A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

“Welcome.”

“Good morning!”

The knights, who arrived here first to train, greeted Violet with fervor.

The young knight—though not yet formally ordained—was a newcomer just like Mary. Violet waved helplessly at him.

“Young Miss—I mean, no, Your Ladyship! We’ll be in your care again today!”

Burdened by the boy’s eyes, which sparkled with kindness, Violet turned her head slightly.

As long as someone was from inside the ducal residence, there’s no way they wouldn’t have heard the rumors about her.

However, as the days went by, it became more apparent just how strangely they’re treating her now.

It would have been normal to see this behavior from the people in the annex, but it was completely strange coming from people whose faces she wasn’t even familiar with yet.

“The way people are treating me has become strange. Do you know anything?”

“Ah, you mean that?”

Zylo answered calmly as he watched Violet wielding a wooden sword.

“The answer is what you told us.”

“…What?”

“About what happened when Your Ladyship was summoned to the main mansion.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean to say, it’s the story that you told that day, Your Ladyship.”

Next to Violet, Mary slapped a hand over her forehead.

Violet had barely been able to tell Mary her story, and Mary responded by saying that she was on the lady’s side. However, it seemed like that story was spread around in the meantime.

Violet was stunned.

That day, when others had asked Zylo what had happened, he just answered calmly and told them about it.

He didn’t look like it, but this knight was quite loose-lipped.

“I-It’s just what I heard. After knowing about Your Ladyship’s circumstances, I…”

Rumors had no bounds.

It’s unknown just how twisted and misinterpreted the same words could become when passed around from one person to another.

Wasn’t she the very epitome of a victim of rumors?

Seeing Violet’s incredulous expression, Zylo asked back.

“Should I not have said that?”

Yet again, a tactless question.

Violet despondently answered no.

“You already told them, so it couldn’t be helped…”

Who in the world would be happy to know that one’s own misfortunes had degenerated into a fun story for others? A rumor based on goodwill might be alright, but Violet was not happy with it.

“…I just hate tiresome things.”

“I’m… I’m sorry, Milady.”

After what Violet said, even Mary started apologizing. At this, Violet’s eyes filled with despondency were turned to Mary.

“They also kept asking me, and I didn’t know how else to make them stop…”

“……”

It roughly went this way.

When Zylo was asked by others about what had happened at the main mansion, Zylo briefly told the whole story of that incident.

As a consequential reaction, the members of the annex also hounded Mary about the details.

Rumors traveled quickly. Public sympathy for Violet arose.

“No, just forget it, seriously…”

The rumors, which formerly pulled her back and dragged her down the abyss, had changed its form.

“Did it spread to the main mansion as well?”

“Um, a little.”

“I’m going crazy.”

“Huk! Milady, please don’t go crazy!”

Trifling chatter ensued.

Hearing that her story had reached the main mansion, Violet schooled her features into a stern expression.

It was already unpleasant to know that her story had been laid bare to the people who felt amicably towards her and to people she knew, but it was doubly unpleasant to know that the same thing was spread to strangers.

Even more so because it’s impossible to know just how much those rumors would twist and change in the meantime.

Violet predicted that there would later come a story about how it’s a ‘malicious story that’s been spread by the villainess so as to frame Lady Aileen.’

And her prediction hit the nail on the head.

There weren’t many people in the main mansion who sided with her because of her notoriety.

“…Well, it doesn’t matter because I won’t need to see those people again. Let’s just focus on exercising.”

“Y-Yes!”

Zylo let out a few dry coughs before returning to the swordsmanship training that eventually became a regular morning exercise.

The newcomer knight, who was even more tactless than Zylo, shouted next to Mary with such passion, “I shall clarify the situation!”

Actually, there was one fact that Violet was unaware of.

Her reputation had apparently changed ever so slightly ever since the poisoning incident.

The duke and Roen had put a lid on the incident and concluded that it was not the work of Violet.

Still, all that did was divide public opinion.

For many days, the duchy’s servants chattered on about whether or not Violet really instigated the poisoning. Half of them thought Violet did it, while the other half kept saying that the allegations were false.

Above all, Violet’s image had changed rapidly, perhaps because she had never gotten herself involved with the main mansion’s affairs ever since she was confined to the annex.

Mary’s defense was working little by little as well, to the point that even some of the servants who only stayed at the main mansion sided with Violet.

Amongst the rumors, one particular rumor was floating around about how ‘Aileen orchestrated a self-written play and drank the poison herself.’ However, this was the opinion of a small minority.

Of course, there was no way for Violet to know this. All she hoped for was that the troublesome rumors wouldn’t spread too much.

But then.

“Hello, Violet.”

Roen, as authorized by the duke, had come to visit the annex.

It was about two weeks after the poisoning incident.

* * *

Roen’s visit was sudden.

Furthermore, he entered the annex with the duke’s permission this time.

Put in a difficult situation, Violet inevitably frowned.

Was this guy here to provoke her like last time?

Seeing her expression, Roen smiled lightly at her.

“…I’ll show you to the studio then. Although it’s a shabby place.”

“Shabby, you say… Right.”

Calling back to what she said the last time they met, Violet spoke sarcastically at her older brother, but Roen only laughed despondently in response.

“What business do you have here.”

“Do I need a reason to see you?”

“We don’t exactly have an amicable relationship, do we.”

“…Right. We…”

…don’t.

At the end, Roen’s voice carried a hint of bitterness.

Violet’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Roen. With how he’s acting right now, it seemed like he had eaten something wrong.