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Chapter 58
To Lord Rory Rolls
It all began because of Duke Greycan’s insatiable greed.
As he amassed more and more power and wealth, some nobles began to fear what would happen if his daughter, Lady Pellena, were to become empress. It would be like “attaching wings to a lion,” they said—too much power in one place.
Thus, Emperor Adolph was urged to take a wife from a powerless baron’s family: Ines.
Soon after becoming empress, Ines became pregnant and gave birth to Adrian.
But Duke Daniel Greycan did not back down. By any means necessary, he managed to send Pellena into the imperial harem as a concubine. Adolph had no choice but to accept her, though he never liked her.
Even so, on their very first night together, Pellena conceived Ruance.
“Even if he was born from a concubine I never wanted, he is still my son. I meant to protect him no matter what.”
“Your Majesty…”
Adolph grimaced at the news of the disastrous duel between Ruance and Lord Rory Rolls. Ruance had utterly disgraced the royal name.
“I hear Lady Pellena is taking Prince Ruance down to the Greycan territory for a while.”
“Leaving on the very day we are to punish Countess Paul Heredian? How thoughtless.”
Adolph clicked his tongue.
“Ines, don’t overextend yourself with this trial.”
“I’m not overdoing it, Your Majesty. Don’t worry.”
In the nobility, abusing or even killing a bastard child was rarely punished. Normally, Lady Anne wouldn’t be charged at all for her abuse of Lorentia. But everything changed the moment Ruance threw down the white glove to challenge Rory Rolls to a duel of honor.
Rumors first spread of a filthy love triangle, dragging the imperial family’s name through the mud.
Ines agonized over how to clean up the scandal and, unwillingly, met with Pellena.
“Let’s pin all the blame on Lady Anne and have her punished. That will save the family’s dignity, don’t you think?”
Pellena had said it so easily.
“You say that as if it were simple. Prince Ruance is lovers with Lady Illina, Count Paul Heredian’s daughter—and you want to punish her mother?”
“Lady Illina is just a lover, not a crown princess. It doesn’t matter if you punish her mother.”
“Ruance already plays with too many of his ‘toys.’ He might slip and get hurt tripping over one.”
Ines warned her. She knew well that Ruance regularly met both courtesans and noble daughters. The only reason his scandals hadn’t gone public was the power of House Greycan.
“I’ve told him he’ll have to stop playing soon. It’s time he took a proper wife.”
The more Ines talked with Pellena, the more frustrated she became. But recently, that frustration had turned to satisfaction—because of the duel between Rory Rolls and Ruance.
Though the duel brought shame to the imperial family, the humiliation Pellena suffered was far greater.
“I’ll be taking Prince Ruance to the Greycan lands for the time being.”
Since leaving the palace required the empress’s consent, Ines smiled.
“As you wish. But before you go, there’s something I’d like to say.”
“To me?”
“Since you yourself decided Lady Anne’s punishment, shouldn’t you stay to see it through?”
“Is that really necessary? Lady Anne already agreed to it. Just issue the decree, Your Majesty.”
“Then I shall personally oversee it to ensure everything is settled perfectly.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Ines smiled. Pellena would soon pay dearly for her arrogance—in humiliation. Just thinking of it filled Ines with satisfaction.
Even if she was an empress from a powerless barony, she still had her pride. She simply lacked the strength to show it—so she waited quietly.
“A predator always waits silently before the strike.”
She waited for the tide of high society to shift—for the moment she could turn everything around.
That moment came when Princess Charlotte of the Froid Empire arrived. The balance of power began to tilt in Ines’s favor.
But she would not act rashly. That was one lesson she had learned in the palace.
Smiling, Ines told Adolph,
“Your Majesty has nothing to worry about.”
When a noblewoman committed a crime, the imperial family personally presided over her trial.
Normally, all members of the imperial family would attend—but Pellena had left for the Greycan lands with Ruance, and Adrian was busy handling urgent affairs with Adolph.
Thus, only Empress Ines remained to oversee Lady Anne’s trial.
But Anne was outraged by what she saw.
“Why is that filthy bastard girl here, Your Majesty!?”
It made sense for Princess Charlotte, the crown prince’s fiancée, to attend.
But for Lorentia—the bastard who had brought Anne to ruin—to be present was unthinkable.
Forced to kneel before Lorentia, Anne felt her pride torn to shreds.
Grinding her teeth, she shouted:
“Your Majesty! Making me kneel before a bastard is too cruel!”
Anne lifted her head, glaring at Lorentia with pure hatred. The girl looked utterly different now—radiant smile, graceful posture, fine dress and jewels.
Anne sneered. Once this trial ended, she would return to Count Heredian’s estate, and Lorentia would once again become the pitiful bastard she had always been.
“Lady Lorentia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Since Lady Anne seems to have many questions, I grant you permission to speak in my stead.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
As the knights stepped back, Lorentia approached Anne, leaned close, and whispered softly so only she could hear:
“You must have hoped your daughter Illina would become a happy crown princess.”
There was a strange tone in her voice—almost pitying.
Anne trembled, staring up at the smiling girl she once beat and locked away. Lorentia was supposed to cry, not smile like this!
“You filthy bastard! What are you trying to say? I already became the villain you wanted me to be!”
“It seems that wasn’t quite enough.”
“Lorentia!”
Seeing the bloodshot fury in Anne’s eyes, Lorentia smiled darkly.
“You’ve heard about the murder at Lord Rory Rolls’s mansion, haven’t you? The one where he was brutally killed?”
“What does that have to do with you, you wretch?”
Lorentia’s smile deepened. Anne felt her stomach twist with rage.
“It has everything to do with you, Lady Anne.”
Before the duel, Rory Rolls had bet all his money and jewels on his own victory against Ruance—and won. He regained his honor, too.
“I dedicate this victory to Lady Lorentia.”
He had publicly declared it.
Witnesses remembered how humiliating it was for Ruance; the imperial family’s name was dragged through the mud.
“So why was Lord Rory Rolls murdered?”
“How should I know?”
Lorentia remembered how Ruance had stormed off the dueling grounds trembling with rage. When Rory was later found brutally slain, she immediately suspected who was behind it.
“What does that have to do with Illina?”
“During the investigation of Rory Rolls’s estate, something very interesting was found.
Though, I doubt you’ll find it amusing.”
“Lorentia! You filthy monster! What are you implying!?”
“Curious, aren’t you?”
Lorentia sighed as though recalling something long forgotten.
“He kept a letter—one scented with jasmine.”
“A… letter?”
Anne’s face went pale. Illina used to spray her letters with jasmine perfume. A terrible feeling swept over her.
“Pretending not to know? The letter your daughter Illina sent to Lord Rory Rolls.”
Anne bowed her head, then slowly raised it to meet Lorentia’s cold gaze.
“You never sent him a letter yourself, did you, Lady Anne?”
Anne’s eyes widened in horror.
“Let me remind you then—who was it that wrote to him, ordering him to violate the bastard daughter of Count Heredian? Who sent that letter, Lady Anne?”
“No… that letter mustn’t be revealed!”
“Ah, so you do remember.”
‘Mother, I’ll send the letter to Lord Rory Rolls.’
Anne’s face turned deathly pale. She remembered it now—Illina had indeed sent that letter.
If it became public, Illina’s life as both crown princess candidate and noble lady would be ruined. There would be no point in Anne going to the convent.
“I wrote the letter! It was me! Illina didn’t send it—I did!”
Anne screamed, losing control.
