Chapter 7

One thing was clear after that conversation.

As long as money was involved, she could not hope to get a divorce on her own. She hated Ash, but she needed his help. Ash had been the one who took her husband’s money and then broke his word. Now that the debt was completely paid off and he was growing popular with the people, he was the only one who had the power to help her.

She wrote to him, asking him to find a way to grant Winter a title. She explained that this was the only way for her to get a divorce. Violet knew Ash had his followers. There had to be some legal loophole he could take advantage of. Once the title was taken care of, surely their divorce would have no impact on Ash.

Violet got on a train back to her home a few days later. Winter sat in the seat across from her. He seemed determined to act as though she'd never brought up divorce at all.

He emptied a mug of beer before the train even began to move. He drank and drank, all throughout the seven-hour trip.

Violet, unable to watch any longer, finally spoke. “Aren’t you drinking too much?”

“Not at all,” Winter’s tone was mocking. “What? Perhaps our dear princess finds me much too vulgar for her esteemed self?”

“My father was a drinker. I’m worried. You might get sick. And...”

“And what?”

“One should never call another person ‘vulgar.’”

Violet chided him, and said no more. She expected him to grow irritable, but he looked taken aback. He turned away to the window and supported his chin with his hand.

“...All high and mighty, are we.”

Violet tilted her head, gazing across at Winter. The wind that blew in from the window made a mess of his pitch black hair, slapping in against his shining copper skin. She’d already given up on salvaging the relationship, but at times like this she found herself staring, a strange sort of wistfulness filling her.

The closer she got to home, she found it harder to breathe.

Still, the short respite and the new medicine had given her a lot of energy. The new medicine in particular had reduced the frequency of her headaches by half. That left her feeling overjoyed.

When they arrived at their destination, Winter got off the train first. He turned to Violet as she followed him off the train.

“Amazing. How can you sit in the same position for seven hours straight?”

Violet reacted to his sarcastic tone by scolding him.

“Why do you squirm so much? I almost thought I was traveling with a little child.”

“The seats were uncomfortable,” Winter grumbled and grouched like nothing had happened at all between them.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and started off towards the waiting carriage. He turned when he noticed that Violet wasn't following him. Violet was staring at a boy selling some flowers.

She turned slowly towards Winter and spoke.

“Would you buy me some flowers? As thanks for the contract.”

Winter frowned.

“Ask for something proper. You’ll ask for more later, I'm sure of it.”

“I like those flowers.”

“Later, then. The flowers at home are better than those.”

“Just buy me some flowers. The boy over there is selling some. The flowers at home aren't a gift. I want a gift of flowers. Buy me some, please.”

Winter didn't see the difference, but he stepped over to the boy anyway. He looked in the boy's basket and bought one that did not bloom yet.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Violet took the rose that Winter gruffly handed her with both hands. She had a wistful look on her face, not like someone who’d just received a gift. She smiled towards Winter.

“It's pretty.”

“You asked me for a divorce,” he said. “Now you’re smiling?”

“You have a point.” Violet cradled the flower carefully in her hands and walked towards the carriage.

Once she was back in her bedroom, Violet brought a vase from the warehouse and placed the flower inside.

* * *

Surprisingly, Winter stayed a whole week before returning to the capital. He was still busy with work and didn’t speak with Violet, but it was a first for him to stay so long at the mansion.

Violet couldn't figure out why Winter hated divorce so much. She tried to figure out if this marriage was somehow economically benefiting him while she was unaware of it, but she had no way to know.

It had been two weeks after he left the mansion; the birthday of Duke James Blooming.

Winter would return that evening for his father's birthday party. Violet wanted to speak to him further when he returned.

To make it to the tea party that always happened after lunch, Violet put on a dark purple dress. She finished getting ready and was about to leave the room when the door burst open and Ash Lawrence walked in. He hadn't knocked. Catherine Blooming stood behind him.

Violet stood up. She felt nervous at their rigid faces.

Ash spoke with disgust. “Divorce? How can you say such a thing? Why? What is the reason?”

Violet paused at his rage-filled voice. Catherine, who Ash must have brought with her, spoke forlornly.

“Violet. I really... did my best. I overlooked it when you lied to us daily that you were ill.”

Her voice was trembling. She sounded like a woman at the end of her rope.

“I know Winter's status must have seemed inadequate for you. But you knew that when you agreed to marry him, didn’t you? Violet, you’re part of the family now. Princess or no, you can't go about having everything your way. I know it's probably my fault for not educating you properly... but this is still very distressing.”

Violet felt as though her heart was breaking down, the muscles locking up, beating erratically. She recalled Catherine and her friends ridiculing her for hours on end while she sat among them.

