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Sophie had left herself behind there. Even though she had endured much during the divorce, she never returned. She only sent letters to her master and seniors, not wanting them to see her without a genuine smile.
Rafael understood why she didn’t want to return to Meadow Ridge, and sighed inwardly. He maintained a calm exterior, and nodded. “Very well. I will go there myself.”
Theodore was immensely satisfied. The fact that Rafael would attend to every detail of the engagement showed how much he valued the match.
The Jaffe family had been so arrogant before. Now, would they still be able to hold their heads high?
After retuming from Grand Princess Eleanor’s birthday banquet, Rebecca fell ill. She developed a high fever in the middle of the night, and kept mumbling incoherently.
Amelia urgently summoned a doctor, and Benjamin was sent to fetch Blake, who was staying at an inn. At first, Blake thought it was a trick, but upon returning and seeing his mother shivering uncontrollably and mumbling nonsensical words, he realized her condition was indeed serious.
It was a rare sight, but Freya also came over to help. She hadn’t seen Blake for several days. Her pride had prevented her from seeking him out, believing that this was still his home and he would eventually return.
Blake didn’t look at her, but urgently asked, “Why did she suddenly fall ill? Why is it so severe?”
Serena burst into tears. “What else could it be? It’s all because of Sophie! She also attended Grand Princess Eleanor’s birthday banquet. She took advantage of her upcoming marriage to the Hell Monarch, and had the audacity to berate both Grand Princess Eleanor and Lady Jessica…”
At these words, Blake and Freya stared at Serena in shock.
Blake’s voice trembled. “What? She’s marrying the Hell Monarch?”
Amelia hurriedly interjected, “Serena, don’t speak nonsense! It’s clear that Grand Princess Eleanor was trying to use the fact that Mother was harsh toward Sophie to cover up her own issues. That’s why she made Mother so angry that she got sick.”
Blake was overwhelmed with mixed emotions-pain, bitterness, and boundless regret.
He smiled bitterly and tried to say something, but found himself unable to produce a single word.
On the bed, Rebecca mumbled the same phrase over and over. “Blake, I was wrong… I was truly wrong…” “Wrong about what? Do you regret letting Blake marry me and abandoning Sophie?” Freya asked coldly. Sitting by the bed and wiping her tears, Serena said indignantly, “Who does Sophie think she is anyway? She’s a divorced woman, but she gets to marry into the royal family!
“Of all the people the Hell Monarch chose to marry, why not pick someone from our family? Why pick someone we discarded? Isn’t that an insult to us? The person we didn’t want is now being cherished by others. Is it wrong for Mom to be angry?”
Hearing Serena’s continued outburst, Amelia felt her anger flare up. Her normally timid demeanor was replaced by an unexpected burst of temper. “Be quiet! Mother’s illness is not due to that. Don’t speak recklessly and disturb the peace of our home!”
When Serena was reprimanded by Amelia, she wanted to retort but was struck by the unprecedented coldness in Amelia’s eyes. Fearful, she swallowed her words and began to cry quietly.
Amelia was truly fed up. As she was in charge of the household now, she had to manage everything. With her husband’s lackluster achievements, it was a struggle. Blake had finally made a name for himself and earned a hundred gold coins, and there was hope he might bring some success to the family. They were depending on him now.
Yet, he had been wandering aimlessly for days. Now that he had returned, he was still fixated on Sophie. Sophie owed nothing to the Jaffe family, and didn’t deserve to be vilified daily!
What was more, bringing up Sophie now would only lead to more discord between Blake and his wife. Freya may not be achieving much, but her ability to cause trouble was truly remarkable.
The Ministry of Defense and the Civil Department had yet to assign Blake any official position. If the couple’s discord became public knowledge, who would the officials question if not him?
It was bad enough that Rebecca was feverishly muttering nonsense, but now, Serena was also adding to the chaos.
It was truly exasperating!
As expected, Freya sneered and glared at Blake, one side of her face twisted with rage. “Your former wife is marrying into the royal family now. Are you having regrets? It was truly a wrong decision, wasn’t it? You shouldn’t have married me, and I shouldn’t have married into this family, where everyone despises me.
