A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

As she tried to leave, she bumped into someone. It wasn’t a staged maneuver, but a genuine accident.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

The maid carrying a tray hurriedly lowered her head. Her expression was filled with fear.

“It’s alright. My clothes got a little wet though.”

“…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t particularly enjoy noisy situations, so you don’t need to apologize any further. Besides, I have spare clothes prepared, so it’s fine.”

“U-Um, then…”

“I’d like you to lead me to a separate room to change.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll guide you there shortly.”

The maid promptly led Violet somewhere. While there had been a minor disturbance at the banquet, it wasn’t particularly significant. The commotion ended quickly.

.

.

.

Violet and the maid walked along an empty corridor. Due to the absence of people, the lit corridor felt eerily quiet.

Thinking about the incident from the previous day, Violet furrowed her brows slightly.

The corridor, where she had walked after leaving the banquet hall with the excuse of needing a break after dancing with Aldin a day before, had this bitter atmosphere.

As she was about to head home, she encountered an unwelcome face by chance.

“Who might this be! Isn’t it the haughty ducal lady?”

It was none other than Alec Leshan.

His face was flushed as if he had indulged in some drinks, and he couldn’t let go of his glass, making for quite a comical sight.

Violet had initially tried to ignore him, but the impudent man’s grip was fast.

“Haha. You act so high and mighty by yourself… but you’ve been up to some naughty things, haven’t you? Well then, I think you and I should dance a song together, Ducal Lady…”

Caught off guard, Violet briefly recalled if this was how he originally spoke. 

He wasn’t someone who had been particularly significant to her, so she couldn’t recall for sure.

However, one thing she was certain of was that Alec’s current behavior was overly impertinent.

She contemplated whether she should address him formally or not.

But when his persistent hand on her arm became increasingly offensive, it prompted her to drop any pretense and assert her authority.

“I only attended because I could not ignore an invitation from the Imperial Family.”

“In the end, you’re just a dog that kneels before power, huh? Why, are you not satisfied with entering the Leshan Marquisate? Or perhaps you’ve already raised your skirt for all to see…”

There was no trace of drunken slurring in his speech. 

No, it was likely because of his character that he was spewing such words without difficulty.

It was a precarious situation, but Violet didn’t feel any particular sense of danger.

Alec Leshan was taller than Violet, but he was thin and slight in build. Perhaps it was due to his physique. 

He didn’t emanate the oppressive presence that someone like Mikhail or Cairn did.

“You seem a bit drunk. Would you like to go and rest? Should I call someone for you?”

Violet couldn’t resist mocking him with a hint of sarcasm. 

She knew that trying to provoke a drunk person wouldn’t lead to a good outcome, but she couldn’t help herself.

As far as she knew, the drinks being served at the banquet had a low alcohol content. Still, to get drunk on such liquor, he must have guzzled it down ignorantly.

She wondered why someone like this wastrel had been born under the esteemed Leshan Marquisate, especially when he had been sired by the gentle Marchioness Leshan.

At the very least, Cairn didn’t possess this kind of conceit.

“What? Afraid to dance just because I’m from a mere marquisate? Haha, I guess that’s it! Even though that’s such an expensive skirt!”

Violet debated whether it would be a reasonable action to kick Alec’s prideful posterior, or perhaps to take off a shoe and hit him with it on the head.

She felt that she had received enough insult to justify it.

“I don’t know what misunderstanding there is…”

“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding is there? Ah, is even asking for a dance a misunderstanding?”

With barely any semblance of intelligence in this man, Alec managed to snap Violet’s last thread of rationality. This guy had always been a reckless squanderer.

At that moment…

Wham!

A sharp and clear sound rang out.

Even though Alec had been the one to show disrespect first, the conflict between the two could escalate into an inter-familial issue.

Violet instinctively checked whether she had indeed taken off her shoes and whacked Alec’s head with it.

But, no, both of her shoes were still securely on her feet, and it seemed that someone else’s shoe had struck Alec’s head instead.

“…My apologies for the inconvenience.”contemporary romance

“Ah, Lady Alesia.”

Fortunately, the incident didn’t escalate into an inter-familial issue.

The one who had whacked Alec on the head was none other than Alesia Leshan herself.

Though it was strange to hear something like this from Alesia, Violet looked pleased to hear it.

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