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“Of course…” Eleanor’s voice faltered.
She suddenly realized there might be a problem. The scandal involving the miniature chastity belt sculpture had only recently emerged. If they decided to convict her of trespassing and insulting the grand princess, the public might connect it to the miniature chastity belt sculpture scandal.
Wouldn’t that imply she had indeed sent the miniature sculpture? Such a scandal could incite public outrage and military discontent. How would the officials and soldiers under the command of the Devin family view it?
Understanding this, Eleanor finally saw why Sophie had dared to storm into Harmony Palace and break the miniature sculpture in front of her.
The miniature sculpture itself wouldn’t have ever been displayed. Even if it were, Sophie wouldn’t have claimed it was given by Eleanor.
But if the charge of trespassing and insulting the grand princess was confirmed, combined with the rampant speculation by storytellers, the public would believe the scandal to be true.
Thus, Sophie had broken the miniature chastity belt sculpture openly because she knew it would be impossible to hold her accountable. Even if she were punished, it would only be a few warnings at most since she just came back with military achievements.
This wouldn’t be enough to deter anyone, and might even make Eleanor a joke.
In other words, Eleanor could only suffer this insult quietly. That was, unless she chose to risk her reputation and let the public believe that after the death of Hector and his sons, she had sent the miniature chastity belt sculpture to the Devin family.
In that case, she would be drowned in public scorn without even needing to leave her residence!
Watching Bleanor’s face shift from green to red, and then from red to white, Helen felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
At last, she was seeing Eleanor get a taste of defeat
Helen didn’t fully understand why this matter couldn’t be used to accuse Sophie of any crime-after all, an offense of disrespect was no small matter. Regardless, seeing how Eleanor suddenly fell silent, it was clear that no punishment for Sophie would be forthcoming.
To truly understand the subtle reasons behind this, Helen would need to consult her sister. But for now, she was content to enjoy the spectacle of Eleanor’s irate, multicolored face.
In the end, Eleanor stormed off in anger, having realized during this visit to the palace that Sophie’s audacity was backed not only by Rafael, but also by Victoria and Salvador.
No wonder she had been so brazen!
After Eleanor left, Salvador sighed and rubbed his temples. “It seems that the matter of the miniature chastity belt sculpture is indeed real. Aunt Eleanor has truly gone too far.” Victoria’s face was clouded with anger. “I even wanted to slap her myself. How arrogant and ignorant! She’s so cruel and selfish-she’s completely disgraced the royal family!” “Melanie must have been furious at the time,” Salvador said.
Victoria’s eyes reddened. “Yes, but she never complained to me about her grievances. I could have interceded on her behalf.”
“Mother, don’t be too distressed. She’s gone now. We can only hope she finds peace, “Salvador said, his expression darkening as he thought about how Freya had led to the Duke of Northwatch’s family’s downfall.
With the truth remaining hidden, how could Melanie ever find peace?
Yet how could the truth ever be revealed? It would remain muddled, with Westhaven remaining silent and the people of Starhaven being unaware.
Derek was right-the Duke of Northwatch’s family had indeed suffered greatly.
Salvador had more state affairs to attend to, so he departed soon after, leaving only Victoria and Helen in the hall.
Helen was deep in thought.
Eleanor had come with such force today, determined to punish Sophie. Helen had thought that, no matter what, Sophie would inevitably face some sort of retribution. Arrogance always comes with a price.
Yet who would have expected that Eleanor, after throwing a fit, would leave without any punishment or reprimand dished out to Sophie? It almost felt like Eleanor had to swallow her anger and walk away empty-handed.
Helen pondered for a while. Some things became clear to her, while others remained elusive.
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She asked, “Victoria, why did Eleanor let Sophie off so easily? Given her temperament, with Sophie barging in and insulting her, how could she let it this? I believe Sophie must have had something to back her up, or Eleanor wouldn’t have stormed into the palace so furiously.”
Victoria gave Helen a pointed look. “Can’t you figure it out? Try using your brain a little. If you don’t use it for too long, it’ll start to rot.”
