a faint sense of satisfaction.
Of course, she was going to break off her engagement with Bluedin, but there was no reason to explain that to this servant.
“Th-that, Miss… I think I made a slight mistake with my words. Please, don’t mention this to Young Master Bluedin…”
Violet quietly closed the door right in front of the servant’s face.
‘This is how I’ll speak to my family too. And to Bluedin as well…’
There was only one good thing about not immediately dropping out of the academy as Ash advised.
Near the end of the vacation, Violet had reserved a private training room at the academy.
The walls of the training room contained expensive mana amplification stones.
Because of that, it was much more suitable for practicing mana gathering than other places.
Only one or two people could enter at a time, and there was a four-hour time limit.
Because of this, it was extremely popular and usually difficult to reserve.
However, right now, it was the season when most students were away on vacation.
Training Room Schedule
<9:00–11:00 — Violet Everdeen>
<11:00–13:00 — Ash Defendale>
‘Does a Sword Master really need to train?’
After arriving at the training room, Violet looked at the schedule posted on the door with a puzzled expression.
However, she soon accepted it and entered the room.
Violet first sat down and began mental training to gather mana.
Bang!
She was quickly interrupted by the loud sound of the door opening.
Violet opened her eyes. Her pale golden hair fluttered in the wind.
“Violet.”
The person who entered with an expressionless face was none other than her fiancé, Bluedin.
“Bluedin, what is it?”
Violet looked directly into his eyes.
Objectively speaking, Bluedin was quite handsome.
He had black hair and gray eyes. He always had a habit of leaning against walls with his arms crossed, looking at people as if he was showing off his coolness.
As usual, he gave a mocking smile.
“You ignored me even though I called you. That’s pretty amusing. Not to mention how rude you were to my servant.”
Violet forced the corners of her mouth upward.
Compared to people his age, Bluedin’s cynical personality had once seemed impressive to her.
Even knowing that he treated her as something lower than dirt stuck to the bottom of his shoes, there had been a time when she wanted to get along with him.
“He’s just a servant.”
“What?”
“A servant is a servant. Responding to a servant’s rudeness with rudeness isn’t anything special. If anything, it’s only natural.”
Violet spoke calmly.
Bluedin straightened his posture.
Then he looked at Violet as if he were staring at someone insane.
“Are you sick? Or is this some desperate attempt to get my attention?”
In truth, Bluedin had repeatedly failed the Knight Department entrance exams.
Eventually, his father used his connections to place him in the History Department instead of the Knight Department.
Bluedin could not stand the fact that Violet, whom he considered worthless, had entered the academy’s Knight Department while he himself could not.
“I don’t care about your attention. Just say what you came to say. Then I’ll say what I need to say.”
Violet replied.
Bluedin clicked his tongue and raised both hands.
“Fine. There’s something you need to do for me.”
“……What?”
“You were invited to the Crown Prince’s Winter Queen Ball, weren’t you? I heard all noble students currently attending the academy were invited.”
“I haven’t checked the invitation yet, but probably.”
“It’s an official event, so even if I don’t want to, I have to take my fiancée as my partner.”
“……So?”
“Stay with me only until we enter. After that, immediately go to the powder room or the restroom.”
“Go there and do what?”
“You really don’t understand anything. Haah… What do you think will happen to my reputation if I attend a ball with you?”
“……”
“I need to dance with your younger sister, Marigold. So hide somewhere where no one can see you throughout the ball and only come out near the end. We can leave together afterward.”
Violet was speechless at the ridiculous request.
‘What a pathetic man.’
She already knew he was like this, but every time she experienced it, it still felt unbelievable.
“Your idea is that I, your fiancée, should hide somewhere so you can dance with my younger sister? That’s a shocking thought.”
Violet said sarcastically.
“That’s because you always attend balls dressed like a beggar. You should consider my reputation too.”
“……”
“I’m already annoyed that you made me come all the way here, so it would be better if you simply say yes. Then you’ll be my good future bride, won’t you?”
Violet could no longer hold back her anger.
The moment she took a step toward Bluedin—
Crackle. Crackle…
‘Huh?’
Once again, a vision of the future began.
In this vision, Violet looked younger.
Almost no different from her current appearance.
She was wearing a white wedding dress.
Bluedin stood before her, looking down at her with a face twisted horribly with rage.
<What did you do with Colbera at the Winter Queen Ball? I heard the two of you were embracing each other in an empty room.>
<I keep telling you, that man acted on his own—>
<Colbera testified that the two of you were together throughout your entire time at the academy. If it weren’t for that engagement contract with someone like you, I wouldn’t have to marry you. Why did my father make such a contract? Damn it!>
<……>
<You’ll never see the outside world again!>
Bluedin painfully grabbed Violet’s arm while she was wearing her wedding dress.
The future vision ended.
‘So that’s what happened with Colbera. And this bastard Bluedin…’
Even if he hated her enough to feel disgust, she was still his wife.
Instead of believing her or protecting her even once, he said something like that?
This was the moment to give him the one word she had promised Cyril.
Violet looked straight into Bluedin’s eyes.
‘What should I say to him?’
