A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

Cairn couldn’t understand what Violet wanted to say.

She was still too short with her words.

“…You don’t consider me family or someone to rely on, I know that.”

Cairn, still showing traces of boyhood, spoke with a suppressed voice.

“That you dislike me more than anyone else, and that it will continue in the future.”

His voice was strained with effort. Violet remained coldly impassive.

“But even so, if it continues like this, I still also feel hurt.”

Those were the true feelings Cairn had been concealing.

Violet, however, didn’t waver at her younger brother’s words. In fact, a sneer appeared on her face.

Was that all it took to hurt you?

Was she supposed to sympathize with his outburst of frustration?

The atmosphere turned ominously quiet.

Alesia, inadvertently caught up in another family’s affairs, started to speak, then stopped.

Having already caused a problem once by acting without full knowledge, she knew it would irreparably damage her relationship with Violet if she sided with Cairn.

“So, you also get hurt over something like this.”

You.

Her voice was icy cold.

Cairn’s eyes widened in surprise at her unexpected and even colder reaction. This only fueled Violet’s anger further.

Violet was aware of it, too. Her reaction wasn’t normal. She understood that society expected her to accept an apology and offer forgiveness when appropriate.

Especially now that the situation was different from when she was labeled a villainess, and that Cairn wasn’t wrong in what he said.

But how could she just let it go?

Violet wondered if it was just paranoia. She pondered whether there were moments when she should and shouldn’t be angry, and if she was even in a position to be angry.

But as she held her anger in, it burned inside her like a fire with nowhere to go.

How could she quell this flame if it could not be let out?

“Sure, you’re human too, so you must feel hurt.”

There was not a hint of tremor in Violet’s voice as she spoke.

Mistakenly igniting his sister’s wrath, Cairn looked at her wide-eyed, all the while burning in the ashes of her anger.

“Then, get lost.”

“What?”

“Go back to your beloved sister who doesn’t hurt you, who cherishes and loves you, who you want to protect.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Did I say something wrong? Aileen Everett, whom you adore so much, has returned. Why would you want to stick by me, of all people, and endure these words? As you said, I’ll continue to hate you, even far in the future.”

“……”

“Do you have anything you want to say?”

This was the first time Cairn had faced Violet’s anger head-on since he had apologized to her.

Back then and now, Cairn still could not understand why Violet reacted so sensitively.

“I mean, that is…”

“If you have nothing more to say, I’d prefer you to get out of my sight.”

With that, Violet turned away first. Unable to decide what to do, Cairn stood frozen. And Alesia, who had been watching the siblings, quickly followed Violet.

“Ducal Lady.”

“…I’m sorry you had to witness that unpleasant scene.”

“Rather, I was wondering what had happened.”

Alesia knew something had gone wrong the moment she heard the name Aileen Everett, but she couldn’t help but ask. The Violet she had met and observed wasn’t someone who typically showed her emotions this way.

“Who knows. Maybe it’s just because I’m flawed.”

“Flawed, you?”

“Yes. It’s my fault for being so narrow-minded that even when someone apologizes, I can’t accept it and react only with anger.”

“……”

Alesia fell silent. She briefly pondered whether she should probe further.

Though they hadn’t often interacted, the rift between Cairn and Violet seemed deep.

What had happened to cause such a reaction?

Reminded of her own brother, Alec, Alesia grimaced briefly.

“What does it matter? Not every apology has to be accepted.”

There’s no better attitude for understanding others than putting oneself in their shoes. Alesia, who had her own deep familial rifts—albeit not as deep as the Everetts’—offered Violet some clumsy comfort.

She guessed that whatever had transpired between Cairn and Violet was worse than anything that had happened between the Leshan siblings.

Seeing this, Violet gave a faint smile. Her emotions calmed more quickly thanks to her.

“Thanks for saying that. Um, I’d like to give you a gift if that’s okay.”

“A gift?”

“Here. I hope you like it.”

Violet placed a handkerchief in Alesia’s hand.

It was adorned with a painted yellow lily, not embroidery. Though it was a handkerchief with a painting, it was the first one Alesia had ever received from someone else.

Alesia accepted it with a slightly moved expression.

Then she realized.

They had wandered deep into the forest. Instead of heading back to the tents, they had inadvertently ventured into the area where the beasts for the hunt were roaming.

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