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She leaned forward slightly, her voice laced with venom, adding,
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“Lord Quinton, have you considered what will happen to you? Harboring a guard who committed such a crime under your own roof and allowing a woman to be violated… When the Oversight Department comes knocking, they won’t just charge him, they’ll charge you too.”
Sophie leaned forward slightly, her tone sharp with accusation as she asked, “Tell me, Lord Quinton, can you withstand being charged?”
Malcolm’s expression darkened instantly. All he wanted now was to keep things as quiet as possible, to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention. After all, his youngest daughter had just been brought back into the household and was now being raised under the care of his concubine, Willow.
And with the matter of the crown prince’s succession still undecided, any scandal involving the Quinton family would reflect poorly on Connor as well.
At the end of the day, Trey was just a servant. He had only risen to the rank of guard because Malcolm had elevated him. Weighing the situation, Malcolm made his decision without much difficulty, the malice in his gaze unmistakable.
Trembling from head to toe, Trey slammed his head against the ground and desperately pleaded for mercy.
“You wretched scum!” Malcolm bellowed. “You dare beg for mercy after defiling an innocent lady? Even death wouldn’t be enough to atone for your crime!”
Through his sobs, Trey choked out, “My lord, how is she innocent? The Whitley family sent her as an offering to you! You didn’t want her, so… so I made a mistake! But she wasn’t innocent! She had taken aphrodisiacs! I was trying to save her! No matter what I did wrong, I don’t deserve death!”
Malcolm’s fury deepened, his hatred for Douglas burning brighter. He had already rejected the man’s earlier request to take his daughter as a concubine, yet Douglas had dared to resort to such vile methods.
He turned to Sophie, his resolve hardening. “Lady Sophie, just say the word. Do you want his life? If you do, I’ll end it right here and now.”
Sophie’s expression remained cold and unmoving. “He belongs to the Quinton household. How you define his crime and punishment is entirely up to you, Lord Quinton.”
Malcolm pressed his lips into a thin line, the anger inside him building to a boiling point.
This woman was as cunning as ever. She clearly wanted Trey dead but refused to say so outright. No matter how things played out, she could distance herself entirely from the outcome, keeping her hands clean of any controversy. She was always careful to remain untouchable, protecting the Hell Monarch and his household like an impenetrable fortress.
Grinding his teeth, Malcolm’s face turned a shade darker as he ordered, “Drag him out. Beat him to death!”
Trey’s eyes widened in horror as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He threw himself to the ground, pleading frantically, “My lord, have mercy! Please, my lord-spare me!”
As Malcolm turned away, Trey dragged himself to face Sophie, his voice rising in desperation, “Even by law, my crime doesn’t warrant death! You vicious woman!”
Sophie’s gaze turned icy, her tone sharp as a blade as she spoke, “If you believe the law will spare your life, then ask your lord to send you to the authorities. Whatever sentence the court delivers, that’s how many years you’ll serve. I will not interfere.”
Her words left him utterly deflated. Trey slumped to the ground and turned to Malcolm, his face streaked with tears.
Bowing low, he begged in a trembling voice, “My lord, please! Send me to the authorities! Let them decide my fate!”
Malcolm’s eyes widened in fury. Though he could show mercy, there were limits to his patience and this was it. Trey’s request to go to the authorities wasn’t just ignorance; it was outright defiance. He had to know what that would mean.
Sending Trey to the authorities
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would drag the Quinton family’s reputation through the mud-a humiliation they could not afford Every servant in the household understood this lesson from the moment they could walk. The family’s honor came before all else, even their own lives.
Someone this foolish was not worth sparing.
Whatever faint flicker of pity Malcolm had felt disappeared entirely. His face hardened as he barked, “Take him away!”
The guards stepped forward and hauled Trey out of the room. Outside in the courtyard, the punishment began. The crack of the rod echoed through the still air as the blows rained down one after another, until Trey’s screams faded into silence.