Helen sighed, and replied with a hint of childishness, “Victoria, you know I don’t like thinking too much. Even if I make some guesses, I can’t be sure of everything. Besides, I wouldn’t know if I’ve guessed correctly.”
*Put away that cutesy demeanor. You’re going to be someone’s mother-in-law soon, so stop being so pretentious,” Victoria scolded, giving her a stern look.
“You’ve guessed correctly-Sophie did indeed barge into Eleanor’s residence and scold her. At first, Eleanor thought Sophie must have some support behind her. But when Salvador asked if Eleanor wanted to punish Sophie for it, she started to catch on. If people connected the punishment to the scandal that was spreading after the birthday banquet, do you think she’d still dare to tell anyone that Sophie stormed in and insulted her?
“It’s about the miniature chastity belt sculpture, right?” Helen asked.
“That’s one reason. Another is that even if Sophie was punished for directly storming into Eleanor’s residence and scolding her, it would be just a reprimand at most. After all, it’s Sophie’s first offense, and she recently obtained some military achievements.
“That would have made Eleanor’s authority meaningless. Who would fear her after that? She would be known to be all bark and no bite if that happened. So, do you understand now? Sophie wasn’t acting recklessly; she had gauged Eleanor’s psychology and acted accordingly.”
Helen nodded, and a wave of complex emotion swept over her. “Sophie is quite a formidable opponent.”
Victoria was well aware of Helen’s intentions. She decided to give Helen a gentle warning.
“Soon, you’ll be moving to Hell Monarch Estate to live with Rafael. If you don’t understand the ways of managing a household, don’t try to overstep and take control. Once Sophie enters the family, she will naturally take charge of the household’s affairs…”
“Victoria, that’s not quite right,” Helen interrupted Victoria with an unusual seriousness. “How can a new bride be in charge of the household? I have reservations about her. Since we’re here together, I won’t hesitate to speak plainly-I don’t like her, and I don’t want her to be my daughter-in-law, let alone manage the household.”
“Oh? You want to take over the household?” Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Alright then, starting tomorrow, I’ll ask Kylie to transfer her duties overseeing the inner palace to you. Let her have a rest and see how you manage for a few days.”
“It’s not like I’ve never done it before,” Helen replied. “Kylie has been in charge of the inner palace, and I’ve assisted her significantly. Besides, didn’t I help you a lot when you were in charge of the palace back then?”
“Yes, you helped a lot, but sometimes you were more of a hindrance,” Victoria said bluntly.
“Our parents spoiled you too much. After you entered the palace, I kept an eye on you and protected you, allowing you to have a stable life and bear a son and a daughter. How many times have you gotten into trouble and I had to clean up after you?
“But once you’re in Hell Monarch Estate, if you want to enjoy a peaceful life, don’t try to make things difficult for your daughter-in-law. Whether you like Sophie or not, or oppose her entering the family, it’s a done deal that she’s marrying Rafael. You don’t have the right to oppose it. If you cause trouble in the household, I won’t spare you.”
Because of Sophie, even Helen’s own sister wasn’t fond of her anymore. This made Helen even more unhappy with Sophie.
Despite this, Helen had come to a harsh reality-no matter how unhappy she was with Sophie, the marriage was set in stone. She couldn’t stop it.
Thinking back, Helen had made such a big deal about it at Eleanor’s birthday banquet. If they backed out of the marriage bow, Sophie’s reputation would be ruined. After considering it, Helen decided to just let it be and see how things play out
The news of the Hell Monarch marrying the Duke of Northwatch’s daughter soon spread throughout the capital, and the citizens were abuzz with discussion.
There were many opinions among the people. Some said Sophie was unworthy of such a match, while others believed they were a perfect match.
However, another voice soon emerged, claiming that Sophie had married Blake less than two years after the deaths of Hector and his six sons. That meant she hadn’t observed the three years of mourning, and was thus deemed greatly negligent and disrespectful toward her family.
Now, it had been just over a year since her mother passed away, and Sophie was already preparing to remarry. This further showed she had no sense of respect for her family. How could someone so disrespectful have been a dutiful daughter-in-law to Rebecca?