Anne kept telling her to capture Ruans’ heart. Without saying it, she herself wanted to capture his heart the most.

“Illina, shall I tell you an interesting story?”

But Ruans only cares about himself. Knowing that, she still gave him her heart.

“It’s a very interesting story Prince Ruans told me.”

She knows that even though she gave her whole heart, Ruans meets many women including Lorencia.

She forcibly tried to understand that it’s common for royalty or nobility to have mistresses.

“Aren’t you curious why Prince Ruans cares about me?”

“Don’t misunderstand a monster like you being given a little attention because there’s some use for you, Lorencia.”

“That’s right. Prince Ruans finally said I have a use. The very interesting story I’m about to tell is related to that.”

In fact, Illina couldn’t understand why Ruans cared so much about Lorencia. It was hard to watch him value the time spent with Lorencia more than the time with her. So she tearfully appealed to Ruans. But he said curtly in a calm voice.

She was always the one trying to be a valuable flower of high society for Ruans. She invested a lot of time to maintain that. Meanwhile, Ruans spent time happily with Lorencia.

When she felt empty despite her efforts, that emptiness would be filled when Ruans whispered sweet words in her ear.

Illina was jealous of Lorencia. So when Ruans left, she severely bullied Lorencia. But it didn’t satisfy her anger. She only felt empty.

“Prince Ruans knew that Lord Lorirolls would become my social dance teacher.”

“How could Prince Ruans know that? Only my mother and I knew about that.”

“That’s not the important part. Isn’t it important that Prince Ruans knows about the conversation only you and Lady Anne had in secret?”

Illina felt her anger rising. It was an absurd story.

“Prince Ruans told me. To develop a romantic relationship with Lord Lorirolls.”

“What? Don’t lie.”

For the first time, Illina felt like she shouldn’t listen to Lorencia’s story.

“I developed a romantic relationship with Lord Lorirolls as instructed. You don’t know how much Prince Ruans praised me for it, Illina.”

Illina wanted to cover both her ears with her hands. She felt like she was about to learn a truth she didn’t want to know.

“Prince Ruans threw the white glove at Lord Lorirolls as planned. The rumors spread badly, but look at now. The imperial citizens, ladies, and young ladies all praise you and Prince Ruans. Calling you the kind nobles and royals who helped an abused illegitimate child.”

Illina’s pupils shook violently.

“Prince Ruans said that since he used Lord Lorirolls as the villain, he needed a villainess too. He pondered who to use as the villainess. You know who was decided as the villainess, don’t you Illina? It’s Lady Anne.”

“Stop talking. Don’t try to drive a wedge between Prince Ruans and me.”

Illina, who had been muttering softly, started trembling.

“Illina, you said Lady Anne is going to the convent because of me. That’s not true. Prince Ruans wanted Lady Anne to go to the convent.”

“I told you to shut up!”

Knowing that Anne was going to the convent, she didn’t stop her social activities to maintain her position as the flower of high society as he wanted.

Ruans said to make good memories until Anne went to the convent. Only tears flowed.

“That’s right. Prince Ruans also said this.”

“Don’t say it.”

“Prince Ruans said it would be perfect if Lady Anne ended her life by herself in the convent.”

“Stop talking! Aah!”

Illina screamed and collapsed in her seat.

“The most interesting part is yet to come, and you don’t want to hear it?”

“I don’t want to hear it! How many times do I have to tell you to shut up!”

“Are you afraid of denying the truth you believed in? But you should know this too.”

“Please don’t say it. I’m begging you.”

“You’re not like yourself today, Illina. Could it be that you don’t want to hear about the plans related to Prince Ruans because you want to become the princess consort?”

In the end, Illina covered both her ears with her hands and tightly closed her eyes. And tears began to flow down her cheeks from her closed eyes.

“Illina. Do you want to marry a man who sent your birth mother to a convent? I’m sorry, but Prince Ruans has already decided on a princess consort. And that princess consort isn’t you.”

“Don’t try to drive us apart! Don’t lie! I’m… the flower of high society… and… of the Pol Heredian Count family… sob…”

Lorencia gazed at Illina with a bitter smile.

