Chapter 184:
Lull
LOVE, DREAMS, all those beautiful feelings—everything she’d
given up on. When she realized they weren’t fake, that she could reach out and touch them, that she’d been robbed…the emotion that welled inside her…what was that called?
✦ ✦ ✦
After the test results were posted, Violette learned that she’d scored lower than ever before. Considering everything else going on in her life, however, it was arguably a victory. If anything, it was much more reasonable than the expectation of perpetually perfect grades.
Her shoulders slumped as she gazed at the pinned paper on the bulletin board. One would think she’d be crushed at her poor performance, but for some reason, it felt as though she could finally breathe.
“Have you checked your results, Lady Vio?” asked Rosette.
“Yes, and it seems I passed. What about you?”
“I did! Shall we go to the dining hall? I hear there’s a special entrée today.”
“I suspect it’s because the closing ceremony is around the corner.”
“Ah, yes… It’s that time of year already…”
Given that His Highness was graduating this year, the celebration would surely be magnified tenfold. Violette never made it to the closing ceremony in the first timeline, so she could only imagine what it would be like.
“You say that as if you’re not personally invested! Isn’t your life about to get a lot busier?”
“Considerably, I suppose, but…I mean, it’s not like it’s my graduation.”
Following the public announcement of her betrothal to Claudia, Rosette seemed overwhelmed by the level of support she was receiving not just from fellow students but citizens across Duralia. Some had become suspicious of Violette’s intentions due to the Claudia connection, but the two girls were both used to the prying stares by now. Violette’s own engagement to Yulan would likely be announced sometime later the same year, but it would hopefully go unnoticed in the shadow of the future king and queen.
“I will be taking a long leave of absence to return to my country, during which time I shall take stock of this year’s Lithosian jewels, as we discussed,” Rosette continued.
“Ahh, thank you. I should seek out a skilled craftsman then, I suppose…”
“The problem is, we still haven’t decided what we’ll make with the jewels.”
“True. We only agreed it should be something for everyday use.”
“Should we go with hair accessories after all, do you think?”
“We could also make ballpoint pens. With the proper maintenance, they’d last for years.”
“Oh, that’s an idea. It would make writing letters something to look forward to.”
“I would be so pleased to be your pen pal.”
So the idle conversation continued. By all expectations, Violette should have felt uneasy. She would soon accompany Yulan to visit her parents. Surprisingly, she’d achieved a level of composure she’d never thought possible. Perhaps the more of a mess one’s heart was on the inside, the more it fed a detached, eerie calm.
“When do you expect you’ll return?” Violette asked.
“Well…I haven’t been home in quite a while, and we’ll have to plan the wedding regardless. I intend to take my time.”
“I see… Likewise, I suspect I’ll have plenty to keep me busy until the start of the new school year. We could arrange an outing after the closing ceremony, maybe?”
“Come to think of it,” Rosette mused, “we’ve never spent time together off campus, have we?”
“With all the exams, I don’t think either of us had the bandwidth to think about it. Going forward, we can take our time to brainstorm something as a pair.”
“Sounds like a plan!”
Rosette’s soft smile made her look far younger than her polished image would suggest. “Perfect” smiles tended to come off as inauthentic, but this grin only doubled her cuteness. Those who wanted the ideal princess would likely prefer a polished, inauthentic surface, but Violette pitied those people. They’d never get to see Rosette simultaneously master the art of sophisticated and cute at the same time.
“I look forward to it,” Violette replied.
“As do I. To be honest, I’ve never had an opportunity to go into town the entire time I’ve been in this country.”
“Really? I’m no expert, but I can introduce you to a handful of great shops.”
As she chatted with Rosette, Violette dimly recalled the plans she had with Yulan to visit her parents’ estate one last time. Because the engagement was her grandfather’s decision, Auld had no authority to overturn it. There was no telling how he might lash out. Yulan would be there with her, so she was sure she had nothing to fear.
She recalled the rage on her father’s face. His rampage was sort of comical when she looked back. Nothing about it stirred her heart. This was a different kind of apathy from before…and now she vaguely understood why.