WLYV 30

Chapter 30

 “Interest” Isn’t Enough a Word for It

A fullness she’d never known in the Count’s estate, the warm touch of Susanna’s hand on her back, the soft feel of Leo’s fluffy fur, and the pleasant scent of food—all of it made Lorentia’s eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

Susanna carefully lifted her hand from Lorentia’s back and gently supported her head, laying it on the pillow as the girl nodded off. Leo too settled beside her.

Teishar looked down at the sleeping Lorentia with satisfaction, tucked the blanket up to her shoulders, and then glanced toward the small sapling behind her. Between the branches that had once been broken by Luance, tiny green buds were sprouting again. A quiet sigh of relief escaped him.

Soft, steady breaths came from Lorentia.

“Susanna, please continue taking care of her while I’m away.”
“Of course, my lord. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen you so… interested in a woman.”
“Interested, you say…”

“A tree, when loved, will bloom more beautifully and richly green than any flower.”

“…No. ‘Interest’ isn’t the right word.”

Even a neglected tree can take root where it stands, but to bloom and bear fruit, it needs careful, devoted hands. What Lorentia needs now is just that—devotion.

Teishar bent down once more to look at her sleeping face. Susanna, seeing the tenderness in his expression, said nothing more. She tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

Only Lorentia’s soft breathing and silence filled the space.

Luance should have been demanding answers from Teishar for drawing a sword against him, but because of Lorentia, he couldn’t.

<The potion. Where in the Imperial Palace can I find it?>

Of course Teishar had looked at him suspiciously. He regretted leaving in such a fluster, and for the first time realized—sometimes ignorance itself can be the most chilling thing of all.

“Damn it!”

Maybe Teishar had told Adrian and Charlotte about the question Lorentia had asked him. If so, he couldn’t just sit still. He needed to destroy every last remaining bottle of Digen potion.

Luance’s steps quickened.

“Prince Luance.”

Already frustrated by the chaos Lorentia had caused, he bristled at being called just then. He stopped and turned toward the voice.

It was Illina.

“Lady Illina.”

Her eyes were swollen, as though she’d been crying in secret. Just looking at her irritated him.

“Is it true?” she asked.

“Calling me out of nowhere and asking if something’s true—what am I supposed to say to that?”

“I heard… a story.”

“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’ve been told, but if you’re asking because you don’t trust me, then don’t bother speaking at all.”

“What?”

“The person I need beside me is someone who will believe in me no matter what rumors they hear.”

Tears welled in Illina’s eyes and slid down her cheeks. Luance sighed heavily.

“I heard I won’t be made crown princess. I’m… scared.”

“Do you really believe such a ridiculous rumor, Lady Illina?”

Love and lies are only a word of trust apart. Whether you give or betray that trust decides whether it’s love—or deceit.

He still needed her. So he could say the words I love you as many times as necessary.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but the woman who will become my princess consort is none other than the flower of society herself—Lady Illina.”

“Even if I can no longer be that ‘flower of society,’ can I still be your princess?”

Since childhood, Illina had trusted and adored him. She’d worked to become the perfect socialite he desired. Knowing he might one day become emperor, she’d even been receiving training to become an empress. That’s why she never grew jealous, even when Luance saw other women. An emperor must not have a jealous consort.

<You’ll never be the crown princess, Illina. Never.>

Lorentia’s words kept echoing in her head. How had Lorentia known about something only she and Anne were supposed to know? Could Luance have told her?

<Prince Luance has already chosen another woman for his princess. It was originally Princess Charlotte, but since her engagement to Crown Prince Adrian was arranged, the next in line was…>

Lorentia’s voice. No matter how she shouted at her to stop, Lorentia hadn’t listened. And since that day—the day Lorentia had rung the bell—something had started to change. Could that too have been Luance’s doing?

Suspicion began to coil endlessly in Illina’s mind.

“Please tell me, Prince Luance.”

