Illina did not take a single step out of the room. No, she couldn’t. It was the first time she realized how scary people’s gazes and finger-pointing could be. Tears welled up in her eyes. In such a difficult moment, the person who came to her mind was Ruans, but he was not by her side.

“It’s unfair. I didn’t kill Lorirolls.”

Lorencia’s words came to mind. That monster’s words made no sense. It was impossible. Isn’t that right! She had confirmed her feelings with Ruans, and they had become true lovers.

Ruans would never abandon her, but when the letter was revealed, Lorencia’s words began to fill her head with the thought, “What if it’s true?”

Knock, knock, just then, someone knocked on the door. It was the butler Adon.

“His Highness Prince Ruans has arrived.”

Adon spoke to Illina in an urgent voice. His words made Illina smile.

“Really?”

“Yes, young lady.”

Ruans had not abandoned her and had come to see her. She felt relieved. Her heart was pounding. She had to pour out all her grievances to him.

Illina took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled. She wiped away the constantly flowing tears with both hands. She looked in the mirror and patted her face. Perhaps because she had been crying, she looked haggard.

She had to discuss with him how to escape the current situation. And she had to whisper her love in his ear.

“Please tell His Highness to wait a little while.”

“I was already trying to buy time for you to get ready, but he has already come to the door.”

“What?”

Illina became anxious when she heard Ruans calling her from outside the door.

“Your Highness. I’m a bit shabby at the moment.”

“It’s alright, Lady Illina. I want to see you soon, so please open the door. No, I’ll open the door and come in.”

“No, you can’t.”

Ruans opened the door despite Illina saying he couldn’t.

“I’m embarrassed because I haven’t dressed up.”

Ruans said it was okay to Illina, who had her back turned. When Adon closed the door and left, Illina carefully turned her head to look at him.

“Come here, Illina.”

As soon as she saw Ruans with his arms open towards her, Illina ran into his arms.

“I missed you so much.”

Illina’s face, looking up at Ruans’ face as she embraced him, was full of joy. She was so happy that Ruans had heard about her situation and had come to see her. This confirmed it.

Everything Lorencia had told her was a lie. Ruans would never do that. It was absurd.

Illina shook her head. She shouldn’t believe what Lorencia said. She just had to capture Ruans’ heart, as Anne had told her, and have a happy ending.

“Ru.”

“Lady Illina.”

Illina’s face subtly stiffened. They had agreed to call each other by pet names when they were alone. But he didn’t call her by her pet name.

Even though she didn’t want to think about it, Lorencia’s words came to mind again.

“I knew you would come.”

“I don’t know where to start, but there’s something I need to say first.”

“What is it, Your Highness Prince Ruans?”

“Lady Illina. Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

She couldn’t understand at all. Illina tilted her head at Ruans’ unexpected words. She was engulfed in a strange sense of unease.

“I’m talking about Lorirolls.”

Illina clenched her fists tightly. She couldn’t understand at all. Lorencia’s words kept swirling around in her head.

“Do you believe the false rumors that I killed Lorirolls?”

“The rumors aren’t important. What’s important is that the letter you sent to Lorirolls has been revealed.”

Ruans laughed out loud as if he was happy that the letter had been revealed. Illina’s lips trembled at the absurdity that welled up at the sight.

“It’s true that I sent the letter, but I was never involved in Lorirolls’ death.”

“If you don’t know what’s important right now, let me tell you.”

Illina stared at Ruans, who was smiling brightly. He was truly smiling. Her heart sank with a thud.

“People already think of you as the villainess who killed Lorirolls.”

“I’m being wronged, Your Highness Prince Ruans.”

“Well, why did you send a letter to that pervert telling him to attack Lorencia? You know, I hate it more than anything when my possessions are dirtied by someone else’s hands. But you did what I hate the most.”

“That’s…”

“Let’s say you committed an accidental murder to retrieve the letter you sent him.”

Illina couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“I didn’t kill him.”

“If I say it’s decided, then it’s decided.”

“It’s been decided?”

Lorencia’s words messed with her head again.

“Could it be that you killed Lorirolls, Your Highness Prince Ruans?”

