Not expecting that Violet would actually hit him, Mikhail looked up with a dazed expression.

“Towards the person you hate the most in the world, would you do nothing?”

The one who had hit the other was Violet, but her hand was much redder than the cheek of the person who had been hit.

People gasped. The heavy silence was so stifling that even people’s breathing sounded especially loud.

As all the sinners were unable to raise their heads in front of the woman called villainess…

“You know what, Brother Mikhail? I liked you a lot. You were kind, cool and strong… I looked up to you so much for being such a nice older brother because you were like a righteous knight.”

Caressing Mikhail’s cheek, Violet smiled and lowered her voice, now whispering in a voice only he could hear.

“I do hope that we won’t ever meet again, dear Brother. Live like trash in a back alley and die in the most miserable way possible as your name will forever be forgotten.”

My dear Brother, who is so very unchanging.

Such intense words were backed by the intention of never seeing this man ever again.

As such, Violet drew back from Mikhail. Her expression was exceedingly gentle.

“Everyone, be ready to move. Keep that fool in custody until he receives punishment.

As Violet’s command rang out amid the terribly deafening silence, the knights began to move according to their duties in a hurry.

The knights who were meant to subdue and return Mikhail back to the main mansion were visibly conflicted.

They did not dare have the right to restrain a duke’s son, however Roen—the one who now had the status of the duke’s heir—further supported Violet’s command.

“Don’t tell me you’re all going to leave this sinner alone now?”

Roen dealt with the aftermath then soon returned to Violet’s side.

He realized once again just how harsh he had been to an eight-year-old child, and here, he could not find the right words to say to her. In the end, he chose to say nothing.

* * *

The only ones who went through the teleportation gate were Ducal Lady Violet, Young Duke Roen and the few elite knights escorting them.

Because they had been given other tasks to do, Mary, Zylo and Leon were not present while the incident happened. They had to stay back for a little while.

‘I wonder, will I get more notorious after this?’

As the carriage drew closer to the gate, the contemplative Violet slowly closed her eyes.

She had thought that, if she could resolve the resentment she was feeling, she would feel better.

What she felt now was not the same satisfying feeling as getting a rotten tooth pulled out. One slap on the cheek could hardly be called an act of revenge.

That aside, she couldn’t help but feel it was laughable how Mikhail continued to call Violet a villainess until the very end.

Pain. Hatred. All the things she never wanted to see or go through again.

“……”

Goodbye, my hometown. I don’t ever want to come back here again.

Capturing the landscape of the duchy from the carriage window for the last time, Violet said her final farewell.

* * *

Ever since the day of her birth, Aileen was a girl who received love.

Light pink hair that she got from her mother, and green eyes that were verdant and bright.

This child was lovable and deserved to be loved.

As a child who had been loved from the very day of her birth, she took for granted all the love that she received from others.

Lovable lady. Adorable Aileen.

However, she was always told the same thing.

“What a shame. If it weren’t for that lowly bloodline…”

Sometimes, they even threw some sympathetic gazes at her.

Children were more sensitive and intelligent than adults commonly thought.

As a child, Aileen could feel not only the unsavory gazes directed at her, but also the jabs that those people were directing at her mother.

She did not know what malice was, but she knew that it was not a good thing.

“You’ve got quite the looks. Well, of course, since you resemble your mother.”

“But for Milord to, he… Goodness. If it weren’t for the child…”

The little girl could not understand why those people looked sad and upset whenever they talked about her mother.

The eldest son of a ducal household.

That man had been born in such a great noble house and he was on track to becoming the next duke, which entailed a position of power only second to the emperor.

Yet he threw that all away and chose love.

That man fell in love with a lowborn woman and abandoned all the honor and glory he had been born into. He stepped down all on his own.

Such actions led people to call him the ‘romanticist of the century’, yet the reputation that followed him was laced with dishonor and stigma.

Had he not abandoned his position as that ducal household’s heir, the woman beside him would have become a duchess. From time to time, that woman fell into hysterics.

Nevertheless, theirs was a harmonious family.

The girl was loved by everyone. The girl was an angelic one. Even so, the girl was also sad.

The world where Aileen lived was endlessly small and narrow.

All this time, she thought that she was the one and only person who received love.

“Hi. You’re Aileen, right?”

That notion soon shattered to pieces.

Silver hair that would glitter softly as if it contained moonlight.

Bright purple eyes that were like jewels, and a disposition that boasted of proud confidence.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Violet. Violet S. Everett.”

The first impression left upon Aileen was unimaginably shocking.

This person was not someone who just deserved to be loved.

She’s bound to be loved.