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Chapter 10
When Violet first got into the carriage, she didn’t even have enough strength to take a single step.
But by the time she arrived at the train station alone, a little life had begun to return to her eyes.
The train station at eight in the evening was just as crowded as the party.
The train cars were divided into three classes. First class accepted only one reservation per car. Second class had assigned seats for around twenty people, while third class was standing-room only, with as many passengers packed in as possible.
Fortunately, Winter’s wallet was in her pocket. It was filled with thick bundles of banknotes, enough to live on comfortably for a month.
Violet felt extremely guilty about using his money, but she had no other choice right now.
She had ruled out first class from the beginning because the money felt stolen. But she also didn’t think she could squeeze into third class, so she chose second class.
Because there were so many people, it took her a long time to buy a ticket.
Finally, Violet got her precious second-class ticket and murmured,
“This is my first time taking a train alone.”
The voice coming from her mouth sounded strange to her, so Violet paused.
Then she quietly said,
“Violet.”
There were so many things she had wanted to hear in Winter’s voice.
I missed you.
I wanted to stay by your side today instead of going to work.
It was pathetic that she still wanted to hear such things from a man who had always put his work first, even when she desperately begged him to stay beside her.
“Maybe first love really does stay in your heart for a long time.”
Soon, the next train arrived with a loud noise.
When the doors opened, Violet walked toward the ticket inspector standing by the entrance and handed over her ticket.
The inspector tore off the end of the ticket to mark it as used and greeted her.
“Have a pleasant journey, sir.”
After safely getting onto the train, Violet finally felt at ease.
She straightened her shoulders, which had been hunched from nervousness.
However, another problem soon appeared.
Since this was her first time riding a train alone, she had no idea what the letters and numbers written on her ticket meant.
As she awkwardly looked around, a woman behind her shouted,
“Oh, come on! How can you block the way with such a huge body?”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry.”
Violet quickly apologized and showed the woman her ticket.
“Where am I supposed to sit?”
“Oh dear, you don’t even know that? Why did you get on the train in the first place? It’s written right here!”
The woman pointed at the seat.
Only then did Violet understand what the writing on the ticket meant.
She tilted her head slightly to the right and smiled.
“Thank you.”
The woman’s face immediately turned bright red at Violet’s polite voice.
“My goodness, what a pretty smile.”
It had been like this ever since she arrived.
Many people kept sneaking glances at Winter’s face and body.
Women, of course, but even children couldn’t take their eyes off him, despite the fact that his appearance could have been intimidating.
Apparently, her husband wasn’t the only man capable of making people fall for him at first sight.
Violet took a window seat.
The seat was uncomfortable, and there was a dusty smell in the air.
She turned her attention toward the window instead.
She could see passengers who had gotten off the train meeting people waiting on the platform. They greeted each other happily and smiled.
Then someone appeared beside Violet.
It was a woman around Violet’s age. She looked like a noblewoman and was struggling to lift a large piece of luggage onto the overhead rack.
“Ah, let me do it.”
Violet thought a gentleman shouldn’t simply sit there in a situation like this, so she immediately stood up.
She easily lifted the huge piece of luggage onto the rack, even though it was the kind of weight she normally wouldn’t have even attempted to lift.
After Violet sat back down, the owner of the luggage took the seat beside her.
“Thank you!”
“It was nothing.”
“Are you going to the capital?”
“Yes.”
“Me too! I ran away from home!”
“…What?”
“My parents kept saying that I’ve never earned money on my own, so that’s why I spend money so carelessly. So I ran away!”
Violet couldn’t help laughing at her words.
“I see.”
“What about you, sir?”
“For business.”
“I’ve been wondering about this since earlier, but… are you him? Sir Winter Blooming?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Sharon. Sharon Doss.”
Violet smiled happily when she heard her name.
When she got a proper look at the face that had been hidden beneath the hat, she recognized her immediately.
It was a familiar face she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Sharon was the eldest daughter of the Doss Duchy. She had been Violet’s childhood friend, and from the age of seven, Violet had stayed with her and learned ballet together.
Violet said,
“I’ve heard about you from my wife. She said you learned ballet together when you were young.”
“R-Really? Violet talks about me? So I’m not the only one who remembers her!”
“She seems to have very fond memories of that time.”
Hearing that Violet sometimes thought about her, Sharon became excited and began chattering about things that had happened when they were children.
While the two of them were talking, a railway worker began ringing a bell repeatedly to signal that the train was about to depart.
The train doors closed with a loud noise.
Then the train began moving with a deep, powerful sound.
***
Winter was impatiently waiting at the seaside villa when Hayel finally arrived with a carriage.
Hayel hurried toward Winter, who looked as though he would not be satisfied until he killed someone.
“Sir!”
“…How did you know?”
Winter’s expression and posture were unmistakably his own, but his appearance was Violet’s.
Hayel explained when Winter looked suspicious that he had recognized him.
“You told me before to look for cases of people from the Kanix clan switching bodies. And there’s only one horse tied up here, while you can’t ride a horse.”
“For once, you actually used your brain.”
“I always use my brain. And now that I think about it, shouldn’t you learn how to ride a horse? With your athletic ability, you’d learn quickly.”
“I don’t want to learn horseback riding with seven-year-olds, and I don’t have the time.”
Winter answered with a frown.
After that, they finally managed to return to the mansion by carriage.
But Winter’s work wasn’t over yet.
Duke James Blooming’s birthday party was only just beginning.
As soon as he entered the mansion, Winter had a doctor treat his injured hand first.
