Ruans and Lorirolls, engaged in a duel over a woman. The story of their duel began to spread in an instant. A tale of two men fighting over a woman is a romantic story to anyone who hears it. But the problem was that one of the two men was Lorirolls.
Not a single person in high society is unaware that Lorirolls likes any woman who wears a skirt. The man fighting this pervert is Ruans von Isuter, the second prince of the Isuter Empire.
People were shocked. The worst rumor began to circulate that Ruans had the same inclinations as Lorirolls. People began to whisper in unison that they had no idea Ruans had such perverse sexual preferences like Lorirolls.
The rumor began to grow beyond control. And people were curious about who the woman was that these two perverts liked. Naturally, attention began to focus on who the illegitimate child of Count Pol Heredian was.
[This is the timeline separator]Anne received a letter. As soon as she read it, she ran into Lorencia’s room, unable to contain her bewilderment. She had already been severely scolded by Brant because Ruans was dueling to protect Lorencia’s honor.
She opened the door roughly with a bang! Lorencia was gently stroking a black cat in her arms with the back of her hand.
“Leo. Go down for a moment.”
-Meow!
Leo, who had been growling at Anne, raised his tail straight up and gracefully leaped from Lorencia’s arms. Seeing this, Anne vowed to catch and kill that black cat as she glared at Lorencia.
“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Becoming lovers with Lord Lorirolls wasn’t because you really liked him!”
“I told you, Madam Anne. Don’t cause accidents that can’t be fixed.”
“You monster.”
No matter what Anne said, Lorencia started to hum happily.
“You couldn’t imagine it either, could you, Madam Anne? Neither could I. I really had no idea Prince Ruans liked me that much. Even being so jealous.”
Lorencia looked at Anne and smirked. Anne couldn’t stand it. She grabbed Lorencia’s collar even tighter.
“Not just a monster-like girl, Lorencia, you’re a real monster. A very terrible one at that.”
Anne had never wanted this situation. She just wanted Lorirolls to leave an indelible scar on Lorencia. But far from being scarred, Lorencia had become the illegitimate child drawing attention in high society.
“Do you know how much trouble our Illina is in because of you?”
Illina, active as the flower of high society, was struggling with a barrage of questions every time she went to tea parties and gatherings, asking ‘How young and pretty must she be for Prince Ruans and Lord Lorirolls to be so devoted?’
Anne never wanted this situation. She only wanted Lorencia to be hurt. She didn’t want Illina to have a hard time.
“Do you know how ridiculous I’ve become because of you?”
“Why were you even born? You should have died with your mother. Why are you alive!”
“The reason I could be born was because father’s love was transmitted to mother’s womb, and as a result, I was conceived in mother’s womb…”
Anne screamed, shrieking. Anne, who had been grabbing Lorencia’s collar, raised her right hand high. And she slapped Lorencia’s cheek mercilessly several times.
“Don’t wrap it up with the word love. You’re just evidence of dirty adultery, a dirty impurity of Pol Heredian.”
Lorencia knows too. Her late mother never once spoke of Brant.
So she could sense that she wasn’t born from ordinary love.
That her mother’s love was absolute and that’s why she could be born. That it was a ‘miracle’ born of love. That it had nothing to do with Brant. Even if others pointed fingers and called her an ‘illegitimate child’ or a ‘monster’, it was okay.
If it could be love and a miracle to just one person, that was enough.
If she didn’t think like that, honestly, it would be unbearable.
“But what can we do? The things you tried to do to that impurity are completely out of control?”
“Clean up the mess you made yourself.”
“Do I really need to clean it up?”
“Do it before I kill that kitten!”
Anne’s voice grew louder.
“I have a condition in exchange for cleaning it up.”
“If the condition is to spare the kitten’s life, that’s fine. What more conditions do you need?”
“Honestly, kill the kitten if you want to. But you’ll have to deal with the aftermath of the kitten’s death on your own.”
The smile disappeared completely from Lorencia’s lips. Anne released her grip on Lorencia’s collar.
“Speak. I’ll grant your condition.”
“It’s not much to call it a condition.”
“It’s not much, but there’s a condition? Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”
“You just need to admit the truth. That will allow Prince Ruans to escape the rumors.”
“The truth?”
Anne felt like her breath was suddenly cut off.
“Just let people know the truth as it is. The illegitimate child was starved and beaten. Prince Ruans, who was Illina’s lover, took pity on this and persuaded Count Pol Heredian to adopt the illegitimate child as the count’s daughter. Yet Madam Anne continued to torment the illegitimate child, and conspired with Lord Lorirolls to forcibly take advantage of me, but Prince Ruans, who happened to visit the mansion, learned of this fact, rescued me, and challenged to a duel to protect my honor. Isn’t that the perfect truth?”
