âHuh? Um, I just overheard it. Did I get it wrong?â
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âYes. Itâs completely off the mark. Itâs all just baseless rumors. Baseless rumors, I say.â
âBaseless rumors⊠I see.â
She agreed surprisingly quickly. At this rate, everyone she meets might ask about her engagement to the crown prince. Violet frowned.
At least Alesia was a decent person. If she had been more persistent, she might have pried even more into Violetâs personal business by now.
Violet covered her face with her hand as she watched Alesia back away gracefully.
âWhere did you hear such a thing?â
âMy mother told me.â
ââŠâŠâ
Alesiaâs clueless response seemed all too serene. It seemed like the rift between mother and daughter had healed, and they were conversing more frequently.
A person of Marchioness Leshanâs stature wouldnât believe rumors so easily, so Violet immediately knew that this was just her teasing Violet.
Her fingertips twitched slightly.
âI see.â
ââŠShould I go and tell her itâs just a baseless rumor?â
âNo, the Marchioness already knows whether itâs true or not. This is justâŠâ
âJust?â
ââŠâŠâ
Violet clammed up. Anxious, Alesia pressed her, but no answer followed.
What could it be that made her react this way?
Violet had no intention of telling Alesia that her mother was quite playful.
âAlesia, you seem to be enjoying yourself these days. Tell me about that instead.â
âThereâs not much to tellâŠâ
Violet smoothly changed the subject. The clueless Alesia was quick to follow.
âLately, Iâve been receiving an unusual amount of invitations. Itâs awkward to decline each one. How do you handle it?â
âWell, I just do it. Casually, I guess?â
Violet, who neither refused nor even responded but simply ignored them firmly, laughed casually. Watching her, Alesia smiled ambiguously and then suddenly grimaced, sighing.
âNo matter how I think about it, high society just doesnât suit meâŠâ
It was obvious. It seemed the marchioness couldnât let go of her ambitions and was pushing her daughter into something.
Violet smiled and took the posture of a proper listener.
It was clear from her posture that she could listen to anything well.
Seeing Violet like this, Alesia hesitated for a moment before sighing again and said,
âThe thing is, actuallyâŠâ
Violet chuckled at Alesiaâs continuation. Even while talking, she seemed uncomfortable, as if wondering if she was gossiping about others.
âI may be clueless, but it was strange.â
To summarize her words:
Being more cool and attractive than ever compared to most young noblemen, Alesia had recently gained admirers, and these ladies had sent her invitations.
Alesia found it annoying and wanted to reject them all, but due to her motherâs insistence, she ended up attending a fairly large gathering where even Aileen Everett was present.
Aileen seemed like the star of the gathering.
It was evident that many ladies were nervously trying to cater only to Aileenâs whims, and those who disliked this grumbled⊠to which Aileen would immediately adopt a hurt gesture, and then a lady next to her would defend her.
Then Aileen would say, âItâs okay. Iâm sure they have their reasons, right?â
It was all too familiarâitâs the same old behavior wherever she went.
It was tiresome.
But the problem was what came next. Aileen always managed to turn the topic to Violet.
âHow can I reconcile with my sister? I like her, but sheâs always too much.â
Starting cunningly with mentioning Violet, the conversation soon turned to sharing gossip about her among those present.
When that happens, the very person who started the conversation disappears, and only those around start badmouthing Violet.
Itâs as if watching some kind of cult in action.
People unite when they have a common enemy.
Aileen seemed to understand this psychology very well, pulling the strings effectively.
âI believe all the rumors about Sister are false. Since she hasnât spoken out directly⊠I wish she would explain, but she doesnât respond at all. HiicâŠâ
In essence, she was saying this:
The news of Sisterâs engagement with the Crown Prince is completely false, so do not be alarmed, everyone.
But still, no matter how many invitations I sent to Sister, she just kept ignoring me. Itâs so, so bad.
It was bold of Aileen to insinuate as such, considering that there were rumors about her approaching the crown prince too.
Alesia recalled that Aileen seemed quite outstanding even in a society rife with cunning rhetoric.
âIf I hadnât heard your side, I might have sympathized with her too. Her way of speaking is quite peculiar.â
âYou held back quite well.â
ââŠIâve never held back, though?â
Violet smiled faintly in response, prompting Alesia to look at her with questions in her eyes.
Looking at what that meant, Alesia boldly said,
âIf she truly loves and cares about her family, she shouldnât talk behind her familyâs back like this. Speaking about everything like that in a gathering full of so many people as if seeking their sympathy feels insincere. And I also believe itâs foolish to believe things that youâre personally not certain of. I was really about to explode in anger, so Iâll just left.â
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