A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

However, contrary to Violet’s bold assurance, the situation only worsened.

This was because the temple had stepped in, and the claims they made were outrageous.

They insisted that Ducal Lady Violet Everett had made a pact with the devil and that the current instability in international affairs was due to the devil’s descent spreading evil.

It was hard to understand what they were thinking.

In truth, this attempted poisoning incident should never have escalated this much.

A tragedy among nobles, and within a single family at that—that’s all it should have been. But with the temple’s involvement, the matter rapidly grew out of proportion.

When the request came to escalate the trial to a holy trial in order to expose the truth, Violet scoffed.

In this day and age, talking about devils and witches? Nonsense.

The temple wouldn’t have intervened unless there was something in it for them. They must have had another goal in mind.

“……”

Violet’s eyes grew cold as she stared down at the document.

She closed her eyes and thought calmly. Did the temple have a reason to involve themselves in this matter? If the emperor didn’t approve, it would only damage the temple’s reputation.

Or had the temple been involved from the moment Aileen collapsed? If that were the case, this situation was more complicated than Violet had initially thought.

With no clear understanding of what the temple truly wanted or why they were taking such extreme measures, she couldn’t act rashly.

And if the case were truly referred to a holy trial, it was obvious they’d sentence her to the stake.

Naturally, Duke Everett had rejected the request, and His Majesty the Emperor also refused it.

People weren’t foolish. They would recognize that the temple had overreached.

Nevertheless, the idea had taken root from this seed, and suspicion began to spread quietly.

As if this was the plan all along.

* * *

Days of silence followed.

The servants in the mansion seemed to be holding their breath, not daring to speak. Even the usual chatter was absent.

Violet glanced indifferently at the people who were tiptoeing around her cautiously.

“…Haah.”

Roen, who had been reading documents, furrowed his brow and sighed. The dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn’t slept well.

“Did you not sleep?” Violet asked.

“…I slept a little. What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief…”

As Roen pressed his forehead, he didn’t look relieved at all. Violet started to say something but held back. Nothing she could say would suit the current situation.

“…Sorry, you’re probably having a harder time than me.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Right.”

Roen sighed again as he looked at Violet’s expressionless face.

Violet thought that everything happening around her felt like one big theater play. Like it was happening beyond an invisible wall, just out of reach.

Roen handed Violet a stack of papers. She silently accepted them and skimmed through the contents.

“The temple sent another official document.”

“Yes, they’re being insistent that the trial must be conducted as a holy trial, huh.”

“……”

“Of course, this request was denied as well.”

“The real issue is what the temple wants.”

“……”

After reviewing the documents, Violet placed them on the table. Roen rubbed his face with a weary expression.

“Do they want to restore their authority by dragging a daughter of the Everett Duchy into a holy trial, or is there another hidden motive? We’re still investigating, but…” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

“Did you find anything?”

“Some clues are starting to surface, which is making things more complicated.”

“……”

Roen spoke through gritted teeth. Violet thought of Cairn, who had been summoned to the academy the moment the poisoning attempt became public.

If he hadn’t been taken to the academy immediately, it was clear there would have been a disaster. Or worse, he might already be wreaking havoc at the academy.

Seeing that Violet’s expression hadn’t changed, despite the gravity of the situation, Roen cautiously asked her a question.

“Aren’t you curious about the details?”

“I am, but since you haven’t told me right away, it seems there are issues with revealing it at the moment.”

“……”

“If it’s uncertain information, that’s alright.”

“…Right.”

Roen’s response lacked energy. They exchanged a few updates, but the heavy atmosphere never lifted.

After answering Roen’s question about whether she was frustrated with a simple ‘I’m fine’, Violet nodded slightly before leaving his office. She also reminded him to get some sleep.

Walking through the silent halls, Violet pondered. Aileen couldn’t possibly have had the power to involve the temple.

She was more likely being used.

The cracks had been forming for a while, and now they were breaking wide open. It was just unfortunate that Violet had been caught up in it.

Talk of witches, devils, and even a holy trial—what would come next?

A crusade? Perhaps ‘The imperial family has been corrupted for protecting a witch’ or ‘Punish the false children of God’ would be their next slogans. It seemed like a plausible scenario, given the ongoing talk about war and international instability.

‘…Surely, it won’t come to that.’

It was a far-fetched thought, but Violet dismissed it as she made her way back to her room.

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