Tanzanite Royal Academy.
A world-leading wealthy school where royals, nobles, as well as affluent commoners from twelve to eighteen gather.
Unlike schools for commoners, the Academy places importance not just on academics, but also on an array of specialized fields of expertise and etiquette. The Academy covers all knowledge necessary for sons and daughters of nobles.
Violette is a second year of the Academy’s High School Division. She has two years left until graduation. And Maryjun, who became a new member of the nobility, will also be attending this academy. As she is a year younger than Violette, she will be transferring as a first year of the High School Division.
The Vahan family is a high-ranking family even among nobles. It goes without saying that Maryjun, who became a part of that family, will catch the attention of the Academy.
“Ah… Good day, Lady Violette.”
“Good day.”
Violette’s day starts as if her surroundings is a no-entry zone to some degree. After her classmates say their greetings, they’d scatter in all directions like spiderlings.
Maryjun became the topic of rumors in no time, and everyone isn’t all that slow that they do not understand the meaning of her transfer. While having a concubine is not a problem, that only applies to the world of adults. Do they brush it off with a smile or mind it? For students in their teens, they are troubled about how they should deal with it.
With the way everyone was like treading on eggshells, the old Violette immersed and indulged herself with the role of the tragic heroine.
‘When it’s your second time, you’d be surprisingly fine with this.’
She only feels apologetic towards her classmates, who keep throwing glances from afar, for making them worry. That said, she isn’t the type of person who would laugh merrily and tell them, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Perhaps due to spending her childhood as a boy at her mother’s behest, Violette is quite lagging with her education as a noble lady compared to others. She appears to be the perfect daughter of a Duke to others due to her efforts, but she is beside herself with worry that her shortcomings might be exposed at any moment.
She distanced herself from her classmates due to that concern, and she only has very few trusted friends. There are many who are after Violette’s lineage, and if she opens up to those people, they will expose and trample on her heart in no time. That is another thing she learned from experience.
‘How boring.’
She brought and opened a book to kill time, but perfunctory reading can be surprisingly exhausting. It’s not that she hates reading but Violette originally likes playing outside more—another influence of her childhood.
Because she wanted to be loved, she suppressed herself and desperately strived to be a good kid and a wonderful lady.
’…Oh, but I suppose there is no need for that.’
She discarded her desire to be loved and cherished. Desperately keeping up appearances is all pointless now. They never did love her even when she kept up appearances.
Then, shouldn’t this be enough?
She won’t cause anyone trouble by casting away her self that is full of lies and falsehood. Her first self would have clung to it and not let go, but for the current Violette, it is unnecessary.
This life is my atonement for Maryjun.
I will without being a bother to her. That is my sole and greatest objective.
In other words, Violette should do whatever she wants other than that.
Even if she isn’t a good kid or perfect, no one has the right to reprimand her for dropping the books she doesn’t even love reading and run around outside instead.
As long as she doesn’t bother Maryjun, as long as she doesn’t gain a bad reputation, shouldn’t Violette live true to herself?
‘No one is watching me anyway.’
Neither her parents nor the man she loved watched and looked at her. That’s why she wanted those gazes so bad she’d sell her soul to the devil.
However, that is a fortunate thing this time around.
No one is watching her. No one is concerned about her. For Violette who wants to live an ordinary, plain and inconspicuous life, this is the best treatment she could ask for.
“…Alright, let’s go with that.”
Hearing Violette unconsciously talking to herself, the gaze of surprise of the person sitting next to her was followed by concern and pity. ‘As expected, the sudden appearance of a concubine’s child caused her trauma and made her lose her mind,’ or so they thought.
Fortunately or unfortunately, she no longer minds their stares… Violette, who has become very impervious to the preconceptions which come from her experience, did not notice those feelings, much less that gaze directed at her.