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Being an official, Rafael understood the intricate workings of the system and knew how to maneuver through its loopholes.
After dinner, Sophie discussed the plan with Violet. They would investigate first, then act-giving the beast a few more days to live.
Having calmed down now after acting out of anger earlier, Violet looked at Sophie with concern. “But you’re a court official. Do you think this approach might cause trouble? If it’s discovered, will you still be able to keep your position?”
Sophie sighed. “There’s no other way. In this world, if we make
Karen’s suffering public, she won’t have a chance at survival. Her sisters would be in trouble too. The law might be more refined now, but there are always corners that get overlooked. But if it comes to it, we’ll have to rely on brute force.”
Violet felt her blood boiling, eager to take action, but Sophie placed a hand on her arm to steady her and said, “I don’t recommend using this method unless we absolutely have to. Otherwise, what would the law even be worth?” Violet nodded solemnly. “Yes, the law must be upheld. Otherwise, His Highness’ position as Chief Judge would be meaningless.”
Sophie personally went to The Golden Tower to see Nathaniel.
As a businessman, he was sharp and straightforward. While he wasn’t overly meticulous in his business dealings, he worked hard to make money. However, he also had a strong sense of patriotism. Unable to pursue a scholarly path or master martial arts, he had always generously donated to the nation’s cause during times of war. He greatly admired Sophie and wanted to befriend her. However, he rarely had the chance to meet her, and being a businessman, it was difficult for him to visit her. So, when she came to see him in person, he was eager to give her a warm reception.
Nathaniel had heard a little about the incident at Crystal Springs, but it involved too many sensitive matters tied to officials for him to probe further. What he did know was that a young woman had suffered greatly there.
When Sophie said she wanted to investigate the matter, Nathaniel didn’t hesitate for a second.
He slapped his chest confidently and said, “Leave it to me, Lady Sophie. Just go back and wait for my good news.”
Less than half a day later, Nathaniel arrived at the Capital Guard headquarters, seeking help. He explained that a noble guest had lost an emerald pendant at Crystal Springs some time ago and requested the Garrison Unit’s assistance in locating the family heirloom. When ordinary people lost something and reported it to the authorities, it was usually never recovered and often ignored. But the person who lost this item was of notable status. Since their identity wasn’t publicly disclosed, no one could find out who they were. All that was known was that the person was a retired high-ranking official.
This wasn’t seen as a major incident, so it didn’t attract much attention at first. However, since someone had come forward to seek help, the Garrison Unit had every right to conduct an investigation.
The fees to enter Crystal Springs weren’t cheap, and there were attendants serving there. So, it wasn’t hard to investigate who came and went on the day of Karen’s incident.
Malcolm had reserved a private spring, Emerald Pool, that day, but he could be ruled out as a suspect as he and his wife had been at a temple, which a novice priest could confirm.
Sophie and Max took a walk around the Crystal Springs area to familiarize themselves with the layout. The springs were located to the east of the temple, about 1.5 miles away. It had a large gate and a surrounding wall, so there was only one entrance. Crystal Springs was a thriving business, with reservations required most of the time. If one didn’t book in advance, it was unlikely they would get a spot.
Sophie asked Crystal Springs’ manager for the list of guests who had visited that day and began reviewing it carefully. Meanwhile, Max went to question the staff, looking for anyone who might seem suspicious.
As the fees for Crystal Springs were expensive, most common folk couldn’t afford it. Those who came here were either wealthy families or high-ranking officials, lords, and nobles. Most of them traveled with their families, so according to the staff, everyone had gone straight to their reserved pools. None of them had visited the pool Malcolm reserved.
Since Malcolm hadn’t come, there were no staff assigned to Emerald Pool that day. And with the place being so busy, no one had noticed whether anyone had gone near the pool.
Sophie didn’t find anyone suspicious on the guest list. All the names belonged to prominent officials or at the very least, wealthy merchants. According to the staff’s statements, everyone had stayed in their own reserved pools. Afterward, the staff personally escorted them out, and no one left or returned after they had finished.
The Whitley family had made a reservation, so that was how Douglas had been able to get Karen into the hot springs.
Sophie paused, then decided to investigate the people on Malcolm’s side of the story. She went to the temple and asked around. It turned out that Malcolm had come with Marjorie, accompanied by a coachman, two guards, and four maids.
The temple staff were certain that Malcolm and Marjorie hadn’t left, but they weren’t sure about the rest of their party. Only the people by Malcolm’s side that day knew that he hadn’t gone to Crystal Springs. The four maids were easily ruled out, leaving only the two guards and the coachman.
Sophie suddenly realized she had been overlooking something important-How had the staff at Crystal Springs known that Malcolm wasn’t able to come? She immediately called for Max to go and question the staff. Realizing the mistake too, Max quickly mounted his horse and rode off.