“Prince Ruans said that you’ll soon become useless like Lady Anne.”

Illina opened her eyes and met Lorencia’s gaze with her violet pupils. Illina wiped away her flowing tears with the back of her hand and stood up.

“That can’t be.”

“When you sent a letter to Lord Lorirolls. You wrote and sent it, remember?”

Illina’s complexion instantly turned pale blue. Her heart sank violently to the floor with a ‘thump’. Only after her heart had fallen to the floor did Illina realize. That she had fallen into a trap.

“How did you know that.”

“Prince Ruans told me. He said that everyone’s handwriting is different. He said Illina’s handwriting is so like you that it alone could be evidence later. But aren’t you curious, Illina?”

Lorencia smiled softly and tilted her head slightly to the right. Illina could see that her left cheek was red and swollen from being slapped.

“Aren’t you curious who has the letter you wrote to Lord Lorirolls?”

“It can’t be…”

Lorencia effectively cornered the mice through the future shown by the amethyst necklace.

Whether the cat wants the mouse or not doesn’t matter. What was important was to make the mouse think it was cornered because of the cat. A mouse with nowhere else to retreat will bite the cat. Will the mouse indeed bite the cat? If so, what will the cat bitten by the mouse do to the mouse?

“It can’t be. Surely Prince Ruans wouldn’t…”

Have that letter?

Illina, losing her authority and lowering her head, felt her heart crumbling.

“What you’re thinking is probably right, Illina.”

You must have been happy when you wrote and sent the letter to Lorirolls. You didn’t know that brief happiness would take everything away.

But even if she had known, it wouldn’t have mattered to Lorencia. She could have taken everything Illina had through other means anyway.

Lorencia looked down coldly at Illina, who had collapsed, and raised one corner of her mouth crookedly in satisfaction.

As Lorencia left the reception room, Teishar began anxiously pacing back and forth inside.

“You seem distressed, Duke Teishar.”

“I’m worried, Princess Charlotte. I think I should go get her.”

Teishar was already anxious about what the young tree he had just met would go through. When he learned that Lorencia had always been abused at the Pol Heredian Count’s residence and had been desperately holding her breath to survive, the devastation he felt was indescribable. He resented himself for not finding her sooner.

But now, someone from the family that had abused her had taken her away. The devastation washed over him again like a wave. Worry came rushing in like a storm.

“Duke Teishar. It’s unsettling, so please sit down first. This is inside the imperial palace, surely Lady Illina, the flower of high society, wouldn’t slap Lady Lorencia?”

“Princess Charlotte. I feel uneasy, as if I can’t digest.”

“I’m curious why Duke Teishar cares so much about Lady Lorencia. To be honest, I didn’t expect you to even wait on her.”

Teishar, who had been pacing around the reception room, immediately sat down on the sofa at Charlotte’s question.

“She is very precious and important to me.”

“Important? Please explain what you mean.”

Teishar sighed deeply, forgetting that it was behavior he shouldn’t do in front of Charlotte, a member of the imperial family.

“She is the last person our family must protect.”

“Please elaborate.”

“Lady Lorencia is the child of Goddess Ella that my father had been searching for so desperately.”

Charlotte was inwardly surprised at Teishar’s words. One of the topics that always came up in conversations between the former Duke Spencer and the Empress of the Polroid Empire was the child of Goddess Ella, and every time, her mother, the Empress, would sigh heavily.

“Are you talking about Musila, the child of Goddess Ella who disappeared 20 years ago?”

“That’s correct.”

“Surely… You don’t mean Lady Lorencia is Lady Musila?”

“When I spoke with her, she didn’t seem to know she was the child of Goddess Ella. And the characteristic of Lady Musila that I heard from my father was indigo eyes, but Lady Lorencia has violet eyes. It seems she might be Lady Musila’s daughter.”

“Even though the characteristics are different, how did you recognize her as the child of Goddess Ella, Duke Teishar?”

“I will explain in detail later.”

Only the red eyes of the Spencer family could identify the child of Goddess Ella. That’s why the former Duke Spencer had passed on his title to his son Teishar early and traveled throughout the entire empire. But he couldn’t find a single strand of Musila’s hair.