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She had sold off some property, and the money wasn’t placed in any bank. She hid it in a house that was part of her, dowry, buried deep beneath the floorboards. Then, using her status as the Earl of
Silverstone’s wife, she set up a soup stall on the outskirts of the city.
People thought she was trying to restore the family’s reputation, but that wasn’t her real aim. Reputation can mean different things. Even if the Earl of Silverstone’s family had a reputation for charity, it couldn’t change the damage to its morals caused by Viola. People would only say that the Earl of Silverstone’s family had good people, but their household was corrupt.
That was why Zoey had her children and even the concubines’ children go out and help with the food distribution whenever they had time-not for anything else, but to keep them from getting too much involved in the mess.
Of course, her real goal was to gain a reputation for kindness. She hoped that if something ever happened to the Earl of Silverstone’s family, someone would remember her good deeds and stand up for them in court At the very least, she hoped that someone would speak in their defense and ensure their misfortunes wouldn’t affect future generations.
As for those who had benefited from the earl’s family, she hoped that when the criticism came pouring in, at least one of them would step forward to defend them.
However, the report from Silverstone Estate’s steward Bernard struck Zoey as strange.
The properties she had sold had quickly been taken over by someone, and the price they paid was quite high-higher than the market rate by a good 20 percent.
Zoey had managed the household for many years, overseeing property transactions several times. Typically, deals followed market trends, with a property or two occasionally sold for a bit more. But recently, every property she had sold had been at prices well above what was normal.
It left her feeling uneasy.
She even wondered if Sophie had found out she was selling her property and thought she was desperate for money, and so offered a high price.
Zoey asked the steward for the sale agreements. When she saw the buyer’s name-Yves Gardner-she didn’t recognize it.
“Does Hell Monarch Estate have a steward with that name?” Zoey asked Bernard.
“I’ve never heard of the name,” Bernard replied.
“Then what’s the deal with this buyer?” Zoey asked, a bit concerned. The price was much higher than usual, and she feared there might be some hidden risks in selling her property.
After a moment’s thought, she remembered that all the sales had been handled with proper documentation-the contracts had proper signatures and seals, were registered, and witnessed by officials. Everything was legal and above board. What could go wrong? “Forget it, then. Don’t worry about it. Don’t sell anymore for the time being, though. I don’t want to draw attention from Mother,” Zoey said.
She had kept the property sales a secret from Evelyn, even from Caspian and Luna. They didn’t manage the household and wouldn’t concern themselves with such things. If they found out, she would explain it to them then. After all, she wasn’t just thinking of herself. Still, she couldn’t completely shake off the mystery surrounding the buyer. Later, when Sophie came to visit, Zoey casually asked, “Do you happen to know anyone named Yves Gardner?”
Sophie lifted her gaze and thought for a moment. “Yves Gardner? The Gardner surname is rare in the capital. Did he offend you somehow?”
Zoey shook her head. “Not exactly. I was just wondering. I sold a rather out-of-the-way shop recently, and he was the buyer. But his offer was 20 percent higher than the going rate.” Sophie smiled. “Well, isn’t that a good thing? You got a bargain.”
“I thought so at first, but then it seemed odd. With the market the way it is, anyone could easily find out. Plus, he set the price himself-it just doesn’t add up.” Sophie laughed softly. “As long as it’s a legitimate transaction, it doesn’t matter if the price is higher than market value. Consider it a good deal for you.”
Zoey was certain that Sophie knew
Yves, because she didn’t answer directly when asked about him.
Instead, she had skillfully avoidedet the question. From what Zoey knew of her she was straightforward-if she knew someone, she would say so If not, she would simply say no.
So, Zoey instinctively believed that Yves must be someone from the Hell Monarch’s household. Perhaps Sophie had learned of her selling the shop and, thinking she needed money, had bought it for a higher price out of kindness. After a moment of hesitation, unsure whether to accept the offer or address it directly, Zoey decided to speak up.
“Your Grace, the shop should be sold for whatever it’s worth-no more, no less. I can’t take advantage of your generosity. Let’s stick to the market price.”
Sophie had already done so much for her, and Zoey couldn’t bring herself to take advantage of her any further.
Sophie merely smiled. “You’ve misunderstood, Madam Zoey. My household didn’t buy the shop.”
