Violet tried to pretend not to see him, but Carlson, who had noticed her as soon as he started singing, quickly came over to her on his boat. Then he asked with a cheerful face.
"Where did you go and eat alone?"
"It wasn't just me, there were three of us eating."
"Eating with people who serve you is not eating together."
Violet frowned at Carlson's smiling remark, but Flip and Jen, who had experience working with other nobles, seemed unimpressed. They both knew that their little lady was special, not ordinary.
Carlson said.
"I'm always alone. Does your husband still leave you alone?"
"He's just busy right now."
"Just a moment. He's been busy ever since you got married."
Carlson looked at Violet with pity.
"You must be lonely."
"I'm not lonely. More importantly, Carlson."
"Yes."
"How about not carrying a weapon?"
Carlson smiled strangely at her soft suggestion.
"Why?"
"Because your psychological state is not sound. Perhaps you..."
"Wait a minute. Are you saying that because you're afraid I'll harm myself?"
Carlson asked as if wondering how she could come up with such an idea. Violet nodded.
"Yeah. I'm worried about that too. So please do that until you stop taking the medication."
"You are still the same."
Carlson smiled charmingly and leaned in towards her, saying.
"But Violet, you didn't think like that before."
"What does it mean?"
"If a drunk person had a gun, you would worry that it would threaten others, not that he would expect to kill himself."
Carlson looked at Violet, who was speechless, with eyes full of love and hate.
"The cause must be Winter Blooming."
"It is not so."
"No, you should know. Your husband will continue to hurt you."
After saying that, he took off his hat and bowed as if he were greeting someone on stage, then walked away again. As he left, Jen trembled and said to Violet.
"Oh my, he looks like a flower, but he is dangerous!"
"I know..."
Violet nodded with a worried look on her face.
Flip rowed back to the lodge, and Jen got off first with her luggage, saying.
"Please finish your tea and come back. I'll go first and get the dress out, my lady!"
"Okay. I'll be up soon."
While Jen was upstairs excited about dressing up Violet, Violet took a moment to sip the remaining tea on the boat. That's when Flip opened his mouth.
"Young Madam, I know it's rude, but..."
Flip continued with a hardened face as Violet looked at him with affectionate eyes.
"I'm worried too. What you said... Why did you think he would harm himself instead of others?"
Flip wasn't the type of person to ask such questions easily. Violet, who knew this, thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
"I used to think that way. Not now though."
"The old lady who was the caretaker of the Blooming family villa once said that a gun was taken out when the young lady was there."
That day, the one who was most worried when he found out that Violet was locked in the closet was Flip. That's why he was the only one who kept a close eye on Violet that day.
Violet looked at Flip quietly and smiled.
"Keep it a secret"
"Little Madam..."
"It's in the past. Only my husband knows."
"Yes, CEO, does he know?"
"Yeah. That's why he sent it to me when I was about to leave."
Flip said quietly at Violet's bitter voice.
"I will keep it a secret, my lady."
"Thank you. I appreciate you worrying about me that day."
Violet smiled.
At that moment, Winter walked out of the lake house. Flip looked worried as he saw Winter walking towards him with a frozen expression at the sight of the two people.
Violet, sitting still on the boat, looked like a beautiful white bird, while Winter, approaching, looked like a huge black beast. Flip was really worried that Winter might be harmful to Violet.
Violet turned to him and asked.
"Are you done with the work?"
Instead of answering, Winter gave Flip a command.
"Get off."
As Flip bowed and got off the boat, Winter hopped on board. Violet asked.
"Have you had breakfast?"
Then Winter, sitting with his knees bent, asked abruptly.
"Do you know that you are attractive?"
"... Yes?"
"I know you're pretty too."
"What is that..."
Despite Violet's bewildered lace, Winter's expression was rather crumpled into a grim one.
"Your maid told me that Carlson had spoken to you, so I came here, and now another man is looking at you with pity in his eyes."
"Ah. That was a worthwhile conversation."
"What conversation."
"That is..."
"Is this a story you can tell?"
Violet hesitated, and Winter moved closer to her.
"What are you talking about?"
"... Are you angry?"
"No, I'm Jealous."
He answered without hiding anything. Violet felt a strangeness in his actions and tone of voice.
Carlson had been nearby earlier, and he smelled like clean soap and elegant perfume, and his voice was exquisitely beautiful. She felt like she was getting closer to a flower from him. He was like a rose with many thorns. But now, when her husband approached her, it felt completely different. She felt as if a flash of life was washing over her. Her heart was pounding without mercy, and his manly charm made her want to hug the back of his neck and hang on.
Violet realized at this moment that she was really sexually attracted to her husband. Something she had never felt for Carlson, a fellow man, but only for Winter Blooming.
"Violet, what are you thinking about?"
When Winter was starting to lose her senses and was thinking about grabbing Flip and Carlson by the collar and throwing them into the lake, Violet's lips, still smelling of tea, opened.
"I thought you were different."
"What are you talking about."
"You're different from other men. To me, you're... different."
