A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

Violet was the only one who thought that way. As the employees were looking at Roen, their gazes had a subtle gentleness to them.

Mary put down the saucers in front of the brother and sister.

The small girl’s thoughts were clearly stamped across her forehead. Violet sighed inwardly.

This little maid sometimes acted foolishly.

Violet was thankful that Mary was always sticking out for her, but it was extremely dangerous. Violet made a mental note about later teaching Mary what she could and couldn’t do.

“So, what is it that you want to say?”

Violet asked then sipped her cup of tea, which was still tasteless. Roen followed and likewise sipped his tea, then immediately put down the cup.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

“…You’re here to say only that?”

“……”

Though Roen was smiling gently right now, there was an air of mystery to that smile.

Violet hated Roen’s manner of speaking.

“Did you change after you got confined to this place? Or did you choose to be confined because you changed?”

“…Just get to the point.”

“We haven’t even been talking for long. Don’t you think it’d be a shame if I got to the point right away?”

Violet briefly pondered whether she really should hurl tea at Roen’s face.

But her reputation had barely improved lately. Throwing tea at someone’s face wouldn’t be a good idea.

She set down her cup quietly.

“There’s a rumor going around that you’ve changed. That you’ve finally come to your senses, Violet.”

“……”

“But at your core, you still haven’t changed. You still hate Aileen, you still don’t like me, and you still despise Elder Brother. Still the same.”

“…What are you getting at?”

“It’s simple.”

Roen took another sip of tea.

In the past, Violet would have already exploded in anger, asking about who it was that dared to serve tea like this to a ducal lady. That is, tea that tasted like dirty water squeezed from rags.

“…What made you change?”

Roen’s green eyes turned to Violet. Subjected to that searching gaze of his, Violet laughed in vain.

“It is you, Brother, who said that I haven’t changed. Yet you’re asking me what made me change.”

“…I worded it wrong.”

“If you insist on saying the same things, just go back and—“

“What did I… No, what did we do that made you change?”

Clatter.

At that moment, Violet paused sharply.

The only one who couldn’t understand what Roen was saying was Mary, and she stared wide-eyed.

“……”

“You harassed Aileen terribly. You never changed before, even when we were children, even now…”

The tremor in her fingertips began to subside.

Violet realized why Roen had come to see her.

You came all the way here to talk about that?

But the question remained on her lips, unsaid.

Besides her realization, her emotions began to fluctuate.

“Then it must be us, not you.”

“……”

“I’m here to talk to you. But it’s you, Violet, not me who’s going to tell the story.”

“Right now, you.”

“Tell me your story.”

“What story are you even—”

“…I’m sorry for being late.”

Clatter, clatter.

The teacup trembled endlessly in her hand, which had lost strength.

Even if she told herself, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’ over and over for a long time, there was no effect.

Roen smiled. It was not a fake smile, but a smile that carried sincerity.

“I’m here to apologize to you.”

* * *

Of course, Roen was kicked out.

After bluntly saying, “There is no story to tell,” Violet kicked out her older brother and went up to her room.

It took a long time to tell the story to even Mary.

The wound was still open, and it was undeniably difficult to dig through that wound once again to bring back her memories from those days.

It hurt so much to remember them now, even though she knew that she’d have to look at that wound one day.

So, she had turned a blind eye to her open wound. She refused her older brother’s apology.

But Roen had apologized first. Violet wouldn’t be able to ignore him for a long time.

Even if she’d have to dig through an old, long-standing wound.

“Mary.”

“Yes?”

“What should I do at a time like this?”

“Um… I’m not sure either, Milady.”

Mary also couldn’t give an answer. Violet turned around to face the knight, who was standing there silently.

Zylo wouldn’t be able to give a normal answer, that’s for sure.

Yeon Ha-yoon, who was inside her, asked.

Should I hear him out first?

But the one who answered was the hurt child inside of Violet.

I don’t want to.

It’s not necessary to accept his apology. No, it’s difficult to consider that as an apology in the first place.

Wasn’t he one of the people who cut her down repeatedly with his vicious words?

Violet briefly pondered the possibility that Roen’s actions were calculated.

It’s a well-deserved supposition.

If Roen couldn’t be called ‘calculating’, then who else could?

In the end, for the sake of getting the right answer, Violet herself had to know what she wanted.

What was it that she wanted from Roen? And, what was it that those people wanted from her?

Forgiveness? Easier said than done.

All she wished was to live the rest of her life without seeing those people.