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It was clear that she lived a comfortable life within the Duke of Oakspire’s family, untouched by the hardships of life.
She was genuinely cherished.
Sophie had encountered other concubines’ daughters before, but only Cecilia exuded the air of someone who had never been battered by life’s trials. There was a softness about her, a sense of being delicately cradled in someone’s palm.
When Cecilia arrived, her demeanor was courteous. She performed a graceful curtsy and stood to the side, keeping a respectful distance from the men. When she heard Sophie call her full name, her expression remained calm, as if she had anticipated this moment.
She knelt and lifted her head, her eyes reflecting a sense of acceptance. “Yes, my name is Cecilia Kingsley. I am not without family. Lord Henry is my dad, and I’m part of the Kingsley family and Grand Princess Eleanor’s household.”
Her statement hit the main hall with a jarring intensity, leaving everyone speechless and frozen in place. Gareth’s eyes widened in shock, his gaze filled with fury. “What? You’re Lord Henry’s daughter?”
“I’m sorry, Lord Gareth.” Cecilia lowered her head. Her voice was steady, and she showed no signs of tears. “I deceived you and everyone else.”
“What?!”
Gareth raised his hand, ready to strike her, but the anger that had flared within him dissipated when he saw Cecilia’s red??immed eyes. Ultimately, she was still his favorite concubine and the mother of his two sons
As Gareth slowly lowered his hand, Michael entered with the Capital Guard and the scribe. Sophie instructed the scribe to take notes and repeated what had just been said.
Once she finished, she turned to Norman. “Did I make any mistakes, Lord Norman?”
Norman was stunned, and his gaze was fixed on Sophie’s serious, composed face.
A wave of indescribable shame washed over him.
Norman recalled how his household had erupted into chaos from the moment Sophie first knocked on the door. They had acted like a bunch of monkeys jumping around. Only his eldest son??hom he had always disregarded??ad attempted to be the voice of reason amidst the rising tide of anger.
Yet, no one had listened to Mikhail.
“There was no mistake,” Mikhail replied on Norman’s behalf, his expression grave. “You have an
Impressive memory, Commander Devin. Not a single word was wrong”
“That’s good to hear, Sophie said. Then, she turned to Gareth and added, “Lord Gareth, you might as well take a seat. I still have a few questions for you and Lady Cecilia regarding the weapons”
Gareth had been so arrogant moments ago, but now he felt a chill run down his spine.
Many blueprints for armor and weapons were stored in his study, which Cecilia could enter freely. When he worked late into the night, examining and amending the blueprints, she was often right there at his side, attending to him,
Sophie asked, “Lady Cecilia, have you ever delivered any blueprints for weapons and armor from the Ministry of Defense to Eleanor?”
Gareth could barely breathe, his heart racing as he stared at Cecilia, terrified she might reveal that she had stolen his designs.
After a moment of silence, Cecilia finally spoke, “I served Lord Gareth in the study and saw those blueprints. I stole two pages and sent them back.”
Gareth felt as if he might faint.
Norman’s gaze shifted to his favorite s?n, the approval that usually filled his eyes replaced by a simmering anger.
He had always believed Gareth resembled him the most in temperament and style. But now, it was clear that only the boy’s temper matched his own??here was no trace of the carefulness or caution that Norman was known for. Gareth didn’t even know where the woman by his side came from, yet he had pampered her without hesitation for all these years.
To think Gareth had even allowed her into his study, where she could see the weapon designs! Armor and crossbow designs were the most sensitive of secrets??ivilian replicas didn’t even come close to what the Ministry of Defense could produce.
With Cecilia’s confession, the color drained from the faces of everyone from the Duke of Oakspire’s family. Just moments ago, many had exclaimed that Sophie was merely trying to establish authority by making use of their household.
Now, they were all silent.
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Gareth suddenly exploded in fury. He jumped up and slapped Cecilia harshly across the face.
“You treacherous woman! After everything I’ve done for you, you dare betray me?!” he roared with outrage. Cecilia fell to the ground, blood slowly trickling from the corner of her mouth. She braced herself on the ground, still kneeling, though tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Her lips quivered, her voice breaking as she said, “I’m sorry… I have no excuse. I know my sins are unforgivable.”
“You’ve doomed us all!” Gareth spat as he fiercely kicked her. “I once asked you if you had any family and you told me you were an orphan! How dare you lie to me?!”
Cecilia’s body trembled as she let out a muffled sob, knowing there was no hope of ever regaining Gareth’s pity or love.
Sophie let out a barely audible sigh as she watched from nearby. Thankfully, the king had already made his decision yesterday about the daughters of Henry’s concubines. Otherwise, the Duke of Oakspire’s family would have been done for after this revelation, with none of them able to escape unscathed.
Now that Salvador had declared the women victims in this matter, he wouldn’t go back on his word. Putting off visiting the Duke of Oakspire’s family and the Quinton family had indeed proven to be a good decision.
Looking at Cecilia, who lay sobbing on the ground, Sophie asked, “The two blueprints you took??ere they for armor and ballistae?”
The gathered men were mostly seasoned warriors of the Duke of Oakspire’s family, so they instantly understood the gravity of Sophie’s question.
They also realized that she wasn’t looking to claim false glory. If she wanted to do that, she could have
Sophie declared that Cecilia had stolen the armor and ballistae blueprints and taken her away. That way, would have secured her achievement on the spot.
But Sophie was giving Cecilia a chance now. If the latter answered that she hadn’t taken such blueprints, there was still a way out of this. Armor and ballistae blueprints had implications far beyond ordinary weapons.
Every gaze turned to Cecilia, their eyes fixed with anticipation.
Gareth’s face was contorted with fury as he warned, “Think very carefully before you answer.”
Cecilia looked up with tear streaks glistening on her cheeks, her delicate face filled with sorrow.
Her trembling lips parted as she spoke in a pained voice, “No, there were no armor or ballistae blueprints. One was a broadsword, and the other was a spear. Since my mom died, I’ve stopped listening to Grand Princess Eleanor’s orders. I have children in this household, and I no longer want to be their puppet. That’s why I kept avoiding the people my dad sent to seek me out.”
A collective sigh of relief swept through the room, but it barely had time to settle before everyone turned their tense eyes back to Sophie, anxiously awaiting her next move.
Now, whether it was Norman, Gareth, or anyone else from the Duke of Oakspire’s family, the fierce resistance they’d shown before had completely vanished. Instead, Norman looked more afraid than he ever had in his life
After all, if Sophie claimed she doubted Cecilia’s story and pushed for more answers, she could easily expose more secrets Even if nothing new came out, everyone knew how the Duke of Oakspire’s family had treated Sophie and the Capital Guard today??arring them entry, hurling insults, even splashing water to drive them away. The arrogance of it all was enough to make them feel humiliated and foolish just thinking back on it.
A woman like Sophie likely wouldn’t forget an insult easily, and laying out charges against the Duke of Oakspire’s family wouldn’t be hard for her if she wanted revenge.
They all eyed Sophie nervously. She was watching Ceilin, who was still crying softly, but her sobs were now subdued, as if she had already accepted her inevitable fate.
A suffocating silence hung in the air, broken only by Cecilia’s quiet sniffles.