Earlier, things had been so hectic that she hadn’t really taken a good look – but now she could finally examine her changed appearance in detail.

Golden hair and purple eyes.

It was a pretty face – but the face of a stranger.

Violet traced her features as she stared into the mirror.

As if it were really her face, the unfamiliar woman in the reflection touched her own.

‘Can I really do this?’

Driven by a burning desire for revenge against Eric Anderson, she had decided to join hands with Kaiden.

But in truth, she didn’t really know what kind of person Kaiden was.

She didn’t know why he was trying to bring Eric down by taking advantage of his weakness.

In the worst case, when everything was over, Kaiden might try to kill her just to silence her.

‘Even if he does, I don’t care.’

She had already died once—death no longer scared her.
In a way, she was already as good as dead, even while she still breathed.

‘Since I can no longer wipe away the tears of my grieving family at my death, then so be it. Even if Kaiden is a devil, if I can witness the demise of Eric Anderson, I will take his hand.’

After looking in the mirror for a moment, she put on her outdoor clothes and stepped outside. She tried to find Henry, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she found the head butler.

He looked at her, dressed to go out, with a puzzled expression and asked.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Not at all. I was just thinking of stepping out for a moment – would that be all right?”

“It’s quite late.”

“It won’t take long. Did the Duke say I shouldn’t?”

“He didn’t say anything like that, but…”

He hesitated for a moment, then finally gave his permission.

“Understood. I’ll have a carriage prepared.”

Accompanied by the butler, Violet entered the carriage. Her destination had been decided from the beginning.

“Please take me to the Grosvenor family cemetery.”

Fortunately, the coachman didn’t ask for a reason and simply urged the horses forward.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the cemetery that Violet realized to her dismay that she hadn’t brought a single, ordinary white chrysanthemum.

Fortunately, the driver seemed to notice her predicament and bought a bunch of chrysanthemums from a child selling them nearby, then handed them to her.

“Thank you.”

Violet gave him a small smile before slowly making her way inside.

The cemetery, which had seen visitors during the day, was completely deserted at night. Even the entrance was blocked.

But she was a member of the Grosvenor family. She knew at least one of the secret passages to the family graveyard.

Violet entered through the hidden passage.

A flood of emotions washed over her. This was a place she had visited countless times to pay her respects to her ancestors – yet now she had come to mourn herself.

How many people in the world had ever visited their own graves?

It was a story both absurd and sorrowful.

As she walked slowly, lost in thought, it happened.

“Liv, why on earth…”

The mournful sobs of a man came from somewhere nearby.

Instinctively, Violet hid behind a tree, peeking out just enough to see.

A man knelt before her grave, weeping uncontrollably.

“If I had known it would come to this, I never would have left you with that bastard. If only I had known…”

The voice was unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.

Then Violet realized who it was and quickly covered her mouth in shock.

‘Kaiden Arendt.’

Kaiden, who had said he was running an errand, was right there.

“I’m going to kill that bastard Eric Anderson with my own hands for killing you.”

He spoke as if whispering to a lost lover, vowing revenge.

To anyone watching, it would appear that he and Olivia had once shared a deep, intimate relationship.

But Violet had never, under any circumstances, had a close relationship with Kaiden.

They had exchanged brief greetings in passing – nothing more.

He had never even called her a nickname.

‘Kaiden… why are you crying? why are you mourning my death?’

She wanted to confront him, to demand answers.

But she couldn’t.

Because she was no longer Olivia Grosvenor – she was Violet Amber.

Kaiden’s sobs continued.

They were heartbreaking cries, the kind that sounded like a child mourning the loss of its mother.

Hearing his cries, Violet clutched the bouquet of chrysanthemums so tightly it was nearly crushed, then turned and left the place.

A dull ache spread through her chest.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

***

Back at the mansion, Violet sat in deep thought.

‘Why on earth would he do that?’

She searched her memory, wondering if there had ever been some kind of connection between her and Kaiden in the past – but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember anything.

Apart from exchanging greetings after seeing him for the first time in social circles, there had been no contact between them at all.

‘Could it be that we met when we were children?’

The thought crossed her mind, but Violet quickly shook her head.

‘That’s impossible.’

It was known that Kaiden had left for a neighboring kingdom ten years ago, right after the death of his father, the former Duke.

He had done so to protect his life from his uncle, who was after the title of Duke.

He remained outside the realm until three years ago, when he came of age and reclaimed the title from his uncle.

So there was no way Violet could have met him before he came of age.

‘I don’t understand.’

Uncharacteristically, Violet ruffled her hair, remembering the image of Kaiden kneeling at her grave.

Even thinking about it now, he had cried with unbearable grief – the kind of grief only her family had shown at her funeral.

If he cried like that, it could only mean that he felt a deep connection to Olivia… Just then, she heard footsteps outside.

‘It’s Kaiden.’

When she stepped out, she saw Kaiden, just as she suspected, about to enter his room.

He noticed her and greeted her.

“Ah, Letty.”

At that moment, Violet felt goosebumps rise up her arms.

His voice was dry, even emotionless – but the mere fact that he called her by Violet’s nickname was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

“W-What was that? That nickname?”

Kaiden replied as if her reaction was an overreaction.

“You are a younger sister that I care about enough to personally sponsor, even as a Duke. With that kind of relationship, isn’t it natural to use a nickname?”

Even his way of addressing her had changed – from the formal “you” to the more familiar “you” in Korean.

“What should I call you then, Your Grace?”

“Hmm… how about ‘Kaiden oppa’?”

Violet’s face twisted in an instant.

“…Yeah, I don’t like that either.”

Kaiden said, frowning as well, then corrected himself.

“Just calling me ‘Kaiden’ should be fine.”

“I’ll just call you Your Grace.”

“I’m a baron’s daughter, and you’re a duke. Besides, you’re the one who supports me. I couldn’t possibly call someone like you by name so casually.”

“As you wish.”

He replied, undoing his cufflinks as he glanced briefly into Violet’s room.

“Is the room suitable?”

Despite his casual question, the room was more than “suitable” – it was lavish to the point of excess.

It was decorated as grandly as the one Olivia had used at the Grosvenor estate.

To someone like Sarah, a commoner, it would have seemed dazzling beyond imagination.

So Violet feigned a slightly excited tone.

“It’s almost too much. I honestly wonder if I’m allowed to stay in a room like this…”

“You need to be more aware of the fact that you are a noble.”

Violet smiled softly. She had her own reasons.

“I just meant it’s a lot better than the room I used to have.”

Why had Kaiden chosen the Amber family out of all the noble houses he could have chosen?

Because the Ambers didn’t even own a townhouse in the capital.

They were in such poor condition that they had to rely on Kaiden to present their daughter at her debutante party.