“Tsk, tsk. Perhaps he was destined to end up like that. Full of envy towards a genius without the talent to back it up…”

Someone clicked their tongue as they spoke. Violet, suddenly a ‘genius’, merely sipped her non-alcoholic champagne without missing a beat.

‘It might be better to pretend I don’t exist.’

She thought so as she watched the ladies and middle-aged gentlemen.

Each one of them was engrossed in discussions about the trends in the art world, all wearing pleased expressions.

“That’s true. It’s time for art to take a new direction. Reinterpreting mythology is good, but something a bit more new in the realm of painting…”

“Yes, yes. Just like the painting of Ducal Lady Everett we saw that day!”

The voice was loud in the presence of the person in question. Violet considered the possibility that they might not know she was there.

But they had exchanged greetings with her earlier, so there was no way they didn’t know.

The moment she narrowed her eyes, someone said,

“Isn’t that right, Ducal Lady Everett?”

They knew. Despite knowing, they continued to talk, which was bold in several ways.

“Oh my, that’s right. We were together! Haha, my apologies. We’re so used to the same people gathering that I forgot a new face had arrived.”

And there were also indeed some people who had genuinely forgotten her presence here.

“No, I’ve been quietly listening because the conversation is interesting.”

“Haha, now that I think about it, you would know a lot about this topic!”

A middle-aged gentleman with a hearty laugh smiled warmly. Violet offered a polite, social smile back, wondering how one could forget someone they had just been introduced to.

It was a situation Violet could not understand.

Regardless, they were unabashed in bringing up interesting topics, endlessly chattering.

“Being invited here directly, your painting must have been remarkable?”

“It was incredible, and she’s enough to be called a rising star in the art world. Her artwork’s concept itself was miraculous.”

“I still dream of the painting I saw that day. How one could come up with such an idea…”

“There are rumors of a deal with the devil, it’s that intriguing.”

Curious eyes gathered on Violet.

Although she had planned an exhibition, Violet, still lacking confidence in her paintings, brushed off the praise with a laugh.

Her modesty prompted the nobles to joke that too much modesty wasn’t good either.

They were as direct as they were affable.

“Fortunately, I heard that the Ducal Lady is going to hold an exhibition soon. Haha! I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, isn’t it so?”

“Young Duke Roen mentioned the exact schedule hasn’t been set, so it’s still a secret for now. Oh dear, I guess it’s not a secret anymore!”

“Oh my, oh my. Finally, we’ll be able to see the Ducal Lady’s skills!”

“……”

Someone clapped their hands in excitement. Violet massaged her forehead.

Certainly, promoting in this manner could spread the word without any marketing costs. Roen had chosen a smart approach.

However, as Violet was now hearing their expectations firsthand, she felt tormented.

The gazes on Violet mixed with simple curiosity, but the anticipation seemed to dominate.

Especially when Count Larsen, with his brightly shining eyes, casually inquired,

“So, when exactly is the exhibition scheduled? Hmm?”

“…There are still many things being prepared, so the schedule isn’t clear yet.”

“Haha, as much as I’d like to see Your Ladyship’s exhibition soon, I wouldn’t want to impose any undue pressure.”

The pressure was already there. And it was immense.

“Is Her Ladyship’s art that new?”

“It couldn’t be anything but new. You wouldn’t know since you haven’t seen it…”

The conversation that started with Violet’s painting eventually expanded into macroscopic themes, including the history of the art world, the current state of affairs in the art scene, progressive versus conservative interpretations, directions for future development, and even the dark ages.

While new attempts were good, tradition shouldn’t be ignored either, some asserted. But clinging too much to tradition could lead us into another dark age in the art world, another countered. Didn’t the most terrible art flourish when outdated temple ideologies prevailed? Even those are reinterpreted in a modern context as beautiful art.

So on and so forth…

The discussion even ventured into various painting techniques and whether paints made using alchemy were of proper quality.

The recently trendy ‘Stella Paint’ derived from modern acrylics and first commissioned by Violet, naturally became a topic of discussion. Again, Violet chose to remain silent.

After many such discussions, the conversation circled back to the original topic—Violet’s exhibition.

“Yes, it’s about time for a new wind to pass through.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince is not one to easily reveal his possessions, so seeing the painting he owns will be difficult. We have no choice but to look forward to this exhibition even more.”

“That’s really an exaggeration. The exhibition could open at the end of this year or perhaps early next year.”

“In that case… how do you plan to extend invitations, Ducal Lady?”

It was a question directly for Violet.