A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

Preparations for the exhibition continued. In the meantime, numerous letters kept pouring in for Violet.

Anyone who was a part of high society envied her. She was not someone to be easily subdued but rather someone who reigned above all.

Even without her showing much interest in them, Violet’s admirers constantly sent her letters.

That day, too, was spent sorting through necessary letters from the pile.

Violet couldn’t completely ignore people’s efforts, so she never threw the letters away, always keeping them stacked in a corner.

Any letters containing even a hint of disrespect were promptly used as kindling.

But today, she felt a different impulse.

Perhaps it was because Rajaden’s true feelings had left her feeling unsettled.

Picking up a letter she normally wouldn’t have read, Violet’s expression soon grew somber as she read its contents.

After finishing the letter, another impulse surged within her.

Perhaps it was spurred by having witnessed raw emotion that’s rarely found in this world full of pretenses.

After reading the letter to the end, Violet decided to reply to the author—a young lady from an unknown baron family.

* * *

“……”

“……”

Silence hung between them. Violet sipped her tea calmly, waiting for the young woman to speak. The woman, unable to utter a word, merely sat immobile with her eyes darting around.

Since this meeting had not been arranged formally, the two of them were in a private room of a teahouse.

And despite having written so confidently in the letter, the woman had such a cautious demeanor that the contrast was almost comically extreme. When Violet let out a chuckle, the woman’s face turned bright red.

“If you were going to be so self-conscious, why did you write that letter?”

“Because I never thought Your Ladyship would actually read it!”

Well, her response this time was bold. Violet’s eyes sparkled with interest.

The young woman, Lady Schwarze, looked utterly embarrassed.

The letter Violet received was more like a diary entry disguised as a letter. Filled with raw emotions, it was hard to tell if it was a compliment or an insult.

To summarize, it said:

I have no choice but to live like this. There are so many things I want to do, yet I can’t. Maybe my life’s just meant to be this way.

But you. How can you live so freely? How does it feel to live that way, is it nice? Is being born a duke’s daughter the end all, be all…? Ah, I’m so jealous.

While the words were softly put, it was more of a long-winded rant than a string of compliments. Violet decided not to question why such a letter had been sent to her.

“…I didn’t think Your Ladyship would read it. You don’t respond to every letter, after all.”

“Just because I don’t reply doesn’t mean I don’t read them.”

In reality, she usually didn’t read them. But she lied effortlessly.

Lady Schwarze’s head lowered more and more as she listened. Violet narrowed her eyes to read her emotions. Was she feeling remorseful?

“I’m sorry. But… I was just so, so envious.”

“Hmm.”

It was too weak to be an apology and too crude to be an excuse.

This sentiment of envy wasn’t new. It had already filled the letter.

She had written how envious she was of Violet, how she longed to do what she wanted, and how she wished she could be like Violet, doing whatever she desired.

She even mentioned wanting to write her own stories.

Violet spoke in a gentle tone.

“You said you wanted to write fairy tales.”

“Yes, but I can’t.”

“What motivates you to write?”

“…Usually, people ask why you can’t, don’t they?”

“That’s not what’s important to me.”

Her exceedingly calm tone surprised the other woman, who looked up at Violet. Violet’s expression was elegant, haughty, yet kind.

Seeing her face, Lady Schwarze began to speak as if entranced.

“…My father’s stricter than most, especially with family members.”

“I see.”

“My older sister experienced it, then I did next, and so too will my younger sister. A daughter who can’t continue the family line is just mere commodity. To be honest, I don’t mind getting into a marriage of convenience. I always thought of it as my role.”

“And?”

“It’s just… I’ve liked fairy tales since I was little. I loved listening to my older sister read them by the candlelight…”

“……”

“I simply wanted to write stories like that.”

As Lady Schwarze spoke, her face turned red with embarrassment, and she couldn’t lift her head. For the first time, she revealed her deepest hopes, which she had never shared with anyone.

Violet took the bashful confession in stride.

If it were truly a shameful passion the lady didn’t want anyone to know about, she should have kept it buried. Instead, she revealed her feelings of inferiority to someone else.

Violet succeeded despite the eyes of others, while Lady Schwarze did not.

That was all there was to it.

Though Violet thought about it casually, she didn’t speak on that part. Instead, she responded like this—

“Then, why not? Why don’t you just write?”

“What? But my family would surely oppose…”

“Do you really need their permission?”

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