“By the way, how old is His Highness the Crown Prince this year?”
“He turned twenty-three, I believe. He’s such an impressive figure in this world.”
“He’s not called the Incarnation of the Sun God for nothing. Every time I look into those golden eyes, I can’t help but…”
“Oh, have you heard that story about the Crown Prince? It’s said that he…”
Violet’s opinion was ignored. Nonetheless, in one way or another, it was because Lady Tolofia continued to take charge of the situation.
Violet shook her champagne glass as she listened to the tales circulating about the crown prince, and she had a clear understanding of the intentions behind bringing him up.
However, she had no intention of playing along.
Why were they all so infatuated with men?
Once again, she pitied the young ladies. It was an era where women could inherit titles, so they could dream of something different if they wanted to.
However, the young ladies gathered in this place were women who had been coerced into the marriage market, women who had to sell themselves in the world of aristocratic society, to ‘live as noblewomen’.
Why were they gathered here, of all places? To make themselves followers? This time, Violet pitied Lady Tolofia.
“What do you think of him, Ducal Lady?”
“Hmm?”
“You shared the first dance with him, so you must have seen him up close. How do you feel about the Crown Prince?”
Violet frowned as the arrow was soon aimed at her. She found this question even more challenging to answer than the one Roen had once asked her, ‘What do you think of His Grace?’
“…I think he’s a beautiful person?”
“Oh dear. Isn’t there anything more you can say? You can see a beautiful person just by looking in the mirror.”
What does she want Violet to say?
Violet knew what they were getting at, but she had nothing to offer in response.
Interpreting Violet’s expression as she pleased, the young ladies began chattering enthusiastically.
“Um, Ducal Lady. If it’s alright with you, could you briefly introduce us to him?”
“Introduce?”
“I heard that His Highness is very close to Your Ladyship’s older brother. They say the Young Duke is His Highness’s prime minister…”
Violet’s expression subtly changed. The crown prince’s prime minister? She refrained from saying anything.
“That doesn’t seem like something very pleasant to talk about.”
“It won’t be so bad for you either, Ducal Lady! I’m sure!”
“How so?”
“It’s just, well, with you, Lady Violet…”
The lady who had initiated the conversation hesitated. Violet knew what she was going to say but pretended not to.
“That’s right. With us, Lady Violet, you don’t won’t have anything to worry about.”
Violet thought briefly. Whether she’d accept or not didn’t really matter to her.
Lady Tolofia laughed, her voice a lilting tone. There was some emotion behind her laughter.
Violet smiled back at the ladies.
“I have other matters to attend to, so I must decline. If you really want, please send a separate invitation to me.”
With those few words, the atmosphere quieted down again. Sending an invitation would be the same as ignoring it entirely, given Violet’s track record. It was a clear rejection.
“But surely, you should…”
“As I said—send an invitation. We can discuss the details later.”
“……”
“It’s not a bad idea. It’s better for women to build camaraderie separately, as always.”
The atmosphere settled in an instant. Violet sighed in exasperation, briefly lamenting that there was no one else similar to her.
If there had been one other daughter from a different ducal household, or at the very least a daughter from a marquisate, this fox wouldn’t have been able to take a step into this space. Of course, in that case, she couldn’t say that she’s happy because the number of tigers would increase.
Nevertheless…
‘Alesia is an exception.’
At the end of a brief contemplation, Violet became curious about Alesia. Even though the Leshan Marquisate was also a respectable noble house, there were no rumors going around about her.
“I’m curious about who the next Crown Princess will be. His Highness will surely be accompanied by someone beautiful by his side.”
“Ah, by the way, have you heard that story?”
“Ohhh, what story?”
“Actually, inside the Rondeau Barony…”
“Oh my, how scandalous. But women are supposed to dedicate themselves to men after all.”
“I wonder if it’s a good idea for women to step forward and engage in politics. They might ruin their families.”
“It would be fortunate if they only ruined their families. They could be shaking the foundation of imperial law.”
The conversation had come full circle once again. Their treatment of Violet, who had emerged in a man’s official attire, was metaphorical disregard.
Violet was no fool, so she understood what they were implying.
Should I go along with it?
As Violet contemplated, she poured her champagne glass directly onto the head of the noble lady in front of her.
No matter how much they enjoyed making a scene, there were times when they should be careful with their words.
Unexpectedly receiving a champagne baptism, the lady screamed.
“Kyaaaah! W-What is the meaning of this?!”
“Oh dear, it was an accident. My hand slipped.”
Violet laughed. The woman glared at Violet with venomous eyes.
“H-How could such an accident happen?”
Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of those who had been chatting in groups of twos and threes at once.
