It’s impossible for deep-seated resentment to easily disappear.

She wanted them to experience the same despair she went through. Collapse to the ground why crying—crying endlessly. Live while being tormented, live while being miserable.

However, she also had no intention of wielding the axe of retribution. It was truly contradictory.

And she couldn’t say, “Just drown yourself to death with your nose poking into a bowl of water,” towards someone who came to apologize.

Above all—

“…I feel wronged.”

Throughout all the years, her desire to be acknowledged could not be fulfilled, and merely remained as flickering ashes after the fire had been put out.

However, the problem was this: that abyss-like desire had not completely disappeared.

Would it make any difference if she told him the whole story?

As she munched on a cookie, Violet agonized over her thoughts.

“…If it were me…”

The knight, who was standing watch quietly, opened his lips to speak. Two pairs of eyes turned to him at the same time.

Zylo coughed lightly.

“I’ll start with a punch.”

“I’m weak.”

“Would you like me to hit him in your stead?”

“No, it’s not that… You don’t need to.”

If a knight were to hit a duke’s son, he’d be charged with blasphemy. It’s only obvious that Violet was dissuading him from doing so.

But at the same time, she inwardly agreed. Let’s start with a punch. That didn’t sound bad. Perhaps, could she sock him in the kisser?

Violet smirked, imagining the scenario over and over again until she got tired of it.

In the end, she couldn’t come to a conclusion right now, even if she mulled over it as much as she could.

All the emotions and resentment she had endured before—all that she was enduring even now—were all screaming so, so desperately.

She was emotional right now, and she knew that she wasn’t in the right headspace to make a decision in her condition.

“Give me more cookies.”

“Milady, you already emptied a whole plate.”

“Still…”

“You haven’t worked out today yet, right?”

“……”

Sighing, Violet rose from her seat.

When the mind’s plagued with many thoughts, the best course of action was to move the body.

 

* * *

 

It’s been a week since Roen apologized.

And for the entire past week, the second young master of the ducal household sent many gifts to the annex.

Flowers, food, clothes, paint, a lightweight rapier, and more. There was a great variety to the gifts.

One time, after receiving the gifts for the day, Violet pressed her fingertips against a throbbing temple.

Most of the clothes that she received had simple designs. Perhaps he realized that she had no need for ostentatious dresses. Instead, the fabric of all the sent clothes was very soft.

“How very sincere…”

How very sincerely and crazily wasteful.

“What did the Young Master say today?”

“Nothing much, just asking if my day is going well, I guess?”

“The Second Young Master is a very different person from what I had imagined.”

“Don’t fraternize with him. A guy like him is the most dangerous type.”

Along with the gifts born out of Roen’s crazy spending spree, he sent one card everyday as well.

Most of them contained only simple greetings.

“Um, Milady…”

“What?”

“I’ve been hearing strange rumors lately. I’m not sure, but… Maybe the Second Young Master isn’t such a bad guy.”

“……”

Hearing the words Mary said with hesitation, Violet sighed.

A situation like this was one that she hated like hell.

Such a situation was bound to change people’s minds, to make them be inevitably swayed as if they couldn’t help it.

If she were to continue avoiding Roen, in the end, she’d become the bad person yet again.

Was this what Roen was aiming for from the beginning?

Barely pressing down the simmering urge to scream in frustration, Violet gestured to Mary.

In turn, Mary immediately stopped talking. She was constantly attuned to Violet’s mood.

Now that Violet thought about it, Mikhail was being too calm despite Roen’s recent remarkable track record. Mikhail should have stormed the annex and hurled his fury at her by now.

Recalling that unpleasant guy, Violet frowned and set down her paintbrush.

 

* * *

 

“Sir Knight.”

“Ah, are you done with your activity, Milady?”

“No, I’m just feeling a bit sore.”

“Then are you here to exercise?”

“No, just here to look around.”

Zylo perked up for a moment, but he soon deflated again. The newcomer knight, who’s being practically beat up by Zylo, shouted briefly, “Please save me, Your Ladyship!”

“Do you know what that guy’s doing these days?”

“’That guy’?”

“Young Duke Mikhail.”

“…Aren’t you family?”

“We don’t exactly have the type of relationship where I’d normally call him ‘Dear Brother’.”

“Ah.”

While still sparring with the young knight, Zylo contemplated shortly and soon answered.

“I’m not quite sure, Milady, but there’s a rumor going around that Young Duke Mikhail’s status as the Duke’s heir might get revoked. I hear it’s due to his arrogant and condescending behavior, but I honestly can’t say for sure.”

Violet wasn’t expecting to hear this.

“Besides that, there’s a large-scale lay-off in progress… Anyway, there’s many things going on. And I also heard that the rumors about you are also spreading.”

What Zylo heard could be summarized in this manner:

First, Mikhail’s status as the duke’s heir was on the verge of being revoked.

Second, the employees of the main mansion were being fired on a large-scale.

Third, favorable rumors about Violet were spreading.

Even though all of these were somehow or the other connected to her, Violet had no idea at all that this was going on. She cradled her forehead with one hand.

She was completely blindsided by these developments. She could feel a migraine coming on.

Everything was changing to her favor, and it felt so unfamiliar. To the point that she was getting rather frightened.