A Painting of the Villainess as a Young Lady

Chapter 41

“……”

“Hiya~?”

Purple and green eyes met.

Violet reined in the incredulity that was bubbling up within her.

Why’s this person here?

It was quite obvious on Violet’s face how preposterous she found the situation, but Roen just laughed as though he wasn’t conscious of it.

“Oh, perhaps you’re done for the day already?”

“Not… yet.”

“Then, please. I’ll be in your care.”

Just what on earth was this guy thinking.

Violet was forced to move her hand.

To explain why they’re now face to face like this, a bit of a rewind is needed.

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Violet’s probation had been lifted for a while now, but she was suffering from a bit of lethargy. At the recommendation of the people around her, she began to do more activities here and there.

She exercised, painted, and sometimes chatted with Mary.

And, while trying to gauge the right timing, she had also been preparing for her next outing. She’s aware that the duke had put a tail on her, but she couldn’t protest against it because it was done at the pretense of protection.

It was already made known that she had been sneaking out during her period of confinement anyway. Unless there’s officially a problem going on, she’s free to roam around.

However, Violet had various reasons as to why she hadn’t gone out just yet.

The biggest reason was this: she’s not confident about facing the rumors head on.

So, it was only after she was in the right headspace, to some extent, that she started going out little by little.

It was nice to go out for the first time in a long while.

There were some people who recognized her, but she heard none of the rumors that she was so concerned about. So, Violet enjoyed her outings freely.

She wore marginally loose clothes, ate at noisy restaurants, and went around the shopping district to buy a few things that caught her eye. Sometimes she got ripped off, other times she haggled.

Violet was happy with doing all these things. It was also more enjoyable because she gained more strength and stamina from all the exercise she had been doing.

She also regularly sat in front of the fountain and opened a signboard to indicate that she was open for business, drawing portraits as usual.

She was satisfied with her peaceful days.

Since the first time, Violet started going out often.

The first couple of times, she was begrudgingly a bit self-conscious because she knew that the duke’s people were watching her. However, as she tasted the sweetness of escape, she was too busy to pay any mind to such self-consciousness.

Zylo, who so desperately opposed Violet’s outings at first, was now the very person who was doing the most to ensure that she was free during her outings.

Violet exchanged greetings with some people who she had become familiar with after seeing a few times, and she also drew simple portraits to those who wanted them.