Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 51

51. The Coward Wearing Donkey’s Skin

Eleanor d’Estrée had completed her mission. She had tested the man who confused her and confirmed his jealousy.

And she had been caught.

An affair is beautiful when it’s yours and vile when it’s someone else’s. The tragic love between Pyramus and Thisbe, so heartbreaking, became a filthy scandal when witnessed by The Lion King Richard Spencer.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fairy queen Titania, under a spell, falls in love with Bottom, who wears a donkey’s head. Titania is Oberon’s wife, making their love immoral.

Eleanor d’Estrée was no different. When she returned to the villa after watching a play, she still remembered the echoes of the wall that had called her name. That night, the moon was full, and the pull of its round light was fierce.

The gentle waves that lapped the shore could not resist the gravitational pull of the full moon, surging into high tide. Just as the water level rose, so did her love swell to overflowing.

But today, the water that once lifted her so buoyantly had vanished under the waning moon. Left behind on the tidal flats where the receding water once was lay Eleanor d’Estrée, the Lady of Charlotte, found dead in her boat.

Lancelot Spencer was the man wearing donkey’s skin. He hid his weak and irresponsible nature under that skin, pretending to be bold in love. But discarding it took only an instant.

“What are you going to do now?”

While the maids packed the dozen or so suitcases Eleanor had brought, Richard Spencer sat face-to-face with his twin brother. Lancelot could barely keep his trembling body upright, his head nearly buried between his knees.

“I… I don’t know.”

Richard sighed.

A hopeless fool.

At this moment, there were two things Lancelot needed to do: define his relationship with Eleanor d’Estrée and prepare for the consequences.

The actions taken would depend on the direction of their relationship. What Lancelot wanted with Eleanor was crucial.

If the two decided to marry, Richard Spencer would accept it without hesitation. Of course, there would be no shortage of complications to handle.

The Duke of Charlotte had always wanted a son-in-law who would inherit the Spencer Earldom. When Richard’s position as heir had briefly been threatened, the Duke kept a close watch across the Doven Strait toward Ingrint.

At the time, the Duke of Charlotte had been ready to replace Richard with Lancelot. While changing the name on the mountain of contracts wouldn’t have been easy, it was deemed preferable to taking a loss.

Richard Spencer’s position as heir had been firmly secured. Yet, even after that, whenever minor disputes arose, Eleanor’s father remained strictly neutral, exuding an air that suggested Eleanor’s groom could change depending on the outcome.

Lancelot was not the Spencer heir. With Richard’s permission, he could inherit the Viscountcy of Althorp or the Barony of Wormleighton, but not the Earldom of Spencer. That title belonged solely to the eldest son, Richard.

Thus, it was obvious the d’Estrée family would never approve of Eleanor marrying Lancelot. Still, if Eleanor was the one who had broken her commitment, Richard could at least approach the Duke with a clean conscience.

“Richard, could you… keep this from Mother?”

As Lancelot spoke, his honey-colored eyes, clouded with fear and tears, blurred.

“Even in this situation, Mother is your first concern?” Richard responded, exasperated.

There was no choice but to inform the Earl and Countess of Spencer. What Lancelot and Eleanor had ruined was a contract worth as much as Lydon’s annual budget.

This meant calling all the vassals and relatives, holding multiple heated debates, and eventually annulling Richard’s engagement. Privately settling the matter, as Lancelot wished, was out of the question.

“Marry Eleanor d’Estrée.”

Richard’s voice was heavy as he issued the command. Lancelot’s eyes widened in shock.

“But, what about the engagement? The business arrangements?”

“Did you even think about such things?”

Richard smirked as he asked.

“I…”

Lancelot lowered his gaze, his voice faltering.

“If you had given it even a moment’s thought, you wouldn’t have played with Eleanor d’Estrée like that.”

“I’m serious, Richard. I love Eleanor.”

“Then marry her.”

“But…”

Lancelot kept shifting his gaze, trailing off.

Richard bellowed at him, “What’s the problem? Everyone will find out about this soon enough. Announcing your marriage before that happens is the only way to preserve any honor for both you and Eleanor. Don’t you understand that?”

“But the Duke of Charlotte doesn’t want me.”

“Then what? Should I, the one they want, marry her in your place?”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just… the future terrifies me.”

Lancelot clasped his hands together as if in prayer and burst into tears.

