Lorirolls regretted it. No matter how much money or women were offered.

He should not have gotten involved with the Count Pol Heredian family. What use was there in sighing and regretting now? It was of no use. He just felt utterly hopeless.

The family’s reputation that had already fallen to the ground showed no signs of recovery, and all the family businesses had gone bankrupt. If he didn’t drink, he couldn’t bear the current reality. He was too scared to run away. It was because of Lorencia.

Honestly, he had thought about running away countless times, but the last words Lorencia said to him made his skin crawl, making it impossible to leave the mansion.

“Goodness can be hidden by faults, but faults cannot be hidden by any goodness, Lord Lorirolls.”

“What do you mean?”

“You might have been able to cover up Miss Sophie’s affair somehow. But Lord Lorirolls’ current situation cannot be hidden by any goodness.”

“How do you know about Sophie?”

“Does it matter how I know? Isn’t the upcoming duel of honor more important?”

“Cancel it quickly, you monster!”

“As a monster, let me give you one warning. Don’t send a substitute for the duel of honor or abandon all honor and run away. And on the day of the duel…”

Lorirolls’ brown eyes trembled, holding a very anxious light as if suppressing fear. Unable to bear the anxiety, he reached for alcohol and drank. He couldn’t endure it otherwise.

“There’s no way I can win against Prince Ruans in a duel of honor!”

How could an illegitimate child who supposedly lived confined in the count’s mansion know about Sophie’s affair? No, being a monster, she might have the power to read minds. Thinking that way, goosebumps kept rising all over his body. He wanted to run away, but what if he got caught after running?

Lorencia had promised to use him moderately and break up if necessary. He knew he had to wait, but he was scared.

“Come to think of it, I fell into a trap from the beginning.”

It was suspicious that the Pol Heredian count family officially adopted such an ugly and plain illegitimate child. Most female illegitimate children are adopted for political marriages. Of course, they need to be beautiful in face and figure.

But Lorencia was clearly not adopted for political marriage purposes, as anyone could see. It was evident that they used him to confirm whether she could use the monster’s power or not.

“Damn it!”

Lorirolls felt anger rising more than fear or anxiety at the thought of being used. Even though he was at the bottom of social circles, he felt it was unfair to be used like this.

“I’m dead either way.”

As Lorirolls, who had drunk the alcohol in the bottle in one go, wiped the spilled drink from his mouth with the back of his hand, the door to his room burst open with a bang. It was Adrian and Lanslon.

“Crown Prince Adrian, Your Highness!”

“I’m sorry for the sudden visit, Lord Lorirolls.”

“Not at all, Your Highness.”

Lorirolls prostrated himself flat on the floor as soon as he saw Adrian.

“There’s no need to prostrate yourself like that, Lord Lorirolls.”

Lorirolls stood up staggering and hiccupped.

“There was no one in the mansion.”

“That’s because as rumors of this incident spread, our businesses went bankrupt one after another. So most of the servants working in the mansion quit.”

Adrian and Lanslon slightly furrowed their brows at the smell of alcohol coming from Lorirolls every time he spoke, but then smiled sadly at his words.

“What brings Your Highness the Crown Prince here?”

Lorirolls asked, watching Adrian’s expression.

“Lady Lorencia asked me to tell you that she would break up if you hand over just one letter.”

Color returned to Lorirolls’ face. But soon it turned pale blue.

“I have never exchanged letters with Lady Lorencia, Your Highness. I wonder what letter she wants me to hand over…”

Adrian approached Lorirolls closely with curved eyes and a gentle smile, whispering affectionately in his ear.

“But you must have one. A letter from the Pol Heredian family…”

Adrian smiled slightly as he recalled Lorencia’s words before leaving.

“Right now, Illina is the flower of social circles. But the flower of social circles that Illina has built now is like a castle on sand. It can collapse even with weak waves.”

The person who has established herself as the central figure in the current social circles is Lady Illina of the Count Pol Heredian family. Despite her young age, she was leading the noble women at balls, banquets, and tea parties with vast funds and influence.

So it was difficult for Charlotte, who had just started to establish her position in the Isuter social circles, to become the flower of social circles.

“So what letter do you want me to bring? What does that letter have to do with the flower of social circles, Lady Lorencia?”

“If you read that letter, you will understand my meaning, Your Highness.”

“Alright. I’ll go get the letter Lady Lorencia wants myself.”

“Right now, Illina is deeply immersed in the role of a kind younger sister taking care of her poor illegitimate older sister. Of course, she’s solid as the flower of social circles. But if there’s just a letter written to Lord Lorirolls, we can bring down Illina’s solid castle built on sand. And it can be collapsed with just a small wave.”

