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“Of course! It’s been running for years, and I haven’t eamed a single coin. I even have to fork over money from time to time to keep it afloat.”
Helen trailed off, realizing that this line of talk wasn’t exactly appropriate
Didn’t it make her sound like a poor investor? That would be embarrassing!
Helen quickly changed her tune.
“But that’s how business works-sometimes you lose, sometimes you gain. You wouldn’t understand. Starting a business is hard, and keeping it going is even harder. Eventually, it will turn a profit”
Sophie smiled, though she was nearly grinding her teeth.
Still, she maintained a gentle tone as she agreed with her mother-in-law.
“You’re right, Mother. Business does have its ups and downs. Oh, by the way…. Do you and Grand Princess Eleanor split the profits of the jewelry shop evenly? Did you sign a contract? And since it opened, have you reviewed the account books?”
Helen puffed up with pride, like a peacock. “Of course we signed a contract! Do you take me for a fool? It’s not an even split-I’ve taken seventy percent. Naturally, I’ve looked at the account books. They send them every season, and I’ve checked them thoroughly. We’ve indeed been running at a loss.”
“Oh? So, you hold the majority share? That means when there’s a loss, you have to contribute more money to cover it. How much money have you put in over the years? Have you been keeping track?” Sophie pressed.
“Of course I’ve kept track. Every time I put in money, I note it down,” Helen said.
Good, that was a start.
Then, do you remember how much money you’ve given in total?”
“Who remembers that in their head? You’d have to check the account books. It’s probably in the tens of thousands of silver coins,” Helen replied, slightly annoyed.
“I see.” Sophie glanced at Rafael, whose face had turned as dark as a storm cloud, and continued,” Mother, have you ever actually visited The Gilded Tower?” Helen responded coldly, “How could I? I live deep in the palace.
Do you think I can just go out as I please? When I did leave the palace, it was to help prepare for your wedding, so I haven’t had the time. Besides, what difference does it make whether I go or not? The shop is managed by Eric. G
rand Princess Eleanor and I hold esteemed positions-how could we show our faces in public? Anyway, I review the account books every season. I’m not worried about Eric deceiving us.”
Sophie knew that many noble families in the capital owned businesses, but they didn’t manage them personally. They left that to their managers. The managers would report back, and trusted servants or confidants would occasionally inspect the shops. The nobles themselves might also drop by from time
It was unheard of for them to personally manage the shops.
Helen wasn’t wrong in her reasoning-except for her use of the word “we.
She and Eleanor could hardly be considered a “we.”
Rafael was furious. Tens of thousands of silver coins invested, and nothing to show for it!
While organizing the wedding, he had personally visited the well-known gold jewelry shops in the capital with Jacob and Luke. The most successful was The Golden Tower, and while The Gilded Tower- Helen’s -shop-wasn’t doing badly, it was notorious for copying designs from The Golden Tower, which hurt its reputation.
But reputation was one thing, and business success was another.
Despite its reputation issues, The Gilded Tower managed to attract customers who were looking for cheaper alternatives to the Golden Tower’s designs. As a result, the shop did decent business-enough to avoid losses, let alone require any financial assistance.
Sophie was aware of this, though it was clear Helen wasn’t. Now wasn’t the time to inform her, though. The priority was to retrieve the Mystic Pearls.
Rafael ordered the carriages to be prepared. He and Sophie would head to the palace first. To prevent his mother from rushing off to Eleanor’s palace to brag, he decided to bring her along as well.
Three carriages were prepared. Rafael and Sophie shared one, Helen and Gillian another, and Lily, Lulu, and Pearl occupied the third.
As a married woman, Sophie’s status had changed. She needed attendants by her side at all times, even if it was just for appearances.
Upon arriving at the palace, they first paid their respects to the queen dowager.
Victoria was delighted to see Sophie. After the customary toast and bestowal of gifts, she held Sophie’s hand, asking the latter all sorts of questions. She even sternly warned Rafael to treat Sophie well. Rafael had no choice but to reassure Victoria, promising to take good care of his wife, which seemed to put the older woman at ease.
However, Helen was less than pleased..
Was her elder sister serious?
Shouldn’t Victoria be reminding Sophie to serve her husband well? Did Victoria think that as a wife, Sophie held a higher position than her husband?
The queen dowager had sharp eyes-she immediately noticed her younger sister’s discontent.
After Rafael and Sophie went to greet the king and queen, Victoria held back Helen and Gillian for a private conversation.
She first addressed Gillian.
“Now that you’ve left the palace and entered the household, things are different. Social interactions are Inevitable, and any misstep in words or deeds could bring trouble to Rafael’s reputation. So, you must be even more careful in your conduct, with no room for error.
“Your mistress was raised by you and has been spoiled by you, but if you notice anything amiss in the future, you must speak up immediately. If she intends to do something inappropriate, you must persuade her otherwise. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I understand,” Gillian replied respectfully.
However, Helen pouted. “Victoria, what could I possibly do wrong? Besides, I’ll be managing the household affairs from now on, with Gillian and Luke assisting me, and Jacob offering advice. What could go wrong?”
“You? Manage the household?” Victoria waved her hand, shaking her head firmly. “No, you should just enjoy your life in Rafael’s residence. You’re not to interfere with the household matters. If you want to manage something, stick to overseeing your own courtyard and the people within it. Didn’t you bring enough people with you? That should be plenty to keep you occupied.”
“Victoria, what are you saying? I’m Rafael’s mother! If I don’t help him manage the household, who will? Surely not Sophie? What does that little girl know?” Helen protested. However, Victoria didn’t mince words in her retort.
“She knows more than you, even if she knows little. When our mother tried to teach you how to understand the numbers in the account books while you were still unmarried, you refused to learn. After entering the palace, you couldn’t even outmaneuver a mere concubine.
“If it weren’t for me watching over you, do you think they would have let you live so comfortably all these years? When Rafael was six months old, I was unwell and had to rest for a few days, and during that time, he was nearly poisoned and died. Have you forgotten?”
Helen immediately felt embarrassed. “Why bring up something that happened so long ago? That incident was an accident. Libby had slipped something into the wet nurse’s food, which caused Rafael to vomit and have diarrhea after feeding. That wicked woman-didn’t you deal with her?”
“If it weren’t for me investigating thoroughly, how would we have discovered that Libby had drugged the wet nurse? And why did she do it? Wasn’t it because you kept punishing her and venting your anger on her? She was beautiful, and you couldn’t stand the fact that the late king favored her slightly. With that kind of temperament, you think you can manage Rafael’s household? You’d better drop that idea before you create more trouble for Rafael and Sophie.”
Helen was deeply displeased at being reprimanded by her sister for something that happened so many years ago. She couldn’t help but think it was all because her sister now favored Sophie
“You used to care for me the most, but now you only care about Sophie,” Helen said, feeling aggrieved.” Don’t forget who your real sister is.”
Victoria looked at Helen’s pitiful expression, and regretted having spoiled her all these years. Especially after the late king passed, she had been lenient with Helen, sympathizing with her loneliness. Victoria had hoped that once Rafael married, Helen would assume the role of a proper mother-in-law. Little did she expect that Helen would now be competing with her daughter-in-law for attention.
Victoria was determined not to indulge Helen any further. Her eyes sharpened as she rebuked Helen.
“Put away your pettiness. You’re a mother-in-law now, and yet you’re jealous of your daughter-in-law? From now on, she’s part of your family. As her mother-in-law, you should be protecting her, not competing with her. What kind of behavior is that? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?”