Malcolm turned his gaze to Sophie, his eyes alight with anger. “Are you satisfied now, Lady Sophie? This whole affair was Mr. Whitley’s doing-rejected him outright from the start! This has been nothing but an unprovoked disaster for my family. Yet, you insist on sinking your teeth in and refusing to let go. It’s truly disheartening.”
Sophie laughed bitterly. “If Trey hadn’t harmed Ms. Whitley, then this entire matter wouldn’t have involved your family in the slightest. But it’s a fact that he did, so it’s no longer an unprovoked disaster for your family. Whose power did Trey borrow when he did what he did? Don’t you know that in your heart, Lord Quinton?”
After saying that, Sophie glanced at the pale-faced man and stood up to leave. In the courtyard, she gave Trey a cold look.
He wasn’t dead yet, but he was barely hanging on, his legs and hips soaked in blood. Though he would survive, he would never be able to stand again.
Marjorie had been standing quietly outside the courtyard. When she saw Sophie emerge, she curtsied respectfully and walked her to the gate. She had heard everything from her spot outside. “How is the girl doing now?” Marjorie asked softly as they walked.
“She’s staying at the workshop,” Sophie said with a faint sigh. “But she hasn’t given up on trying to end her own life.”
Marjorie fell silent for a moment before murmuring, “What a tragedy.”
At the gate, she stopped and added, “If there’s anything I can do to help the girl, please don’t hesitate to let me know, Your Grace.”
Sophie inclined her head. “Thank you, Madam Marjorie. I’ll remember that.”
Marjorie curtsied once more, watching as Sophie mounted her horse and rode away. She remained at the gate for a long while, lost in thought, until Trey’s parents approached. They fell to their knees and pleaded with her. “Please, my lady, call for a physician to save Trey!”
Marjorie’s expression turned cold as she looked down at them. “Ask Lord Quinton to make that decision. This is not something I can handle.” Trey’s mother grabbed at Marjorie’s skirt as she begged, “My lady, please have mercy! Trey is our only son! We can’t let our family line die off!”
A flicker of anger flashed in Marjorie’s eyes. “He brought this on himself. Who else can you blame?”
She tugged her skirt free from the woman’s grip and turned to leave, ignoring the wails that followed her. On her way back, she felt lightheaded and leaned against her maid, Thea, for support.
“Madam Marjorie, are you truly going to leave it be? What if the servants grow disloyal?” Thea asked hesitantly, finding it strange.
Marjorie was known for her fairness and kindness toward the household staff. Part of it was her gentle nature, but another part was practicality-she understood the danger of alienating the estate’s lifelong servants, who could easily tarnish the Quinton family’s reputation if they turned against them..
Under normal circumstances, Marjorie would have balanced punishment with mercy. Now, she really didn’t care anymore, despite the fact that Trey and his parents had been in the household for many years and knew a lot of things which could lead to trouble if they ever had thoughts of betrayal.
This time, Marjorie simply frowned and shook her head. “I can’t get involved. How could I justify it to that young lady?”
Thea tried again, cautiously saying, “But that young lady’s dad intended to send her to Lord Quinton. He refused her, but eventually, she would have been offered to warm someone else’s bed. She is just… an object meant to be used.”
“Be quiet!” Marjorie snapped, her voice sharp with anger. “What the Whitley family chooses to do is none of our business. But Trey wronged Ms. Whitley, and that’s a fact. Why bother with what ifs? What matters is what’s happening right now. You say she’s an object-what about you? You’re a woman to How could you speak such cold, heartless words?”
When she saw how angry Marjorie was, Thea fell silent immediately.
Marjorie’s heart sank. It was a painful truth-sometimes, men viewed women as objects. At times, even women themselves saw each other the same way.
…
On the same day that Trey was dealt with, Violet snuck into the Whitley family’s residence at night.
She had thought that a person with such a heartless and cruel nature would have a cunning, deceitful face, or at least be ugly and repulsive. She never expected Douglas to look so honest and sincere.