WLYV 42

Chapter 42

. I Will Give You Everything

“It’s not something His Highness Adrian should concern himself with!”

“No, Luance. You should be concerned—with the honor duel against Rory Rolls that’s about to happen.”

“There’s no problem fighting trash like that.”

“Good. I hope you don’t lose to that trash.”

<I wish to take revenge on the one who insulted my father, my younger sister, and my family name.>

<Then that means you are casting aside your old family name entirely?>

<Yes.>

<Then I shall give you a new name.>

Giving someone a name was the same as asking if they were willing to accept one’s heart.
If the other person accepted it, it meant submission to the one who bestowed the name.

<I will abandon my family name, but I won’t forget its weight.>

<Good. From now on, you will be…>

“Sir Ranslon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

<I shall call you Sir Ranslon.>

“Today’s incident with Luance must, of course, be kept secret.”

“Of course. The Marquis Spencer has already warned him several times, but Prince Luance drew his sword inside the Crown Prince’s office. It qualifies as self-defense. And besides, being slapped with an open palm instead of a fist—no man would want that humiliation known.”

At Ranslon’s words, Luance’s body trembled with anger.

“You heard him, Luance. Don’t make a fuss about today’s incident.”

With a flushed face, Luance rose abruptly and left the room. Ranslon watched his back with a blank expression.

“Luance isn’t concerned about Lady Illina—it’s Lady Lorencia he’s fixated on.”

“Yes, it seems so, Your Highness.”

Since Lorencia entered the imperial palace, Luance hadn’t once visited Count Pol Heredian’s estate. According to reports from the Shadows, he hadn’t gone on any dates with Illina either.

Instead, he showed an intense obsession with Lorencia. That alone made Adrian certain.

Luance was always kind to women he met—polite, gentle, praised as a perfect gentleman. But when it came to Lorencia, he carelessly uttered words filled with possessiveness and control—calling her “mine,” “my property.”

“I’ve honestly never seen Luance like that before.”

“It may be his true nature, Your Highness.”

Adrian wondered how Lorencia must have felt hearing those words. She must have been completely disgusted with him.

<When His Highness Luance gets angry like that, you can’t stop him. You just have to stay still until he calms down.>

“If he truly didn’t desire her, he wouldn’t be obsessed with her either.”

Adrian’s thoughts deepened. He recalled what Teishar had said about Mucilla, the vanished child of the goddess Ella twenty years ago.

Charlotte had told him that Ella’s child possessed tremendous power.
Perhaps Luance wanted that power—the divine strength hidden within Lorencia, Mucilla’s daughter.

Otherwise, none of his behavior made sense.

“Sir Ranslon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I think this scheme may have been in motion long before we realized it.”

Perhaps even decades before.

Lorencia continued to study diligently—learning penmanship from Charlotte and Teishar, and etiquette from Evan and Ameline. Eating delicious food every day, she’d even gained a little weight.

While she studied and learned with all her heart, one piece of news reached her ears: the date for the honor duel between Luance and Rory Rolls had been set.

Teishar, who brought the news, looked at her with concern.

“I truly wish you wouldn’t appear in front of everyone on the day of the duel, Lady Lorencia.”

He tried to persuade her several times, but she refused each time.

“Marquis Spencer, I’m really fine.”

“People will look at you as if you’re an animal trapped in a cage. I’m afraid those stares might wound you.”

Honor duels between royals were held in the imperial training arena. Once the royal family set the date, both participants—the royal and the noble—were formally notified. Naturally, on the day of the duel, nobles flocked to witness it.

“No matter how they see me or what they think of me, I’m truly fine. I don’t care anymore.”

“I still worry.”

“I don’t get hurt by things like that anymore. No… they’re no longer worth being hurt over.”

Despite Teishar’s worries, Lorencia looked forward to the duel day.
Currently, Luance had thrown a white glove at Rory Rolls to “protect the honor” of the illegitimate Lorencia—earning admiration from citizens and noblewomen alike.

Luance basked in their praise, pleased with his growing reputation. But Lorencia secretly mocked him—he understood only half the picture.

“We need to make sure the nobles all hear about how lightly Prince Luance treated the dignity of royalty—throwing a white glove for a mere bastard child.”

Illegitimate children were treated worse than dogs or pigs.
Luance had thrown a white glove for one.

