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The maids filed in, placing various pastries on the table. Suddenly, Sophie stood up and walked over to one of the maids holding a tray of pound cakes. The maid stood perfectly still, not stepping back, not even blinking.
Fiona watched with suspicion, but Sophie merely pointed at the cakes and said, “These pound cakes are Prince Rafael’s favorite. Please take them to the main hall for him.”
The maid lowered her gaze and replied softly, “Yes, Your Grace.”
She curtseyed and left, her steps steady and deliberate, without a single wobble.
Fiona couldn’t help but chuckle. “Lady Sophie and Prince Rafael are truly affectionate, aren’t they? Even after a spat, she still remembers His Highness likes pound cakes.”
Sophie returned to her seat, offering a forced smile, still maintaining an air of indifference. She even turned her back on them, resting her arms on the railing and staring off into the distance, watching people walk by. Molly chuckled as well. “Violet, Fiona really enjoys doing things like this-trying to get close even when it’s clear she’s being ignored.”
Fiona gave Molly a cold glance. This fool only cared about vying for power and favor. Now that they were merely guests in the capital, what power was there to fight over?
As a princess consort, Molly should have had her mind on more important things. Yet, all she thought about was trivial nonsense. She wasn’t fit for any significant role.
Still, Fiona knew Violet. Women like her prided themselves on their sense of justice, always rushing to defend the weak. So, Fiona said nothing and only lowered her eyes, which were slightly reddened in irritation. Violet furrowed her brows and said, “Molly, you’re a princess consort. You shouldn’t speak so harshly.”
Molly huffed. “What a fool! You don’t even realize you’re being used.”
Violet nearly laughed. Did Molly think people were born with brains but no sense?
She decided to ignore Molly and turned her attention to Fiona, engaging in a conversation about the customs and culture of Valken. Of course, Fiona’s responses were as guarded as ever. After a while, Sophie said she felt a bit weary from sitting too long. She suggested they take another walk, so the group stood and began to move again.
Violet seemed quite interested in the estate, pressing Molly and Fiona to show her around. They walked from the garden to the courtyard, then to the back garden, and even to the storage building. Naturally, Fiona didn’t take them into the study. It was a place too important for casual visitors. Instead, they merely passed by the archway adorned with hanging flowers.
Fiona wasn’t worried about them looking around. If they had ulterior motives, the more they looked, the better. Let them see that there was nothing to find in the royal estate. After the tour, Sophie had enough of the wandering.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat,” she suggested.
During dinner, Stephanie and Sabrina didn’t join them. Rafael ate a little, then put down his cutlery. When Wayne tried to offer him wine, he declined.
“Why aren’t you drinking? Afraid your uncle might poison you?” Yuvan teased.
Rafael shook his head, playing the role of the honest, dutiful nephew.
“You wouldn’t have any reason to harm me, Uncle Yuvan. If you did, it certainly wouldn’t be at this moment poisoning me now would ruin years of planning. I just can’t stand this coarse wine. I usually drink ice wine, and these dishes aren’t to my taste either.”
Yuvan’s lips twitched. This nephew certainly had no sense of courtesy, did he?
Tonight’s dishes were sweetened to suit Violet’s tastes, as she was from Ebonflow. A bowl of royal jelly soup would be prepared specifically for her afterward, but it seemed that wouldn’t be needed tonight.
Yuvan gave Violet a long, piercing look. He would have this woman, no matter the cost.
After dinner, he turned to her and said, “Your cousin has no family here in the capital. If you have the time, please come by more often to keep her company, Ms. Spencer.”
Molly immediately linked arms with
Violet, acting overly familiar. “Yes, when you have some free time, let’s go out for a walk. Maybe have some coffee I’ve been in the capital for so long, but I haven’t even finished exploring a single street.”
Violet raised an eyebrow. “No family? Aren’t you all her family?”
Yuvan paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he let out a low, amused chuckle. He gave Violet a bow, his gaze teasing as he said, “Ah, my mistake. I misspoke. Please forgive me, my dear.”
Violet suppressed the urge to slap him and fought the shudder running down her spine. She forced a smile and said coldly, “I’ll come by when I have time.”
Travis had been slow to catch on, but he suddenly realized what was going on. He grabbed Violet’s wrist and hissed, “Let’s go!”
Outrage surged through him. How dare this old fox try to play this game!
Back at Hell Monarch Estate, Violet jumped out of the carriage and gave a few quick hops at the gate, shaking off all the bad energy that had clung to her. Her face was ashen with fury. “What the hell was that? How dare he have designs on me? Doesn’t he realize his son is older than I am? That shameless old fart!” she roared.
Luke happened to be walking out at that moment. When he overheard Violet’s words, he took a step back, his round face looking thoroughly confused.
Why would someone be shameless just because they were old?
Sophie, just as upset, pulled Violet into the estate. “Don’t go to Edgeview Estate again. The way his eyes were all over you… Just thinking about it makes me feel like you’ve been sullied. It’s disgusting.”
She couldn’t tell if the man she saw tonight was still the ambitious man she knew it was like he had turned into a completely different person. He was nothing but a pervert.
Once inside the council hall, Rafael recounted to Jacob how Yuvan had been eyeing Violet.
Jacob listened with a stunned expression. “No way… It was that obvious?”
“It was that obvious,” Rafael confirmed, shaking his head. “I even wondered if he was someone else in disguise.”
Rafael had been mulling over this on the carriage ride back. Based on what they had learned, Yuvan wasn’t the type to be interested in women. No matter how beautiful a woman was, to him, they were just pawns. He mostly used women to manipulate Valken’s officials, all of them carefully chosen for their beauty.
Even his marriage to Molly was more about getting access to the Spencer family’s wealth, weapons manufacturing, and warhorses than anything else.
Rafael couldn’t make sense of what he had seen. Once they sat down, he asked, “Sophie, do you think it’s possible he’s not really Yuvan? That the real Yuvan has already gone back to Valken?”
Sophie was still seething with anger, but she calmed a little as she thought about what Rafael had said.
It wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. In the martial world, disguises were so skillfully done that sometimes, it was impossible to tell the difference unless one was paying close attention.
Even Jacob thought it was highly likely. From what they knew about Yuvan, he would never behave so recklessly. Even if he did have designs on Violet, it would only be because she was the favored daughter of the Spencer family.
If that was the case, then he certainly wouldn’t have left such obvious signs.
The three of them fell into deep thought, pondering the possibilities.
Violet had initially disagreed, but seeing that the three smartest people in the estate all thought the same way, she found herself wavering.
Could it really be a fake Yuvan?
Meanwhile, Travis was fuming.
“What do you mean, fake Yuvan? It’s him, alright! If he’s different from before, it just means he was pretending before. Violet is the Spencer family’s daughter, and she’s good-looking.
“That day, when she barged in and slapped Molly she looked so cool, right? How Could Yuvan not be moved? Has he ever seen a woman like her? Let me tell you, men cambe so full of themselves. They think we can’t see through their intentions. They think they’re hiding it well. Did you hear the last thing he said? What was it? ‘I misspoke. Please forgive me, my dear?’ I just want to slap him!”
Violet shuddered at the memory of those words. Suddenly, she found herself agreeing with Travis.