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Violet returned to the palace, and called Sophie and Jacob to the study. Rafael was still not back at the time. Jacob was anxious to hear the news, so he didn’t want to wait for Rafael to return. Violet’s first words brought tears to Jacob’s eyes. “Jacob, I’m sure she’s your sister.”
Since Violet had left, he had been restless. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, and dark circles hung under his eyes. When Violet returned, he had just gathered himself to ask her about it when she spoke up first.
He was momentarily stunned-then, tears streamed down his face.
Sophie and Violet were still present, and he trembled as he made his way to the desk. He sat down, and rested his forehead against the surface for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, he looked up with red-rimmed eyes and asked, “Are you sure, Ms. Spencer? You must take responsibility for your words.”
“I’m sure of it. She even mentioned some past events, and shared many memories she remembered. There were some details you never told me, either. Did your mom ever hit you with a feather duster? Did you fall into a ditch and struggle to get out? Did you sell your grandmother’s chickens to buy a candied apple? And did you once put a pile of dog poop at your dad’s study door?”
Jacob whimpered, and shook from the overwhelming emotions. “H-How could she have remembered wrongly? None of those things happened! She must have mixed things up! That was another child, not me.”
Seeing his reaction, Sophie and Violet exchanged knowing glances. They knew the child in the stories was indeed Jacob, and they basically confirmed that Darin was Jaina. Such embarrassing childhood stories couldn’t be told unless they were witnessed firsthand.
Jacob was overwhelmed with excitement. He had never dreamed that his sister was in the capital, and had been living in Harmony Palace for so long. He had always wanted to find her, but he had convinced himself that it was hopeless deep down. Continuing the search had just been a way to comfort himself and give his family a glimmer of hope.
Tears brimmed in his eyes, and his voice trembled as he asked, “How did she escape from those traffickers? And how did she end up in the performance troupe? Did she tell you any of these things?” “She did.”
Sophie planned to have a detailed discussion, so she asked Lulu to prepare some refreshments. Once the drinks and food were ready, they closed the study door, and Violet began to share the story.
“She never remembered her true identity. The last thing she recalled was being abandoned on a small hill in Stonebridge City. She was thrown there by the traffickers during heavy rain because she was running a high fever. The performance troupe leader, Lucas, found her and noticed she was still alive, so he took her in.
“In a stroke of luck, she survived. Lucas named her Darin, which means ‘precious gift’. Because she had that memory, she always believed she had been abandoned by her parents. Over the years, she harbored resentment towards them and never thought about searching for them.”
“Oh my god.” Jacob’s lips quivered, his eyes reflecting deep fear and pain. “She must have been terrified when she was taken. She’s always been such a timid girl, and would scream when she got scared. She probably got beaten a lot. She must have been really hurt or traumatized.”
He took a deep breath.
“What has tormented us all these years is this uncertainty. We often wonder what kind of suffering she endured. I dream about her crying and calling for help. When Lord Ryan was rescued, I had nightmares for a long time. I imagined she was treated the same way back then, and I feared she wouldn’t have survived it.”
Sophie and Violet couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow at his words.
After sighing deeply, Violet continued, “Though Lucas found her in Stonebridge County, he took her to Wexford County as soon as she recovered. She grew up there, and the performance troupe performed in Wexford County to make a living. ? But as she blossomed into a beautiful young woman, some local Scoundrels took notice of her. One particularly nasty one even led a group to try to abduct her, but they were beaten up by her fellow performers and Lucas. After that, the performance troupe feared those scoundrels would retaliate, so they fled to Stonebridge County overnight.
“When they arrived in Stonebridge County, things went alright at first. But over the years, they faced a lot of trouble. The performance troupe struggled to stay afloat. There were days when they performed tirelessly, yet they couldn’t even earn enough for a few buns. Realizing he was getting old, Lucas eventually disbanded the group and urged everyone to find their own paths.”
Sophie interrupted, “You mentioned that the performance troupe was repeatedly disrupted a few years ago. How exactly were they disrupted? Did she say anything about it?”
“Yes, some scoundrels smashed up their equipment. They bought replacements several times, only to have them destroyed again. It made Lucas so furious, he was nearly foaming at his mouth.” “When did this happen?” Sophie pressed.
“She said it was five years ago, and it went on for about six months.”
“I see. Make a note that Eleanor might have visited Stonebridge County five years ago, or she could have sent someone there,” Sophie instructed Jacob.
Jacob nodded. “Thank you for reminding me, Your Grace. I was so focused on Ms. Spencer’s story that I completely forgot we still need to investigate Grand Princess Eleanor’s so-called rescue.” Jacob had never been so careless before. He realized he was too excited this time.
Violet continued, “After the performance troupe disbanded, everyone scattered for a few months. Jaina was left alone, and felt lost and helpless. But later, Lucas returned due to health issues, and she stayed in Stonebridge County to take care of him. At least she had someone she could call family by her side. During that time, there wasn’t much she could do. She had to go up the mountain to gather herbs and hunt. If she found something rare, she could sell it for a good price.
“At first, things went well. She earned some money from collecting herbs and hunting, and she used some of the money for Lucas’ treatment. She even managed to save some money for herself. She mentioned she had planned to save up to ten silver coins to rent her own place, since they were living in a shared and crowded courtyard then. It was noisy, and there was only one kitchen. Sometimes, people would even steal her harvest from the mountain, so she wanted her own space.
