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“The one who runs a coffee shop. She delivered coffee when Lord Snyder was hosting a banquet, and he introduced us. I had Charles buy coffee beans from her before. It’s the one I brought home a few days ago.” Luna chimed in, “The coffee’s not bad. I’ve tried it. But it is a bit pricey.”
Being the daughter of a merchant, Luna was quite sensitive to the value of goods, though she didn’t notice much else.
Zoey asked for the name of Ava’s shop and jotted it down, then said, “Alright, let’s eat. Mother must be starving.”
Given Viola’s situation, Evelyn had been ill recently and was just starting to recover. Her appetite was still delicate, but ravioli was perfect for her now. Once it was served, she managed to eat most of her bowl.
“Harold’s ravioli is really delicious. If there are any leftovers, don’t cook them. Just keep them for breakfast tomorrow,” said Evelyn.
“It won’t taste as good tomorrow, Mother. Let the servants have whatever you can’t finish,” Luna suggested. “I’ll wake up early tomorrow and make you some millet porridge.”
“Alright.”
Evelyn seemed a bit distracted as she set down her cutlery and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. A servant came by with water for her to wash her hands.
“You all continue eating. I’ll head back to my room.”
“Take care, Mom.”
“Walk slowly, Grandma.”
Everyone stood to see Evelyn off, which was a familiar routine. The elderly lady had been in this mood lately. Once she was supported out the door, the rest settled back down to eat. Zoey glanced at Caspian but didn’t say anything and resumed her meal. After finishing dinner and returning to her room, Zoey summoned the steward, Bernard, to inquire about Ava’s family’s coffee shop, Weaver Coffee.
“I know of Weaver Coffee, but I’m not aware of who the owner is. All I know is that there’s a new young manager now, said to be the owner’s daughter,” Bernard replied.
Zoey mused, “Strange. You only know about the owner’s daughter but not who the owner is? Who ran the shop before?”
“There was just one manager, who wasn’t the owner either. His name was Adam, and he was just managing the shop for the owner. He’s not around anymore.”
“Can you find out who the owner is?” Zoey pressed.
Bernard hesitated, then said, “We can certainly try, but we might not be able to uncover anything. The owner has never shown themselves at the coffee house. It’s always been managed by the shopkeeper. I suspect the owner might be some influential person behind the scenes.”
Zoey understood this scenario all too well. During Augustus’ reign, strict orders had repeatedly been issued to prohibit nobles and officials of the fourth rank and above from engaging in business. At that time, the court had been purged, allowing only the ownership of properties for rental purposes, but prohibiting any direct involvement in business.
During Sigmund’s reign, the court had loosened its restrictions somewhat as influential families grew powerful and united. However, even then, it wasn’t something done openly If any of them wanted to engage in business, they had to entrust it to a trusted family servant while hiring a shopkeeper from outside to run the shop.
Such situations weren’t uncommon. Even the Earl of Silverstone’s family had similar arrangements.
Of course, owning property was allowed-like buying a shop to collect rent or purchasing land for farming, planting, or livestock. That wasn’t restricted. Now that the new king had only been on the throne for a few years, he turned a blind eye to these matters. He wouldn’t touch the interests of the noble families since his foundation was still unsteady.
After pondering for a moment, Zoey said, “If that’s the case, we might not be able to uncover anything, or we could find something incriminating against someone else. Just drop it. I want strict orders issued throughout the household-absolutely no private interactions with any servants of noble families.”
“Yes, Madam Zoey!”
As for her younger brother-in-law, Zoey felt she needed to give him a few reminders as well.
Pigeons from Skywing Spire flew haphazardly across the land, exchanging messages relentlessly. After several days of flight, the birds arrived in the capital two evenings before the Emberfest Festival. Claire and the others sorted and compiled the messages into a letter, which was delivered to Hell Monarch Estate that night.
Claire handed the letter to Violet, who didn’t even bother to open it. Instead, she called everyone to the study and asked Jacob to read it first. Since it concerned Jaina, it was more appropriate for him to see it first.
After Jacob finished reading, the veins on his forehead bulged. “This is absurd! It’s clearly a conspiracy. That so-called rescue was all meticulously designed.”
Rafael read the letter, then briefly summarized it, explaining. “The troublemakers were local thugs hired to cause chaos. The ones pulling the strings were the people from the largest estate in Stonebridge County, which belongs to Aunt Eleanor. She always stays there whenever she visits.
“Sophie, you asked us to investigate whether Aunt Eleanor was in Stonebridge County around the time of the performance troupe incident. She was indeed there. It seems she noticed Jaina during their performance. And those so-called bandits? They weren’t bandits at all-they were local officials. After Jaina left Stonebridge County with Eleanor, the performance troupe leader was found dead.”
