WLYV 16

WLYV

Posted by Bela, Released on October 19, 2025

Chapter 16

I Come When I’m Called, I Go When I’m Tol

Luance and Lorirose ended up dueling over a woman. Word of the duel between the two spread in an instant. A story about two men fighting over one woman sounds romantic to anyone who hears it. But the problem was that one of those men was Lorirose. Everyone in society knew that Lorirose liked any woman as long as she wore a skirt. People were shocked. The worst rumor began to circulate — that Luance shared Lorirose’s inclinations. Whispers started: who would’ve thought Luance could have such perverse tastes like Lorirose?

The rumor grew out of control and couldn’t be contained. People wondered which woman both perverts liked. Naturally, attention turned toward who the illegitimate child of Count Paul Heredian might be.

Anne received a letter. The moment she read it she couldn’t contain her agitation and rushed into Lorencia’s room. She’d already been severely scolded by Brant for Luance’s duel to defend Lorencia’s honor.

She flung the door open with a loud bang. Lorencia was gently stroking a black cat on the back of its head with the back of her hand.
“Leo. Stay down for a moment.”
—Meow!
Leo, who had been hissing at Anne, puffed his tail and gracefully leapt from Lorencia’s lap to the floor. Seeing that, Anne glared at Lorencia as if she swore she would catch and kill that black cat.
“You knew it would come to this, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?”
“That you becoming Lorirose’s lover wasn’t because you truly liked him!”
“I told you, Madame Anne. It’s not something to create an incident that can’t be managed.”
“You monster.”

No matter what Anne said, Lorencia began to hum happily.
“You didn’t imagine it either, did you? Me either. I really had no idea Prince Luance liked me so much. You were even seriously jealous.” Lorencia chuckled as she looked at Anne. Anne couldn’t stand it. She tightened her grip on Lorencia’s collar.
“You’re not a monstrous woman — Lorencia, you really are a monster. A dreadful one.”

Anne had never wanted this situation. She only wanted Lorirose to leave an irremovable wound on Lorencia. But instead of a wound, Lorencia had become the illegitimate child in society’s spotlight.
“Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused our Ilina?”
Ilina, the social butterfly, was exhausted by being bombarded at every tea and gathering with questions like, “How young and pretty must one be for Prince Luance and Lorirose to be clinging like that?” Anne never wanted this. She had wanted Lorencia to get hurt, not for Ilina to suffer.
“Do you know how ridiculous you’ve made me look?”

“Why were you even born? You should’ve died when your mother did. Why are you still alive?”
“The reason I was able to be born was because my father’s love reached my mother inside her womb, and because of that I was conceived inside my mother’s stomach—”

Anne shrieked and screamed. She raised her right hand high while still gripping Lorencia’s collar with the other, and slapped Lorencia’s cheek hard several times.
“Don’t wrap it up in the word ‘love’. You are just proof of a filthy affair — a dirty impurity of Paul Heredian.”

Lorencia knew that. Her deceased mother had never once talked about Brant. So she’d already suspected she hadn’t been born from ordinary love. She believed she was able to exist only because of her mother’s absolute love — that she was a ‘miracle’ born of love. It had nothing to do with Brant. Even if others pointed fingers and called her an ‘illegitimate child’ or a ‘monster,’ that was okay. If she could be love and a miracle to even one person, that was enough.
<Lorencia was a miracle to my mother. I love you.>
If she didn’t think that, she couldn’t bear it.

“But what will you do? Because the things that were supposed to be covered up about that impurity of yours have not been managed at all.”
“You deal with what you did. You fix it.”
“Do I have to fix it myself?”
“Fix it before I kill that kitten!” Anne’s voice rose.
“I’ll make a condition if I’m going to fix it.”
“A condition? If it’s to spare the kitten’s life, I’ll accept. What other condition is there?”
“Honestly, if you want to kill the kitten, go ahead. But once the cat is dead, you’ll have to manage the consequences afterwards.”