The bitterness in Blake’s heart surged to his lips, and he was unable to contain his anger. “What are you saying? Who despises you?”
Having not seen him for days, Freya was overwhelmed by his impatient tone. Her pent-up grievances and emotions erupted.
“Don’t you despise me? Do you dare say you don’t? You think those Westhaven soldiers messed around with me when they kidnapped me, don’t you? You think I’m not pure, right?!” she screeched.
In the dead of night, everything finally erupted.
Feeling utterly exhausted, Amelia turned and left the room.
Behind her, shouts and screams filled the air, and Serena’s piercing cries mingled with the chaotic uproar, Amelia slowly made her way to the main hall of the inner estate. It was the same chair where Sophie used to sit when she was managing the household affairs.
Managing those affairs was no easy task. Sophie had always handled it with patience and a pleasant demeanor, even enduring long nights when Rebecca was ill. She would never rest, and was always attending to what needed to be done.
Sophie had seemed tireless, but who wasn’t tired? It was just a matter of persevering through it all.
Amelia had never understood this before, but now, she saw it all too clearly.
She sank into a chair, staring at the empty hall. To conserve oil, only one lantern was lit in the corridor, casting a dim light that illuminated the desolate tables and chairs. Valor Estate felt like a mausoleum. She felt genuinely happy for Sophie, not for any other reason but for how Sophie had cared for her during her time at Valor Estate. It wasn’t just the material support-now that she was in charge of the household, she understood what Sophie had endured and resisted on her behalf.
Now, Amelia was truly exhausted, drained by the endless turmoil. Life would be simpler as an ordinary person, where one could live comfortably without unrealistic aspirations that drained everyone’s energy and never led to fulfillment.
She fell asleep in the chair, though she had no idea how long she slept.
Eventually, a servant came in to inform her that Blake had slapped Freya, and Freya had retaliated with a slap of her own. Her action caused more chaos, before Blake stormed out and Rebecca fainted from rage.
After hearing everything, Amelia merely said quietly, “Everyone, go back to your tasks.”
Amelia knew this was just the beginning-the start of a continuous state of unrest in the household.
Just as Rafael set off for Meadow Ridge, the Civil Department issued Blake’s new appointment. He was now assigned to the Capital Guard Headquarters. He would serve as the administrative overseer, which was a fifth-rank position.
This position was held by two individuals, one of whom was Michael from the Mystic Army. The Capital Guard was derived from the Mystic Army, and the Hell Monarch was the commander of the Mystic Army, with Sophie serving as the deputy commander. Below them were the assistant commander, commandant, and then came the administrative overseer.
Of course, Sophie’s appointment was largely ceremonial. While the kingdom allowed women to go to war, it didn’t permit them to hold substantive positions.
Moreover, although Rafael had given up his military authority, he remained the commander of the Mystic Army. With Sophie as deputy commander, the Mystic Army and the Capital Guard were effectively under their control, which made some people uneasy.
Arranging for Blake to join the Capital Guard Headquarters, even in a fifth-rank position like the administrative overseer, was a strategic move. Over time, with a potential for promotion, he could become a thom in Rafael’s side.
Salvador was cautious, and preferred to prevent issues before they arose.
He knew Rafael wasn’t currently ambitious, but it was best not to provide any opportunity for such ambition to grow and risk damaging their brotherly bond.
Blake was deeply dissatisfied with this appointment. He would rather return to the garrison guards in the capital than serve under Rafael and Sophie. Even though he knew Sophie wouldn’t come to the Capital Guard Headquarters, her nominal title meant that he would always be considered her subordinate.
However, a fifth-rank official position was still respectable. It was better than being a mere idle general with no responsibilities after the Victory Pass battle.
In the Capital Guard Headquarters, at least, he held genuine authority.
His personal life was a mess, and he just wanted to focus on his career. His direct superior was the commandant, Caleb Gibson. Caleb hadn’t participated in the battlefield, but was a close friend of Michael. So, he was informed about battlefield events.
Caleb was quite displeased with Blake and Freya. On Blake’s first day in office, he was left waiting and was subjected to a round of sarcastic remarks.