“Lancelot, you are selfish to the very end.”

Richard, suppressing his boiling anger, spat out each word deliberately.

“You were like this before, too. What you did to me at Windermere, you are now repeating with Eleanor d’Estrée.”

“I didn’t mean to back then. I was too scared, Richard.”

“Right, and you’re not doing it intentionally now either. Just like then, you’re doing this because you’re too scared.”

“I’ve regretted what I did. I’ve felt sorry about it. I’ve gone to confession at the church dozens of times.”

“And what has that changed?”

Richard smirked as he stared at Lancelot.

Confession. People often choose the wrong party to apologize to. The one Lancelot Spencer needed to confess his sins to and seek forgiveness from was not God, but Richard Spencer—and the man who had died saving Lancelot in his place.

***

When Richard and Eleanor d’Estrée were ten years old, Eleanor visited Ingrint for a holiday. The Countess of Spencer, wanting to leave a good impression on Eleanor, planned a summer getaway at their villa near Lake District.

Graham Harold, one of Richard’s closer acquaintances, persuaded the Marchioness of Winchester to join the trip along with the children of the Marquess family. The Spencer family’s summer villa, located right beside Windermere Lake in the Lake District, was perfect for swimming.

Upon arriving at Windermere, Richard and Graham enjoyed the water to their hearts’ content. Lancelot, however, could not. The Countess of Spencer forbade him, citing hygiene concerns and potential dangers.

Each day, the two boys would return to the villa, drenched and sunburned, their bodies glowing red. Meanwhile, Lancelot, dressed in a pink shirt adorned with ribbons chosen by the Countess, sat quietly in a scenic spot overlooking the lake, reading books with Eleanor d’Estrée.

“Richard, could you take me to the lake tomorrow?”

After a week at Windermere, Lancelot approached Richard in his room, his voice despondent.

“Mother wouldn’t like it.”

Richard immediately declined, recalling the Countess’s piercing glare, which often felt like claws tearing at him when she was angry. He loathed facing that terrifying expression.

“We can go without telling her. I… I just want to go into the lake. I want to try swimming. Please, Richard.”

Despite Richard’s initial refusal, Lancelot persisted. Reluctantly, Richard gave in.

“…Fine. But just this once. We’ll go at dawn, without anyone knowing.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Richard!”

Lancelot’s chubby cheeks flushed with excitement, and Richard couldn’t help but smile in response. Lancelot, too, grinned innocently.

The next morning, a maid went to wake the three children for breakfast but returned pale-faced, reporting that they were not in their rooms. The Countess of Spencer and the Marchioness of Winchester turned ashen and immediately dispatched the villa servants to search outside.

Unfortunately, the weather in the Lake District was at its worst. Heavy fog clung to the landscape, unaffected even by strong winds. Visibility was poor, and the lake’s surface appeared dark and foreboding.

The servants dove into the murky waters, risking their lives to save Lancelot, who was struggling in the lake. Meanwhile, Richard and Graham sobbed uncontrollably as they tore their clothes to fashion makeshift ropes.

One of the four servants who attempted to rescue Lancelot drowned. While Lancelot survived, unconscious but alive, he owed his life to the man who perished.

Richard was overwhelmed with guilt, not knowing what to do. It was a hellish time when he was too terrified even to cry.

The only comfort he received came from the Marchioness of Winchester and Graham Harold. The Countess of Spencer, however, devoted herself entirely to nursing Lancelot, never sparing Richard a moment.

A few days later, upon hearing that Lancelot had regained consciousness, Richard rushed to his brother’s room. Standing outside the door, he heard Lancelot’s trembling voice as he explained to the Countess:

“Richard… Richard told me to come play with him. I was scared and didn’t want to go, but he said swimming in the lake was so much fun…. I didn’t want to go, Mother.”

The hand Richard had placed on the doorknob fell limply to his side. Sensing someone outside, the Countess opened the door and saw Richard standing there. Without a word, she struck him hard across the face.

Richard turned and walked away without protest. He made his way down the dark hallway to the shores of Lake Windermere, where the servant had drowned.

The water’s surface rippled endlessly. It reflected sunlight when the sun was out and captured shadows when clouds passed by.

For a long time, Richard stared at his reflection in the water. Finally, tears he had held back began to pour down his face. That day, he took his first steps down the lonely path he would walk for the rest of his life.