“But soon after, while she was collecting herbs on the mountain, she ran into bandits. She was outnumbered, and couldn’t defend herself. Just then, Eleanor happened to be passing through and ordered her guards to rescue Jaina. Seeing that Jaina was injured, Eleanor even called for a physician to treat her. During her recovery, Eleanor also sent someone to care for Lucas and hired a physician, which helped him improve.
“This deeply touched Jaina, and she felt compelled to repay Eleanor’s kindness. However, Eleanor said they were fated to meet and had taken a liking to her. She wanted to bring Jaina back to the capital, and even contacted the local authorities to ensure they took good care of Lucas and got treated for his illness.
“And so, Jaina followed Eleanor back to the capital. It was to express her gratitude for saving her, and also to show her appreciation for the care given to Lucas. Jaina thought she would go to the capital and serve as Eleanor’s maid. Yet once she arrived, Eleanor placed her in a separate courtyard. She lived there for six months before being moved to
Harmony Palace.
“After that, Jaina was hardly allowed to go out. When she did, she had to wear a veil or a hood to cover her face, and she was usually accompanied by four to six guards. Even though she was dressed in finery and lived a luxurious life, Jaina didn’t have any money on her. “She could stroll around occasionally, and most of the news she received was from the servants in Harmony Palace. Even Thomas’ achievements were recently told to her by a maid who had been serving her. It seemed Eleanor had intentionally instructed someone to talk about Thomas in her presence multiple times.”
Violet continued to share other less significant details. For instance, one night, when Jaina was at Harmony Palace, Henry entered her room. He had barely spoken a couple of words before Eleanor’s people called him away, and he never came back after that.
As for Jessica, Jaina had only seen her once or twice. Other than the maids and servants in the inner courtyard, she hadn’t encountered anyone else. However, she had occasionally heard some screams.
After listening, Jacob felt a mix of sympathy and anger. “Isn’t that just house arrest? That’s clearly house arrest! It seems Grand Princess Eleanor brought her back from the other courtyard to be defiled by Henry, but she somehow changed her mind after.” Jacob was tormented by the situation. He desperately wanted to see his sister, but that meeting was still out of reach. Furthermore, he couldn’t inform his mother or grandfather. If they found out and still couldn’t see her, that would be unbearable. All Jacob could do was send someone to Cloud County to fetch his father. He couldn’t tell him that Jaina had been found. He could only say that there were leads, and ask him to come to the capital.
The pressing issue at hand was how Thomas intended to delay the engagement.
The Marquis of Grovehill’s family would undoubtedly push hard for a resolution, and it would depend on how Thomas handled the situation by dragging things out.
According to their speculation, Jaina would become a pawn for Eleanor if Thomas refused. There were two options-either Jaina would be married off as a concubine to Henry, or wed to an elderly man as a secondary wife or a concubine in his household. As for asking Thomas to agree to the engagement first, that wouldn’t work either. Thomas clearly had no interest. Alice might have liked the idea at first, but once she realized it was a setup, she certainly wouldn’t agree.
Even if the two families ultimately saw eye to eye and genuinely wanted to arrange a marriage, Jaina’s representative for her family should be Jacob, not someone from the Marquis of Grovehill’s family.
Jacob would never allow his sister to be mistreated again.
After the emotional rollercoaster, Jacob contemplated this issue and spoke first.
“I don’t care what happens to me. Even if you ask me to, I’d gladly give my life for her sake. But she can’t be treated that way. She’s an innocent girl, and shouldn’t be casually compromised due to a scheme that would tarnish her reputation.” Having regained what he thought he had lost, he couldn’t allow his sister to suffer even a little injustice.
Sophie replied, “We never thought of doing that, Jacob. For now, we can only wait and see how Thomas delays things. We should send someone to Stonebridge County immediately to investigate this so-called rescue that Eleanor had carried out. If it turns out there was no such saving grace, Jaina can leave Harmony Palace without a second thought. We at Hell Monarch Estate will protect her.”
Soon, it would be time for the Emberfest Festival. After that, Eleanor would lose her standing in the capital.
But if the matter wasn’t cleared up, Jaina would always regard Eleanor as her savior. It was crucial that the inquiry be swift. If Eleanor fell from grace and asked Jaina to undertake some risky endeavor in gratitude for her supposed rescue, Jaina would certainly comply.
Even though Violet had suggested that this so-called saving grace might be a deception, there was still no concrete evidence for Jaina
Re see. And given Jaina’s strong sense of loyalty and affection, she would feel compelled to repay the C
supposed favor, even if she still had doubts about it.
“I need to think about who to contact,” Sophie said.
Having woken from a nap, Kyle strolled lazily to the door of the study and leaned against the frame. “Call Winona. She’s the quickest and most thorough for this kind of investigation.”
Violet immediately chimed in, “I’ll contact Claire, and have her send a letter to Skywing Spire. Using Winona’s network there would be the fastest way to get information.”
By the time Rafael returned in the evening, everything had been arranged. After discovering that Jacob had found his sister, Rafael brought a bottle of wine to celebrate with Jacob.
Jacob had been unable to hold back his tears even in Sophie’s presence, and he didn’t bother doing so before Rafael. After a few glasses, he grasped Rafael’s hand and said through his sobs, “It’s been so hard these years, Your Highness! I’ve thought every night about what I would do to those traffickers if I ever caught them. I’d skin them alive and tear their flesh from their bones! Then, I would chop them into pieces!”