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This claim quickly ignited into a wildfire of controversy across the capital. People began to realize that it really hadn’t been three full years between Hector’s death and Sophie’s marriage to Blake. That meant the mourning period Sophie had observed was indeed less than three years,
As for the mourning period for her mother, whether Sophie needed to observe it or not was still under debate as she had already divorced once. However, it was clear that she was married to Blake during the period when she should have been mourning.
In Starhaven, failing to observe duties to one’s family was considered a grave offense, which could incite public outrage. Within days, the situation escalated, with some even shouting and cursing outside Northwatch Estate,
When the maids went out to buy silk threads today, they returned trembling with anger. Recognized as servants of the Duke of Nortwatch’s family, they were surrounded and berated by the people. People pointed fingers at their faces and showered them with spit.
After washing their faces, they went to report to Sophie.
Lulu was nearly in tears as she said, “They talk about observing three years of
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mming which is generally understood as two years and a bit more. But Lady Shad been mourning for more than three years. The wedding date was also chosen by the late madam after a discussion with the Astrology Department. Now could it be twisted into this? We couldn’t explain it to them, they simply refused
Sophie adjusted her collar and smiled. “It’s no matter. Let them continue their outery for a few more days. Grand Princess Eleanor has plenty of money. Let her spend more of
The instigators of this public outery were none other than Eleanor herself, with some otizens stirred up by her and others led by hired provocateurs.
Let them continue their attacks for now. This tactic wasn’t hard to counter, as it was based on falsehoods
Eleanor was indeed behind this matter. Since she couldn’t have Salvador punish Sophie for offending the royal family, she decided to take matters into her own hands and teach Sophie a lesson in her own way.
The people of the capital had praised Sophie for her devotion to her family. Then, what about now? Eleanor wanted to see if a daughter who remarried during her mourning period would be met with public scom!
One of Eleanor’s servants, Lucy, came in with a beaming face to report, “Your Highness, news of this has spread far and wide. Coffeehouses and taverns are abuzz with discussions, and it’s mostly in condemnation.
“Mostly?” Jessica’s brows knitted in cold displeasure. “Are there still some people speaking in her favor?”
Lucy replied, “Yes, my lady. There are a few troublemakers defending her, saying that by the time she got married, it had already been twenty-four months since her father’s death.”
Mourning for parents traditionally lasted three years for children, but this was considered a general guideline, and the actual required period was twenty-four months.
Jessica said, “The common people won’t remember her wedding date. It’s probably someone from the duke’s family who’s trying to confuse the issue.”
She turned to Eleanor, and asked, “Mom, did she really complete the mourning period?
Eleanor replied indifferently, “Who knows? In any case, the common people won’t care about such details. They enjoy taking the opportunity to berate the powerful, which brings them some satisfaction. They won’t concern themselves with the specifics.”
“If she did observe the full mourning period, and if she comes forward to clarify, the people will believe her, making our efforts pointless. You must have spent quite a bit of money this time,” Jessica said.
Eleanor sighed, her expression darkening. “I did spend a lot of money, but if it results in Sophie being publicly denounced by the entire city and her reputation being ruined, then the money was well spent.”
She felt a sense of satisfaction, but she really had spent a lot of money. Over the years, the funds of Harmony Palace had been spent like water, leaving the outward appearance of wealth but an empty foundation.
Whenever Eleanor thought about it, she couldn’t help but resent her parents for giving her too little land and income, making it so difficult to maintain the palace’s appearance.
With a deep breath, Eleanor continued, “Who would believe her if she came forward to clarify? When she married Blake, the Jaffe family was in decline. The date was chosen by the groom’s family, and they probably couldn’t find anyone of high repute to select a good day for them. A general clarification from her would be utterly ineffective. Are you saying the money I spent was for nothing?”
Jessica finally smiled with satisfaction. “Then let’s watch as she falls from grace. Perhaps, by then, Rafael will no longer want to marry her.”
Eleanor shook her head slowly. “No, he will still marry her. From the attitudes of Victoria and Salvador the other day, it’s clear they are backing this marriage. But perhaps Rafael may not genuinely desire it.”
