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After a moment of silence, Anthony got down to business. ‘Recently, there have been rampant rumors about you marrying during your mouming period. The public has been quite harsh. But today, the Astrology Department minister made a public clarification and reported the matter to the authorities. We’ve apprehended several people, and they’ve revealed that the mastermind behind this is from Grand Princess Eleanor’s household. I’ve come to ask if you prefer to handle this openly or privately?”
He further explained, “Since you’re to marry the Hell Monarch, you will eventually need to address Grand Princess Eleanor as your aunt. It’s up to you whether you want to strain this relationship. If you’re not afraid of Grand Princess Eleanor, neither are we.*
Sophie raised her gaze and looked directly at Anthony. She took a deep breath, and said, “I will continue to address you as I did in the past as my brother-in-law. Thank you for coming in person, Anthony. It means a lot to me.
“As for how the case should be handled, I leave it to you. I believe Grand Princess Eleanor is not behind this. However, I did have an argument with Lady Jessica at the birthday banquet. Perhaps Lady Jessica is holding a grudge and trying to tarnish my reputation.”
Anthony nodded. “I understand. This incident will not harm Grand Princess Eleanor in the slightest. I’m only afraid they will push the blame to a steward. As for Lady Jessica, I will send someone to inquire further.”
“Thank you, Anthony,” Sophie said as she bowed slightly in gratitude.
“It’s my duty,” Anthony responded, rising as well and giving a respectful nod. “I’ll take my leave now.”
“Frederick, see off Lord Klein!” Sophie called out.
Frederick stepped forward with a polite smile. “Lord Klein, let me see you out.”
As Anthony reached the door, he glanced back at Sophie. There were many things he wanted to say. But in the end, he only managed to say, “Take care of yourself.”
Sophie nodded in response and watched him leave.
She sat alone in the main hall for a long time, silent and lost in thought. The stone steps outside were the very place where Anthony had once held Ryan’s severed head, stained with blood.
After Frederick returned from seeing Anthony off, he noticed Sophie’s somber expression and stepped forward to break the painful silence of her memories. “My lady, Lord Klein mentioned he would personally send someone to Ironridge Estate.”
Jessica had married the Marquis of Ironridge, Leopold Winchester. But after many years, she still had no children. Leopold had taken a second wife, who had borne him a son and a daughter.
Jessica was fortunate to hold the title of princess, or her personality and the fact she was childless would have likely led to her being dismissed long ago.
The Marquis of Ironridge’s family was a century-old family, known for its adherence to poetry and propriety. Their household traditions and discipline were notably
When Jessica married Leopold, he was still the heir apparent. After the passing of Leopold’s father, the previous marquis, Leopold inherited the title and became the Marquis of Ironridge.
Upon inheriting the title, Jessica became the marquis’s wife. However, the family’s reputation took a severe hit. If not for the family’s matriarch, Margaret Dawson, still being alive, the reputation of this century- old family might have been ruined.
The Marquis of Ironridge’s family had four branches, and Jessica never got along with any of them. When she first arrived, she used her status as a princess to dominate the household, even attempting to interfere in the affairs of the marquis’s sons.
In the end, she failed at everything, caused a lot of chaos, and became widely disliked. She also spent a lot of money in the process. Her actions also caused Margaret to collapse from fury. Sebastian had to be summoned to treat Margaret, and she still had to manage the household’s finances despite her illness.
Such an esteemed family would usually keep their internal troubles private, but Jessica’s antics were so outrageous that they could no longer be concealed. In her rage, Margaret declared that she would never hand over the family’s authority to Jessica as long as she drew breath.
Leopold’s second wife was Margaret’s niece. Although she entered as a second wife, Margaret elevated her status. She also became pregnant shortly after her arrival. Now, she had a son and a daughter, and was even expecting another child. So, her position was secure.
The Marquis of Ironridge’s family didn’t tolerate the mistreatment of servants or oppression of secondary wives, but secondary wives must adhere to their duties, with strict rules in place.
Jessica’s chance to gain prominence in the Marquis of Ironridge’s family would come only if Margaret passed away, or if she bore a legitimate son. This was why Jessica continuously sought refuge and protection from her mother, feeling utterly out of place and disliked in her husband’s family.
So when the officials from the Royal Citadel came today looking to question Jessica, Margaret sent someone to find out what was going on. She discovered it was related to Sophie, the Duke of Northwatch’s daughter, being slandered.
Margaret knew there was no need to ask further. She was confident that Jessica was behind it.