Thinking of how she had been forced to listen to all of that without being able to say a single word made her feel like her mind would snap. She couldn’t live like this any further.

She spat out the words, “I don’t care about my husband's status. That's not why I want a divorce. I don't want to have to just sit there listening to people insult me at tea time.

“Vi-violet...”

Tears dropped from Catherine's eyes. Violet stared at Ash and continued.

“And I don’t see why I must be branded as a fraud. You’re the one who lied. Why must I—”

Ash cut her off indignantly, “You know as well as I that dissolving the Royal House was what the people wanted. You heard the masses protesting at the gates daily, didn't you? How is any of that selfish?”

There was a reason Ash had to stop this divorce no matter what.

The Bloomings and Ash Lawrence were colluding together to steal the money Winter assigned to Violet. Winter didn't take the slightest interest in Violet's financial affairs, making this possible. And Winter didn’t know that Ash's royal status allowed him to reroute Violet's money through the bank without leaving any traces.

If Violet got her divorce, none of them would get any more of the money. It was in their best interest to bend her to their will and make her remain in her marriage.

Catherine and Ash regarded it as beneath them to actually hit someone. Aristocrats never beat their children even when they did something wrong. They chose to lock her inside a closet instead.

Ash politely made a request of Catherine.

“Lady Catherine, I’ll give my permission, so please set her on the right path using whatever means necessary. Please.”

Catherine nodded, “Violet. You must realize this punishment is for your own sake. You understand, right?”

“What in the world in that supposed to—”

Violet struggled to figure out what was going on. Two maids Catherine brought with her grabbed her and pushed her into the closet. Chains were wrapped around the handles, a lock set in place. Catherine spoke with a quivering voice.

“Do you know how much it hurts me whenever you act this way? You are practically my daughter. Think about your actions here until evening.”

Soon she could hear the two walking out of the room, the door closing.

All was silent.

Violet collapsed onto the floor in a sitting position.

She sat there for a long while, forehead leaning against the wall, and thought about death.

That reminded her of the day she attempted to end her own life.

That day, their bodies had been switched after she'd taken a whole bottle of sleeping pills.

Violet slowly opened her eyes. She was curled up in the closet.

She'd been banging at the doors and must have passed out. She pushed at the doors, and thankfully they opened.

The sun was setting.

Lacking the strength to walk, she sat there leaning against the closet for a long while. Her gaze traveled to the rose in the vase. The flower Winter had given her had wilted, but she'd put a similar rose in its place. She wanted to remember that she'd been gifted with a flower.

The flower reminded her of him.

“I do not hate you.”

She’d thought he was lying at the time, but she needed such lies right now.

Winter had come to realize Violet's terrible condition even better than she did herself after their body switch. Right now, all Violet wanted to do was talk to somebody about the hurt inside her. It didn’t matter to whom.

Determined to find him, she struggled out of the room.

To her relief, Winter had brought over a few people that might be of help to his business from the party. He was discussing something with them in their mansion.

He sat on a sofa, laid back with legs crossed. He smoked, talked about business, and at times grew irritable and swore.

The thought that was foremost in her mind was resentment.

How nice would it have been if he’d come home and looked for her first? If he’d walked away and say hello? He would have found her sitting in the closet, and this sadness would not be as unbearable.

She was going to try and ask him one more time. Ask him to stay by her side today, just for today.

Violet barely managed to assume a calm mask before walking over to them. Despite the crippling hurt inside her, she remembered her manners and gently nodded to the guests.

“I'm glad to see you all. Please enjoy yourselves.”

Everyone got up from their seats to greet her in return. Greeting over with, Violet called to Winter cautiously.

“Winter, could we talk?”

Winter replied in a low tone, “I'm in the middle of an important discussion.”

“I have something important to say, too. It's very...very important.”

“Wait for me in the bedroom. I’ll be up soon.”

Winter tried to be gentle because there were guests watching, but his tone was already slightly irritable. Violet pulled at his hand. “Please, we need to talk now.”

“I’m telling you, I’ll be up soon.” Winter pulled his hand out of Violet’s.

Violet stared at her hands without lowering them.

He’d pulled his hand out of hers on the day of their marriage, too. It’d taken a lot of courage for her to grab his hand then. His affairs always came first, and her having the courage to reach out for him only left her wretched.

Violet thought to herself that she probably would never be able to hold his hand properly. She slowly turned away.

She left the mansion immediately.

She had to participate in Duke Blooming’s birthday party tonight, which would probably last through the night. Ash or Catherine might come to her and demand to know why she hadn't come. But if there was any more burden on her fragile heart, she might break.