Adun was so unfamiliar with Julie’s appearance as she spoke about Lorencia.

Adun begged Julie to come back to the count’s estate for Ilina’s sake, but Julie was not persuaded. Rather, she even uttered incomprehensible words telling her to run away when the monster showed mercy.

There was no way to persuade her.

After meeting Julie and returning, Adun received a letter from the imperial palace. The letter was from Lorencia to Ilina.

Adun climbed the stairs in one breath to deliver the letter to Ilina. In front of Ilina’s room, he lightly dusted off his uniform. After checking the envelope, knife to tear it, and letter once more on the silver tray, Adun straightened his posture, knocked twice, and said, “It’s Adun.”

There was no answer from inside the room. Adun knocked three more times in a row. And when he said, “A letter has arrived from the imperial palace” on the last knock, Ilina’s answer of “Come in” was soon heard from inside the room.

He opened the door handle and carefully entered. Ilina’s face had become so haggard that it was unspeakable since he last saw her.

Adun handed Ilina the silver tray with the envelope, knife, and letter on it.

Ilina looked at the letter Adun placed. And without using the knife to tear the envelope, she tore it open irritably and read it. After reading the letter, Ilina turned her gaze to Adun.

“You said it came from the imperial palace?”

“Yes, Lady Ilina.”

She tore the letter she was holding and irritably threw it on the floor. Looking at the letter pieces scattering like snow, the corners of Ilina’s mouth slowly rose.

“How dare a monster ignore my words.”

Ilina’s pale face began to turn bright red. Her life as the flower of high society. Her happy days with Ruans. Her fun days with Julie. Her kind father. Her beloved mother. Everything was a mess.

No matter how much she thought about it, the cause of everything becoming a mess was that monster, ‘Lorencia’.

“I’ll bring her back to the count’s estate no matter what and make her live more miserably than before.”

Until the monster that doesn’t know its place knows its place.

The reception room Ilina entered, guided by the maid after coming to the imperial palace, was cozy. A tea table was set on the thick rug laid in the center. As Ilina sat on the sofa, an attendant brought in a trolley and lightly arranged snacks, various fruits, and drinkable cocoa on the table.

Soon after, Lorencia entered the reception room with Teishar’s escort.

Ilina glared fiercely at Lorencia. Teishar looked down at Ilina coldly and was on guard.

“Have you been well? Ilina.”

Lorencia, sitting on the opposite sofa, said cheerfully.

“Now you have to go back to the count’s estate, Lorencia.”

Ilina spoke, suppressing her rising irritation.

“Oh dear. I have no intention of going back to the count’s estate.”

“Have you forgotten that the place you should be is not the imperial palace but the count’s estate?”

Lorencia laughed lightly at Ilina’s provocative words.

“So, the thing is, Prince Ruans ordered me to do something.”

“Ordered you to do something?”

“His Highness Prince Ruans told me to make public the letter you sent to Viscount Lorirolls.”

“Make the letter public? You can’t do that!”

“You know that Viscount Lorirolls is dead, right?”

“I heard he was murdered by a robber who broke into the mansion. But what does that have to do with the letter?”

“The reason Viscount Lorirolls died wasn’t because of a robber who broke into the mansion, as you heard. That’s not the truth.”

“What do you want to say to me? Why do you keep bringing up that dead pervert!”

“The real culprit who killed Viscount Lorirolls will be you, Ilina.”

“What nonsense are you saying? Why would I be the culprit?”

“That’s what Prince Ruans wants. Don’t tell me you forgot? Who wanted Viscount Lorirolls to be the villain and Lady Anne to be the villainess in the honor duel incident?”

Ilina also knew. Because when she sent someone to Viscount Lorirolls and asked who he gave the ‘letter’ to, she clearly heard the answer was the prince.

But she couldn’t ask Ruans. She was afraid to hear a ‘yes’ from him. She was frightened.

The moment she asked, she felt like she would be abandoned.

Ilina believed in the love Ruans whispered, but she spent every day anxiously due to her uneasiness. Even when she received praise and acclaim from others, she couldn’t walk around with her shoulders back like before. She was so anxious and afraid of when the ‘letter’ would be made public. The moment the letter was made public, she would lose her honor. A noble who loses their honor is as good as dead.

“How do I become the culprit if the letter is made public?”

