A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady
chapter-139

“Considering what happened, perhaps it’s best not to ask, if we’re talking about politeness. Nothing of consequence happened after all, Ducal Lady.”

“It’s better to accurately assess situations that could lead to misunderstandings. Pointless gossip could do harm to you in the end, couldn’t it, Lady Alesia?”

“…I merely intended to take a short break, but the sight was unbearable.”

“That was the heir of the Zion Marquisate earlier, wasn’t it? To have such incidents happening within the Imperial Palace, it could lead to a death sentence.”

“—Death sentence?”

“If caught, yes, it could indeed lead to a death sentence. It seems everyone is involved discreetly.”

“Wow.”

The subsequent explanation was rather predictable. Violet thought that Lord Zion, despite being a noble, had ventured into truly remarkable territory by daring to touch the imperial family’s servants. It was amazing just thinking about it.

Even if he were to escape punishment, he would never escape any stern protests coming from House Leshan.

“I don’t understand at all. Why would someone do such a thing?”

“You’ll never understand because you’ve grown up without needing to resort to such actions.”

Violet replied indifferently. Cairn wouldn’t understand the struggles that Violet had to face as a woman. Even though they were born into the same ducal household, their experiences were vastly different.

He would forever remain oblivious to a life beneath, one that often meant relying on any means necessary to survive.

“I would like for you to keep this a secret from my mother.”

“Are you concerned about the Marchioness, Lady?”

“……”

“For now, I understand.”

Violet gave a polite response. Such matters were better handled by adults. Alesia, who had been looking at Violet with suspicion as if she were hiding something, finally spoke.

“But why are you dressed like this?”

“Oh, you mean my attire?” Violet answered.

“Are you aiming for the position of the Duke’s heir, perhaps?”

Violet burst into quiet laughter, leaving Alesia with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

The clothes Violet had changed into weren’t particularly extravagant, but they still exuded elegance. It was fortunate that she had prepared spare attire. Violet, who had strolled the streets in pants a few times, looked at Alesia.

“Is there a problem?”

“The issue of the ducal household’s heir is a delicate matter.”

“I don’t understand why wearing pants is considered a delicate matter. I haven’t entertained the notion of taking up that cumbersome mantle—not in the slightest.”

“Then why…”

“Because I want to.”

“……”

While dismissing the position of the duke—just one step below the imperial family—as simply ‘cumbersome’, Violet stretched languidly. Alesia furrowed her brow.

“Is it alright to live in such a carefree manner?”

“It’s more than alright.”

“What?”

“It’s just fine. Is there a reason I can’t live as I please?”

“……”

The other woman’s attempt at sarcasm was quickly stifled by Violet’s straightforwardness.

Alesia’s eyes, full of bitterness no matter how you looked at them, made Violet raise an eyebrow. Alesia’s lips closed and opened a couple of times before she finally spoke.

“…As someone born into nobility, you can’t simply live as you please. Every action you take as a lady affects your reputation and your family’s standing.”

“My sister doesn’t care about something like that anyway.”

“—Is there a point in caring about my reputation? Even if I do more as I please, my reputation is already in the gutter, and making it worse won’t change anything.”

Indeed, that was the case.

There were already inflated rumors about the wicked deeds of the infamous Ducal Lady Violet, and a few more misdeeds wouldn’t make a difference. Violet smiled gently again.

“And as for that cursed family. Whether they prosper or fall, it doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“It certainly looks as f*cked as it truly is, so do I look well-adjusted to you? That family is as dysfunctional as dysfunctional could be.”

“Well, it’s true that our house is f*cked up, but Sister…”

It was actually Cairn who seemed taken aback by Violet’s enthusiastic critiques. Considering everything that Violet went through, there was certainly nothing good she could say about their family. However, Cairn never expected that such words would come out from her own lips.

But at the end of the day, her words carried her genuine thoughts.

“Well, regardless of what I do anyway, it’s not like that household’s foundation would crumble or anything.”

“……”

This was true. House Everett would not be reeling from the actions of just the ducal lady.

The only problem was that her value in the marriage market would plummet, but that was something that Violet had absolutely no care about, so whatever. She didn’t have any plans to marry after all.

Alesia pursed her lips.

“…Do you find it enjoyable to live as you please while tormenting those around you? It seems like you don’t care about others at all.”

“It’s unexpected to hear those words from you.”

Ultimately, it boiled down to the same point. However, Violet followed up with a different response. Her eyes had suddenly turned chilly.

“You, too, don’t care about others, do you? You don’t seem concerned about the harm that may befall the Leshans due to your actions.”

The reason Alesia could act as she pleased was because of her surname. However, she couldn’t continue doing this forever.

If such actions continued to accumulate, even the illustrious House Leshan would suffer the consequences.