“Why do you say that, Mom?” Jessica asked, puzzled. “Why would the king allow Rafael to marry Sophie?”
Eleanor was equally perplexed. “The king should be opposed to Rafael marrying Sophie. After all, Rafael holds significant military power, and Sophie carries the reputation of the duke’s family, which has military backing. Doesn’t the king worry that Rafael might harbor ambitions of his own?”
Jessica’s eyes widened in shock. “Would he dare?
Eleanor scoffed coldly. “Who wouldn’t want to be king? Rafael may not have such ambitions now, but who knows what the future holds? Ambition is nurtured day by day. It seems the king, despite his wisdom, places too much trust in brotherly bonds. I’ll need to remind him of a few things.”
“Mom, does the king still respect you?” Jessica inquired.
Eleanor’s gaze darkened slightly. “He shows respect on the surface, but who can say what lies beneath? I need to make him remember my favors. I’ll go to the palace tomorrow to remind him.”
Jessica stepped forward with a charming look. “Mom, please take me with you to the palace. I have some matters I wish to discuss with Aunt Helen.”
What matters?”
Jessica’s eyes gleamed with calculation. “I’m a bit short on funds, so I thought to ask Aunt Helen for some money.”
Eleanor smiled slowly, thinking it was time to extract some money from this money tree.
Inside Evergreen Palace, Helen sneezed repeatedly. As she was preparing for a nap at noon, she was informed that Eleanor and Jessica had arrived.
Gillian furrowed her brow. When the two of them came together, it was usually for a specific reason.
A few years ago, Jessica and Dakota opened a makeup shop and made some money. Helen, who hated being outdone by others, heard about their success and thought about starting a shop herself. However, she didn’t plan to team up with Jessica. She actually wanted to partner with her maternal nephew.
However, Jessica approached Helen with a proposition. She claimed she had a unique formula that produced makeup as good as the ones used in the palace. She asked Helen for three thousand silver coins to start the business, suggesting they could open a makeup shop together.
Helen was skeptical of Jessica, so Eleanor intervened. Eleanor made sarcastic comments, suggesting that Helen was worried about being tricked out of her money and didn’t trust them. Helen was already intimidated by Eleanor and Jessica’s presence. So after seeing Eleanor’s grim face, Helen ended up handing over the money.
Over the years, the makeup shop had never made a profit and had instead consistently suffered losses. Periodically, Helen was asked for more funds to keep the business afloat. Despite her private complaints, she felt compelled to comply to avoid being accused of poverty or stinginess.
In these years, Jessica had extracted nearly ten thousand silver coins from her for the makeup shop that had never even turned a profit.
Gillian, who had served Helen for many years and followed her into the palace, was naturally concerned about the expenditure. She suggested, “It seems they are here again to ask for more money. Lady Helen, the makeup shop isn’t making any money. Perhaps it would be best to close it down to avoid further requests for funds. You’ve already spent so much on it.”
Even if that amount of silver were thrown into the water, it would at least make a splash.
Helen also felt that the makeup shop had indeed been a failure, but she was reluctant to close it. She felt it would be embarrassing. The makeup shop owned by Jessica and Dakota continued to make a profit, while the shop owned by Helen and Jessica was perpetually in the red. She refused to believe it would remain unprofitable indefinitely.
It was a matter of pride.
Determined not to be defeated, Helen invited Eleanor and Jessica in. As she listened to their reasons, she couldn’t help but complain, “Why is it that your shop with Dakota makes a profit every year, while our shop, which is larger than your other shop, suffers losses every year? What happened to the unique formula you promised?”
Jessica was well-prepared with her explanation, a story she had repeated countless times. It went something like this-a business needed time to establish itself and gain a reputation, so initial losses were inevitable. Once the reputation was built, the money would start flowing in.
Helen was not easily swayed by such reassurances. Her primary concern was not to make a large profit, but to surpass Dakota.
Eleanor merely lifted her gaze, and said calmly, “What’s the matter? Are you unable to come up with the money? If you really can’t manage, you might as well sell your share to Dakota. She has been saying she wants it.”