Chapter 212

As the bait was thrown, the ladies who took it began to chatter excitedly.

"Indeed, Lady Aileen. Bright-colored dresses would suit you very much."

"Your current outfit... Indeed, it suits Her Ladyship much better given her height."

"...It's only because I adore my sister so much."

Aileen clenched her teeth, trying to salvage the situation. Even if she managed to, rumors would spread regardless.

Aileen glanced at Violet.

Green met purple.

'Why are you like this? Just throw a tantrum as usual.'

'I'd be insane to act as I usually do, wouldn't I? Better watch your own behavior.'

A silent battle ensued. There was no winner, but there was a losing side. To Violet, this confrontation was too trivial to even consider a victory.

Unaware of this, Aileen managed to force out a smile again.

"Aileen, you have clothes that suit you, so rather than imitating me... I hope you find your own style."

And Violet smiled kindly back. Which, to Aileen, appeared as nothing but a cruel sneer.

It was frustrating to just agree, but she had no choice but to respond politely.

"...What kind of clothes would suit me?"

"Lady Aileen would suit...!"

Several jumped into the topic eagerly, starting a lively discussion.

Given their reactions, it was no different from treating Aileen as a doll.

Violet scoffed. All that confidence to come back just to be treated like this, hm? This was enough to know that she didn't need to bother.

As the tea party continued, various conversations ensued.

"Definitely, warm pastel tones suit you. Yellow, or perhaps light green."

"How about clothes of fluffy material? I know a boutique I can introduce you to."

The voices were excited.

Without the Everetts' backing, Aileen was utterly unable to spend much. To their enthusiasm, only vague responses were given.

Cold glances were exchanged elsewhere. In this tiring battlefield of passive aggression, there was exactly one person without a care.

"Why can't we just wear what we want?"

"Oh my."

It was Alesia.

Until now, she had only responded when directly spoken to and otherwise indifferently nibbled on her tea snacks, but finally, she spoke up and made a comment.

"Ohoho. That's true. But we all want to wear beautiful clothes, don't we?"

"There's no need to force yourself into clothes you don't like. If there's a big gap between what suits you and what you want to wear, I think it's about finding a middle ground."

"Umm. Now that you mention it, that's true too. O-ho-ho!"

It was an incredibly tactless remark.

Did Alesia leave her tact in another world? Alesia seemed genuinely puzzled about what the issue here was, and her reaction was throwing off everyone else.

From the start, Alesia was not the appropriate person to discuss fashion with.

Was Alesia truly clueless, or was she pretending to be because she disliked the idea of paying attention?

Violet briefly reconsidered this, but she soon dismissed the thought.

Either way, as long as she was happy, that was what mattered.

Violet rationalized that not caring about others' opinions is genuinely such an attitude.

Of course, Violet herself was the same when it came to not caring about other people's opinions.

The conversation that followed was devoid of any substance.

Aileen and Lady Tolofia engaged in a battle of wits and attempted to target Violet together.

Having learned a great lesson from Alesia just moments ago, Violet pretended to be clueless and just smiled.

Realizing that their attacks were futile against Violet, who chose to laugh off everything, Aileen and Lady Tolofia internally exploded with frustration.

Regardless, Violet leisurely enjoyed her tea and snacks.

She occasionally made pointless conversation with Alesia, who responded with either disinterest or sincerity—it was actually hard to tell.

There were those who watched these two, girls with fluttering hearts.

"Seeing those two together, why does my heart ache so?"

"...Haa, Ducal Lady Violet."

"Did you hear? Lady Alesia has expressed her desire to become a knight."

Watching Violet and Alesia from a distance, those girls clutched their hearts, suffering from dangerous emotions. Truly, they were from different worlds.

Since the banquet, Violet's followers had begun to form their own gatherings.

Though following her yielded nothing in return, the girls adored the ducal lady all the same.

Contrary to her reputation as a malicious villainess, Violet was very elegant and kindly responded with a smile.

Seeing her deep smile, the girls giggled and blushed.

Noticing their flushed cheeks, Alesia looked concerned.

"Are you ill? Shall I call a physician?"

The girl who received Alesia's concern swallowed a silent scream of delight.

Ever since she had cut her hair short, Alesia had also gained many followers.

They chattered and giggled nonstop, delighted by something or another.

Catching the glances of the girls and Alesia's reactions, Violet sipped her tea, internally clicking her tongue. Her earlier guess of Alesia's tact being lost to the world might just be right. It must be floating aimlessly in outer space right now.

Violet's followers couldn't take their eyes off her despite this.

Thus, a strange dynamic was formed.

Violet and Alesia, along with their female admirers.

Aileen and those wrapped around her. Then, Lady Tolofia and those who had always been part of her faction.

In this bizarre battle of wits, there was no winner. Instead, the situation created numerous followers for those intended to be demeaned, leaving only the frustrated losers to simmer in their defeat.