“It is a formal title, thus it wouldn’t be right to refer to someone as such when they have yet to be knighted. If the day comes that you are inducted as a knight, Lady, I shall honor your wish.”
“……”
Light blue eyes bristling with calm anger stared directly into purple eyes. Though Violet had no intention of looking down on her, Alesia felt as if she was being mocked greatly.
“…Then why have you not clarified it?”
“Clarify what?”
“It’s easily explainable why I am personally exhibiting hostility against you, Ducal Lady. I’m not a fool, I can at least say the reason. But there’s no explanation on your part.”
“…I just learned not to mind people.”
Amid the silence, Violet’s eyes darkened. Alesia frowned.
“You don’t mind people, you say. Does that mean that people aren’t worth dealing with?”
“It’s not an easy task to try and convince someone who thinks they’re right in their conviction. They won’t change that simply.”
“……”
In her life, Violet had never once seen a person change their mind just because they had been talked to rationally. She smiled.
It was an empty smile.
Feeling that emptiness, Alesia was about to speak, but she closed her mouth again.
“And, Lady Leshan, you seem to care quite a bit about your family. I’d advise watching your actions better.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m only saying this because you remind me of my younger brother.”
She meant it. Alesia and Cairn were exactly alike. Alesia thought very much like Cairn, and they even had the same temperament.
Violet spoke again.
“Even if I am to stay here longer, it doesn’t seem like the two of us will have a pleasant time, so I’ll be taking my leave. May I ask that you convey my farewell to the Madam? I understand that she’s busy, and I wouldn’t want to take up her time just to say goodbye.”
“…I’ll show you the way.”
“There’s no need, Lady.”
“No, you’ve come here as a guest of my mother, and she told me to keep you company in her stead. I don’t wish to treat a guest of ours awfully.”
In the end, Alesia was definitely smarter than Cairn. She could at least use her head.
In this respect, Violet further lowered her evaluation of Alesia. Even though she seemed moderately rational and knew how to use her head, she was obstinately reckless with her actions.
Alesia sent a message to the marchioness first, then she accompanied Violet to see her off.
The atmosphere between them was desolate.
“You may not answer, but I would like to ask again. Why did you do what you did that day?”
“That day?”
“That day when you harassed your younger sister, Lady Aileen.”
“Ahh.”
As they walked towards the main gate, Violet smiled at Alesia.
“I did it because I wanted to. There’s no special reason.”
Faced with Violet’s gentle expression, Alesia was so dumbfounded that she burst out in laughter.
“As expected, you’re just keeping up a charade. I don’t like you.”
“I never thought that anyone would say it to my face. I’m afraid that I don’t dislike you, Lady.”
“…I hope we never see each other again.”
“Unfortunately, your wish is unlikely to come true. The Madam seems to be fond of me.”
“……”
Alesia’s light blue gaze contained a complexity of emotions. Most of them were clearly negative, but Violet turned a blind eye to the sentiment.
Violet did not dislike Alesia. The young lady reminded her too much of Cairn.
Of course, Violet outright hated Cairn. For how many years exactly had he raised a hand at her? How could she possibly like him just because they shared the same blood?
But despite it all, she could still commend her younger brother’s one redeeming factor—his abhorrence towards injustice.
In Alesia’s case, unlike Cairn, she was angry at the injustice that Violet had displayed. She came to this conclusion after careful deliberation first.
Violet wasn’t averse to Alesia’s personality.
“Then, I’ll see you again next time, Lady. I hope your misconception can be resolved before then.”
“Hah, just what are you…”
The Everett Duchy’s esteemed daughter climbed into the fancy carriage. And the woman who remained standing there could only look baffled.
It was only natural to feel dumbfounded after hearing that. Violet was saying that she hoped the ‘misconception’ would be resolved, yet she’s doing nothing to alleviate it.
* * *
After her visit to the Leshan Marquisate’s residence, Violet became the marchioness’s teatime companion. And just as before, the dynamic between them continued—the marchioness would chatter on and Violet would listen.
In any case, House Leshan was amongst the ranks of nobility. Perhaps that’s why the marchioness had quite a lot of stories to tell.
The marchioness told her about how the lady of House Tolofia was aiming for the position of the crown prince’s consort, about how rumors about Violet herself were spreading in high society, and about stories of a few young noblemen here and there.
The marchioness would also tell Violet about what she had heard from other private noble gatherings.
“I heard this only by chance, so it’s not to be completely trusted.”
Rumors of ambiguous origins were always rife amongst society. It was up to the listener to distinguish whether it was true or false.
Whether such rumors contained praise or derision, they’re all the same.
One such woman here, who almost died in a lake due to a rumor, just smiled quietly.
It was not of good virtue to talk about someone who’s not present. Still, Violet knew that the marchioness’s chatter was, in one way, her version of consideration towards Violet.
Information was power. The marchioness was hoping that Violet would not fall behind in terms of news about high society.