After asking a few of the staff members, he finally got to the truth when he raised his fist. One of the staff admitted that one of Malcolm’s guards had come with the reservation slip, claiming that master wouldn’t be attending Since the reservation had already been paid for and it would be a shame to let it go to waste, the guard had slipped the staff some money and gone in himself to soak.
The investigation ultimately led back to the Quinton family.
Malcolm was completely unaware of the matter until Sophie explained it to him privately. After hearing the entire story, his fury was uncontrollable, his whole body trembling with rage.
He had already made a grievous mistake in the past-fathering a daughter with a mistress-a stain on his reputation that he could never fully erase. If this new scandal were to spread, how could he possibly face anyone? Even if he was innocent, others would assume he was guilty.
In his rage, Malcolm ordered the guard involved to be brought forward.
The guard, Trey Carter, was a family servant from birth. After learning some skills, he stayed on as a guard in the household. His parents were senior servants in the estate, and it was through them that he learned of the Whitley family’s inquiries to the gatekeeper about Malcolm’s visit to the hot springs. Later, Trey followed Malcolm and Marjorie to the temple. When he saw Malcolm had not gone to the hot springs, he decided to exploit the situation for his own gain.
It was him. He had defiled Karen.
For a moment, Malcolm was so furious that he wanted to kill Trey-especially because Sophie was sitting across from him.
This was the same woman who had personally exposed his mistress and handed his illegitimate daughter over to his wife. Malcolm was no ordinary man-he was the father-in-law of the king and the Civil Minister. Countless officials’ futures were in his hands. Yet, he feared Sophie. In her presence, he couldn’t hold his head high.
A man’s mistakes could be many-he could murder, steal, or destroy-but none carried the weight of this particular disgrace.
Without hesitation, Sophie kicked Trey to the ground. The force of her blow seemed strong enough to kill him. Blood gushed from his mouth as he collapsed, clutching his abdomen. He curled up on the floor, his mouth wide open, unable to make even a sound of pain. Malcolm wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, sweat beading not just there but on the tip of his nose too. He didn’t even know what to say.
Sophie sat back down across from him. “Lord Quinton, how do you propose we settle this? The people involved deserve an explanation.”
Malcolm wiped his face again, his thoughts racing before he finally let out a long sigh. “Trey is undoubtedly at fault, but wasn’t Mr. Whitley also to blame? He was the one who sought to sell his daughter for his own advancement.”
“That will be handled by someone else,” Sophie said coldly. “I am only asking how you will deal with Trey, Lord Quinton.”
Malcolm stared at Trey. As much as he wanted to kill him on the spot, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Trey was a family servant from birth, someone Malcolm had watch net grow up since childhood. How could he not feel something for the man who had been by his side day in and day out?
Trey clutched his abdomen, dropping to his knees with tears streaming down his face. “Lord Quinton, Lady Sophie, please spare my life! I was momentarily blinded by greed-I’ll never do it again! I beg for mercy!” Malcolm kicked him hard, his fury boiling over. “You have the audacity to beg for forgiveness? Even ten deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone for your crime!”
Not satisfied with just the kick,
Malcolm rose and slapped him across the face-once, then again. The blows were so vicious that Trey fell to the ground, disoriented, blood spilling from his mouth. Grabbing a cup from the table, Malcolm Burled it at Trey’s head. The force sent him crumpling further to the floor, blood trickling down his face.
After venting his rage with kicks, slaps, and the broken cup, Malcolm finally sat back down, though his face was still twisted with anger. “Someone, drag him out of here!”
At once, guards stepped forward to remove Trey.
But Sophie’s icy voice cut through the room, “No one touches him. Leave.”
The guards froze, glancing between Sophie and Malcolm.
Malcolm hadn’t expected her to be so merciless. After everything Trey had endured, she still wasn’t willing to show him any leniency. Clenching his jaw, he waved the guards off.
“Fine. What do you want done with him, Lady Sophie? Just say the word, and I’ll have him dealt with immediately.”
Sophie let out a cold laugh. “Dealt with? Dragging him off to be ‘dealt with’ means I wouldn’t see what happens next.”
“Yes, he’s committed a crime, but it’s not one worthy of death! Surely you don’t intend to take his life? If this matter were brought to court, the worst he’d face would be five or six years of imprisonment,” said Malcolm, his patience wearing thin.
His brows lifted slightly as he added with a mocking edge, “Besides, dragging this to court won’t do that lady any good. I hear she’s already bent on taking her own life. In cases like these, the ones who suffer most are always the women. Why not let this matter rest?”
The sorrow and fury in Sophie’s eyes slowly surfaced as she spoke, “If this goes to court, the one who suffers won’t just be her.”