Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“That’s unclear, but either way, the child was lost and Lady Flora’s health was ruined. The physician said it would be very difficult for her to conceive again,” Luke replied.
“What kind of laxative was it? It sounds so severe,” Sophie asked.
“Giles didn’t say. Madam Margaret investigated the matter herself, so he didn’t know the full story. However a few days after this incident, Lady Jessica pushed Lady Serena into a lake. The Marquis of Ironridge was furious and decided to divorce her,” Luke explained.
“Was it on the grounds of attempting to harm the child and mistreating a concubine?” Violet immediately asked.
“None of it. They stated it was for other reasons.”
Violet sighed. “At least she saved some dignity. But considering she has money and shops, she shouldn’t have fallen to the point of needing to go to Skye Embroidery.”
Luke waved his hand dismissively. “She does have a few shops and some property. When she was divorced, Madam Margaret even gave her two thousand silver coins.” “What about her dowry?” Violet asked. “She entered the marquis’ household as a duchess, and the household is well-off. She shouldn’t have needed to dip into her dowry.”
“According to Giles, her dowry was long gone. Over the years, her shops didn’t bring in much. Her jewelry and silver were all she had left. When she was sent out, she took those with her”
Violet frowned. “Then, how did she manage to squander all of it in such a short time? I saw her today wearing a simple dress and no jewelry. Could she really just be trying to stir up trouble?”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t know.”
A clear, familiar voice interrupted from the doorway, “I do.”
Everyone turned to see Rafael, draped in a deep purple cloak patterned with dark clouds, striding into the room with Jacob following closely behind.
Sophie smiled sweetly when she saw Rafael had returned so early, her eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Have you settled all the cases?”
“Not yet, but I didn’t feel like staying up tonight,” Rafael replied, his gaze meeting hers.
Without realizing it, the hard edges of his face softened. A smile tugged at his eyes as he walked over and sat down next to her. Jacob glanced back and called for some drinks. “My throat’s about to catch fire. Get some cold fruit juice.”
Violet laughed and asked, “What kept you so busy today, Jacob? Your voice is hoarse.”
“Had to go round up the shops, negotiate with some people,” Jacob said, giving a respectful nod to Sophie before sitting down.
Violet was uninterested in those details, so she turned her attention to Rafael. “You said you know something about Jessica. What’s going on with her?”
“Her finances were never solid to begin with,” Rafael replied. “During the investigation into the treason case, it was discovered that all the money her shops made was funneled to Eleanor. She also had some shops with other ladies, including Lady Josephine and Lady Dakota. Those were all involved in the case.
“After the investigation, any shops linked to the case were sealed, but she had two private shops left. Unfortunately, they were both registered under Henry’s name. After his execution, those shops were seized and confiscated. Jessica had been hiding this from the Marquis of Ironridge, hoping he wouldn’t look down on her.
“With no income, she started lending out money at high interest. Of course, that would have made her a decent profit. She even borrowed 10,000 silver coins from Lady Molly and said it was for a business venture, and that they would split the profits 50-50.”
When Violet heard that her cousin was involved in this, her face immediately soured.
“Then, recently, the authorities cracked down on illegal lending and she got caught up in it. She was fined a large sum, and the money she had left from her divorce wasn’t enough to cover it. She had to selt her properties and jewelry to pay the fine. If she hadn’t, she would have faced jail time. Now, she still owes Lady Molly 10,000 silver Coins plus interest. After Jessica’s divorce, Lady Molly sent people to collect the debt. With nowhere else to turn, she ended up at the workshop.”
“She really brought this on herself! After all that, she still lent money out at a high interest. The king didn’t e even gether involved in the treason case, yet she still didn’t know how to keep a low profile? She has no one to blame but herself,” Violet spat in disgust.
“How much was the fine?” Sophie asked curiously.
“100,000 silver coins,” Rafael replied.
Violet’s eyes widened in shock. “That much? How much money did she actually lend out?”
“50,000 silver coins. The fine is double that,” Rafael explained. “Usury is no small matter, and the king’s trying to clamp down on it. She just happened to hit that moment. This case is being handled by lan’s people, so there’s no room for mercy.” Sophie frowned. “How much interest did she collect? Did she force anyone into selling their children or worse?”
