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The letter explained that keeping half the dowry was the kind thing to do, since other families wouldn’t even return a penny.
But Blake was a man of honor. How could he keep his ex-wife’s dowry? If word of this got out, it would ruin his reputation.
As he stood there, lost in thought, he suddenly noticed Sophie standing in front of him. He hadn’t heard her approach and was startled, dropping the letter.
Sophie glanced at it, but Blake shouted, “Don’t look!”
He quickly bent down, picked up the letter, and hurriedly hid it in his sleeve.
Sophie looked at her husband with a cold smile on or stunning face. “General Ernst really has my best interests at heart, hmm? She’s even helping me so that I can keep half of my dowry.”
“No, this isn’t from Freya. She didn’t write this,” Blake argued.
However, the signature at the end of the letter weakened his denial.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Then, tell me, will you return my dowry in full if your divorce me today so I can take it with me?”
Before reading the letter, Blake would have agreed immediately, even against his parents’ wishes. But Freya had asked him to keep half the dowry. If he didn’t follow her instructions, she would be very disappointed.
Sophie laughed softly. “You’re hesitating. Looks like you’re not as honorable as you claim!”
Her voice was gentle, but each word cut deeply. Though her smile looked warm on the surface, it carried a chill like the winter frost.
Filled with shame and anger, Blake couldn’t say a word and simply watched helplessly as his wife walked past him with a mocking smile.
When Theodore saw Sophie, he immediately asked, “Sophie, has the Jaffe family mistreated you? Don’t be afraid to tell me! Your great-granduncle is here to stand up for you.”
Tears welled in Sophie’s eyes as she knelt before him. “Granduncle Theodore, I’m sorry your had to come here because of my failings. I’ve troubled you.
“Stand up!”
Theodore was suddenly reminded of the tragic past that had befell Hector’s family. He felt a pang in his heart and almost shed tears.
“Come, child, We’ll stand tall and speak our truth. Even if you’re all that’s left of your family, you will not be looked down upon.”
Rebecca sneered. “What’s that supposed to mean, Lord Devin? Freya was supposed to enter as a rightful wife who was equal to Sophie, not to overshadow her. Are you suggesting we bullied her? Have we mistreated her?”
She turned to her daughter-in-law, looking heartbroken. “Sophie, since you married into our family, has anyone here insulted or hit you? Have I, as your mother-in-law, ever made you stand on ceremony?” Sophie slowly shook her head. “No.
Rebecca’s grief turned to anger. “If that’s the case, why have you turned against me? Is it because you’re jealous of Freya? That marriage was decreed by the king. Your jealousy and disobedience have left us with no choice but for Blake to divorce you. What do you have to say for yourself?” Theodore intervened, “Hold on. You claim she’s disobedient, but everyone in the capital knows how she’s cared for you since she married into the family. She practically lived in your room, tending to your every need. She prepared your meals, as well as manage your medicine and treatments, How can you call that disobedience?”
Rebecca scoffed. “Yes, I once thought she was respectful and considerate too. But as soon as the king’s marriage edict came, she stopped my medication. She refused to greet me and even went to the palace to ask the king to rescind the marriage edict. Whether she’s respectful is debatable. But let me ask you, Lord Devin, isn’t she guilty of jealousy?”
Theodore was momentarily speechless.
Jealousy was indeed one of the grounds for divorce listed in the criteria of their kingdom’s marriage law, but it was common for women to be jealous. As long as it didn’t cause major issues, who would divorce a wife just because she was jealous?
However, common sense couldn’t override the law, which did allow for divorce on those grounds.
Unwilling to argue further, Sophie looked at Rebecca and said, “I agree to the divorce! But let me ask, what about my dowry?”
Clearing her throat, Rebecca replied, “We’re not after your dowry. But since you’re being. divorced, the law says the dowry must be withheld entirely. Out of consideration for your services over the past year, we’ll keep seventy percent and let you take the rest.”
“That is outrageous!” Theodore roared. “You call that not wanting her dowry? You’re exploiting the fact that she’s from a declining family. Jealousy is just a woman’s natural reaction! It’s hardly a crime.