Anne absolutely did not want people to know these facts.
“Why are you like this? If you tell a slightly embellished truth, Prince Ruans will become a kind-hearted prince who helped a struggling illegitimate child, and people’s fondness for him will increase.”
“Say something that makes sense.”
“If I lament this embellished truth to people before the duel at the imperial training grounds, Madam Anne and Lord Lorirolls will be ruined in high society, but at least the rumors about Prince Ruans will disappear.”
“Is that your condition?”
“My condition is not to tell the truth, but…”
Lorencia smiled brightly.
“For Madam Anne to become the most wicked villainess in the Isuter Empire. A villainess who will go down in history. That’s my condition.”
-Meow.
Anne, startled by Leo’s cry, slightly lowered her head and trembled. Leo, who had somehow approached Lorencia’s feet again, began to cry for her to hold him, rubbing his head. Lorencia opened her arms and picked up Leo. She slowly stroked Leo’s head with the back of her hand.
“The more you become the worst villainess, the better Prince Ruans’s reputation will become among people.”
Lorencia recalled Anne and Illina, who had once stepped on her to raise their own reputations. They used her as bait to torment her. When they had no one else to bully, they stepped on her. They made her into a villainess to be cursed at in order to appear kind themselves.
“Lorencia. You really are a monster. A monster like you should have been killed long ago.”
Lorencia tightly grasped the fabric of her dress over her left chest. She opened her mouth, seemingly displeased, towards Anne who calmly called her a monster.
“It was you who wanted me to be a monster more than anyone else.”
“I never wanted you to be a monster. Lorencia, you were originally a one-of-a-kind monster in this world. An impure, unpleasant, dirty monster.”
Anne slightly raised one corner of her mouth and smiled. But her eyes remained filled with an ominous light.
At that moment, the door opened and Ruans entered.
“Lorencia. Come here.”
As Ruans extended his hand and beckoned, Lorencia put Leo down on the floor and stood beside Ruans.
“Good. You did well. This is how you should come when I call and go when I say. Understand?”
“Yes, Prince Ruans.”
With cheeks flushed beneath the dark bruise around her eye, Lorencia smiled shyly. Ruans looked down at her with satisfaction.
“Did you tell her? Lorencia.”
“Yes. But it seems she doesn’t like the condition. Surely, only by doing this will Your Highness’s reputation improve, but it seems Madam Anne doesn’t want to do it.”
Ruans’s irritated gaze turned towards Anne.
“Madam Anne. It would be best for you to accept Lorencia’s condition.”
For a moment, it felt like cold water had been poured over her head. Anne clutched at her dress skirt as if clawing at it. She looked at Ruans with a distorted smile.
“Prince Ruans. But.”
“My maternal grandfather said that if by any chance you don’t do as Lorencia says, he might send Illina as the 13th concubine of the king of the western desert.”
Anne bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Ruans’s maternal grandfather, Duke Greikan, is more than capable of doing such a thing. He is displeased that his daughter did not formally become the empress and that his grandson Ruans did not become the crown prince.
Anne’s own family and the Pol Heredian count’s family have received much help from Duke Greikan’s family. They have many weaknesses in their hands. That’s why they have no choice but to follow. It was a relationship they couldn’t escape from the beginning.
“Don’t worry about Madam Anne’s family and Illina.”
“As if I have the right to choose anyway?”
“I’ll make sure you can go to a comfortable convent.”
It’s called a convent, but it’s no different from a prison.
“I’ve heard that quite a few people end their own lives due to the harsh life in convents, but I hope Madam Anne will endure convent life well.”
For a moment, Anne’s mind went blank. Unless one is a fool ignorant of the ways of the world, one would understand the meaning of Ruans’s words.
“No, right? Prince Ruans.”
“What do you mean?”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask if he was hinting that she should end her own life in the convent. If that was his intention, she would absolutely not die and would survive to the end.
“Please take good care of Illina.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Madam Anne. I’m not happy about this situation either. You see, if you hadn’t crossed the line, it wouldn’t have come to this. It’s a bit regrettable. Anyway, I wish you luck.”
Ruans spoke as if he were quite a generous person. Anne felt empty. She was already worried about who would take good care of Illina when neither she nor Julie would be there.
“Let me give you one piece of advice, Prince Ruans.”
Anne pointed her finger at Lorencia.
“You must kill that monster once you’re done using her.”
If not, you will be devoured by the monster. Even Illina.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