Sophie’s expression changed slightly. “How did he die? Was it investigated thoroughly?”
“He starved to death. He was left in a small shack after they broke his legs. The neighbors only reported it when the stench from the corpse became unbearable,” Rafael replied in an icy tone, clenching the letter in his hand.
Violet seethed with anger. “In other words, that vile woman didn’t give him medical attention. She even broke his legs and let him starve alone in that shack! How cruel!”
Sophie’s face turned cold with rage. “Jaina left him money. If they hadn’t broken his legs, he wouldn’t have starved.”
“How could there be such a wicked woman? And Jaina-how could she trust that monster?” Violent exclaimed, her cheeks flushed with indignation.
Sophie looked at her friend and said, “You can’t blame Jaina. She doesn’t know what Grand Princess
County, Grand Princess Eleanor must have a reputation for being generous and kind. Also, she was Jaina’s savior, and she even called a physician to look at Lucas. How
Eleanor is truly like. In could Jaina suspect it was all part of a scheme?
“As someone who had to forage for herbs and hunt in the mountains, I doubt Jaina ever imagined she would become a target. She felt indebted to Grand Princess Eleanor for saving her and believed she also owed her a debt for the medical expenses. She thought that following the grand princess to the capital was just a way to repay her by serving as a maid.
“But in the end, she was confined to the inner palace. Although Grand Princess Eleanor didn’t mistreat her, I’m sure she occasionally told Jaina that she had received word about Lucas from the officials in Stonebridge County, which reassured Jaina and allowed her to stay with peace of mind until now.”
Violet, who had been caught up in her emotions, realized she had misspoken. She quickly turned to Jacob and said, “I’m sorry, I overreacted. Sophie is right. How could an ordinary person like Jaina even think of such a convoluted scheme aimed at her? Besides, she’s someone who moves about in the world of performers, and understands debts and favors. Once she owes a favor, she feels compelled to repay it without thinking too much about the consequences.”
Sophie’s voice grew serious, “Exactly. While Jaina may have exercised some caution, her thoughts were merely wishful. The kindness she received was tangible, and she had no real choice in the matter.” Sophie tightened her grip on the armrest, her anger boiling within her. She knew full well that Jaina had caught the attention of Eleanor because she resembled Melanie Sullivan.
Jaina’s true savior was the performance troupe leader, Lucas, who had died because of this.
How could Jaina come to terms with that?
Just thinking about it filled Sophie with indescribable fury and anguish. If it was this bad from an outsider’s perspective, she couldn’t imagine what Jaina would feel.
After a moment of silence, Jacob spoke with bloodshot eyes, “We can’t tell Jaina about this for now. I can’t imagine how she would react upon learning that Lucas was beaten and left to starve to death.” Everyone nodded in agreement. They understood that any one of them would find it unbearable if they were in Jaina’s shoes.
The Farrell family had remained silent for quite some time. After several reminders from Eleanor, Gemma had no choice but to visit the Farrell family’s residence in person.
Upon arriving, she learned that Thomas had gone to Stonebrook District to visit Wilfred, a member of the former Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team. Apparently, Wilfred had encountered a mishap, so Thomas had rushed there with Felix, the adopted son of the Quinton family.
Alice expressed her apologies, “This should have been settled long ago, but that stubborn boy insisted on checking on his comrade before making any arrangements. I don’t understand his thinking, but I’m very keen on Ms. Sanford. When I saw her the other day, my eyes lit up so brightly as I wished I could bring her home as a daughter-in-law right then and there.” Alice’s sincerity, coupled with her obvious affection for Lisette, convinced Gemma.
She said, “Even though Thomas is not in the capital, you two did have a chance to talk. Didn’t you ask him if he liked her? If he does, we should settle the engagement as soon as possible. I’d feel much better knowing her marriage is secure. “Besides, marriage is a significant matter. It’s determined by the wishes of the parents and the matchmaker. As long as Thomas doesn’t oppose it, you can take the lead without waiting for him to return.”
Alice pondered for a moment, then replied, “What you say makes sense. How about this? I’ll pick a favorable day to visit and have someone check their horoscope compatibility. If everything looks good, I’ll formally send someone to propose. How does that sound?” Gemma felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Eleanor was always pushing and prodding, which was exhausting.
She smiled and said, “Oh dear, it feels like I’m the one pressuring the marriage arrangements! But honestly, Lisette isn’t getting any younger. If you don’t think she’s a good fit for Thomas, I need to find her another match soon to appease her family. It’s good to settle this now. It puts my mind at ease.”
Alice nodded in understanding. “Yes, I’ve also worried endlessly about Thomas’ marriage. I hope to see it finalized soon so that our family can expand and thrive.”