She knew people who lent money at high interest rates were heartless, often forcing those who couldn’t repay to sell their children or worse. It was a cruel and damaging practice.
Jacob let out a small chuckle. “The funny part is, she didn’t make a single coin off the interest. The court started investigating as soon as she started lending money. Now, she can’t get back the 50,000 silver coins she lent out and still has to pay the fine.” Violet raised an eyebrow. “So, doesn’t that mean the person who borrowed the 50,000 silver coins got away easy?”
“Not at all,” Rafael replied. “Since lending at usury is illegal, the 50,000 silver coins were confiscated by the authorities as well.” Sophie’s eyes widened in realization. “So, she’s lost a total of 150,000 silver coins? That’s enough to bankrupt anyone!”
“Exactly,” Rafael confirmed.
“Otherwise, why would she have to sell her properties? She still hasn’t paid off the fine and owes Lady Molly 10,000 silver coins. This whole mess is tied to Yuvan as well, and lan’s been keeping a close eye on him Naturally, he has no sympathy for Jessica either. These past few days, she’s been running around and trying to use her connections, but lan hasn’t acknowledged her.”
Sophie thought back to how Jessica had been so desperate that she had to pick up a few coins. It was clear she was now at her wit’s end.
However, the situation had grown increasingly complicated. While Jessica’s original intent was merely to get back at Flora’s mom, the outcome was far more severe-Flora ended up losing her child. As if that wasn’t enough, Jessica later pushed Serena into a lake, fully aware that the latter couldn’t swim. This meant Jessica’s actions weren’t accidental. Her malicious intent toward Serena was clear.
“I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it-I find it a bit funny that Serena got pushed into a lake,” Violet said with a solemn face.
She quickly muttered an apology and prayer under her breath, hoping to redeem herself spiritually.
Sophie frowned slightly. “What I don’t understand is how Jessica could be so stupid. She’s no longer a duchess and she’s not even respected at Ironridge Estate. Her mom’s imprisoned and her dad’s dead, yet she’s still causing trouble. Is she trying to ruin her life on purpose?”
“If she didn’t want to keep living, why would she come to the workshop for help?” Jacob asked.
Sophie turned her gaze to Rafael. “What do you think?”
Rafael paused for a bit before replying, “This situation might have more to it than we realize. Giles doesn’t necessarily know the full truth. There are a lot of dirty secrets in a big family, things they’re desperate to keep hidden. As far as Madam Margaret is concerned, Jessica had to be cast out. Maybe it’s because Madam Margaret found out about her involvement in usury.”
Sophie nodded. “It could be a combination of several things. Perhaps Madam Margaret just couldn’t tolerate it any longer. The Marquis of Ironridge himself isn’t the most decisive, and the household is run by his mom. Plus, the marquis clearly doesn’t care much for Jessica.”
“They’re clearly two people who can’t stand each other. It’s a sad state when a marriage falls apart like that,” Rafael said with a hint of melancholy.
Sophie murmured in agreement, but her mind wasn’t focused on their failing relationship. When a couple no longer had affection for each other, it was pointless for others to speculate on their feelings.
Instead, she said, “The workshop has been open for some time now, but no one’s willing to come.
“Jessica used to be a duchess. If we take her in, it could be a good starting point for the workshop-but that’s only if she wasn’t actually trying to harm the concubine’s child.
“Let’s think this through. She had intended to give Madam Barbara the laxative. At worst, it was a prank. She didn’t mean to harm the child, but the mishap caused the miscarriage. It’s obvious Madam Margaret wasn’t fully enraged yet.
“But when Jessica pushed Serena into the lake, and with all her other actions piled on top-especially the usury-Madam Margaret finally reached her breaking point and had to cast her out.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. The situation was indeed as Sophie had said-time and again, Jessica had made the same mistakes and refused to change. Given all that, her downfall wasn’t unjust.
Sophie continued, “The problem is, why did the medicine end up in Lady Flora’s hands by accident? The medicine that caused her miscarriage-how strong must that dosage have been? Who gave it to her? And what was behind Serena being pushed into the lake? As for the usury, Jessica didn’t profit from it and the court already imposed a fine. We don’t need to worry about that part.”
She paused and added, “Of course, apart from that, we have to make sure that her intention to work at the workshop for a living is genuine. If she’s only coming to eat, drink, and sleep without contributing, then we can’t accept her.”