Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 76

76. A Lion’s Share

“Why on earth did you do this?”

Richard Spencer pressed his left temple hard as he asked. Lancelot was pouring a liquor, the same color as his own eyes, into a crystal glass.

“I told you. I’ve always wanted to apologize.”

“Is this your apology?”

“Isn’t it better than going to confession at church dozens of times?”

Richard sighed as he accepted the glass Lancelot offered him.

He had already prepared his final goodbye. He had no lingering attachment to the position of heir. And yet, here came this sudden reversal.

Lancelot Spencer was undoubtedly the knight on the chessboard. The only piece capable of leaping over others and moving unpredictably in every direction. The only one who could oppose the queen.

Once again, he had toppled the Spencer family’s queen and left the chessboard. The Lion King would be left awkwardly standing on the scorched chessboard the knight had ravaged, once more bogged down with the menial tasks of resolving the situation.

“Was this your intention from the start?” Richard asked.

Lancelot shook his head. “I didn’t have the mental clarity for that at first. But before Eleanor and I arrived at the Charlotte estate, we made a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“To ask for Richard Spencer’s forgiveness and support him.”

At his brother’s answer, Richard laughed incredulously.

“You, who recklessly ran after Eleanor?”

“I had something to fall back on,” Lancelot replied, downing his drink.

“What was it?”

“The belief that Richard Spencer, the Young Earl, wouldn’t abandon us.”

“Does that even make sense?”

“Think it through, Richard. The Duke of Charlotte can no longer exploit Eleanor for a marriage deal. No matter how tolerant Gallians claim to be, love is love, and a contract is a contract.”

“And?”

“Even if they’re lenient about love, as nobles, their marriages are contractual. But Eleanor and I broke the contract, which means the d’Estrée family’s credibility has dropped.”

“So?”

“If she had married you and kept me as her lover, things would’ve been different. The contract would’ve been fulfilled.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I think it’s absurd too, but that’s how Gallians think. They pretend to be romantic but get dirty when it comes to profit.”

At Lancelot’s explanation, Richard chuckled sarcastically.

“And you say that while getting along with Gallians?”

“Eleanor is the exception.”

The god of love is said to be a blind, judgmentless child. Richard Spencer lowered the hand that had been brushing his eyes and tilted his drink to his lips.

“You’d abandon your family’s name? Are you out of your mind?”

“What’s so great about being a Spencer?”

“Do you think the Duke of Charlotte would give his daughter to a man with no estate or title?”

“That’s why I’m here to negotiate.”

“Negotiate what?”

“Once the negotiations with the Duke are complete, reinstate me into the family and let me inherit the Althorp Viscountcy.”

“Are you joking?”

Was Lancelot always this audacious? Richard was taken aback by the true nature of the twin brother he hadn’t even properly met eyes with in ten years.

“If you refuse, so be it.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Richard, do you think I’ve spent these years as a mindless fool while you were in Grentabridge?”

Lancelot frowned and then answered his own question.

“I’ve hidden funds from Mother’s prying eyes.”

What nonsense is this?

Richard had always thought of Lancelot as someone who couldn’t even lift a fork without the Countess’s permission. In reality, Lancelot had obediently followed her orders and seemed completely dependent on her.

“It’s not much compared to what Lancelot ‘Spencer’ could inherit,” Lancelot admitted.

“And?”

“But it’s enough for Eleanor and me to settle down in the New World.”

“The New World? The Puritans will welcome you with open arms, I’m sure. Just be prepared to wear scarlet letters on your chests. I won’t stop you,” Richard replied mockingly.

Lancelot chuckled softly. After hesitating, he sighed and said, “I’m sorry.”

“……”

“I know you’re not supposed to apologize lightly under any circumstances.”

“……”

“That’s why Spencers are such arrogant people who never say sorry in their entire lives.”

“……”

“But I’m not a Spencer right now.”

“……”

“Even if I’m reinstated, I’ll keep apologizing.”

Sorry. Lancelot murmured softly, then boldly presented his desire.

“I’ll keep asking for forgiveness, so give me the viscounty and Blenheim Palace, Richard.”

