Aldin slowly processed what had just happened, bringing his hand to his cheek. His face was still filled with bewilderment.
“I told you I would give you an answer. If you return safely, perhaps our relationship will change.”
“If I return safely…?”
“It’s hard for me to give you a definite answer now. If I am to wait, only to hear bad news, I don’t think I could bear it.”
Violet spoke calmly, almost as if joking, but as she continued, Aldin’s expression shifted.
Finally grasping the meaning behind her words and understanding what had just happened, he spoke with newfound resolve.
“…I will.”
His face was still flushed, but his determination made him all the more endearing.
“I will return and bring you glory.”
It was the sentiment he had wanted to express most during the hunting tournament. Words he had failed to convey back then had finally been spoken today.Hearing this, Violet smiled softly.
“All right.”
If I can stay safe until then, too.
She also made a quiet resolution of her own.
And thus, change inched one step closer.
* * *
Afterward, Violet’s exhibition became a great success. It began with those who had received invitations, and soon word spread quietly but widely.
There was curiosity surrounding the artwork created by a duke’s daughter, a high noble lady of the empire, and intrigue in the new direction her paintings showcased.
Those who visited the exhibition and viewed Violet’s paintings shared a variety of impressions. However, one common sentiment emerged—that her paintings were said to have stemmed from ‘the mind of a demon’.
They were described as groundbreaking, shattering conventions, and heralding a revolution that could overturn not just the realm of painting, but the entire world of art.
Some criticized it as being too radical, while others celebrated it as a necessary break from tradition and welcomed the change.
This was just the beginning.
One day, her paintings would be considered priceless works, admired by countless people. But that was still far in the future.
.
.
Meanwhile, concerns about the war had significantly diminished within the empire. After rooting out all the internal enemies who had been sowing chaos, there was nothing left to hinder the people’s growing confidence.
There was no way they could lose this war. Victory was inevitable. Their way of life wouldn’t change—such were the beliefs that took hold.
In reality, aside from a slight increase in taxes, life continued as usual. Some of the poorer citizens enlisted in the army, but tragedy still seemed distant.
Or rather, everyone believed that tragedy was far away.
.
.
Before long, a large-scale battle, so significant it would later be called the Continental War, took place. News of victory boosted the morale of the empire’s citizens, and the presence of the enemy only served to strengthen their unity.
Stories spread, such as how Lady Alesia of the Leshan Marquisate defied her parents’ wishes and personally joined the battle, leading her forces to victory.
Tragedy, or comedy. Sorrow, or joy. Despair, or hope. All were swirling together on the battlefield.
Amid all this, Violet declared her intention to travel.
Given the current state of affairs, her declaration was met with opposition from everyone. Her desire to witness the horrors of war firsthand and record them in her art was dismissed outright.
So, she ran away.
The Duke of Everett was so shocked he nearly collapsed from a fit of rage, leaving Roen to take on the household head’s duties as well for a time.
To make matters worse, even Cairn P. Everett, who was studying at the academy, disappeared, further amplifying the shock.
Those two claimed that they didn’t like each other, but now the brother and sister were acting exactly alike.
Roen, utterly exhausted by the situation, decided to keep Violet’s escape a secret.
Although he had opposed her plan, he respected her wishes. Rather than causing more chaos by sending out soldiers to search for her, he hoped she would return safely on her own.
In her escape, Violet saw things she had never encountered in her life. Although she was eager to capture the scenes of war in her art, she had to work hard to avoid reducing their lives to mere shallow depictions.
She sincerely hoped that the paintings she would create would not deceive or trivialize their experiences.
.
.
And thus, this became the story of an artist whose name would be remembered in history.
It’s said that a mural, painted by her while waiting for her lover, would go on to be recognized as a national treasure for its invaluable preservation, even centuries later.
Despite the many negative critiques aimed at her, her painting ‘The Horrors’ is still said to move the hearts of many.
As for her personal story, it’s well known that her lover returned from the war victorious, bringing the glory he promised back to her.
There are also accounts that he was deeply shocked upon learning that she had traveled through the war-torn lands herself during his time at the front.
In any case, both of them made their mark on history in their own ways, and the Stella family remained a prominent household due to their recognized contributions to the war.
Among the tales passed down, there are rumors that the emperor, while still the crown prince, was involved in a love triangle with her. Some even say that after becoming emperor, Rajaden Elifos K. Liddell proposed to her again, only to be rejected.
The truth, however, remains unconfirmed.
.
.
Once upon a time, an artist said,
My life is captured within my paintings.
That life was so dark and bleak that those who looked upon her work felt a strange, unsettling sensation.
And yet, she kept painting. She spent her life depicting how her world and her experiences changed over time.
May those who look at these works find comfort.
Even in the darkest of times, may there one day be light in your life.
And though you may not have been loved, may you know that you can still love, and that your life can be brilliant.
―A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady, the end.
<small>t/n: we still have side stories to come! im sobbing already, but let’s leave the sappy final notes for later ;;-;;</small>
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