She should have asked if he was pinning the crime on her because of that, but the words wouldn’t leave her lips. She was afraid of the truth.

“I didn’t kill him. Do you think I’m crazy enough to kill that dirty pervert?”

Throughout, Ruans’ eyes sparkled like a child who had discovered an amusing toy.

“Even if I had killed him, there’s no way I would be named as the culprit, and you know that better than anyone, Illina.”

“That’s right.”

“To be honest, I didn’t kill Lorirolls. I just told Her Majesty the Queen Mother to have that pervert who humiliated me on the day of the honor duel killed brutally, and he ended up dead.”

His once sweet voice changed to a sneering tone, piercing Illina’s ears.

“I was already a bit concerned because His Highness Prince Adrian had volunteered to catch the culprit, but when the letter you wrote to that pervert was revealed, you were identified as the culprit in the murder case of that trash Lorirolls.”

Ruans took a big step closer to Illina. He tapped her cheek and lifted one corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Think about who brought this upon themselves, both the death of that trash Lorirolls and what’s happening now. It’s you, Lady Illina.”

“I didn’t kill him!”

“You have sufficient motive to kill Lorirolls, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“So, why did you let things get to this point? Why did you make me have an honor duel with that dirty piece of trash Lorirolls?”

“I didn’t know it would turn out this way either.”

“You didn’t know it would turn out this way? But since it did, you have to be punished. Right?”

Illina gritted her teeth and wept. It felt like the world she had believed in was slowly disappearing from beneath her feet. The tears that had wet her cheeks gathered at the tip of her chin and fell to the floor.

“I also took some of the jewels that Lorirolls had in order to make it look like he was killed by a robber.”

With an excited expression, Ruans placed various colored jewels, from diamonds onward, on the table.

“If these jewels are found in your room, the investigation into the murder of that trash Lorirolls will be over, right?”

“Please don’t do this.”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t have done this, Illina. Why did you let things get to this point? I’m so disappointed.”

Illina began to cry at Ruans’ words, her shoulders heaving.

“You know, I prefer dogs to cats. The reason is that I like obedient dogs that wag their tails and say it’s okay no matter what their owner does. A dog loves its owner unconditionally. It never betrays.”

Illina looked at his emerald eyes with trembling eyes.

Ruans grabbed Illina’s hair as she was crying and kissed her lips.

“I have something to say.”

Illina wept even more despairingly. And then she wiped away her tears.

“I met Lorencia not too long ago.”

“Lorencia? Go on, tell me.”

“Lorencia asked me to tell you that she loves you, Your Highness Prince Ruans.”

Ruans laughed even wider, his mouth ripping. He was in a good mood at the thought of Lorencia, who had conveyed her love without changing her mind even while beside Teishar.

“Thank you for relaying the message. But are you going to keep crying? What’s making you so sad?”

Illina had no idea she would feel this betrayed. Lorencia’s words kept repeating in her head.

“Lady Anne also took responsibility for what she did. You can do the same, Lady Illina. It’s not difficult.”

Each and every word he spoke was so sincere that Illina couldn’t stop her tears.

“Lady Illina. Come here.”

Ruans gently stroked Illina’s tear-reddened cheek with a slow hand. Then he firmly wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Your face is a mess, perhaps from crying so much, Illina.”

Ruans lightly kissed Illina’s forehead with his red lips. Then he began to chuckle. Unlike his lifted mouth corners, his emerald eyes showed no emotion. There was a sense of incongruity in his smiling face.

“You’ll miss my embrace for a while. So I’ll hold you a lot before then.”

Ruans pointed to the bed in the room, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“You’re going to embrace me in this situation?”

Illina looked at Ruans in dismay.

“Because it’s a situation like this, I’m embracing you, Illina.”

One by one, the buttons on Ruans’ uniform collar began to come undone. Illina’s face turned deathly pale. She couldn’t understand his words and actions at all.

“I’ll make you forget all your painful experiences, at least in this moment when you’re in my arms.”

Ruans, hugging Illina, raised his chin and exhaled roughly. Then his voice gradually gained strength.

“You want me too, Illina? Say it. Say you want me.”

Ruans slowly began to pull down the shoulder straps of Illina’s dress. He kissed the exposed round shoulders.