In the carriage, Violet had relayed Carissa's instructions to Helen.Upon arriving at Gracehold Estate, Helen was to use both grace and force. After witnessing Leona's pitiful condition, she was to unleash her full authority and intimidate everyone present, including the matriarch of the Earl of Gracehold's family.Violet dragged Ruby into the room and, with a firm kick, sent the latter sprawling on the ground. "Is that all you have? And you dare play tricks in front of the duchess? No one in this household stood up for the duchess. They all sided with this wretch. Lady Helen, please make your decision!"Abigail, who loathed the woman as well, knew that Ruby was her son's beloved. And since Samuel was Dorothy's favorite, Abigail tolerated Ruby in the household. Seeing Ruby now kicked and humiliated by Violet, Abigail couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.Without lifting her head, Helen said coldly, "I'm not sure what the rules are in this household, but in the palace, i
Noah saw the change in his mother's expression, and immediately advised, "Mom, please, let's discuss this calmly…""Be quiet, you useless thing! They've already bullied their way into our residence, and you're still playing the part of the dutiful son?" Dorothy shouted in fury, her face contorted with rage. "Get out of the way!"She walked over and took a seat, taking a deep breath as she met Helen's gaze. "Place and rank? Once the duchess married into our family, she became one of us—our daughter-in-law! Women follow their husbands both at home and in public. Yet, she stirred up trouble and even incited the Hell Monarch's princess consort to report her own husband, all for some domestic matter. What family doesn't have concubines? Instead of learning from the good examples, she's picked up all the bad habits—envy and pettiness. She's learned them all too well."Helen's eyes widened in shock. Wait, was Dorothy talking about Carissa? Was Dorothy referring to Helen's daughter-in-l
Dorothy's vision darkened, and she nearly collapsed from anger. She swayed for a moment before she finally managed to steady herself. Pointing a trembling finger at Helen, she stammered, "I… I will surely…surely go to the palace and report to the queen dowager. You…are being utterly outrageous!""Go ahead and report, you vile woman!" Helen lifted her head with pride. "The queen dowager is my sister, but she is a person of reason. If she learns how your family is bullying Leona, she may be so enraged that you'll lose your title! At that point, you can forget about being a noble lady and return to being a commoner.""When did the title become yours to take away? Who do you think you are?"Dorothy was thoroughly infuriated. She dropped her cane and pushed Helen, who fell to the ground as a result. Helen then yelled, "How dare you lay hands on me? How dare you defy your betters and strike me?"The entire Earl of Gracehold household was stunned. Just moments ago, Helen had been curs
The moment everyone heard Rafael's question, their hearts sank.Noah hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. No one has bullied Lady Helen...""Earl of Gracehold, are you saying my mother is lying and falsely accusing you?" Rafael coldly retorted."N-no, that's not what I meant."Although the Earl of Gracehold held a position in court, when facing someone as cold and imposing as the Hell Monarch—a seasoned general from the battlefield—his confidence faltered.Under Rafael's piercing gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine."It's all a misunderstanding—just a misunderstanding," said Noah.Having gathered her wits, Dorothy immediately questioned, "Are you trying to throw your weight around, Your Highness?"Samuel finally recalled his scholarly pride and disdain for powerful princes like Rafael.He scoffed coldly, "Lady Helen was throwing her weight around. She barged into my family home to meddle in our internal affairs. And now, even you are stepping in to protect h
Naturally, Dorothy's head never made contact with the pillar. With so many people in the room and her actions being so slow, her children and grandchildren had plenty of time to pull her back.Dorothy had only intended to use that act as a way to scare Rafael, hoping it would stop the household soldiers from smashing things.But Rafael's expression remained cold, and the household soldiers didn't pause in their destruction. They continued to smash anything in sight, sending some of the more timid women screaming and fleeing to the back courtyard.Dorothy was furious, her vision darkening with anger. She hadn't expected Rafael to be so brazen, completely unafraid of her threat to bash her own head in.The soldiers didn't go into the inner courtyard, as it was off-limits to men. Travis knew this rule well, so they restricted their rampage to the front courtyard and the main hall.Noah watched the scene with a pale face. He knew very well why Rafael was so enraged tonight—because his
Some of the servants rushed outside, only to find the courtyard in total disarray, no different from the chaos in the main hall.His face ashen and lifeless, Noah stepped forward and bowed. "Has your anger been fully vented, Your Highness?"Rafael remained silent, his expression cold.It was Carissa who spoke up instead, "Earl of Gracehold, do you harbor any resentment in your heart?"Noah gritted his teeth. "I wouldn't dare.""You wouldn't dare?" Carissa's face was devoid of any warmth. "It's best if you don't. Because next time, I promise you, the estate will be leveled to the ground."Noah had witnessed the grandeur of her wedding and knew that behind Carissa stood not only the Hell Monarch's household, but also a number of martial artists. In fact, there were even two martial artists affiliated with her currently stationed here in his own household.Forget leveling the estate—if Carissa wanted, she could kill everyone in Gracehold Estate without leaving a trace.Tonight, No
Violet glanced at Carissa, who gave her a slight nod.Violet then coldly laughed and said, "You're claiming to be a 'pure courtesan'? Maybe you can fool someone as brainless as Samuel, but do you really think you can fool us?"Her words instantly enraged Samuel, who snapped, "How dare you slander her?"Violet sneered. "Slander her? I wouldn't dare. Ruby, shouldn't you tell everyone your real name? What was it again? I heard your esteemed father gave you a rather lovely name—Celeste Kingsley, wasn't it? But Grand Princess Eleanor didn't call you that, did she? She called you something else, right? Cece, wasn't it?"Ruby's face turned deathly pale, but only for a moment.Soon, her eyes filled with tears, and she choked out, "W-What are you talking about?"The faces of those from the Earl of Gracehold's family also changed drastically. They stared at Ruby's elegant and beautiful face in disbelief.Could she really be Eleanor's daughter?Surely, she wasn't her biological child. Ele
Ruby continued to cry uncontrollably, her sobs wracking her body. Despite her tears, her fingers clung desperately to Samuel's shirt, as if holding onto him was the only thing keeping her grounded. Though her eyes had run dry, her cries were still filled with a deep sense of hurt and vulnerability."Such a mess!" Rafael commented as he stood up, taking Carissa's hand in his.He turned to the stunned Helen. "Mom, let's go."Helen snapped out of her shock and rose to her feet.But before leaving, she glanced at Heather and said, "I just went in to see Leona. She thought it was you and was so happy, but when she realized it wasn't, she was disappointed. You're such a weak mother, so it's no wonder your daughter turned out the same. You know very well who I caused a scene for today. If you have any shred of dignity as a mother, don't let this slide so easily. Otherwise, you'll lose all respect in my eyes.""Mother, let's go. Every mother has maternal instincts. I'm sure Aunt Heather k