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Chapter 10
Violet’s One Word
A few hours later.
Ash was sitting diagonally on a long chair in a luxurious room, flipping through the pages of a book.
Marin entered carrying a large amount of paper and fabric, then placed them down on the table.
“Ash, don’t you have anything to say to this servant about going to the academy earlier today?”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“You suddenly ordered me to reserve a training room at the academy. So I checked the schedule, and the person who reserved the training room before you was that ugly Miss Everdine, wasn’t she?”
“Watch your words, Marin. I know your life revolves around being obsessed with finding pretty things, including dresses and jewelry, but you’ve crossed a line.”
Ash’s voice became subtly lower. Marin flinched.
“Well, I didn’t come up with that nickname, you know? Actually, I should have taken a closer look at that Violet girl’s face, but…”
“Didn’t I tell you that Violet Everdine has a proper appearance? Besides, her personality and the things she does are quite cute.”
Marin silently stared at Ash.
“What is that expression?”
“Is our lord, who is obsessed with talented people, starting to notice that young lady’s talent and become attached to her?”
“I am not obsessed with talent.”
“Think about all the talented people you’ve taken away from the academy. Once you set your eyes on someone, you chase after them relentlessly until they become your person. Then you put them inside your jewelry box and never let them back out into the world.”
“They are all doing well now, aren’t they? Thanks to me. I placed them all in good positions.”
“But you have never called any of them ‘cute.’ And this is also the first time your recruitment target has been a young woman around your age.”
“Everyone has a first time for everything. Isn’t that usually significant?”
“The first… ugly… I mean, properly beautiful female talent who uses a sword? Is this some kind of new admission method?”
“Let’s just call it a new type.”
Ash gave a small laugh. He turned the page of the book he had been casually reading.
“So why exactly are you following that girl around?”
“A great ruler should make talented people his friends and cherish them. Violet is the most special person I have seen recently, so until I open that tightly closed heart of hers, I must approach her with all my effort and sincerity.”
Ash smiled beautifully, like a painting.
Marin looked at her lord, whose thoughts she could never understand, and shrugged.
“Our lord is far too difficult to understand.”
“An easy man is boring, Marin. A man must have an inner self that seems visible yet unreachable if he wants to make women happy.”
“That’s from Chapter 3, Page 2 of The Story of Lady Rosnis, isn’t it? As expected, our lord definitely likes that book too.”
“……Could you stop teasing me with that book?”
Ash took his eyes away from the book he was reading.
“Fine. About the Crown Prince’s Winter Queen Ball this time, you are going, right? Who are you bringing? Is she pretty? Cute? Elegant? Curvy? Slim?”
“You’re being noisy. I’m starting to wonder whether it would be faster to silence you or move rooms.”
“That’s because I need to prepare a wonderful uniform that matches the lady who will be your partner, so hurry up and tell me!”
“Your jokes are going too far. Me meeting a woman in the empire?”
“I’m not joking. The festival where the night market opens is the day after tomorrow, and you can’t stay like this!”
“……Festival?”
“It’s the countdown. The Winter Queen Ball is the most important event in the capital’s social circles, so everyone carefully considers who they’ll attend with. That’s why men and women go out together under the excuse of watching the festival, spend time together, and eventually it leads to asking someone to be their partner for the ball.”
“Marin.”
“……Why did your voice suddenly become so low?”
Ash lightly stood up from his seat. Looking directly into Marin’s eyes, he spoke seriously.
“I will give you a task that will finally make you useful. Go bring me a pen and paper. The ones for honored guests.”
“Who are you writing a letter to…?”
“You’re surprisingly slow sometimes. Obviously, Violet Everdine.”
Ash spoke gently.
After finishing her training and returning home, Violet realized something when she saw the carriages lined up in front of the house.
‘Ah, my family has returned.’
Servants were busily moving luggage bags without rest.
Several servants noticed Violet, but they all ignored her.
“If you scratch the luggage bags, I’ll deduct it from your wages, understand?!”
In the middle of the first-floor living room stood a woman whose fierce tone did not match her small figure.
It was Violet’s stepmother, Paula.
“What? You’re only coming back now?”
Paula openly looked Violet up and down with contempt.
‘It seems the matter of me hitting Bludin hasn’t reached the family yet.’
Violet thought.
Perhaps Bludin, embarrassed that he had been hit by his fiancée, had not told them the truth. That would be better, but even if he had, it did not matter.
In any case, Paula was the same as always. Her expression was filled with constant contempt toward Violet.
“Where have you been wandering around? We’ve been far too lenient with a bastard child. Even though you’ve become an adult, we let you roam around freely, doing whatever you want and eating whatever you want like you live a luxurious life.”
“……”
“Be grateful that you met such generous family members like us.”
A cold sneer appeared on Violet’s face.
‘How can she say something like that?’
If one looked at the truth, Paula was the one who had an affair with Violet’s father, and the bastard child was not Violet—it was her younger sister, Marigold.
Violet’s biological mother had been deceived by her father and eventually abandoned.
‘There’s no such thing as lowly or noble professions, but you were a barmaid yourself. Yet you always lied to me, saying you came from a prestigious and ancient noble family.’
Whenever Violet thought of her, she felt sad.
‘There was only one time when I clung to her.’
It was one day when Violet was ten years old and sick with a fever.
She did not remember clearly, but she must have wandered into the hallway while delirious from the heat.
The maids had dutifully taken care of her, but as a child, she had longed for the touch of her stepmother Paula. So she went out into the hallway looking for her.
[What were those maids doing that they let a child wander around like this?]
Paula seemed extremely displeased.
And reluctantly, she took care of Violet.
The hands that cared for her felt incredibly precious. But at the same time, Violet felt sorry and thought she had caused trouble.
From that day onward, she always prayed.
‘If my very existence is a flaw, then I hope I won’t cause any more trouble for my family.’
Looking back now, it was ridiculous. Because after that day, there had never been anything to be grateful for again.
Violet was not a bastard child.
Therefore, she did not need to feel sorry.
She was only a victim.
She felt even the smallest bit of gratitude disappear completely.
‘You deceived me.’
This large house, and even the luxurious dresses her stepmother wore.
In truth, all of it had been built upon the wealth brought by Violet’s biological mother, Deborah.
Violet quietly stared at Paula.
“What is that expression? Do you have something to say?”
An annoyed look appeared on Paula’s face.
“Actually, there is something I would like to tell you.”
Violet looked directly into Paula’s eyes and calmly began to speak.
