Three hours went by since Violet started ignoring Cairn. Like a puppy needing to relieve itself, he hovered around her, anxiously following her every move.

It was amusing to see him flinch and make timid faces at her smallest actions while never daring to speak.

If their eyes met, he would quickly look away and stomp his feet in frustration.

It was a silent protest. It would have been easier to handle if he had just nagged and argued. Violet sighed.

“If you’re going to behave like this, you might as well disappear from my sight forever.”

“…But I want to know too.”

“How long has it been since you apologized, and you’re already acting up again? If your goal is to make me uncomfortable, congratulations, you’re doing a mighty fine job.”

“……”

Despite the sarcastic tone, Cairn did not back down easily.

Violet expected that countless thoughts were swirling in his small head. As she predicted, Cairn was deep in thought.

“…You need to learn moderation. I’ll answer your questions later, so stop being a nuisance right now.”

“…Really?”

“What did I just say?”

“You told me to be moderate! Okay, you mean during tea time, right? I’ll come back then!”

Maybe because he was still young, his resilience was high. He was easily hurt but just as easily recovered, perhaps due to his stubborn nature.

Violet wondered if resolving her emotions with Cairn had really been a good thing. It felt like she had gained a new nuisance.

She realized that both Roen and Cairn had changed a lot from what she knew. Roen, who used to pressure people with his constant smile, showed a surprisingly vulnerable side to his family, while Cairn, who used to be a wild colt, now had a puppy-like demeanor.

Perhaps these were their true natures.

Things that had been broken and misunderstood in their relationship were now being discovered anew.

Just as they did not know Violet well, Violet did not know them well either. Did Mikhail have another side too?

A bitter smile tugged up on the corners of Violet’s lips as she briefly recalled her eldest brother.

It’s a futile thought. The assumption that there might have been good parts if you got to know them better is just an assumption.

Even if miraculously the relationship were to be restored and they became close, the traces of the past would not disappear. Imagining how it would have been if they had been friendly from the start was meaningless now.

‘Mikhail, that blockhead. He doesn’t deserve even this luxury.’

What good would it do to imagine getting closer to someone who, just by thinking about them, made her blood run cold and her mind go numb?

Violet decided to stop tormenting herself with these thoughts and focus on her tasks.

* * *

“Well, that’s what happened. I decided to postpone the answer.”

“…Are you really thinking of dating him?”

“I can’t say for sure. I don’t even know what’s going on in my own head.”

Cairn had waited patiently until tea time, which was essentially their time for conversation. Of course, by his standards, he barely managed to train until three in the afternoon before he went to find Violet. With eyes sparkling, he asked her all sorts of questions.

Eventually, when Violet mentioned that Aldin had talked behind his back, Cairn trembled slightly.

“If it was that punk Aldin, he probably really tried to kill me…” he said, clutching his arms. Of course, since he had brought it upon himself, Violet didn’t say much.

“Are you scared because you’re not as good?”

“Who’s scared! I’m much stronger than him!”

No, he was picking a fight.

In any case, they talked about various things, including what had happened with Aldin and even the incidents involving the Crown Prince.

Violet wondered if she was the one gossiping now.

“What? Why would His Highness the Crown Prince court you?”

That’s what I’m more curious about. Violet silently muttered. Cairn then ranted for a while, shouting Rajaden’s name.

“It’s crazy to get engaged to the Crown Prince! No way! I oppose it!”

While others might see the Crown Prince’s proposal as an opportunity to secure power for the empire, everyone in this household hated it.

Violet couldn’t suppress a sudden curiosity.

“Why do you dislike it so much? If it’s the Crown Prince, he’s not a bad match. Actually, he might be the best match.”

Despite rejecting the idea herself, Violet said that. Cairn’s response was straightforward.

“’Cause he’s a lil shit.”

“……”

It was an absurd reason, but Violet also did not consider Rajaden for a similar reason. Her expression turned peculiar.

Blood is thicker than water, she thought. Of all things, they were of one mind on this point.

“Anyway, if the ‘match’ is from the imperial family, I’m against it. Do you think I’m just saying this because I find him annoying?”

“Whatever you say, I have no intention of listening to you, and I’ve never seriously thought about becoming the empress, so let’s drop it. It seems Aileen’s aiming to become the empress, so go and scold that girl instead.”