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Sophie’s tone was calm. “If you didn’t steal them, where did all this money and jewelry come from? Were they gifts from my mother-in-law?”
Janice’s lips quivered. “T-Those are mine. I bought them myself. The banknotes are from my savings.”
“Your savings? How much is your monthly allowance? Should I call the accountant to come and calculate how this amount is possible?”
“I-I saved up when I was working in the palace…” Janice’s forehead glistened with sweat as she stammered, struggling to explain coherently.
Sophie said calmly, “I don’t care how you acquired the silver coins, gold ingots, or jewelry. However, the Mystic Pearl earrings were found in your possession. While you followed my mother-in-law out of the pa?ace, you’re ultimately still one of the patace maids. I’ll return you to the palace tomorrow and hand you over to the Royal Management Department as punishment.”
Janice took a deep breath, her face as pale as death. She realized the punishment for stealing the earrings was just a pretext-Sophie had seen through her. Being sent to the Royal Management Department meant being within Eleanor’s reach
Now that Janice had been exposed and of no further use, Eleanor wouldn’t allow leverage that could be used against her to live. Janice knew she would definitely die.
Her lips trembled violently, but the words of plea wouldn’t come out. All she managed was a weak protest, “N-No…”
“Take her away and tie her up in the woodshed. She’ll be sent back to the Royal Management Department tomorrow. My mother-in-law and will personally report this situation to the palace. We won’t handle matters privately with a palace maid,”
Sophie ordered.
Violet stood up, opened the door, and signaled for people to come in and drag Janice away. Janice felt utterly weak, tears streaming down her face as she was pulled outside. Spotting Mindy and Sonia, she cried tremblingly, “Sonia, help me! Save me…!”
Helen remained silent for a long time as Sophie refilled her cup.
“Mother, have another cup,” said Sophie.
Helen glanced at Sophie, then at Violet, and finally Gillian. “What was going on with her? Who did she collude with to harm us?”
Helen’s question revealed that she had guessed Janice had accepted a bribe and betrayed the Hell Monarch’s family. She just didn’t know who had bought Janice off. “Grand Princess Eleanor,” Sophie said softly.
Helen’s anger flared. “What does she want? When did it start?”
“It’s likely Janice was already under Grand Princess Eleanor’s thumb while you were still in the palace. Wasn’t Grand Princess Eleanor doing business with you back then? Janice must have sung her praises to you repeatedly,” Sophie explained. Helen narrowed her eyes. She recalled the past and became increasingly furious.
“She didn’t just say nice things. She practically bragged about her! She claimed Grand Princess Eleanor’s reputation for virtue was widespread, and that she was highly respected among the noble families in the capital. She also claimed Grand Princess Eleanor was so skilled at handling things that everyone praised her, making her sound more capable than even my sister. It almost made me respect her too!”
Violet wanted to point out that it wasn’t respect-it was fear. Eleanor and Jessica had manipulated and bullied Helen. If it hadn’t been for Sophie stepping in, Helen wouldn’t have dared confront anyone, even if she knew she was being deceived.
“Why did she place her people around me?” Helen still didn’t grasp the situation. “I was in the harem, just chatting with my sister most of the time. After the king ascended the throne, I barely interacted with the queen or the other concubines.” “Because you have an exceptionally talented son,” Violet replied.
“Is this about Rafael? Does she want to harm him?” Helen’s voice softened a bit, her anger visibly lessening. “If it’s about him, why not place someone in Hell Monarch Estate instead?” Sophie stated, “Regardless of her motives, just make it known and let the palace people handle it.”
Helen didn’t quite understand at first. “Why hand her over to the people in the palace? I brought Janice out myself. If I dealt with her, no one would dare say anything. Sending her back would make it seem like our household is weak. It’s like telling them we’re unable to deal with a mere maid!”
Sophie explained, “It won’t appear weak. Instead, it shows that we follow proper protocol. When someone from the palace commits an offense, they are handed to the Royal Management Department for punishment. As for how the department reports to the king or the queen, that is beyond our concern.”
