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Seeing that Zoey didn’t want to discuss it further, Sophie didn’t press the matter. She stood to take her leave but was interrupted when a servant rushed in, announcing that Viola had caused Evelyn to faint in anger. Zoey gritted her teeth, her face flushed with anger, but she still forced a smile. “Please don’t mind it, Your Grace.”
Sophie wasn’t keen to get involved with matters concerning Viola, so she decided it was best to take her leave.
As she made her way to the door, Zoey suddenly spoke again, “Your Grace, may I ask you something?”
Sophie stopped and turned. “Of course, Madam Zoey. What is it?”
Obviously feeling uncomfortable, she hesitated for a while before finally asking, “Do you know why the Ministry of Justice is holding Blake?”
Sophie was confused. “He’s being held? That’s impossible. He should have been released a while ago.”
The case had already been concluded. Freya had been taken away, and Blake wasn’t significantly implicated-just demoted with a salary reduction. By all accounts, he should have already left the Ministry of Justice long ago.
Zoey smiled wryly. “He’s still there.
We sent someone to ask and they said he was refusing to leave. But something feels off about it. Who would willingly stay locked up? There must be something more to it, which is why I’m asking you, Your Grace.”
Sophie honestly hadn’t known about this. After thinking it over for a moment, she shared what she knew, saying, “His Majesty showed mercy, only demoting him and docking his salary. He’s still the deputy commander of the Nightsteel Guard.” Zoey’s face darkened at this. She was relieved she hadn’t yet used her connections and spent money trying to get him out, or it would’ve been an embarrassing mistake.
Zoey seemed a bit embarrassed as she explained, “Viola has been pushing my mother-in-law to find someone to get him released. I’m afraid she’s so upset right now that she’s fainted.”
“I see,” Sophie said with a nod. “Then, I’ll take my leave. You should go check on your mother-in-law.”
Sophie didn’t want to press further, nor did she want to take up more of Zoey’s time, so she turned and left.
Back at Hell Monarch Estate, Rafael had just returned. The backlog of cases at the Supreme Court had been growing due to the ongoing negotiations, with many cases waiting for approval.
Sophie stayed with him for a late-night snack, then casually asked, “Is Blake still being held by the Ministry of Justice, or is there t another reason? I went to
Silverstone Estate today and heard he hasn’t been released. Could His Majesty be planning something else for him?”
Since Blake was now essentially in the same boat as her third uncle, his punishment could affect Victory Pass as well, so Sophie felt she had to ask.
“It’s because he doesn’t want to leave. The Ministry of Justice can’t do much. After all, they haven’t removed him from his post, so they can’t forcibly kick him out. He’s just staying there, and I expect Mr Lloyd will report to the king tomorrow,” Rafael answered with mild indifference.
So, Blake really was sticking around the Ministry of Justice of his own volition? That was a rare thing indeed. Who would receive mercy and not leave immediately? Most people would want to get away from there and avoid any bad luck, yet he was still hanging on to the place.
What was going on?
“Why’s he still there?” Sophie asked, genuinely curious now.
“I don’t know. Mr. Lloyd brought the case files today and mentioned that Blake hasn’t said a word since he’s been in the confinement room. He only eats one meal a day and just stays there. He originally said he’d only stay for one day, but now… he doesn’t want to leave at all,” Rafael replied.
“That’s strange. Does he not care about his official position anymore?” Sophie mused, but when she heard it wasn’t Salvador’s decision, she shifted the topic, asking, “What about what happened during the negotiations? After you reported to His Majesty, didn’t he investigate?”
Icarus’ assassination attempt might have been swept under the rug, but the poisonous worm that Penny used on Lisandra was the same as the one in the Brightmoor District case. The king was sure to make the connection.
“He’ll definitely investigate. I’m sure he’s assigned Mr. Walker to handle it,” Rafael said.
While the Supreme Court was tasked with investigating the treason case, Salvador wouldn’t want them to handle the more covert matters.
When Lulu entered the room with the servants to clear away the leftovers, Sydney spoke up, “Your Highness, Your Grace, it’s time to prepare for your bath. It’s best to get settled in early.”
The past days had been filled with the stress of the negotiations, and Rafael had been running around nonstop. He had lost weight from all the exhaustion. Sydney could see it, and now that the negotiations were over, it was time for him to properly rest and recover. Rafael blinked and placed his large hand over Sophie’s, his pinky gently tracing her wrist.
“Yes, it’s definitely time to prepare,” he said, his voice laden with meaning.
That gesture…
Sophie’s face flushed crimson, with even her ears turning bright red. She quickly pulled her hand away. How could he act so casually when Sydney and Lulu were both here?
Sydney noticed everything and secretly smiled before turning to leave the room. On the other hand, Lulu blinked, not quite understanding why Sophie had suddenly blushed so deeply.
She glanced at Sydney’s retreating back. “Why was Sydney laughing?”
Sophie quickly got to her feet. “It’s nothing. I’m going to bathe.”
“Oh, then let me fetch your bathrobe, Your Grace.”
Sophie had been married twice, and Lulu had accompanied her both times.
Her first marriage had never been consummated.
In her second marriage, Rafael wasn’t fond of anyone waiting outside to serve them after their private moments, nor did he like having anyone keep watch at night. Because of that, Lulu was a little slow to catch on in this regard.
While Rafael was working away in bed, Sophie’s mind wandered.
Lulu wasn’t getting any younger-maybe it was time to talk to her about finding a match.
Seeing that Sophie was lost in thought, Rafael playfully bit her shoulder.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice low and hoarse, his breathing slightly ragged.
Sophie’s pale arms slid up to his neck, lifting her head to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. In the next moment, she flipped him over, switching their positions. Rafael’s eyes widened in surprise, but he put on an act as if he were frightened. “Commander Devin, what are you doing?”
As the old saying went, when a couple was deeply in love, there was no shortage of playful moments.
After an evening of tangled sheets and shared passion, both of them left the bed with dark circles under their eyes.
At the Capital Guard headquarters,
Sophie summoned Michael and the others to report the latest happenings, including the new roster Once the reports were ele finished, Sophie kept Max behind to discuss the situation with the
Garrison Unit.
The Garrison Unit was a collection of spoiled, entitled young men who lived off royal stipends. They used their family backgrounds to command the real guards, taking credit for victories and pushing the dirty work onto others. The Garrison Unit’s reputation was already in tatters, and if major reforms weren’t made soon, the corruption would spread until it consumed the entire unit.
Looking guilty Max explained,
“Commander Devin, it’s not that I don’t want to clean house, but many of these men were placed here when His Majesty ascended the throne. If we remove them, it might not sit well with the king and we could make enemies.”
Sophie understood the situation well. When Salvador first took the throne, he had to win over the powerful families by offering positions to their idle, unworthy sons. Many of them had ended up in the Garrison Unit. “It’s a different time now,” Sophie said. “His Majesty doesn’t have to tolerate them anymore. Give me a list of the troublemakers, we’ll deal with them first. You don’t need to worry about the rest. Just hand me the list.” Max took a moment to consider her words and finally understood the deeper meaning.