The smile vanished from Lorencia’s mouth. Anne loosened her grip on Lorencia’s collar.
“Speak. I’ll accept the condition.”
“It isn’t much to call it a condition.”
“If it isn’t much, then spit it out. Don’t dally.”
“You simply have to admit the truth. That will clear Prince Luance of the rumors.”
“Admit the truth?” Anne’s breath seemed to catch.
“Let people know the truth as it is. That the abused illegitimate child was starved and beaten; that Prince Luance, who was Ilina’s suitor, took pity and persuaded Count Paul Heredian to register the illegitimate child as the Count’s daughter. Even so, Madame Anne continued to torment the illegitimate child and conspired with Lorirose to force himself on me. By chance Prince Luance, who happened to be at the estate, learned the truth, rescued me, and challenged him to a duel to defend my honor. That’s the perfect truth, isn’t it?”

Anne refused to let those facts be made public.
“Why? If you present a slightly dramatized version of the truth before my duel at the palace’s martial grounds, Madame Anne and Lorirose will be socially ruined, but at least Prince Luance’s rumor will vanish.”
“So that’s your condition?”
“My condition isn’t that you tell the truth—” Lorencia smiled sweetly. “—it’s that Madame Anne becomes the vilest villain in the Empire of Ishter. A villain who goes down in history. That’s my condition.”

—Miyaya nyaong.
Startled by Leo’s cry, Anne lowered her head a little and shivered. Leo had already crept under Lorencia’s skirt again and began rubbing his head against her, begging to be held. Lorencia opened her arms and picked him up, slowly stroking his head with the back of her hand.
“The worse a villain you become, the more Prince Luance’s reputation will rise among the people.” Lorencia thought of Anne and Ilina who had trampled and trampled on her to boost their own reputations. They had used her as bait to torment; if no one else was there to bully, they took her down. To appear kind, they had made her the villain to be reviled.
“Lorencia. You really are a monster. Someone like you should have been killed a long time ago.” Lorencia clutched the fabric over her left breast. She opened her mouth in displeasure toward Anne, who casually called her a monster.
“You’re the ones who wanted me to be a monster more than anyone.”
“I never wanted that. You were always a monster like no other — impure, repulsive, filthy.” Anne half-smiled, but her eyes held a dangerous gleam.

Just then the door opened and Luance entered.
“Lorencia. Come here.” Luance held out a hand and gestured; Lorencia put Leo down and stood by Luance’s side.
“Yes. Good. That’s how you should be — come when I call, go when I tell you. Understand?”
“Yes, Prince Luance.” Blushing, with a dark bruise at the corner of her eye, Lorencia gave a shy smile. Luance looked down at her approvingly.
“Did you tell her, Lorencia?”
“Yes. But she didn’t like the condition. It seemed she didn’t want to do it even though that’s what would raise the prince’s reputation in the dream.” Luance shot an irritated look at Anne.
“Madame Anne. You’d be wise to accept Lorencia’s condition.”

It was like pouring cold water on the back of Anne’s head. She clenched the hem of her dress as if scratching it and looked at Luance with a twisted smile.
“Prince Luance. But—”
“If my grandfather, God forbid, finds you don’t follow what Lorencia says, he said he might send Ilina as the thirteenth concubine to the King of the Western Desert.” Anne bit her lower lip until it bled. If it was the Greycan Duke — Luance’s maternal grandfather — he was more than capable of doing such a thing. He was resentful that his daughter never became empress and that his grandson Luance was not crown prince. Anne’s own family and the Heredian count’s house were indebted to the Greycan house. They had many vulnerabilities held against them; they had no choice but to comply. They were trapped from the start.
“Don’t worry about Madame Anne’s family or Ilina.”
“As if I have any right to choose?”
“We can send her to a convent that’s good to live in.” It was called a convent, but it was no different from a prison.
“I hear many people end their own lives because of the harsh life in those convents. I hope Madame Anne withstands the convent life well.” Anne felt her mind go blank. No naive fool would miss Luance’s implied meaning.
“No, right? Prince Luance.”
“What do you mean?” She couldn’t bring herself to ask whether he was subtly telling her to end her life in the convent. If that were his true meaning, she would never die and would fight to survive to the end.
“Please take good care of Ilina.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Madame Anne. I don’t like how this turned out either. It’s a shame — if you hadn’t crossed the line this wouldn’t have happened. Anyway, I wish you good luck.” Luance spoke as if he were being magnanimous. Anne felt hollow. She had no Julie to care for Ilina; she was already worried who would watch over her.
“May I offer one piece of advice, Prince Luance?” Anne pointed at Lorencia with her finger. “When that monster has served her purpose, you must kill her.” If not, the monster would devour them — even Ilina.