Appropriate
Violet’s Side
“You intend to… punish Second Princess Elizalina-sama?”
Violet had spent time with Siana since long ago, and as such, she fundamentally understood how Siana thought.
Because of that, she could respond to Siana’s wishes and even suppress emotions from Siana that were unnecessary for her plans.
However, even Violet could not read Siana’s thoughts this time. The joy of having spent time with Lux at the Royal Exchange still lingered within her, and now Siana was speaking of punishing Elizalina, who was not only the Second Princess and a key figure in the kingdom, but also her own sister by blood. The combination of those factors left Violet completely confused.
Perhaps having anticipated Violet’s reaction, Siana spoke to clarify her use of the word “punish.”
“When I say punishment, I don’t mean it in the same way as with Zald Zarden or those three male students.”
Siana and Violet had heard that the three boys had been assassinated the day after the day they became eligible for punishment. But considering their personalities and all the wrongdoings they had committed, it was clear they had made enemies. When Siana heard the news, she simply said, “Well, that saves me the trouble,” and immediately stopped concerning herself with their case.
In other words, what Siana was trying to say was that the punishment she intended for Elizalina did not involve taking her life.
If Elizalina were to disappear, the country could descend into chaos. And if that happened, the chances of danger reaching Lux would increase. That was why Violet concluded that Siana had no intention of killing Elizalina.
Judging from Siana’s tone and manner of speaking, that assumption seemed undeniably correct.
That was precisely why this punishment would not be the same as those that had come before. There needed to be an appropriate form of punishment.
Even so, there was something besides the punishment that bothered Violet.
“Why has Ojou-sama come to the conclusion that Elizalina-sama must be punished?”
“Because Elizalina-nee-sama went back on her word not to interfere in my love life and made a move on Lux-kun.”
Elizalina-sama made a move on Rodwell-sama?
That was no longer something only Siana could not ignore. Violet, too, had to address it now.
“Specifically… what exactly did she do?”
“Apparently, she hugged Lux-kun from behind. And what’s more, she manipulated him into thinking she’s a kind person.”
“…Is that really true?”
“I heard it directly from Lux-kun. Unless, of course, you’re saying you doubt his words.”
Naturally, doubting Lux’s words was not an option for Violet.
However, compared to Siana, Violet could approach matters of romance with a much more composed perspective. More precisely, she had been forced to develop that perspective in order to restrain Siana’s impulsive tendencies. And even now, that habit remained with her. That was why she voiced the doubt that had surfaced in her mind.
“Isn’t it possible that Elizalina-sama had some other motive?”
“There’s no other reason for Elizalina-nee-sama to hug Lux-kun except to take him from me.”
“That assumption might be flawed. There’s also the possibility that Elizalina-sama hugged Rodwell-sama for reasons unrelated to you, Ojou-sama.”
“That’s completely impossible. Lux-kun and Elizalina-nee-sama had no opportunity to meet outside of this Royal Exchange. You of all people should know that, since you’ve been keeping an eye on him even at the noble academy.”
Indeed, the only connection between Lux and Elizalina was Siana herself.
Other than that, there was no imaginable reason for Elizalina to hug Lux.
When Violet nodded to show she understood the situation, she and Siana immediately began planning the contents and method of the punishment.
Elizalina’s Side
After returning to the royal castle following the Royal Exchange, Elizalina immediately began reviewing the list of attendees.
“Let’s see… people who might be connected to Lux…”
Her purpose in checking the attendee list was to identify any women who had been alone in a private room with Lux during the Royal Exchange.
She scanned the list of participants, searching for individuals who might have ties to Lux… but.
Lux fundamentally didn’t interact directly with outsiders. And when it came to members of the royal family, the chances of him coming into contact with them were even lower.
Even so, as Elizalina looked through the list…
“…Violet?”
In the final entry on the list of attendees, she found the name Violet.
“I was so focused on Lux that I didn’t bother checking the names of the other attendees, but… why was Violet at the Royal Exchange? She’s supposed to be with Felisiana pretty much all the time… Actually, I don’t think I saw her at the Royal Exchange today at all.”
Still, if she had attended, it was hard to believe Violet had done so on her own initiative, without orders from Felisiana.
That meant Violet must have either received an order or gotten permission from Felisiana to attend.
“Maybe Felisiana wanted Violet to do something at this Royal Exchange, or maybe Violet wanted to do something and Felisiana gave her permission… The second case seems unlikely, given Violet’s usual personality, but it’s not out of the question.”
It was difficult to believe that either Felisiana or Violet had any connection to Lux.
Even so, the idea that Violet attended the Royal Exchange for no reason at all didn’t sit right.
“I guess I’ll have to question Felisiana, Violet, or maybe even both of them, and see how they react.”
Elizalina began preparing the time and place to interrogate the two of them, and depending on what she learned, she started forming a plan to deal with them in an appropriate manner.