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rarely voiced her opinions, and hardly ever spoke so much at once. Zoey had raised her according to the manners of a noble young lady, teaching her to keep her emotions in check and not let others see her true feelings.
Because showing emotions was like exposing a weakness, making it easy for others to take advantage of her.
In the past couple of years, Zoey actually regretted raising her daughter that way. To conceal one’s emotions and to bottle them up-it was really just a way of enduring silently, like herself. It often felt like self-sacrifice. Now, more than ever, she wished her daughter would find her own voice, stand firm in her beliefs, and not be so restrained. She hoped she could live her life freely, without being bound by rules or others’ expectations. Unexpectedly, it turned out Thomas had taught Courtney that lesson a long time ago.
Zoey felt both relieved and saddened, thinking that Viola had missed out on a good man.
Courtney continued, “Ms. Young said everyone only sees his achievements and admires his charm, but few understand the depth of his heart. He can do what others can’t. Mom, Ms. Young must really like him.” Zoey blinked, taken aback. “You’ve talked about him with Ms. Young? When was this?”
‘e’
“It was back when everyone was talking about Aunt Viola and Mr. Lewis, as well as criticizing Uncle Thomas. Ms. Young would always- sit alone at the end of the hallway looking lonely and quiet. When Ms. Wardell asked her about it, Ms. Young said she felt sorry for him but couldn’t do anything to help. I overheard their conversation,” Courtney said, gripping her mom’s sleeve as she looked up at her.
Zoey drew her daughter into her arms, her breath heavy with a sigh. “I hope… I hope he finds happiness.”
Rosalind was naturally a good woman, but Zoey didn’t feel it was her place to intervene. She could only hope their fate would work out.
Sophie left the academy with Zoey. Instead of riding her own horse, she had someone lead it while she sat in Zoey’s carriage. Sophie had two things to tell her.
First, she said, “Isaac selected some goods that weren’t of the best quality and sold them. The money from the sales wasn’t converted to banknotes, and it’s all been stored in the cellar at Glimmering Tower.”
“It’s what the Earl of Silverstone’s family owes him. He should feel free to spend it. I’ve put some aside as well, just in case,” Zoey softly replied.
“He won’t spend it. He doesn’t need the money,” Sophie said.
Then, she moved on to the second topic, explaining, “As for Celeste, His Majesty has confirmed her identity. He knows she’s taken a woman from Lunvale as her godmother. As for the surname Spencer, it’s from a branch of the Spencer family in Ebonflow. They do business in Lunvale as well.
“The person you found out she was conspiring with is likely from the Spencer family. It would be better if His Majesty moved against them. But if he doesn’t, your family could become entangled in a more dangerous and difficult situation.”
Sophie withheld key details, such as the investigation into the private army in Lunvale. These were things that couldn’t be revealed.
She only offered this information to prepare Zoey. If Oliver changed his mind now, the Earl of Silverstone’s family could still find a way to avoid the worst outcome. At most, they would lose their noble title, but that wouldn’t be the worst case. It all depended on whether Zoey could manage to change Oliver’s mind.
After hearing this, Zoey just nodded silently without saying anything.
With that, Sophie knew Zoey had done her best, but Oliver hadn’t listened to her. She patted Zoey’s hand but didn’t offer any comforting words. She got off the carriage halfway and rode back to her residence.
Some things changed so gradually that people ended up accepting them without even realizing it.
For example, when Sophie used to ride through the streets in official attire, the common people would stare at her with all kinds of looks. But now, it seemed they’d gotten used to it, and some even greeted her with a smile. They had accepted such an unconventional princess consort, but still hadn’t fully accepted such an unconventional woman.
The next evening, the matter of Jocelyn’s expulsion reached
Malcolm’s ears. However, neither Vera nor@Jocelyn explained the full truth. They only said that several young women had argued about something and Sophie had stepped into settle it, resulting in Jocelyn being expelled.
Malcolm was usually a careful person, but in recent years, he had become arrogant and overconfident in the Quinton family’s upbringing. He believed his relatives would never do anything out of line.
