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‌‌‌ Violet's First Words - Episode 4 ‌‌ Reading minds? That couldn't possibly be true. "No, I have no plans going forward either." "That's unfortunate, but I understand." Speaking with Ash directly, I found him a bit stranger than I'd expected. "Murder, all of ‌‌‌a sudden—why are you ‌‌‌asking about that?" ‌‌"Colbera passed out, didn't he?" "That's right." "Aura collision phenomenon." The aura collision phenomenon refers to the temporary rigidity that afflicts a lower-ranked swordmaster's entire body upon exposure to a superior aura. It ‌‌‌can be treated quickly, but with bad luck, the body could remain rigid for up to two weeks. 'So it's break time now, and if Colbera, who's suffered the aura collision phenomenon, is unlucky, ‌‌‌‌he could be left in that state for a long time.' ‌Could he die? "It's a rare probability, but if no one discovers Colbera with his ‌‌‌body frozen like that, he could actually die—is that what you're saying?" "Exactly. Are you hoping I'll become an indirect accomplice to this murder, Violet Everdin?" Ash spoke so gently that ‌‌‍I wondered if I'd misunderstood something. "No, Colbera is someone I truly despise, but I have no desire to kill him." I answered ‌‌‌‌belatedly. "Then I'll handle Colbera myself." "Are you calling a doctor?" "Something like that." Ash laughed with wide eyes. 'Handsome men, regardless of ‌‌era or region, are always a bit strange. There's a saying like that.' It was a line from my favorite novel, 【The Tale of Lady Rosenis】. Suddenly, those words ‌‌‌‌came to mind. "I'm grateful for your kindness. I'll repay it someday. ‌‌If fate ‌‌‌allows it." "Pay me ‌‌‌back after school starts." I looked at Ash and spoke impulsively. "That'll probably be difficult. As you can see, I just threw my withdrawal letter at Colbera. Whether Colbera processes it or not, I might get expelled because of what just happened between us." "Unfortunately, Colbera, who's currently in a state of diminished capacity, has neither the authority to ‌‌process your withdrawal letter nor the authority to expel you." "But I just...." "Besides, if it were me, I don't think I'd go around complaining about getting hit without even being able to properly counterattack a student. Don't you think?" Now that I heard it, Ash was right. 'Why has this guy been acting taciturn at school all this time when he speaks so well?' My confusion only deepened. "Withdraw on the first day of the new ‌‌semester after break ends." "...Well, it's true that I should submit a formal withdrawal letter." Ash ‌nodded lightly and turned away. 'I ‌‌should have said goodbye ‌‌more normally.' ‌‌Violet realized this belatedly. She had always been hopelessly clumsy with such matters. "Ash." When Violet called out, Ash ‌‌turned back. 'What do friends usually say to each other? Ash and I ‌‌aren't friends, ‌‌but... still.' Sunlight poured down over Ash's radiant silver hair. Today was unusually warm. Whether from ‌‌the sunlight or something else, Violet's cheeks grew increasingly flushed. Talk of ‌‌‌the weather. People usually spoke of such things. "The weather is lovely ‌‌today." "Is it?" "So, take care of yourself." Ash glanced back at her, then smiled with amusement, his lips curving upward. "You showed me something unsightly earlier, Violet Everdin." "It's true—Colbera drooping like a frog was rather hideous." "Right, so today go see something beautiful and eat something beautiful." * * * What had that conversation with Ash been about? Suddenly straightening up and looking around, I found the day exceptionally bright and radiant. 'It would be ‌‌‌nice to have a friend to share a cup of tea with on a day like this.' In that moment, Violet remembered something. She hurried home. Gathering what little allowance she had and a single book, she entered a cafe along the main street. Slightly nervous, she followed ‌‌‌the waitress's guidance and took a seat by the window. 'My family always said that as a bastard, ‌‌‌I had no right to spend money, no right to be happy....' It meant nothing now. A life that might become that of history's greatest villainess. Even my family felt hollow. Sipping tea in a beautiful place while reading my favorite book. Most of Violet's dreams ‌‌were modest. Violet opened the book she had brought from home. Then, as if ‌‌the book might wear out, she began ‌‌turning the pages with utmost care. 【The Tale of ‌‌‌‌‌Lady Rosenis】. It was Violet's favorite romance novel. A young noblewoman named Rosenis was harshly mistreated by her family, ‌‌‌only to become the greatest knight and ‌fall in love with an extraordinarily handsome man. The romance was wonderful, but ‌‌‌‌‌what Violet loved most was Lady ‌‌‌Rosenis's gift of eloquence. Lady Rosenis did not rely solely on her fists when seeking revenge. First, she would dismantle her opponent with her three-inch tongue, and only then would she resort to her fists. ‌‌'It's not a particularly famous ‌‌‌‌novel, but this book has been my only friend.' Very occasionally, my younger sister Marigold would give me her discarded toys as "gifts." One of them was this book. I read it over and over again ‌‌‌until its pages grew worn and brittle. It was also this book that contained information about the talents of prodigies. 'Come to think of it, I became a villainess of the worst sort—so why couldn't I live like Rosenis?' If I had lived the worst life, I ‌‌could certainly live the opposite. When Rosenis first left home, ‌‌‌‌what had she done? 'She sought out a distant relative and boldly asked them to raise her, promising to repay their kindness.' Violet suddenly felt the emptiness around my neck. The ring, my mother's only keepsake, I had given to a beggar woman as alms. When I had that ring, I used to secretly wear it on a necklace. 'The person who gave me that ring was Uncle Cyril.' Cyril was my father Geoffrey's younger brother. But we had been estranged for a long time. Moreover, Geoffrey shuddered at the mere mention of Cyril. Geoffrey had said that Uncle Cyril was a scoundrel who would fight or do anything for money. 'Uncle Cyril was a mercenary. ‌‌I heard he was somewhat ‌‌‌eccentric.' ‌‌‌‌It was around when I was twelve years old. Though it was long ago, I remember that day vividly. Cyril came to the house ‌‌one day without warning and gave me a ring, ‌‌‌saying it was 'a keepsake of your biological mother.' [Wear this ring on your body every day. Do you understand? ‌‌‌Never take ‌‌it off, not even for a single day.] And then he said something I couldn't understand. Before I could even ask what he meant, Geoffrey burst in and shouted at Cyril to leave. He even threatened to report him to the Security Knight Order. [If you so much as exchange words with that bastard from now on, you are no daughter of mine. Do you understand?] Fortunately, ‌‌‌in that moment of quick thinking, I had hidden the ‌ring deep in my pocket. And at fifteen, Cyril came to find me once more. [I apologize. ‌‌Speaking with you would be ‌‌‌‌disobeying Father's orders.] I turned away from Cyril. From that day until now, at eighteen years old, I had never seen Cyril again. 'Now that I think about it, why did I listen to Father back then?' It would be right to express my gratitude to Uncle Cyril now for giving me that keepsake. 'Father definitely cursed the place where Uncle Cyril lives. He said it was a district where courtesans and swindlers lived. He was furious that the nameplate openly bore the name Everdin.' Bycoline Street, where Uncle Cyril ‌‌‌lived, was about ‌‌‌‌a twenty-five-minute walk from here. Without hesitation, I left the cafe and began walking toward Cyril's house.

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