A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

“Was I?”

“……”

Even when asked again, Aldin avoided answering. His tightly closed lips and somewhat sullen expression conveyed his stubbornness.

Was it a question that’s hard to answer? Violet pondered internally but couldn’t find an answer either. It was such an unexpected reaction that she didn’t press Aldin any further.

Whenever she tried to recall her past actions, all she could think of were grievances or wrongdoings.

If she had met such a beautiful person, she would have remembered, but she had no memories of Aldin.

Maybe they never actually met and Aldin was mistaken. As Violet’s thoughts wandered, Aldin spoke.

“Still, I will escort you properly today.”

With a determined look, Aldin offered his escort. Well, if she couldn’t remember, it didn’t matter. Violet smiled and took his hand.

.

.

The play was held in a grand theater known to everyone. Naturally, the tickets Aldin had painstakingly obtained were for the VIP seats. Violet settled into the VIP section and looked around the theater.

The architectural style felt familiar yet strangely new. She no longer distinguished between her past self and Violet, but moments like this felt fresh.

“Lady, here…”

Aldin escorted Violet as if he had read a romance novel, but some of his attempts fell short, leaving him momentarily disheartened.

For instance, he tried to place a handkerchief on her seat beforehand, but she had already sat down by herself.

“……”

“……”

“…The play is starting.”

“Yes…”

With his oddly dejected voice, the curtain rose shortly after.

‘The Crimson Tragedy’ was a tragic yet beautifully romantic story that people were enchanted by.

The tale of the fourth emperor, who was so beholden by his lover that he couldn’t leave behind even one child with the empress, had been adapted in various ways to suit modern tastes.

It was amusing to spot the differences between the historical content of the empire and the actual play.

Meanwhile, Violet gazed at the stage with a somewhat indifferent heart. Just then, the actress playing the heroine was singing a beautiful song.

“A one-on-ten duel? Why would the emperor personally pick up a sword and fight?”

Adapting it to suit people’s tastes meant incorporating unrealistic elements. Despite having experienced the most unrealistic event, she couldn’t focus on these unrealistic elements.

Still, it was quite watchable. It wasn’t called a masterpiece for nothing.

The actress was beautiful, but the actor didn’t quite appeal to Violet. Didn’t he look too greasy? The face of an actor who captivated many women’s hearts in the empire was quickly undervalued by her.

If they were in the same category, Rajaden’s face was far more beautiful.

…When the name suddenly popped into her mind, Violet frowned. Why was she thinking of that name here?

Violet sighed inwardly. Beside her, Aldin seemed focused on the play, unable to take his eyes off the stage.

Indeed, Aldin was definitely prettier than the primo uomo. And since his expressions rarely changed, it was fun to spot the subtle changes whenever there were any.

That held true even while watching the play. Violet enjoyed observing Aldin’s seemingly unchanging yet freely shifting expressions.

Finally, the story reached its climax. The heroine’s character met her death. No matter how many times it was adapted, this part of the story didn’t change. As Violet casually turned her gaze, she noticed other nobles in the VIP section.

She quickly turned her head away.

They were some of the people she had met before at the artists’ gathering. They weren’t strangers, but it was awkward to say hi to them.

One of them was even a playwright. They weren’t bad people, but Violet had a feeling that running into them would be bothersome.

She pulled her hat down as much as possible to hide her face.

“……?”

Though deeply focused on the play, Aldin sensed something strange and looked puzzled. Violet smiled softly and pretended to be engrossed in the play.

Suddenly realizing how close they were, sweat began to trickle down the back of Aldin’s neck.

He was inexplicably tense. Despite the open space and the many people, they were alone in this VIP section.

From that moment, Aldin couldn’t focus properly on the play anymore.

The play ended with the two protagonists promising to meet in the next life. The open-ended conclusion left a lingering curiosity and made one ponder continuously.

Of course, the continuation of the story was not important to Violet at that moment. She had more pressing matters.

“It was truly a beautiful story. Especially when Della…”

“It was fun. But you said you’d properly escort me today, so it’s not just about watching the play, right?”

“Pardon?”

“Shall we go enjoy something else then?”

Just as Aldin was about to share his thoughts on the play, Violet took his arm and hurried out of the theater.

The unexpected physical contact made Aldin freeze like a stone.

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