For a moment, her words sent chills down his spine. No matter how he thought about it, this was not a plan that could be devised by someone who had been confined.

“What does Lady Lorencia gain by creating this situation and changing the flower of social circles?”

“Of course, I’m doing this because there’s something to gain.”

“What is it?”

“My life.”

Lorencia said it was to save her own life. It was an unexpected answer.

“Even with the status of a lowly illegitimate child, I wish to live. To be honest, I do not want to live. But before my mother passed away, she told me to live. Saying that someday, an opportunity to live a normal life would surely come. And I thought that opportunity had arrived, so I created this situation to seize it. And I’m offering the position of the flower of social circles as the price for my life.”

Lorencia’s low voice, answering calmly, felt like that of someone who had experienced the very depths of life. In her words expressing her desire to live, not a hint of falsehood could be detected.

Above all, Teishar, sitting beside Lorencia, was greatly moved and saddened by her words.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. I would like you to stop questioning Lady Lorencia now.”

There was much he wanted to ask, but Teishar glared at him and Charlotte fiercely, like a mother cat protecting her kittens. So he could not question further.

Adrian continued to ask Lorirolls about the letter. Although he disliked even talking to a drunk person, he endured the foul smell of alcohol to obtain the letter.

“If it’s a letter from the Pol Heredian family…”

Lorirolls, dizzy from the effects of alcohol, struck his head with a ‘thud’ as he struggled to remember. Then he recalled the first letter Illina had sent.

He clearly remembered putting it in his desk drawer.

“There is a letter.”

Staggering to the desk, Lorirolls opened the drawer and began searching frantically. He then handed both letters sent by Illina to Adrian.

“Here they are.”

Adrian, receiving the letters, confirmed even the seal of the Pol Heredian family on the envelope.

“With this, I have indeed been rejected by Lady Lorencia, correct? Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“If the letters are genuine, then yes, you have been rejected. Congratulations on your separation.”

“Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Those letters are certainly from the Count Pol Heredian family. They were indeed sent by Lady Illina…”

Lorirolls, trailing off, widely raised the corners of his mouth before slowly lowering them. He had just begun to think that with those letters, he could change his reputation in any way. But the letters were already safely folded in Adrian’s possession.

“Judging by your face, it seems you’ve realized how important these letters are, Lord Lorirolls.”

“That’s…”

Adrian smiled leisurely. Lorirolls could not give any answer. He just stood there motionless.

After leaving the Stopu mansion, Adrian took out the letters Illina had sent to Lorirolls, which he had carefully folded inside his clothes, and read them. The letters contained requests for Lorencia’s debutante escort and first dance, and asked for social dance lessons.

Along with a promise to compensate well for the lessons, Lorencia’s personal details were written in detail. Lorencia’s small stature and frail body. Even saying that she would do anything she was told.

The contents of the letters were shocking to Adrian. Only after reading them did he fully understand what Lorencia had said.

“It wasn’t just Lady Anne who was abusing her. And these letters are indeed not just a small wave.”

It’s a very big wave.

Adrian felt utterly disgusted thinking of Illina, who was playing the role of a kind younger sister taking care of Lorencia in front of people.

Adrian sighed and folded Illina’s letters, putting them back inside his clothes.

“Lord Lanslon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“If I become emperor, I must establish laws regarding illegitimate children.”

“Your Highness. Illegitimate children are evidence of adultery. There could be strong opposition from noble ladies.”

“The sin of adultery cannot be the sin of the illegitimate child. Overlapping the born illegitimate child with adultery is merely an excuse to vent anger. It’s not like the illegitimate child wanted to be born.”

“You speak true.”

“This incident with Lady Lorencia has made me judge that illegitimate children also need protection.”

Her skeletal thin body and gaunt cheeks. One could tell how much she had been abused and starved. That’s why he said nothing when Teishar attended to Lorencia.

“My thinking was shallow, Your Highness Adrian.”

“No. Lord Lanslon’s words are also correct. Changing people’s minds is not easy. Every time they see an illegitimate child, the result of adultery, noble ladies will inevitably feel anger rising. So let’s find a way. A way that will hurt both noble ladies and illegitimate children less.”

Lanslon smiled. Adrian had the talent of speaking lightly about heavy subjects. But he is a man who knows the weight of words. So he takes responsibility for every word he utters. That’s why Lanslon looks forward to Adrian’s future words spoken lightly. Although he will have many words to take responsibility for, it was clear that the empire would become more peaceful because of it.

“Will you help me? Lord Lanslon.”

“Of course, Your Highness Adrian. I will stand with you.”