“But you know Mr. Gardner, don’t you?” Zoey pressed.
Sophie, who was always good at reading people, realized she had slipped up-mainly because she hadn’t expected Zoey to mention Yves.
“I know him,” Sophie admitted. “He’s my senior guild member and fourth apprentice in the guild, but I didn’t know he bought the shop. In fact, I didn’t even know he was in the capital. He hasn’t been to Hell Monarch Estate.”
Zoey’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He’s your senior guild member? In that case, could you arrange for me to meet him? The price is far too high. My estate’s steward should have known better. Since I know about it now, I can’t just take advantage of your kindness.
“I told you,” Sophie replied, “Yves didn’t tell me he was in the capital. I don’t even know where he is. But he’s a smart man. He wouldn’t pay a high price unless he thought the shop was truly worth it. I’m sure that’s why he offered that amount.”
At this point, Garissa had already figured out what had happened—the shop had been bought by Isaac but under Yves’ name. She held back and decided not to ask Zoey about Isaac for now. Jacob and Luke were already looking into the matter, so it was better to wait and see.
After Jacob and Luke’s investigation, they learned that the situation wasn’t as simple as it first appeared.
According to Kyle, Adrian’s initial investigation showed that David had believed Isaac brought him good fortune, but it cost him his health. Despite seeking treatment from many renowned physicians in the capital, none could cure Isaac. Eventually, he was sent to a temple for healing. This suggested that David did care for the child, as a dad would, and it was common for the youngest child to receive the most affection.
However, based on what Luke had learned from the elderly stewards and servants working for the Earl of Silverstone’s extended family, David in truth despised Isaac deeply. The servants couldn’t recall his attitude at the very beginning, but it was clear David had treated Isaac poorly over time. They even gave examples of such situations.
During Vincent’s birthday celebration, Isaac-who was then called Seraphina-was carried into the banquet by Vincent himself. At that time, Vincent’s health had greatly improved, and he was full of energy. But afterward, David had dragged Isaac out. He claimed Isaac had tired Vincent, and had given Isaac ten hard strikes on the palm.
These things were likely unknown to the masters of the house, but the servants had witnessed them.
Another time, Vincent took Isaac hunting, and they caught a white fox. The fox fur had been given to Isaac. But later on, it was Viola who wore it.
There were many other small incidents where David showed clear signs of dislike toward Isaac. Many servants had witnessed them, including those who shared these details with Luke.
At that time, the family hadn’t been split up, and they all lived together at Silverstone Estate. David wasn’t one to hide his emotions and his disdain often showed on his face, though he wasn’t always aware of it.
There was another thing. When it came to treating Isaac’s illness, Vincent had called for the physicians. However, the herbs were often subtly changed when the medicine was being prepared.
David told the servants who handled the medicine that Sebastian had provided the herbs, claiming they were of better quality than those from the physicians Vincent had hired. He also claimed that he privately made these changes to avoid upsetting Vincent.
Furthermore, Vincent initially strongly opposed sending Isaac to the temple, believing the charlatan priest had no real skill. Yet after meeting with the priest a few times and hearing him reveal many private matters, Vincent became convinced of the man’s abilities. Some servants, however, had overheard that David deliberately disclosed these secrets to make the charlatan priest appear knowledgeable.
Thus, the charlatan priest’s supposed divine insight was little more than cheating. He already knew the answers in advance.
So, David didn’t like his youngest son and may have even hated the boy. The supposed treatments for Isaac’s illness, which went on for years without improvement, were likely prolonged by David’s manipulation of the medicine to ensure no real recovery.
Given David’s strong belief in fate, it was easy to imagine that when he was named heir and Vincent was seriously ill, he assumed he would inherit the title any day. What he didn’t expect was for Vincent to recover.
With few significant accomplishments to his name and only trivial duties assigned to him, David became increasingly desperate to secure the title.
From what they could tell, David believed that ?saac had brought good luck to Vincent and that this was the Reason Vincent’s health had been steadily improving. So, the only way to weaken Vincent’s luck was to send Isaac away and sever his influence.
However, to send Isaac away, David needed Vincent’s approval. After all, David worked with the charlatan priest, and they still needed to get money from the old man each year.
From this, two conclusions could be drawn. First, Adrian’s investigation was flawed-either he only scratched the surface, or was outright deceived by David.