Then he sat in front of the dressing table.
When the maids brought him a dress to wear to the party, Winter glanced at it.
My wife probably ran away because she hates this party.
As long as he was walking around in Violet’s body, there was little danger.
Besides, the only thing he needed to do was fill in for his wife, who, for some reason, hated parties so much.
Winter’s motto was:
“Never take a loss under any circumstances.”
So even in this situation, there had to be at least one thing he could gain.
Winter glanced at the funeral-like dresses the maids had brought and stood up.
Then he headed toward his room.
Hayel followed him and asked,
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make her wear what I want her to wear.”
“She might get angry later…”
“My wife stole my body and is using it however she wants. I should be able to use hers however I want too. Otherwise, I’d be the only one taking the loss.”
Winter said this as though it were perfectly obvious and entered his dressing room.
When he opened another door inside the dressing room, another room appeared.
Hanging inside were around a hundred dresses that Hayel had secretly bought over the past few years.
Three years ago, right after his marriage, Winter had been so busy and financially strained that he had survived by eating sandwiches for every meal.
Still, thanks to his good reputation for paying off the country’s debt, the hotel had never lacked customers.
By the spring of the previous year, his finances had finally stabilized.
Around that time, he had sent Violet five dresses for parties.
But a few days later, all of them except one wood-colored dress were returned to him.
The letter from his mother that came with the dresses said that Violet was royalty and therefore did not like such flashy dresses.
After the same thing happened several more times, Winter stopped sending the dresses to Violet and simply stored them all in his dressing room.
Now he thought this was the perfect opportunity.
Winter had Hayel carry the dresses and opened the safe.
Inside was a large collection of jewelry.
Winter put a necklace covered with large teardrop-shaped diamonds around his neck and casually stacked several bracelets on his wrist.
Hayel criticized him.
“Didn’t the jewelers tell you that women don’t like wearing so many things at once? Besides, what noblewoman goes out wearing every kind of gemstone she owns?”
“Shut up. What are they going to say if I tell them my husband bought me so much jewelry that I had no choice but to wear all of it?”
It was exactly the kind of thing Winter would normally say.
But hearing those words come from Violet’s pretty lips was so strange that Hayel flinched and nodded.
A moment later, Winter examined the dresses and complained.
“I have no idea how to put this on.”
“Would you like me to help?”
“Get out of here. Where are you trying to put your hands? Bring the maids.”
“…Please don’t swear at me while you’re wearing the Little Madam’s face. It hurts a hundred times more.”
Hayel looked close to tears as he ran off to call the maids.
Soon, the maids entered and stared wide-eyed at the dazzling dressing room, even though the sun had already set.
After Hayel was kicked out, the maids busily dressed their Little Madam.
Winter couldn’t take his eyes off the mirror the entire time.
While one of the maids was fixing his now-shorter hair, she casually said,
“How does this white dress suit you so perfectly? You look just like a bride on her wedding—”
The maid beside her was horrified and quickly slapped her arm to stop her.
The maid who had made the mistake immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
Winter frowned.
“What about the wedding?”
“S-Sorry, Little Madam!”
The two maids became pale and apologized.
The sharp voice was nothing like Violet’s usual voice.
Instead of calming down, Winter’s expression became even darker.
“Why can’t you talk about the wedding in front of me? You. Tell me.”
Winter pointed at the maid who had slapped the other maid’s arm.
She lowered her head and began to tremble.
“On… on the night of the wedding, the Little Master disappeared without telling anyone…”
“…”
“We knew the Little Master was angry, but we remembered how the Little Madam waited for him all night, worried and unable to even take off her dress… We felt sorry for her. I’m sorry for speaking out of turn!”
Winter froze.
He had never heard this story before.
On the day of their wedding, Winter had been extremely angry and immediately boarded a train to the capital.
Since he had failed to receive the title he had been expecting, there had been many things he needed to deal with.
Regardless of whether a couple actually spent their wedding night together, it was normal for newlyweds to share a room that night.
So if nobody had told Violet that Winter had left, she would have spent the entire night waiting for him in their bedroom.
Only now did Winter finally understand at least one reason why Violet had asked for a divorce.
*
When Violet arrived in the capital, she let out a sigh.
She felt bad for teasing Winter earlier about how he could sit in exactly the same position for the entire train ride.
Sitting in second class with her long legs folded for seven hours had been so uncomfortable that she had also needed to stand up several times.
Sharon, who got off the train with her, asked,
“Where are you going, Sir?”
“I’m going to the Felice family.”
Lady Ella Felice, Violet and Ash’s mother, had been living in the Felice territory after her husband died and the royal family was dissolved.
She was a woman who cared only about her son, but she still had enough affection for her daughter to provide her with a small place of refuge.
Of course, that was only as long as the refuge did not interfere with Ash.
Violet suddenly looked at Sharon and asked,
“I heard that the Doss Duchy is good at creating new identities.”
“Oh, yes. Since our population is so small, we can quickly provide new citizenship and identities to anyone who comes to live there. Of course, not if they’re criminals.”
“I see.”
Violet nodded.
Now that she had decided to divorce Winter, she also needed to think about what she would do afterward.
If she couldn’t get a divorce, she was even considering running away in the middle of the night.
Death was not something she was allowed to have.
Then she would leave instead.
She would leave her heavy heart behind on this land and go somewhere with a lighter one.
Her husband probably wouldn’t search very hard even if she disappeared.
After all, Violet thought bitterly, he was the kind of man who probably wouldn’t even notice that his wife was gone for about three months.
