A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

Though there was no change in her expression, a slight tremor could be heard from the lady’s voice as she spoke.

“Pardon me. I am Artier Rouble Tolofia. My friend seems to have made a mistake just now, so I came to see if everything’s alright.”contemporary romance

“Indeed. It was nearly catastrophic, but fortunately, my clothes did not get soaked. Some people just aren’t used to high heels, so it’s best to be more careful.”

“Ducal Lady, you seem to be very confident and kind.”

Violet laughed.

That kind of trick won’t work on me, so shouldn’t you maybe try groveling?

Lady Tolofia replied with her eyes.

Why should I?

The subtle silence from earlier soon transformed into subtle commotion. In the first place, Violet wasn’t the kind of person who’d be intimidated by this much uproar and attention. If that were the case, she would have truly become a madwoman long ago at the Everett residence.

No, well, perhaps she already has gone mad.

Regardless of how she thought and acted though, the power of the Everett name was genuinely great.

Ardier Rouble Tolofia laughed again.

“Oh, right. I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but it’s the first time for me to see a rumor paling in comparison to the real thing. There’s a story going around that Your Ladyship’s silver hair resembles the goddess of the moon, and it seems like it’s not an exaggeration.”

“Ah, I’ve heard a lot that I look like my maternal grandmother.”

“……”

At Violet’s reply, Lady Tolofia had nothing to say.

That’s right, I look like my grandmother. You know her, yes? My maternal grandmother, Margravine Blaise who hails from the Imperial Family and was an Imperial Princess before she got married?

Lady Tolofia’s face became paler and paler. She already looked so much like a porcelain doll, but it’s unbelievable to see that she was losing even more color in her face like this. Violet inwardly admired the sight.

“Th, at’s right.”

“Your hair color is also very pretty, Lady. Like a doll.”

“…Thank you.”

No matter how competent Lady Tolofia was at being a villainess, there’s no chance for her to have won against the original villainess.

Especially someone like Violet, who strived all her life to become so perfect that none of her thoughts or intentions could be read from the way she carried herself.

“Then, are we done here? If there’s anything else you’d like to let me know, please send a letter instead.”

“I don’t know what makes you think you can keep your head high like this, but let’s see if you can continue doing so.”

A low whisper reached Violet’s ear as she turned around and walked away.

The hushed threat from the aspiring crown princess—and later the empress—was something to behold.

To be born as a woman who’d rise to the highest rank and wield the most power in aristocracy… What’s the point of it all.

You’d have to sacrifice your entire life to reach that position.

And further, the power gained by using one’s own beauty as leverage and a weapon was nothing but temporary. Sooner or later, the bubble would burst once that beauty would fade.

What Violet felt towards Lady Tolofia was close to pity.

* * *

“Entering, His Highness the Crown Prince!”

Violet was about to go into one of the balconies, but right then, the main character of the banquet appeared.

And since it was the main character, the noisy banquet hall was quickly awash in silence.

Man who resembled the sun. Flashy blond hair that shone like jewels even under the light of the chandeliers, not even the sunlight. Golden eyes that glinted brightly.

The music changed, and soon, the hall was abuzz with various voices.

“Indeed, it’s him.”

“He deserves to be called the scion of the sun god.”

“How is it possible to grow up with such beauty?”

It was a vastly different reaction compared to when Violet had entered the scene.

The appearance of the high and mighty main character alone was enough to change the atmosphere of the whole banquet hall. The calm orchestral music somehow picked up a livelier tune with a more upbeat rhythm.

The emperor and empress wouldn’t be attending the first day of the banquet. Therefore, the person holding the highest position in this room was the crown prince.

Since this was the case, of course, there were droves of people who were very eager to make connections with the imperial family. They surrounded the crown prince immediately.

“Ahh, you must have finished the thing I asked you to do earlier. And you’re dressed beautifully today as well,” the crown prince said.

“Ugh. Greetings to the small sun of the Empire,” Roen begrudgingly replied.

“Goodness, is that how you should treat your friend?”

The crown prince headed straight to Roen’s side first, so Roen was also soon surrounded by throes of people.

The future emperor and the future duke. Both of them were bound to be popular anyway. Roen smiled brightly nonetheless, hiding his exhaustion as he noticed the crowd gradually gathering around the two of them.

“Where’s the Ducal Lady?”

“I heard that you approached her on purpose first.”

“Haha, but isn’t this a good day? That is, a good day for me to meet my friend’s younger sister.”

“……”

When the crown prince said this with a low voice, Roen’s expression crumpled up. This guy was calling his own birthday a good day.

The prodigal Rajaden Elifos K. Rudell. That’s who he was.

How many people would be able to scowl right in front of the crown prince?

As Violet stepped away from the commotion, she realized once again that, indeed, those two were such close friends.

<small>t/n: why does author-nim like difficult names for her characters… i tried my best with lady tolofia’s name, but it still doesn’t sound like a name XD</small>

<small>additionally— as scheduled, I will be taking a short hiatus <3 regular updates will come back next week!</small>

<small>hope you guys have a wonderful week ahead~</small>

done.co