And when Jocelyn tearfully explained that she had argued with the other young ladies to protect his reputation, it stirred a deep sense of shame and indignation within him, making him lose all sense of reason.
His affair with a mistress, despite all his efforts to keep it quiet, always seemed to find its way into public gossip. It was a persistent thorn in his side that challenged his authority.
He believed Sophie was deliberately targeting him, since she had personally handled the arrangements for Henry’s concubines and their children, which led Marjorie to discover his affair.
Lately, Marjorie had been cold and distant. She still managed the household, but was clearly less involved than before.
Because of these issues, he never doubted what Jocelyn and Vera said.
But the mother-daughter pair never expected him to seek out Sophie to defend them, since he would usually ignore these matters in the past. This time, they miscalculated by making Malcolm believe that Sophie wasn’t targeting Jocelyn, but him.
Malcolm might not care enough to defend the fourth branch of his family, but he would go to great lengths to defend his own honor.
Thus, he made the second greatest mistake of his life-he sent one of his former students to lodge a formal complaint against Sophie, accusing her of bias and of using her position as the headmistress of Gracewood Women’s Academy to target the Quinton family
Though Malcolm didn’t personally submit the petition, it was well known at court that the student was his.
At first, the women’s academy hadn’t drawn much attention from the officials. Sending their daughters there was just a way to show respect to the queen since she had decreed its establishment. It was more about showing respect to her than anything else
But now, one of Malcolm’s students had lodged a formal complaint against Sophie, and it involved Gracewood Women’s Academy. Oddly enough, people started seeing the academy in a new light.
Salvador completely ignored it, acting as if he hadn’t heard. After a brief glance across the hall, he asked, “Is there anything else to report?”
His complete disregard was a direct slap in Malcolm’s face. The court fell silent for a moment before other officials began to step forward to report their own matters.
Malcolm stood frozen in place, his face burning with a sharp sting, though no slap had been delivered. It was only then that he realized his recklessness-his impulsive actions had brought the matter of the students at Gracewood Women’s Academy all the way to the royal court.
With Salvador telling him to stay behind, he stood there, unmoving, until the court session ended.
Left alone in the king’s private study, Malcolm was instructed to wait outside. The biting cold of the winter wind cut through him like a blade as he stood there for four full hours, not once being summoned in.
A swirl of emotions churned inside him, but the most prominent was anger. He was the king’s father-in-law. Surely, even if his actions were misguided, Salvador should not have left him to suffer in the cold.
By the end of the four hours, his body was nearly frozen, stiff from the cold. Derek, noticing his distress, brought him a small warming stove. The faint warmth provided a small relief from the icy grip of winter.
lan quickly entered the study, and after a brief exchange with the king, returned to stand before Malcolm.
“Lord Quinton, what are you doing here?” lan asked, surprised.
Shivering, Malcolm forced out through clenched teeth, “Waiting to be summoned by His Majesty.”
lan’s eyes widened. “His Majesty just ordered me to find you. He was wondering where you’d gone-he’s been waiting for you! Please go in at once. His Majesty is growing impatient.”
Malcolm barely managed a stiff nod of thanks before forcing his frozen limbs into motion and entering the study.
He greeted Salvador and took a seat like he usually did. However, he could sense the king’s anger simmering beneath the surface. The four hours of waiting had been nothing more than a quiet reprimand. However, as it was regarding something trivial like Gracewood Women’s Academy, Malcolm was upset and couldn’t accept it.
The warmth of the room slowly returned feeling to his limbs, but before he could fully recover, Derek entered with a steaming cup of coffee and a set of investigation results.
Malcolm curiously picked up the documents. After reading them, his eyes widened in disbelief and his heart surged with fury.
Vera and Jocelyn had lied to him!
It all began with Jocelyn’s claim that Thomas had asked to marry her. She had mocked him for being too old and trying to prey on a younger woman. The rumor had spread like wildfire, with the other students joining in the ridicule.