“The culprit’s motive was that they had to find the letter sent to Viscount Lorirolls.”

“You said Prince Ruans wanted me to become the culprit?”

“Think about it. The Pol Heredian family’s business is failing, Lady Anne is dead, and you’ve stepped down from your position as the flower of high society. Does Prince Ruans really need you, Ilina?”

“That’s not true. Don’t try to drive a wedge between us!”

“To tell you the truth, Prince Ruans killed Viscount Lorirolls because he lost the honor duel. He made it look like a robber did it, but because His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Adrian is trying to catch the culprit himself, it seems the case isn’t easily concluded. So what he came up with is to frame you, Ilina, for the murder of Viscount Lorirolls. If he killed him because of the letter and to silence him about the letter, there’s sufficient motive.”

“No. He said he loves me. There’s no way he’d abandon me.”

“Ilina. I love you too.”

Lorencia said kindly.

“Don’t lie!”

“I sincerely forgave you for severely tormenting me, and decided to love you.”

Ilina’s body trembled.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“That’s because I’m the ‘hammer’ that strikes down the head of the hunting dog.”

“Hammer?”

“In short, you’re Prince Ruans’ hunting dog, Ilina.”

Ilina shook her head.

“The hunting dog Ilina barks and hunts for its master, and gets hurt. The hunting dog might think its master will take care of it because it’s hurt, but the master wants to boil the damn dog that can’t even hunt because it’s hurt in a pot. The hunting dog doesn’t know that, and seeing the pot, it will mistakenly think the master is boiling meat for it, and wag its tail until right before it dies.”

“You’re saying I’m a hunting dog?”

“Yes. I’m the hammer that strikes down the head of the hunting dog for Prince Ruans.”

Ilina glared fiercely at Lorencia.

“Will the hunting dog that realizes it has been betrayed bite its master before going into the pot? Or will it obediently go into the pot?”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“By the way, Prince Ruans said in response to my question that he would strike the hunting dog dead with the hammer and then put it in the pot.”

“I’m not some hunting dog. I’m his lover. I believe in Prince Ruans’ love for me.”

All she wanted was the ending where Ruans became the crown prince, she became the crown princess, and they lived happily ever after.

“Love won’t take responsibility for your life, Ilina. Not even your honor and life.”

Ilina shouted at her to leave and threw the fruit on the table at Lorencia.

Teishar lightly caught the thrown fruit, cupped Lorencia’s cheeks with his hands, and examined her face from side to side.

“Fortunately, you’re not hurt anywhere.”

“There’s no way I would be hurt. The Duke blocked it…”

Lorencia smiled and reached out to Teishar’s face, lightly grasping his reddened cheek.

“Thank you for blocking it, Duke Spencer.”

Teishar’s gaze turned to Ilina. Ilina, whose gaze met his anger-filled bright red eyes, glared at him and bit her lower lip so hard it bled.

“If you harm Lorencia one more time, I will not stand idly by in the name of the Spencer Duchy, Pol Heredian family’s daughter.”

Ilina’s gaze, full of hostility, slowly turned towards Lorencia.

“What would a monster like you know? Do you even know what love is? I believe in Prince Ruans’ love. It’s my everything, and I’ve staked my all on that love.”

“Ilina. Just as you said, I’m the hideous monster that doesn’t know love.”

“I thought you forgot you were a monster living in the imperial palace, but I’m glad you know your place.”

Ilina sneered.

“But Ilina. Do you know that monster can become as cruel as it wants?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you curious? How cruel the monster that doesn’t know love, as you said, can become.”

Ilina’s face stiffened. Seeing that, Lorencia gave a small smile.

“Why are you making such a frightened expression? It’s unlike you, Ilina.”

“Isn’t it enough if you’re taking revenge on me? Why are you doing this to me!”

“You think I took revenge on you? Ilina. I don’t want to take revenge or anything like that.”

“Don’t lie.”

At her words, the smile disappeared from Lorencia’s face.

“Ilina. I never did anything to you. Think about it.”

“What do you want me to think about?”

“I never harmed you. Rather, you abused me. Did you forget?”

“No, if only you didn’t exist, if only that filthy bastard child wasn’t born! This wouldn’t have happened to me. You’re the cause of all my misfortunes, Lorencia.”

Ilina insisted stubbornly, as if refusing to acknowledge Lorencia’s words.