“I want to live modestly and frugally with Eleanor there. At best, it’ll only sustain us for three generations. After that, our descendants will have to fend for themselves.”

“……”

So, he’d been a lion all along, even while pretending otherwise.

Facts Richard had neither known nor wanted to know rushed at him. Facts he’d ignored and avoided. If that bastard had been chosen as the heir, the family might not have ended up in ruins. The Countess wouldn’t have dared assume a regency.

“We can use this during negotiations with the Duke of Charlotte. Eleanor can no longer secure a Gallian husband. Not that I’d let her.”

“Have you forgotten the days when you were crying your eyes out in your room?”

“…Focus, Richard.”

Lancelot flinched at Richard’s comment but shrugged it off and continued.

“In this situation, the best move for the Duke is to marry Eleanor and me while reinstating me as the Viscount Althorp. With Eleanor as a Spencer, the d’Estrée family would gain standing in Gallian society. They could also use the ‘romantic love’ angle Gallians are so obsessed with.”

“The only thing that matters to me is whether we can secure the land in the Charlotte estate.”

“We might not get the full 200,000 acres from the original agreement, but isn’t 100,000 acres enough? The initial deal was unfair anyway. Even if we renegotiate with a lower threshold, the Spencers won’t suffer losses.”

After finishing his explanation, Lancelot looked at Richard, who stared at him intently before laughing softly.

“That, Lancelot, is what loss looks like.”

“What?”

“Starting negotiations with a lower threshold means you’re already considering defeat. If you’re not aiming to raise the upper limit, why set a lower limit at all?”

“Richard, that statement was the epitome of a Spencer.”

Lancelot rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a chuckle. Of course, that was the kind of thing hammered into the heirs during their endless lessons. Richard continued, fixing his unyielding gaze on his more easygoing twin.

“If I renegotiate with the Duke of Charlotte as a Spencer, I’d have no choice but to abandon you and Eleanor while securing the 200,000 acres and compensation for breaking the contract.”

“Richard…”

Lancelot’s face hardened, as if he were staring at Judas.

To act without considering such possibilities… what a foolish little lion cub.

“That’s the role of the family head. And you’ve handed that tiresome job back to me.”

“It was always yours. I never wanted it.”

That much was true. Though he had been dragged around by the Countess, Lancelot had never coveted the position of heir or Young Earl.

It was for that reason Lancelot had declared, without hesitation, that he would accept being disowned. Exhausted by his mother’s ambitions, he had devised his own contingency plans. He had even siphoned off part of the wealth the Countess had hidden away, intending to flee to the New World if the worst came to pass.

While he had imagined dealing a blow during a family meeting, he hadn’t expected to actually do it. Were it not for Eleanor, he might have left quietly. But to keep her by his side, he had no other choice. Of course, his desire to atone to Richard Spencer was a significant factor.

“You’ll handle this matter. Clean up the mess you made.”

“What?”

Lancelot’s eyes widened in disbelief. That… could only mean one thing.

“I’ll reinstate you soon, as you requested. But first, you’ll negotiate with the Duke. And from now on, you’ll take on all the tiresome tasks befitting a Spencer. If you ever mention lower thresholds or weak points again, I’ll disown you a second time.”

“……”

“But just this once, I’ll accept your lower threshold.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Consider it mercy for Eleanor d’Estrée, whose life you’ve thoroughly entangled.”

Finally, Lancelot relaxed. Relief and gratitude flickered in his amber eyes.

Though Richard Spencer seemed cold, he could never be truly cruel to his younger brother in the end. He was the same older brother who had carried the sulking Lancelot to Lake Windermere and let his younger brother’s lies to their mother slide without punishment.

“Thank you. Once this is resolved, Eleanor and I will live quietly in Blenheim Palace, as if we’re dead.”

“You won’t live as if you’re dead. From now on, you’ll take on all the things I’d rather avoid.”

And with that, Richard finalized his decision. Then he added one more thing.

“And Blenheim Palace is off-limits. No negotiation on that.”

Because that belonged to the Lion King.