At a loss, Roen sighed and changed the topic.

“That Crown Prince bas— No, that pu… No. His Highness’s birthday banquet is coming up soon. It’s fine for you to ignore all other invitations, but you’ll have to attend this particular banquet.”

“Ah.”

“Or, you don’t harbor any feelings for the Crown Prince, do you?”

“Not at all, don’t worry.”

Thinking about all the times Roen had to gnash his teeth because of that dear friend of his, Roen showed a relieved smile.

Looking at the way he smiled, Violet recalled the crown prince in her memories.

Certainly, not attending the crown prince’s birthday banquet wouldn’t be wise, so countermeasures had to be taken.

Violet nodded slowly.

“Do you have any work to do today, Young Lord?”

“Fortunately, I don’t have anything scheduled today. There won’t be any problem with me accompanying you for clothes and jewelry shopping.”

“Hmm…”

As Violet’s rumination grew longer, the glimmer of anticipation in Roen’s eyes brightened further.

However, Violet was actually thinking in depth about something else, not about going out to shop.

The crown prince, the crown prince…

Rajaden Elifos K. Liddell. He was born in the same year as Roen, and he was the one and only legitimate prince, so he naturally became the crown prince.

In Violet’s memories, Rajaden was a more brilliant man than Roen, and a glaringly irritating smart ass.

As his dark blond hair looked as if each strand was woven from rays of the golden sun, it shone under any light. And the likewise golden eyes beneath his hair would glint like a wild beast’s.

Her recollection of him wasn’t very clear, but by far, the clearest features of his that she could remember were those arrogant golden eyes.

She had danced with him during her debutante, and he had been beyond obnoxious.

Because all her focus was on Aileen and how angry she had been with the girl at that time, Violet’s memories from then were hazy.

But there’s one thing he said that she distinctly remembered.

 

“You’re quite like a poisonous rose, Lady.”

 

What a terrible memory.

As Violet’s expression twisted into a scowl, Roen looked nervous.

Still frowning, Violet asked,

“Do I really have to go to something like that prince’s birthday party?”

“It’d be great if that’s the case, but our family is part of the imperial faction, so we have to go.”

“Haa…”

Roen flinched once again as he heard Violet sighing.

Violet really didn’t want to see that detestable face, but she eventually answered in a tone that obviously expressed how forced she felt.

“Well, since I must go, now would be the perfect time for me to get fitted for clothes. If you’re not doing anything now, let’s get ready to go out right away.”

“Really? Then, give me just a moment…”

Roen’s whole face was practically glowing. However, his enthusiasm soon withered when the butler intervened into the conversation between the siblings.

“Pardon me, Young Master. His Highness the Crown Prince has sent you an official letter.”

“What?”

“It’s a direct summons. He’s asking for you to come right now.”

“Now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Really, right now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“To the palace?”

“Yes, sir.”

In an instant, Roen looked like he was letting out a silent scream.

Looking at him like this, Violet clicked her tongue. And as she didn’t have any expectations in the first place, she clicked her tongue at Roen once more when he was half-dragged out of the room.

The plan to go out together was on the brink of succeeding, but in the end, it collapsed just like that.

There wouldn’t be any problems anyway if she just went out to buy clothes by herself. But as she assumed a number of worst-case scenarios that might just happen, Violet canceled the outing altogether.

She tried to go back to painting once more, but the brush just didn’t feel right in her hand. She couldn’t even think of a reason why she wanted to paint now.

Was this a side effect from being comfortable? Should artists always be buried in depression to produce good work?

Wandering through countless thoughts, Violet sighed.

If Mary was here by her side, she would at least be able to spend time listening to the girl’s chatter. Everything seemed so quiet while she wasn’t here.

On the other hand, the servants of the townhouse found Violet quite difficult.

The servants who knew how she was when she was younger laughed at her behind her back, but they didn’t dare to converse directly with her.

As Violet thought about distancing herself from them, she stood up from her seat. It’s been a week since she started doing nothing.

Seeing that she was preparing to go out of the mansion, the maids immediately tried to force her into a corset, but they all failed.

If something inconvenient were to happen while she’s out shopping, couldn’t she just stop for the day and return home right away?

With how much he had been looking forward to going out together with Violet, Roen would definitely be crushed to hear about this. Anyway, Violet got ready for her trip.

As for her clothes right now, she chose to wear comfortable clothes of the middle class.

Since both Mary and Zylo had yet to come to the capital, the people who would be escorting her were made up of people she didn’t know. The servants also politely tried to stop her from going out, but in the end, no one could go against the ducal lady’s stubbornness.

It didn’t sound like a bad idea to see what the streets of the capital were like.

If she’s lucky, she might be able to find inspiration for a new art piece.

‘I don’t think anything’s going to happen anyway.’

It was better to do something rather than spend time doing nothing.

Violet’s outing was terribly impulsive.