Helen sipped her coffee, her brow still furrowed in confusion. “Why would a thieving maid catch the king’s attention?”
Sophie took a leisurely sip but was interrupted as Violet snatched the cup away.
After downing the coffee in one gulp, Violet explained, “Because she’s a convicted servant sent back to the Royal Management Department from Hell Monarch Estate. The king will certainly want to inquire about that.” Sophie smiled. “Do you understand now, Mother?”
What was there to understand? Helen was still perplexed.
She glanced at Gillian, who wore a knowing expression, and figured she could ask the older woman later. Nodding gravely, Helen set her cup down.
“I see. It makes sense now.”
“You should rest, Mother. I’ll take my leave,” Sophie said, pulling Violet to her feet.
“Alright, go ahead. I’m feeling sleepy,” Helen replied.
In truth, she wasn’t really tired at all. She still had questions for Gillian.
When Sophie and Violet were out of earshot, Helen turned to Gillian.
“You understand what’s going on, don’t you? Why would the king care about a thieving maid sent from our estate? Is there something I’m missing here?”
Gillian smiled knowingly. “Your
Grace, Prince Rafael has achieved remarkable feats, and Janice followed you out of the palace. Now that she’s committed an offense and is being sent back to the Royal Management Department, the king will certainly want to inquire about it to show recognition of the prince’s standing. It’s a way of reassuring Prince Rafael.”
“Is that how it is?” Helen felt something was off, yet the explanation brought her a strange comfort-Rafael was being valued so highly.
Gillian began to tidy the bed. “Alright, let the palace people handle it. You should rest.”
Gillian said nothing further. Sophie had already smoothed things over and clearly didn’t want Helen to know too much.
Sophie simply wanted to use this incident as a wake-up call for Helen so that she would be more mindful of the people around her, especially when it came to promoting new individuals. Otherwise, they might end up with another Janice in their midst.
Gillian had pieced it all together Janice hadn’t stolen the Mystic Pearl earrings, but it was a convenient excuse to get rid of her. Perhaps Sophie intended to give the
Kip a discreet heads-up.
After lying down, Helen sat up again..
“From now on, I want you to keep a close eye on everyone in our household, whether they’re serving inside or outside. If you notice anything unusual, report it to Sophie immediately.” “Of course!” Gillian beamed brightly.
Meanwhile, Rafael had already infiltrated Harmony Palace but had yet to reach the dungeon.
Harmony Palace’s dungeon had four entrances. The craftsmen who originally built it were long dead, silenced after the fact. However, Jacob had managed to find the son of the foreman. The foreman’s son possessed a set of blueprints from that time, which was how they obtained the dungeon’s layout. The dungeon was roughly half the size of Harmony Palace, dug deep into the ground. Bricks were used during construction, dividing the space into four separate cell blocks-north, south, east, and west.
Each entrance corresponded to one of the cell blocks, with the eastern cell block accessible through the western courtyard. The purpose of what lay within remained a mystery, but it was clear that the southern and eastern blocks weren’t meant for imprisonment. Based on the blueprints, they were simply two large underground chambers.
In contrast, the northern and western cell blocks were designed for holding prisoners. Each block had one large cell, and the rest were divided into smaller individual cells. According to the layout, the four blocks weren’t connected and were completely isolated. Rafael didn’t know whether Daniel’s family was held in the western or the northern cell block, so he decided to try the western cell block first. The two areas were close together, and their entrances weren’t far apart.
The extravagance of Harmony Palace was apparent from the number of lamps everywhere. They likely used a lot of oil every night.
However, Rafael had the advantage of being quick on his feet. The residence had many buildings and trees, so it was easy for him to stay hidden.
The entrance to the western cell block wasn’t in the western courtyard, but rather in the eastern one. This intricate design was meant to confuse, but it was rather poorly executed.
The poor execution stemmed from the fact that Eleanor had never been discovered, and no one feared her. Harmony Palace was vast enough that even if someone reached the back courtyard, they wouldn’t find the entrance.