Margaret had little interaction with the Devin family and was only acquainted with Melanie through social events and a minor dispute over a bracelet, which had been amicably resolved.
The Marquis of Ironridge’s family had been established in the capital for a century because they followed certain principles. They didn’t take advantage of kind or weak people, and they built a reputation for kindness and righteousness. They weren’t afraid of the powerful or influential, and worked to protect their own family’s authority and respect.
They also respected heroes, especially those who defended the kingdom. They also made sure not to offend military figures. Even if there were conflicts with military figures, they resolved them quickly. This was because the Marquis of Ironridge’s family members knew well that those rough and uncouth generals, despite their crude manners, were fiercely dedicated once on the battlefield. The ancestors of the Marquis of Ironridge’s family had once been military men themselves. Though their descendants preferred scholarly pursuits and officialdom, they still held a deep respect for warriors.
So when Margaret learned that Jessica had hired storytellers to slander Sophie- who had done great service for the kingdom-she was both enraged and embarrassed.
Even after the officials left, Margaret refused to believe Jessica hadn’t been involved, no matter how much Jessica tried to explain herself.
In her fury, Margaret even swore, “Nonsense! I’d believe a pig could climb a tree before I’d believe that you had no hand in the scheming against Sophie Devin! I was ill and couldn’t attend your mother’s birthday banquet, but what you did… It’s shameful. As the marquis’s wife, you couldn’t even recognize Mr. Spencer’s painting, and you tore it right in front of everyone!”
Seeing that no one would believe her, Jessica’s anger flared. “Yes, I did that! No matter what I say, you won’t believe me anyway. You all would love nothing more than to see me cast out of your family, but do you dare? If you did, do you think my mom would spare your family?”
With that, Jessica slammed the door and stormed off. Then, she packed her things and returned to her mother’s residence.
Margaret was so furious that she nearly fainted, but she retained some composure. She ordered gifts to be prepared, and resolved to personally visit Sophie the next day to offer an apology and make amends, while also addressing an old matter to ease her troubled mind.
The Royal Citadel also sent people to Eleanor’s residence. Since the storytellers had accused someone from her household, it was standard procedure for the Royal Citadel to investigate. Given Eleanor’s high status, Anthony took it upon himself to handle the matter with a diplomatic approach. As expected, Eleanor merely offered a scapegoat to take the blame. Anthony didn’t dwell on it, and brought the individual back with him.
As for the storytellers, they were all temporarily released. However, the authorities gave them three days to clear up the matter and apologize to Sophie, as well as provide compensation.
Since the Royal Citadel had already made a big deal of visiting Ironridge Estate to question Jessica, she would still be affected even if Eleanor found a scapegoat.
The three-day deadline for the storytellers to make amends was essentially a time for Eleanor to manipulate the situation. At this point, intimidation was futile, and bribery was the only option.
So, a large sum of money was spent. The three thousand silver coins Helen provided were all used up, and Eleanor even had to add more on top of it. The storytellers used this money to apologize to Sophie and provide compensation.
Though they didn’t meet Sophie directly, the grand scale of their apologies attracted a lot of public attention. Frederick was at the gate to accept their apologies and compensation, and each storyteller voiced regret for tarnishing Sophie’s reputation over a small amount of silver coins.
The crowd began to stir, with some people shouting, “Was it Lady Jessica who gave you the silver coins?”
“Or was it Grand Princess Eleanor?”
“Oh, don’t speak nonsense! Do you want to anger Grand Princess Eleanor?”
“It’s the truth! I heard that at Grand Princess Eleanor’s birthday banquet, Lady Sophie gave a painting by Mr. Spencer. But it was falsely claimed to be a forgery, and torn up on the spot.”
“Mr. Spencer’s painting was torn up? Goodness, isn’t Grand Princess Eleanor the one who loves poetry and painting the most? A piece by Mr. Spencer isn’t something you can just buy with money!”
713
“And what happened to the torn painting? Let me know if you find out! I’ll go retrieve the pieces.”
“I heard it was Lady Jessica who tore it. As the wife of the Marquis of Ironridge, how could she not even distinguish Mr. Spencer’s genuine work?”
“The Marquis of Ironridge’s family likely only sought her out because of her status as a princess, right? What a shame that such a venerable family’s reputation is being tarnished.”
When Margaret arrived at Northwatch Estate, she saw the commotion and sat in her carriage. She was seething with anger, and her expression was dark.
“What a truly unfortunate fate for our family,” she muttered in despair.