Normally he’d have brushed her off, saying he had no time for idle chatter, but she looked fragile now—unsettled. The look in her eyes, her trembling voice—it all irritated him, yet for the sake of appearances, for his reputation, he decided to endure it.

“Lady Illina.”
“Yes?”

Luance approached her with a serious face, then pulled the anxious girl into his arms.

“Prince Luance…”

“You’re anxious because I haven’t told you I love you, aren’t you? That’s why you’re asking these things. I’m sorry, Illina.”

Her heart pounded wildly from the sudden embrace.

“Call me by my pet name, ‘Lu.’ I’ll call you ‘Lina,’ in return.”

“A pet name?”

Her confusion was brief—soon replaced by a shy happiness. Unlike family nicknames, the pet names shared by a man and woman had special meaning. It meant they had given their hearts to each other.

Luance held her tighter, murmuring in her ear,

“From before, now, and forever, the only woman special to me will be you, Lina. It’s late, but I wanted to confess that, Lady Illina.”

Overcome with emotion, Illina sobbed in his arms. His words—I love you—broke her completely, and she cried harder. Luance gently patted her back.

“Please stop crying now.”
“I’m just… so happy. I thought my love was one-sided.”

But she couldn’t see the sneer twisting his face as she wept into his chest, the raised brow and crooked smirk mocking her.

“No. Our hearts are the same,” he said softly.

Illina wept from joy, finally assured of his feelings. But Lorentia’s words wouldn’t leave her mind.

<That letter you sent to young Lord Loryrolls—whose hands do you think it’s in?>

She wanted to ask Luance, but she couldn’t. If it was true, what would she do? She’d lose everything.
But if Lorentia had lied, and she asked anyway, she’d lose Luance’s trust forever.

Then perhaps she should ask Loryrolls himself. If the letter existed, she could retrieve and destroy it.
But if this had all been Luance’s scheme from the start… then what?

There was nowhere left to retreat, nowhere safe to move forward.

“Seeing you cry so much doesn’t suit you, Lady Illina.”

Unconsciously, she bit the inside of her lip.

“I’m sorry. I guess my heart is just a little heavy.”

“By the way… Lady Illina, that pet name doesn’t quite fit. I’ll just call you as usual.”

“That’s fine, Prince Luance. Just knowing our hearts are the same makes me happy.”

She smiled through tears as she leaned into his arms again. If Lorentia had told the truth, she might be cast aside someday—but for now, she was happy. Frightened, yet happy. So she prayed earnestly to the gods that this moment—this fleeting connection—would never end.

“By the way, Lady Illina, have you seen Lorentia recently?”
“Yes. She said she doesn’t want to go back to the Count’s estate.”
“Did she say why?”

<Luance has already decided—the villain will be Loryrolls, and the villainess, Lady Anne.>

She forced herself to stop remembering Lorentia’s words.

“She said she finds the palace food fascinating, I think.”

<You’ll keep believing everything Luance tells you, Illina. And each time you do, you’ll remember my words.>

“There are a lot of dishes here she couldn’t have tasted at the Count’s estate, after all.”

What if Lorentia was telling the truth?
No. Stop thinking like that. Monsters only tell lies. You have to trust the one you love.

“I told you to bring her back to the Count’s estate no matter what, didn’t I?”
“I’m sorry, Prince Luance.”
“Lady Illina, you are listening to me, yes?”
“Yes. I am.”

<Crown princess? It’ll never be you. The one Luance has chosen for that role is…>

Again, Lorentia’s words echoed in her head, clouding her thoughts and heart.

“It’s just… frustrating that she’s acting as if she’s someone important just because she’s staying at the palace,” Illina muttered.

“Lady Illina,” Luance said coldly, “I haven’t asked you for much, and yet you couldn’t even manage this one thing. I’m a little disappointed.”
“I… I’m sorry.”

“But I love you, Lady Illina. So I’ll overlook today’s mistake. Go back to the Count’s estate, rest, and think about how to convince Lorentia to return there.”

Illina wanted to ask—Do you really love me?—and What exactly is Lorentia to you?
But the words never left her lips.