“Even though it’s grounds for divorce under the law, it can be handled with discretion. It’s clear you want that woman to be your son’s legal wife, but still want to get your hands on Sophie’s dowry. Have you no shame? What will people think of the Jaffe family if word of this gets out?”
Solomon turned to Blake and said, “General Jaffe, I respect your service to the country. Tell us honestly. Must you really divorce her? And if you must, do you truly intend to withhold seventy percent of her dowry?”
“Fifty percent!” Blake declared.
He was standing in the doorway, avoiding Sophie’s gaze as he looked at everyone else in the room.
“We’ll return fifty percent of her dowry. Lord Devin, if you and Mr. Devin disagree with this, you can take it up with the authorities and see if my actions are fair.”
“Fifty percent? How dare you! When Sophie married you, she brought a dowry so grand it stretched for miles! Do you know how much money, how many estates, shops, and businesses that were included? How dare you people be so greedy?!” Solomon exclaimed angrily.
Clenching the crumpled letter in his hand, Blake spoke in an icy voice, “I said, take it to court if you want. I’ve prepared the divorce agreement. You can review it first.”
He gestured for the steward to present the divorce agreement to Sophie, who reached out and took it. The steward sighed almost imperceptibly as he stepped back. Sophie had been a wonderful mistress. Why did Blake have to divorce her?
Sophie glanced through the document, recognizing her husband’s handwriting from the letters she’d received from him over the past year. The divorce agreement was brief. It cited her disobedience and jealousy as grounds for the divorce, and ended with a wish for her to find a good husband.
“I hope that when you remarry, you won’t resort to such tactics and will be sincere with others. That’s the only way you’ll find happiness!” said Blake in a complex tone.
As he handed over the divorce agreement, he felt an unexpected pang of sorrow.
“Thanks for your advice on how I should live.” Sophie waved the divorce agreement. “It still needs the official seal.”
Blake avoided his wife’s eyes. “I’ll take it to the office myself. As for the dowry, we’ve been generous. By law, a woman divorced by her husband can’t take her dowry. Don’t blame me. This is your own fault.” Sophie had already secured most of her dowry, so there wasn’t much they could actually take. She just didn’t want to continue being involved with the Jaffe family. Given that the king’s edict for an amicable divorce hadn’t come yet, she feared he might wait until Freya had married Blake before issuing it.
“There’s nothing to blame you for. Spending a bit of money to see the true colors of the Jaffe family was worth it,” said Sophie.
Stung by her words, Blake responded coldly, “Watch your mouth, or else…”
Sophie met his eyes calmly. “Or else what? You’ll take seventy percent of my dowry? Fine, take seventy, even ninety percent-leave me just enough to avoid starving. Does that satisfy you, General Jaffe?” Blake felt deeply embarrassed. He hadn’t intended to argue further, but her relentless words were infuriating.
“I said it’ll be fifty percent. I do feel a bit guilty for wasting a year of your life, but it’s all because you-“
Sophie interrupted him, “Spare me the guilt. Your guilt over taking half my dowry is cheaper than dirt. Let’s just stop here.”
Rebecca was livid at Sophie’s words.
“Do you hear her? Does she show any respect befitting a wife?” asked the older woman, turning to Theodore.
“She’s about to be thrown out. Do you expect her to kneel and thank you? It’s a miracle she’s not cursing you all out,” Theodore replied icily.
Despite his age and wisdom, the situation was testing Theodore’s patience to its limits. The Marquis of Northwatch’s family had suffered a harsh fate. All its men had fallen in battle, and the rest of the family had been slaughtered. Sophie was left all alone to endure this.
Though incredibly angry, there was nothing Theodore could do about this, as his side of the family lacked the strength to protect Sophie from being treated like this. All he could do was watch helplessly. Furious, Rebecca went on a tirade, ranting, ‘How dare you speak like that? Just because you’re old, don’t think you can say whatever you want. We’ve never mistreated Sophie. She brought this on herself. Ling to revoke
“Ask her if she could accept Freya, why did she go to the palace to ask the king to the marriage edict? What’s wrong with us keeping half her dowry? It’s allowed by law. We aren’t the villains here! It’s your family who’s being narrow-minded. 1.