He would soon learn that, just as he treated the glove lightly, the goodwill he’d built would vanish just as easily.

“Most noblemen would never throw down a white glove for a bastard. Yet His Highness did it for me. So I must speak in his defense.”

Lorencia looked up at Teishar with a radiant, sunlit smile.

“I’ll tell the nobles about all the good things Prince Luance did—how he shared his snacks with me, walked with me in the gardens, and comforted me when Madam Anne beat me, even applying medicine to my wounds.”

Teishar’s red eyes softened with worry as he studied her expression.

He knew Lorencia feared Luance and disliked him deeply, yet she still insisted on defending him publicly. It pained him.

He feared she would be hurt again before the nobles on the duel day.
He even offered alternatives to keep her from appearing—but she refused. She was determined to stand before everyone.

And then he realized—

“You seem to be looking forward to the day of the duel.”

Like a child excited for a picnic the next morning.

“You’re right, Marquis Spencer. You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting for that day.”

The more they spoke, the more Teishar realized—she wasn’t defending Luance at all. She was smiling, but her words were sharp; her “praise” was actually scorn.

“I’m so excited to tell everyone about how wonderful Prince Luance is,” she said brightly.

Teishar nodded slowly. He finally understood—Lorencia intended to expose Luance’s hypocrisy, wrapped in words of praise.

“If you need anything, please tell me,” he said solemnly. “People, money—anything from House Spencer. I will give you everything.”

He remembered her once saying, ‘The rumors about Luance—I started them.’

“Marquis Spencer,” she said softly, “if I need something, I’ll accept everything.”

“I’ll gladly give it all.”

“There’s one thing I’d like you to do for me on the day of the duel.”

“Please, tell me, Lady Lorencia. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

Teishar looked like a big, loyal dog, ready to fetch a stick thrown for him.

“On the day of the duel,” she said, “please escort me. Marquis Spencer.”

“It would be my honor.”

“You’re that happy to escort me?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

His eyes, once heavy with worry, curved gently like crescents as a rare smile lifted his lips.

Lorencia met his red gaze—and her heart thumped painfully in her chest. Surprised, she blinked several times and quickly looked away, clutching at her dress unconsciously.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably, the sensation strange and new.
It hurt—but not unpleasantly.
It was a pain she had never experienced before.

Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. Soon, the pain turned into a ticklish flutter.

‘What’s happening to me?’

Lately, every time Teishar praised her or gently patted her head, the strange feeling grew stronger. Yet she was sure of one thing—this feeling wasn’t unpleasant at all.

And finally—the day of the duel between Luance and Rory Rolls arrived.

The arena was packed with nobles placing bets on who would win.

Almost everyone believed Luance would triumph, though a few placed small wagers on Rory Rolls “just in case.”

The high nobles, however, were openly offended by the very premise of the duel—held in defense of an illegitimate child.

“The empire’s doomed.”
“For a bastard lower than livestock?”
“Even if she’s registered in a count’s house, to duel for her—how disgraceful.”

Just as Lorencia predicted, some noblemen began gossiping behind Luance’s back. It pleased her—things were going exactly as planned.

A loud trumpet blared. The imperial family entered the arena, and all nobles rose to bow deeply.

Emperor Adolph took his seat, then called Lorencia to the platform to recount the cause of the duel.

The murmuring crowd fell silent, eyes fixed on the platform—waiting to see the infamous illegitimate daughter of the Heredian family.

A court attendant stepped forward to announce her entrance.
Moments later, the doors opened.

And when a small, beautiful young woman appeared in an elegant gown, the crowd gasped.

“She’s not what I expected.”
“She’s quite lovely.”
“Still a bastard, though.”

Lorencia walked gracefully up the steps, escorted by Teishar. Her back straight, her steps refined, she carried herself with poise.

Some nobles murmured, surprised by her elegance.
Even those who despised her thought, She’s… not bad.

But there was one person who did not think that.

Illina.

“This is impossible!” she gasped.

Watching Lorencia ascend the platform so composedly, Illina felt her breath hitch. The way Lorencia walked—graceful, confident, noble—was unthinkable.

This wasn’t the Lorencia she knew.

The Lorencia she knew was a filthy, lowborn creature treated worse than animals.
A wretch she used as her personal punching bag—who’d never even had the chance to learn proper manners.

Illina’s lips twisted in fury.