A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady
chapter-104

“Mary, it’s rude to speculate someone’s feelings carelessly.”

“Goodness me, my dear lady! You’re slow when it comes to things concerning yourself! Really, really, I’m telling you. I saw it with my own two eyes!”

“Ah, come to think of it.”

“As expected, you felt it, right? Kyaaah~! It’s exactly like a romance novel, oh my gosh!”

“He asked me if I don’t remember him. I think we’ve met before.”

Mary gasped.

“Then, isn’t it that he’s been adoring you since then, Milady? Isn’t this like a fateful reunion?”

“Your imagination is running wild, Mary.”

A conversation that’s as normal as normal could be went on. With her eyes closed, Mary was smiling as though she had already fallen into her own imagination.

Violet denied Mary’s supposition completely.

Even if Mary was right about the knight having some affinity for Violet, if he really had met the former Violet, there’s no way that he’d like ‘that ducal lady’.

Her memories from years ago were dim, but she knew that the moniker of ‘wicked woman’ that’s been attached to her wasn’t given to her for no reason at all.

Considering how she was in the past, there’s no reason for people to have liked her.

Struck with the realization of just how terrible of a person she had been that nobody would have liked her, she was filled with a sudden sense of unease.

If what Aldin felt for her was antipathy rather than affinity, then… No, if he could remember her only because of such negative emotions…

It was more likely than not.

Not being able to fully remember her own past, Violet was frustrated.

“Milady? What’s wrong?”

“No, a thought just crossed my mind…”

“S-Should I get you some water? Excuse me!” Mary called out to someone.

Meanwhile, as the wheels of the carriage ahead were rolling as they were.

“Hey. Do you like my sister?”

“……”

The two sons of high aristocrats in the following carriage were having a suffocatingly tense scuffle.

Cairn threw out this question with not a single regard for propriety, whereas Aldin simply remained silent. Cairn complained about just how wronged he felt.

“Ugh, I’m already sad enough because I’m being ignored at home, but even you’re doing this to me too?! Why the hell is everyone ignoring me!”

“If you wish to complain about the injustice that you’re feeling, then look back at your own behavior. Courtesy is a two-way street.”

“We’re the same age, but why do you keep talking in such an old-fashioned way, huh? Even the slyest person in my family doesn’t talk like you!”

“…Haa.”

Seeing that his friend had drawn a sigh because of him, Cairn became even more unruly.

Although they’re friends, their personalities clashed too much. Not knowing just how it was they became close friends, they continued to have an unconversational conversation.

“So, do you like my sister?”

“I don’t understand the intent of your question.”

“Then, let me spell it out for you, hm? Does Aldin Aesir have feelings for Violet S. Everett—that’s what I’m asking!”

“……”

“You’re not gonna answer?”

“Why are you so fixated on that question…”

“I’m asking because I wanna know the answer! You like my sister, don’t you?”

As he wasn’t given an answer, Cairn himself had answered for Aldin, who could do nothing but sigh.

There were times when Cairn had this animal-like intuition, and the question and answer he had posed was utterly spot on.

At times like this, that sixth sense was really quite annoying.

Aldin thought over it for a moment before replying.

“…Yes.”

It was a short, simple answer. And ironically, the one who asked the question got surprised by this simple answer.

“Why though?”

“For what reason are you even asking me?”

“No, I mean, isn’t it weird that you like that witch? Do you really?”

“You’re the one who’s weird when you asked with such conviction.”

“That, well— Ha. How do I put it… I guess it’s true that she has a pretty face. After all, she looks like Mom. But isn’t it kinda weird to fall in love just by looking at someone’s face?”

Aldin narrowed his eyes. Despite how he’d been reprimanded over and over, Cairn still refused to fix that tongue of his.

Every time he’d hear Cairn call his older sister a ‘witch’, Aldin had half a mind to make him stop.

Faced with unrestrained murderous intent right then, Cairn complained of the injustice he was being given.

“What the heck, what’s with that glare, huh? What are you even thinking… Hey! Hey?! Yeah, okay, never mind that you seriously have a weird and spiteful personality, huh? You pretend to be normal in front of others, but aren’t you actually just a really terrible person?”

“That’s called common courtesy.”

“Ah, whatever, that’s not the topic at hand! I’m asking you one thing and one thing only— Just what the hell do you see in her that you went ahead and fell in love! If you like her only for her face, I’m telling you to stop right now!”

As though he was trying to read Cairn, Aldin continued to look at the other man with narrowed eyes.

Faced with Aldin’s pale purple eyes, Cairn felt awkward for no reason. He coughed in vain. He couldn’t express what he wanted to say properly, and it felt as if his stomach was going to explode out of frustration.

In any case, Aldin concluded. If it’s Cairn, it most definitely wouldn’t be strange for him to go up to Violet and say, ‘Hey, Witch. That punk likes you.’

Aldin didn’t think this through. He instantly and severely regretted that he admitted to his feelings in front of this guy.