At her words, Winter looked at Violet silently, clicked his tongue once, kissed her lips with a squeak, and then sat up.
He got out of the boat first and held out his hand, and Violet took his hand and got out of the boat. Violet looked closely and saw that the corners of Winter's mouth were slightly raised. Violet found it quite odd that he quickly became quiet when told that he was different from other men.
She thought that maybe Winter's expression of being roughly tamed was right.
***
Violet took a long nap and headed to her dressing room to attend the succession ceremony at exactly midnight.
The future head of the Heston family, Count Karzan Heston, would greet the guests in a pre-wedding ceremony style, and after the succession ceremony at midnight, a large-scale party would be held throughout the night.
The succession ceremony of a great noble was an event that occurred only once every few years. Although only a few people attended the ceremony, the parties that followed for several days attracted people from not only Rockround but also neighboring countries.
The dress Violet brought for the succession ceremony was a summer dress made of a thin apricot-colored material. The waist of the dress was decorated with pearls and the connecting links were made of diamonds and rubies. Over it, she was to wear a delicately made white lace bolero.
Jen had Violet's hair completely up, held in place by a pin studded with dark gray pearls, the symbol of the Lawrence family. And she applied sparkly pearls to her exposed collarbone and back, which she said was trendy at parties held at night these days.
Violet came out after finishing her preparations and saw Winter sitting on the bed in a tuxedo. The exhausted look from the morning was gone, and he was a neatly shaven man with his hair carefully styled with pomade. The tuxedo was a slim-cut suit that fit Winter's long limbs very well. Winter asked, looking at Violet.
"Do I really have to go?"
"What does that mean?"
"I want to roll around in bed with you and then fill my belly at the party."
"No."
Violet answered hurriedly, embarrassed that she had been caught in the act.
Winter held out his hand to Violet with a disgruntled expression. Violet placed her gloved hand over his and asked,
"What about your gloves?"
"Later."
Winter gestured to his pocket. The gloves in his pocket were crumpled, which was very Winter-like. Violet nodded without saying anything. The two got into the carriage and headed to the main hall.
Winter turned his head away from the window so as not to tease his wife. Violet opened her mouth as she looked at Winter's profile.
"You look good in a tuxedo."
At her words, Winter turned his head. Then Violet gently cupped Winter's forehead with her hand and continued speaking.
"Your hair is pretty too."
Winter immediately shrugged and smiled at her polite compliment. Then he leaned over and said.
"I'm glad you like it, Princess."
"It's not a courtesy, it's serious."
"I want to kiss you."
Violet hesitated at his blunt words. But when she thought about it rationally, she shook her head in disapproval, thinking that Jen would go crazy if the lipstick came off. Then, after thinking for a moment, she took off her gloves and held out the back of her hand. Winter burst out laughing at her Princess-like behavior, then pulled her palm instead of the back of her hand and kissed it, saying.
"There were times when I worried that my response to your actions might be rude."
"Now?"
"You said you liked me even though I was rude?"
Winter said mischievously, kissing Violet's finger a little longer this time.
Violet's face turned red, and she quickly pulled her hand away and put on her gloves, pretending nothing had happened. Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the auditorium building.
***
Classical music was being played inside the auditorium to welcome the guests who were coming in one by one, and although the lighting was not bright, it created an elegant atmosphere.
Guests were taking part in this social event while viewing the attractions provided by the Heston family.
Ash Lawrence was talking to other children of noble families and looked at Violet and her husband with an unpleasant expression. Times had changed, and the atmosphere of the nobles looking for an opportunity to talk to them was making him feel irritated.
As the time of the succession ceremony approached, the Heston family began to show them to their seats.
The one who came to pick up Violet and Winter was Maren Heston, the eldest member of the Heston family and the mother of KarZan Heston.
Maren, with a cold expression, spoke to Violet.
"Are you here, Ma'am?"
"Long time no see."
Maren smiled at Violet's greeting.
"I had a lot of trouble trying not to let the two of you fall apart."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, each of you must represent your own clan."
On the right under the podium in the main auditorium were the Heston family, and on the left were Violet and Winter.
Maren pointed to the seat.
"This is your seat."
At that time, Ash Lawrence was just finding a seat a little further back, guided by Giannis Heston. When Ash tried to sit down, Giannis stopped him.
"Please wait a moment."
Ash was impressed by his words. However, since it was the words of the heir to the family that had been invited, he had no choice but to stand, but Giannis confirmed that Violet had taken her seat first.
Only then did he speak to Ash.
"You may sit down now."
Ash's expression hardened coldly at his words.
In other families, it was polite to seat the eldest of the family first, but the Lawrence family was a royal family, so there was a hierarchy.
Violet's sitting before him meant that the Hestons considered her to be the highest-ranking member of the Lawrence family.
Ash, unable to contain his anger at the treatment he had never received since birth, slammed his fist on the poor chair.
Unlike Violet, who never dithers and focuses on the adult stories being told to her, Winter, who is always looking for something to make money, has been watching him from the beginning.
Winter, who had a rough idea of the situation, made eye contact with Ash and laughed without hiding his feelings.
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