The duke considered Violet’s silence as an answer in itself, and at that, he picked up his teacup to take a sip. It was bitter. It was not delicious.

“You tormented Aileen.”

“……”

The ensuing topic of conversation almost made Violet bite her tongue.

Was there a single person in this ducal residence who didn’t know that Violet S. Everett had been tormenting Aileen?

But it seemed like the duke was that single person.

Of course, the duke was no fool, so it’s not as if he had absolutely no idea.

It’s just, he’s been turning a blind eye.

As long as Violet did not go too far, and as long as he could cover it up—he thought that this would be enough.

…How could that possibly be called love.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“I’m asking why you’ve been tormenting Aileen.”

Just as Mikhail did, even the duke was bringing up Aileen’s name. With this, Violet felt as if her insides were being turned upside down.

All she wanted was to rest comfortably, but why—why—must she keep hearing the name of the person she didn’t want to be reminded of? And, one after another even.

Violet felt her stomach lurching.

A fleeting thought passed her mind, that she would definitely throw up if she were to eat dinner later. She sipped her tea to moisten her lips.

“I only acted my part.”

“…Violet.”

“Since it was like that, Your Grace the Duke, would you rather that I stood still as I was being insulted?”

At Violet’s answer, the duke paused for a moment. It was too misleading to call Violet’s actions thus far as just mere retaliation for insults.

“Even so, it was too much.”

“……”

“That poor child lost her parents…”

The duke expressed his sympathy towards Aileen.

Too much, he said.

As Violet reflected on what the duke said just now, she smiled in vain.

Objectively speaking, it’s true that her actions had been severe.

If she couldn’t bring Aileen down just by bumping into her, Violet would impulsively resort to raising her hand and hitting her. That was just the mere basics of it.

Even so, Violet just laughed.

Oh, this must be what it feels to lose your mind.

She knew that he didn’t intend to point that out with what he said just now.

But even though she knew it, she had no choice but to open her mouth.

At the very least, you shouldn’t do this to me.

“Yees,” she answered. “That’s why, uh-huh. Yeah, it’s because of that…”

At the sight of his daughter suddenly giggling as she mashed her dessert with a fork, the duke fell silent.

Silently eroding, more and more.

—What else could aptly describe this sight if not for the very definition of madness.

“Why, you ask. Why did I torment her.”

“……”

“At first, I felt wronged. I felt wronged, so I… Well, I’m not sure about what happened next. I hated Aileen, and I also hated being framed for things that I didn’t do.”

“Violet!”

“It’s just. I wanted everyone to disappear.”

That’s why I harassed her.

A red stream flowed down from the pulp of strawberries crushed by a fork.

At first glance, you’d think that the ducal lady, without thinking about it, was merely playing with food that she would not eat. However, this was madness itself.

She had been given the title of ‘villainess’, and it was not attributed to her for nothing.

Violet might have just been framed at first, but thereafter, it continued under her own will.

“In the end, Your Grace is also the very same. It’s alright. By now, I’ve learned not to hold expectations.”

“I did not want to hear that kind of answer to the question I asked.”

“What excuse must I spout then? It doesn’t change the fact that I tormented her because I hated her, and that I did vicious things to her attendants because I hated her.”

“Violet!”

The moment the duke bellowed, all of Violet’s actions stopped completely.

At the same time, the duke looked straight into Violet’s eyes, and he had to swallow back a gasp.

Purple eyes.

Purple eyes that once shone like gemstones.

Purple eyes that had shined so brightly as she smiled more innocently than anyone else could.

Purple eyes that, now, were devoid of any light.

“I am not here to quibble over what’s right or wrong.”

“…Right, of course. You’re not here to quibble over what’s right or wrong, yes…”

Then what are you doing right now?

It would end up like this anyway.

Even if she were to give up and make no excuses, the end result would have been exactly the same. This would have happened eventually.

‘—Ah, I caught myself having expectations again, huh.’

Violet set her fork down and laughed. The answer that she’d be giving would, from now on, never be what the answer that the duke would want to hear.

“Do you know, Your Grace the Duke?”

Violet addressed her father respectfully as the duke. Clearly, she was drawing a line between them.

This is the only relationship between you and me.

“To me, this ducal household is a lake. Humans can’t breathe underwater, right? When I fell into that lake, I had a realization. So that’s the reason I can’t breathe, I thought. For ten whole years, I haven’t been able to breathe properly in this household— is what I realized.”

“……”

“Then I asked myself, why can’t I breathe? I’m the ducal lady. I am House Everett’s esteemed daughter. Why is it so hard, why is it so painful to breathe.”

“……”

“Why does everyone hate me.”

Clatter.

The teacup had turned over. A dreadful moment of silence stretched between them. The maids could only hope that, amidst this piercing silence, they would not accidentally make a noise.

“Earlier, you asked me why I did those things.”

“……”

“Let me direct that question back to you, Your Grace. Why in the world did you do that to me?”