That, Violet somehow disliked. The reasons were not hard to find.

A sense of kinship, or bond.

Perhaps trust, reliance.

Aldin liked Violet for who she was. He didn’t care about the status she held.

He understood her regardless of her circumstances and asked for nothing in return.

Rather than being entangled in some mutual interest, he was simply a friend with whom she could share a conversation.

Despite the complex circumstances… Yes, it was just that.

Aldin did not intend to befriend Violet with any ulterior motives.

What if even such a person was taken from her, and she was betrayed?

Her calm eyes roiled coldly. Just the thought was displeasing, let alone if it actually happened.

Violet wasn’t certain that Aldin would start harboring feelings for her, but she believed Aileen would approach him too.

Violet’s lips twitched unevenly. Was she merely waiting for Aileen to self-destruct?

Watching Violet, Mary expressed her confusion.

“Milady?”

“Yes, it’s nothing. I’m a bit tired today, could you prepare for me to go to bed early?”

“Oops, I was keeping you for too long. I’m sorry. I’ll have everything ready in a jiffy!”

Mary dashed off with a lively stride.

Watching her leave, Violet cast her gaze downward. Neither Mary nor Aldin would do that. How strange, this possessiveness she was feeling.

Could this be how it felt not wanting to lose a new friend?

She tried to figure out what her emotions were but gave up. Her head throbbed.

It didn’t matter. That’s what she thought when suddenly an epiphany struck.

Although she considered him a friend, she hadn’t seen Aldin recently. There was still time until the date they had promised to go to the theater. It was rare for him to not contact her first, considering his nature.

Originally, he was Cairn’s friend, and their meeting had happened through Cairn.

So, in this situation where Cairn and Violet were in a cold war, meeting was indeed awkward.

Could there really be no contact like this?

“Could it be…”

Holding on to an unpleasant assumption, Violet laid down.

It felt like she was in the eye of a storm masquerading as peace.

* * *

Violet’s social circle had grown more than before. Although it was just one new friend, even this was significant progress.

She had casually watched Alesia’s hellish training at the Leshan manor, where she had gone under the pretext of hanging out. The beads of sweat dripping down showed her effort.

“I’m sorry for just leaving you here…”

“No, it’s fine. I was the one who came to see you.”

After finishing her training session, Alesia wiped the sweat off with a towel and apologized to Violet.

Violet, skilled at sketching in the training yard, was unfazed. Considering her own sweaty smell, Alesia grimaced and quickly went to shower and change her clothes.

The time it took was unbelievably short for a noble lady’s dressing time.

“You didn’t have to hurry…”

“I usually take about this long.”

“Hmm.”

Did she wash properly? Violet’s eyes narrowed.

A scent of soap wafted from Alesia. Well, she must have washed properly.

Quickly shaking off her worries, Violet drank her tea and looked at the sky outside.

Seeing Violet like this, Alesia quickly finished her own drink with a puzzled look on her face.

“What brings you here today?”

“Just hanging out.”

“What?”

“I came to hang out with a friend. Was I not supposed to come?”

It’s rude to come uninvited. Of course, Violet had exchanged letters with the marchioness and had been formally invited, but for Alesia, it was still bewildering.

Just as she was about to point this out, Violet mentioned the word ‘friend’, and like magic, it melted Alesia.

“Ahem, ahem. Well. Friends can meet up suddenly, I suppose. Ahem, ahem.”

She seemed unusually happy. It was clear she had lived a friendless life.

From Alesia’s point of view, it wasn’t that she hadn’t made friends, but rather that she hadn’t chosen to. Violet’s sympathy was therefore meaningless.

They exchanged various pleasantries. Their greetings about how they had been were met with responses of getting by.

Alesia’s answer was unremarkable, but her appearance was not.

She seemed satisfied with her life, noticeably more muscular than the last time they met.

The topic then shifted back to Violet. Alesia suddenly dropped a bombshell.

“I heard that you are engaged to His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Pffft―! Cough, cough!”

Violet choked on her drink, coughing violently at the shocking statement.

Alarmed, Alesia handed her a handkerchief. After some time, Violet recovered, her eyes glinting dangerously.

“Where did you hear such a thing?”