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Sophie took a seat, and replied calmly, “Is she truly back or just emerging? We’re sitting here in the main hall. Unless she enters through a side or back door, we should see her come in.”
“She is the mistress of the residence. How could she possibly use the side or back door? Don’t you understand the rules?” Helen retorted.
“In that case, we’ll simply watch her come in,” Sophie said, taking a sip of her now-cold coffee.
As expected, Helen sent Gillian outside to wait. After a long while, with no sign of anyone coming in, Gillian was left shivering from the cold.
Determined to confirm for Helen that Eleanor had returned from outside, Gillian braved the chill. She sneezed continuously, but refused to go back.
She waited for almost half an hour. Finally, unable to endure the cold any longer, she decided to head back inside. Then, she saw Eleanor, surrounded by servants, emerging from the inner courtyard and making her way into the main corridor.
No matter how stupid Gillian was, even she could tell Eleanor had not actually gone out.
“Oh, I heard you were waiting for me as soon as I returned,” Eleanor remarked with a hint of irritation. “Given how much you both have on your plates today, what brings you here?”
Sophie stood and offered a graceful bow, smiling as she replied, “Since I have entered the royal family, it is only right that I come to pay my respects to my aunt-in-law. Aunt, I hope you are well.” Eleanor smiled back, but did not immediately address Sophie. Instead, she exchanged formal greetings with Helen.
After they were seated, Eleanor finally turned her attention to Sophie and said, “Please, let us all sit down. There’s no need to stand on ceremony among family.”
Sophie took her seat and said, “Indeed, there is no need for formality. Today, in addition to paying my respects, I came to discuss a matter my mother-in-law mentioned. She said that during last night’s wedding banquet, she made a wager with you involving a few pearls from my dowry. If I chose not to pursue it, she would win and you would owe her three thousand silver coins.”
With a smile, Sophie looked at Helen.
“Mother, we are here to claim our prize today. Since you have won, you may take as many of those pearls as you wish. What belongs to me is now yours.”
Eleanor’s expression darkened noticeably.
Such a lack of tact-Sophie came straight to the point without giving her any room to maneuver. Despite her noble status, Eleanor thought of Sophie as nothing more than a rude, unsophisticated martial artist.
Forget the three thousand silver coins-Eleanor wouldn’t even consider parting with those pearls.
But how could that fool Helen let Sophie know about this matter?
Eleanor turned to Helen with a look of confusion.
“What is this about? Pearls and bets? Wasn’t last night just a feast? When did you take any of her dowry? This simply won’t do! Dowries are the private property of the daughter-in-law. You cannot take them, even in jest.”
Helen was taken aback.
Over her years of interacting with Eleanor, Helen had suspected that Eleanor might not give up the three thousand silver coins. Even so, Helen had held onto a sliver of hope and thought that Eleanor, being a person of pride, would honor the bet simply to preserve her dignity.
Eleanor’s complete denial of both the pearls and the bet was beyond Helen’s expectations.
Dumbfounded, Helen instinctively glanced at Gillian, who was shivering with a reddened face, trying to shield herself with her sleeve and desperately stifling her runny nose.
Helen turned back to Sophie, who remained calm and composed, as if she had anticipated this outcome all along.
Helen was unwilling to be belittled by Sophie, but was even more enraged by Eleanor’s shamelessness.
Frustrated, she snapped, “How can you say such things? Last night, I clearly gave you the pearls! You said that if she didn’t pursue it, you would return the pearls to me and also give me three thousand silver coins. How can you go back on your word?”
“How absurd! Why would I instruct you to take your daughter-in-law’s dowry?” Eleanor’s expression darkened as she retorted, “Go ask around-does anyone believe I would do such a thing?” Eleanor’s sharp tone left Helen bewildered.
Helen, already intimidated by Eleanor, was even more frightened by the latter’s anger. Now panicking, she instinctively blurted out, “Then… then, we should go back and verify this first.”
Sophie rolled her eyes in exasperation. Returning meant they would never recover the pearls.
However, as a dutiful daughter-in-law, Sophie decided to play along with her mother-in-law’s charade.
Smiling, she said, “Alright, then, we shall return for now.”
Eleanor sipped her coffee, and shot a sidelong glance at Sophie.
Oh? Was she so easily pacified? It certainly saved Eleanor some trouble.
Indeed, as long as Eleanor stubbornly refused to admit to taking the pearls, no one could force her to comply.
As for Helen, a few words to placate her would be enough. Helen was the easiest to handle.
Helen felt a strange sense of unease when she heard Sophie also agreeing to leave.
Was Sophie really that obedient? If the pearls were gone and the three thousand silver coins were lost, then what?
But it was better than having a quarrel, which would cause a significant embarrassment.
Yet, how could Eleanor deny it? Helen was unwilling to accept it.
As Helen stood there, lost in her thoughts, Sophie smiled and said, “Tomorrow happens to be the day I’ll be returning to the Northwatch Estate to visit my family. I’ll mention this matter to my master. After all, the people from the various guilds are still around. I need to explain how my mother-in-law took the pearls and the bet she made with Grand Princess Eleanor, just in case the numbers don’t match up later and they try to deceive me.”
Eleanor’s anger flared. “Stop your nonsense! I’ve said I didn’t take them. Are you trying to slander me?”
“Alright,” Sophie said soothingly. “You say you didn’t take them, so be it. Even so, I must report the facts to my master. After all, you have your side of the story, and I have witnesses to mine, don’t I?” “Helen, are you just going to let her accuse me like this?” Eleanor’s voice grew harsh.
Helen didn’t know how to respond immediately, but was genuinely upset. How could Eleanor be so shameless?
Helen lifted her head and said, “There was indeed a bet. How can that be considered an accusation?”
Eleanor was taken aback by Helen’s defiance. The grand princess was used to being in control of the situation, and her expression darkened at the events unfolding before her.
Sophie gently grasped the slightly bewildered Helen’s wrist, and continued with a serene smile, “Mother, Aunt Eleanor is just joking with you. How could she possibly deny the bet? She was only trying to see if I, your daughter-in-law, am truly devoted.
“She took the risk of her own reputation to help you test me. After all, if word got out that she encouraged you to steal your daughter-in-law’s dowry, it wouldn’t take long for the whole kingdom to know. Wandering minstrels might not be very skilled, but they’re quick to spread news.”
Once Sophie finished speaking, she gave Eleanor a respectful bow.
“Aunt Eleanor, you’ve treated my mother-in-law with such sincerity, which moves me greatly. Though my past reputation is not the best, it is understandable that you have concerns.
“However, I promise to be respectful and always prioritize my mother-in-law’s wishes. As for the pearls, I had always planned to give some to my mother-in-law. After I visit my family and guild members, I will send a jar of them over. If she wishes to gift them to someone, that is her own decision. As her daughter-in-law, I wouldn’t dare interfere.”
Eleanor understood that Sophie was providing a way out-and she had no choice but to take it.
Her carefully maintained reputation for half her life could not be ruined by a few pearls. The way those martial artists favored Sophie was clear to Eleanor from yesterday.