Violet walked down the road.
Ash, who was standing in the middle of the garden, between the railings, approached her.
"I thought it would be a quick affair."
-I'm sorry.
The conversation dragged on a bit...
Seeing Ash, Violet felt a wave of resentment.
He stayed silent for a moment to calm himself.
—Violet, tell me.
What happened?
—Actually…
Violet briefly told him what had happened.
Ash wasn't surprised at all.
He nodded calmly, as if he already expected it.
—Work done by other people for some students had already been suspected for some time.
"That's...
not good, is it?"
—Do you think there are only right things in this world?
It hurt her and she felt bitter knowing it and yet being a victim of it.
—Let's get out of here for now.
Ash took Violet's hand.
Violet nodded.
Ash helped her into the carriage.
The carriage began to move slowly.
Violet opened the window and took a deep breath.
—Are you calmer now?
—…Yes, I'm sorry.
You always see me like this.
-Alright.
It's no big deal.
Violet thought Ash was amazing every time he said something like that.
He seemed to be a person who had no trivial worries.
—Yes, maybe it's nothing.
Violet responded automatically.
After saying it, he felt himself calm down a little.
—Let me ask you something.
Do you feel resentful right now?
Ash said it casually.
—I guess so.
-Because?
—It's just...
I have always had the pride of being a fair person.
But they, because of my reputation or whatever… they said that I was the aggressor without a doubt.
—That's reputation.
It is used to hurt people without a second thought.
—…I think you're right.
Ash moved a little away from Violet and leaned against the carriage wall.
—Well, now that you've regained your calm, let's think about this.
Did you say that Marigold's teacher attacked you in a particular way?
—Yes, the professor at the Faculty of Magic, Sierra.
Marigold talked about her several times, so I know her well.
Ash nodded, as if he understood.
—Sierra, okay.
And your little sister dreams of being the crown princess, right?
-Yeah.
—An interesting topic.
In a vulgar and dirty sense.
-…What do you mean?
—From what you just told me, it seems to me that your sister and the crown prince are already in a clandestine relationship.
-That…?
Violet's eyes widened.
—I'm going to investigate what's going on, so for today, go home.
—Ash…
When she tried to speak, Ash shook his head.
—Wait, I'll tell you when I know a little more.
-…Alright.
—Don't make that face.
Go home and read something nice.
Something you like.
Ash left her at the door with a polite gesture and then left in the carriage.
Violet stared at the carriage for a long while.
──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ────
-Welcome!
Today I prepared a new dress for you!
When Violet arrived, Marin, who seemed to be busy, quickly gave her a new piece of clothing.
Will there be an event today?
The dress Marin had prepared today was an elegant mix of black and gray, with lace.
He accentuated the lines of the body and wore a small hat with a narrow brim.
A black veil hung from the hat, covering part of her face.
In the Empire, they used to wear dark-colored formal clothes to attend the great events of the Great Temple.
—If you're ready, let's go.
Just as Violet left the room, Ash strode over.
He was also dressed in black from head to toe.
It scared me.
Sometimes it's so big it surprises me.
Although they were both swordsmen, the difference in size between them was enormous.
When they were close, she didn't realize it, but his strong arms and big hands were so different in size from hers that they sometimes surprised her.
—This is an outfit for going to the temple.
—You guessed it right.
Ash smiled with his eyes.
—Shall we go to the temple?
To the Great Temple of the capital?
-Yeah.
Ash walked quickly.
The coachman they had met yesterday on the way to the academy took off his hat and greeted them.
—By the way, who is he and why are we suddenly going to the temple...
—His name is Jules.
He is someone I have trusted for a long time.
Now, let's leave.
The carriage began to move.
—Violet, do you like gossip?
-Not much.
—And the provocative scenes in the Silk novels that you like?
—That kind of provocation is welcome.
—Then, I'll show you something interesting from that perspective.
Trust me and follow me.
There was no reason not to trust Ash anymore.
Violet nodded.
The capital's Great Temple is one of the largest buildings in the Empire in terms of scale.
Large services were held there almost every day.
The carriages were in a long line.
Violet and Ash got off the carriage early and strode into the Great Temple.
As the service had already begun, the singing could be heard all the way down the aisle.
Are reservations not required for these services?
Security was tight.
That meant that only high nobility and higher-ranking people could participate in these types of events.
If you didn't reserve in advance, you could be kicked out.
—Ash, are we okay?
-We're ok.
Maybe because they were well dressed, no one stopped them.
The two headed to the place where the service was being held.
Ash went up to the second floor.
One of the priests saw them, greeted them, and led them to one of the balconies from where they could see the worship hall.
Ash leaned on the railing calmly.
—Look below.
Below the balcony, in the first row, there were several men and women surrounded by guards.
They are the imperial family, Violet thought instinctively.
And behind the imperial family, in the second row, Marigold was sitting with Paula.
Marigold wasn't wearing a hat, so her wavy brown hair was easy to see.
It was a short bob cut that was trendy in the capital recently.
It was said to be fashionable, but it was a pretty bold hairstyle, so not many people tried it.
Therefore, Marigold's back was clearly visible.
Marigold and my mother didn't like going to the temple because they found it boring.
Besides, not just anyone can sit behind the imperial family, can they?
At the same time, Violet felt confused.
—Sierra Mion?
Is that woman Marigold's teacher?
Ash whispered, pointing at them with his chin.
-Yeah.
—Sierra Mion is the person of the crown prince.
If she risked her own career to defend Marigold, the reason is obvious.
At this moment, a man in the front row stood up, looking around carefully.
As it was prayer time, no one noticed.
Soon after, Marigold, who was also looking around, got up and followed him.
Paula looked at her without saying anything.
No, rather, he seemed to smile weakly.
—The crown prince and Marigold exchanged glances and discreetly disappeared—Violet whispered.
—No matter how big her dreams are, how could a woman like Marigold dream of being the crown princess?
Something seemed strange to me from the beginning.
Ash stepped away from the railing and stood up straight.
Then, he signaled to her with his eyes.
—So, are we going to witness this firsthand?
…To be continued