A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

“I’m quite sure you at least know his face though… In any case, if the problem lies with the Imperial Family, then I can be there to block them. Of course, if you don’t wish to marry, it’s fine if you don’t.”

“I don’t want to go.”

Violet flatly rejected Roen’s suggestion.

For a moment, Roen made a sulky expression. He looked so abominable in Violet’s eyes that the thought flashed across her mind that she really might throw tea at that hateful face.

“You know, Vee—”

“There is a limit to such things. That is enough.”

As Violet coldly recited as such, Roen appropriately quieted himself.

Strangely sullen because he couldn’t freely call her with her childhood nickname, Roen looked at Violet’s expression.

“What do you think of Father—His Grace the Duke?”

Broaching the subject carefully, Roen asked. In turn, Violet narrowed her eyes, trying to see through his intentions.

“I believe that he is a great person.”

“Ah, ah. Not like that. Rather, as a father.”

“Excuse me, Young Lord, but I don’t understand what you’re trying to get me to say.”

Violet expressed her suspicion.

At this, Roen smirked.

As he picked which words might be right, Roen intertwined his fingers. There was a soft smile on his lips as he looked at Violet.

If anyone was there who might not have known their relationship, perhaps they’d guess that Roen was determined to win her over. It was worth seeing that gaze behind his eyes.

“Instead of as a Duke, what kind of person do you think he is as a father?”

“……”

Still as ever, it was difficult to surmise what Roen’s true intentions were.

Violet frowned slightly. If she were to give the wrong answer here, she wondered if she’d be eliminated.

One might say that she could only be overthinking. Even so, she couldn’t let her guard down.

Right now, this was a place where the duke reigned like a king. Regardless of whether she held blood relations to him or not, the question that Roen had posed to her was akin to poison.

“There’s nothing for you to be so wary of. Then, shall I tell you what I think first?”

As good as he was at reading other people’s thoughts from their demeanor, Roen smiled brightly.

The duke’s second son, who had not known about Violet’s situation until only recently, continued to speak freely as he was perfectly piercing through other people’s minds so well.

“Certainly, as you say, he is an incredible duke. He governs his domain in such a way that clamor would not be heard anywhere.”

Tap, tap.

Roen used one index finger to tap against his cheek in a playful manner.

“It is originally the duchess’s role to take care of the house’s internal affairs. However, even after Mother had passed away, no major internal problems arose. So, perhaps it’s correct to say that His Grace the Duke is impeccable at managing both the internal and external affairs of the household?”

Roen had brought up a taboo.

And at once, Violet frowned deeply. Roen smiled again as he saw that his younger sister wasn’t even hiding her reactions from him.

It had been a long time since the duchess passed away.

She’s always had a weak constitution, and when she had met her demise, it was due to an illness. She did not meet a painful end.

Nevertheless, Violet bristled quietly with anger.

“When I said that there’s no problems with the household’s internal affairs, I mean to say that there were no problems in the financial department, and there were no cases of embezzlement. It’s even more marvelous to think that it’s like this when the household deals with astronomical sums of money constantly.”

Roen was speaking calmly. Though he noticed that Violet’s fingertips were trembling, he did not stop.

“But as a matter of fact, everything was in shambles. Wasn’t there a time when you ordered for a maid’s tongue, ankles and fingers to be cut off?”

At this, Roen had to pause.

Thud.

Violet hit the table with one hand.

Roen stared at Violet for a moment, but soon continued.

“For a servant to ridicule one’s master, this was a fully legal mode of punishment.”

Watching as Roen sipped his tea nonchalantly, Violet clenched her hand into a fist. If her fingernails were a little longer than they were now, they would have already dug into the inner flesh of her palm, letting out streams of blood.

When looking back on her past behavior, Violet concluded that there was nothing else she could have done. But at the same time, she didn’t think it was right.

Yeon Ha-yoon, who was deep in her consciousness, would have said, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’

However, even though Violet had regained the memories and the modern sensibility of her previous life, she was, after all, a person residing in this era.

She had absolutely no intention of apologizing to those people.

“Even so, I overreacted.”

“You did, yes.”

Roen refreshingly agreed to her answer. Stumped, Violet looked up at him.

There was an unreadable smile on his face.

“Father favors you. This is an undeniable fact.”

“……”

“That’s why he didn’t do anything about your actions. What’s dreadful about this, however, was that if he had at least done something about it, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Keeping her hands clenched until now, Violet let out a slow exhale.

And at last, the true Violet once again faced Roen’s green eyes.

“So, let me ask you the same question from a while ago, Violet. What do you think of Father?”

She still couldn’t grasp Roen’s intentions, but she went on to give him an honest answer.

“I believe that he is a great duke.”

Hearing Violet’s response, Roen smiled.

There were two things he needed to confirm.

How heavy the past weighed on Violet, and how much emotion she had left for her family.

He couldn’t proceed with the matters related to her however he wanted.

“Ah, yes. That’s your answer from the start.”

He had rambled on for as much as he had, yet still received the same answer the first time. Even so, Roen smoothed his chin and continued to smile at her with his eyes.

A good man. A good duke.

From the very beginning, Violet had not shown any signs that she considered the duke to be her ‘family’.

She thoroughly regarded him as a stranger. Just some person she received good will from.

“But not a good father, of course,” Roen quipped.

“……”