Share

Chapter 288

Author: Rainstorm
In the abandoned temple, one man after another came and went.

At first, Jocelyn cried and screamed, but eventually, she fell silent. She lay on the pile of straw, her eyes wide open, staring at the door. Like a soulless clay doll, her entire body had gone numb.

She never could have imagined that Jane would do this to her. It hurt so much. Jane had promised to protect her for a lifetime.

Jane was a liar.

-

Meanwhile, at Zen Palace, outside the inner chamber's cedarwood door, Lily had intended to bring in some coffee, but she suddenly heard strange noises. The moment she realized what was happening, she froze.

Her jaw dropped in shock, and her heart pounded with fear and anxiety.

Just then, Steven appeared out of nowhere and yanked her away.

Lily's face went deathly pale.

She wanted to rush into the inner chamber and stop it from happening, but she couldn't. She was useless. She couldn't protect Jane.

-

In the banquet hall, after the king left, the concubines quickly lost int
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Related chapters

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 289

    George sat upright, his robe loosely draped over him. It exposed his toned waist and abdomen that were still marked by the scratches she had left the night before.He gripped Jane's chin, turning her face toward him. His gaze, once predatory, had softened into something almost tender, an emotion Jane had never seen before."Last night–"Jane's gaze remained calm. "I was drunk. If I offended you, please forgive me. This won't happen again."His brows furrowed, and whatever warmth had been in his expression vanished instantly."You promised last night that you would conceive an heir as soon as possible. Is once truly enough?"Jane frowned. How could she have agreed to such an absurd thing?"The words of a drunkard cannot be taken seriously," she said.Upon hearing this, a chill settled in George's eyes."So, because you were drunk, it didn't count? Wendy, you were the one who initiated it last night. You held onto me and begged me to take you! Did none of that count either?"Hi

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 290

    Contraceptive medicine was not something that could be taken openly, especially by members of the harem.Jane instructed Lily to sneak some medicine while bestowing rewards upon the physicians.Lily handled the matter swiftly, successfully obtaining the medicine and secretly brewing it in the kitchen. However, Maya caught sight of this.Lately, Maya had been in high spirits. With Wendy pregnant, her position as chief maid was no longer the same as before. Now, she was on guard against anyone trying to harm the queen's child, keeping a close watch on everyone in Zen Palace.She had never expected to catch someone in the act.Lily was acting suspiciously, brewing medicine that had not been prescribed by any physician. Something was off. She first had someone divert Lily away, then quickly lifted the lid to inspect the contents. With her seasoned experience, she immediately identified the presence of musk, a powerful substance.This was outrageous.If the queen suffered a miscarr

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 291

    George's anger was written all over his face, especially in his eyes.Every single concubine in the harem longed for his favor. But Wendy, of all people, wanted it but refused to admit it. She played hard to get in front of him.If she hadn't wanted this, why had she taken the initiative last night?And now, after everything was done, she was putting on this act and making it seem like he had forced her.How could he not be furious?Jane responded seriously, "Your Majesty, it is you who have suffered a loss."The coldness in George's demeanor did not fully fade, but his tone softened slightly, "If you know I've suffered a loss, then you should make it up to me properly. If you do conceive, then it will be a joyous occasion for all."As for those contraceptives, if you dare touch them again, I will kill that ever-loyal maid of yours."He would not tell her that, seeing how drunk she had been last night, he had never actually gone through with it in the end. For once, he had chos

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 292

    Maya couldn't suppress her curiosity and opened Wendy's letter to her family. Strangely, the contents were nothing more than ordinary words of concern.Why did such a letter need to be secretly sent out of the palace? It seemed completely unnecessary.Then again, perhaps the queen was testing her capabilities to see if she could be trusted with more important tasks. With that thought in mind, she followed the order and secretly delivered the letter to the eastern gate.Someone was waiting there to receive it.Wallace quickly received the letter. At first glance, it seemed like a simple message, but it was encoded in a cipher.Jane often used the 'three-four-one-five' method–circling the third, fourth, first, and fifth words of each sentence in that order would reveal the true message.[Jocelyn has an accomplice. Investigate.]After reading it, Wallace burned the letter.-Meanwhile, in Zen Palace, it was the first day of the new year, and all the concubines had come to pay the

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 293

    "You have been in the palace for quite some time now," Teressa said seriously. "It wouldn't be appropriate if you went even longer without having served the king in bed."She had intended to arrange this matter earlier, but the king had been unable to perform due to his medical troubles, which had delayed things. Now that he had regained the ability, there was no reason to postpone it any longer. Besides, he had always respected her as his grandmother.Back then, even Wendy had remained a virgin after her wedding. It was only after she had issued a strict order that George had finally consummated their marriage.Rachel's turn to attend to the king was something she had full confidence in arranging.Rachel lowered her gaze, her face tinged with a soft blush, and replied in a gentle voice, "I will do as you please."She appeared docile and obedient, yet a flicker of ambition flashed through her eyes. Entering the palace as a concubine and giving birth to a royal heir had always been

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 294

    As she heard Jane's order to kneel, Jocelyn hesitated instinctively. But she remained standing.Jane's gaze was cold."When I tell you to kneel, you do not remain standing. As a subject, do you not even understand such basic etiquette?"Jocelyn felt as if something were stuck in her throat. No matter how eloquent she was, she could not defy royal authority.Before this, Jane had always cared for her. She had never made her kneel, or even keep her standing for too long. The stark contrast was hard for her to accept. She remained in place, unmoving.At Jane's command, royal guards entered the chamber.Seeing this, Jocelyn was reminded of the military camp. Jane had been the same there–whenever she called out, soldiers immediately stepped forward to receive orders.This was power.As a commander, Jane had authority. As queen, it had only grown."Jocelyn has spoken disrespectfully to me," Jane said sternly. "Take her outside and make her kneel for an hour."The guards obeyed with

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 295

    Jocelyn knelt in the bone-chilling wind for thirty minutes. When she saw the king arrive, she immediately turned her head and cast him a helpless look. To her surprise, he didn't spare her a single glance and walked straight into the palace.Jocelyn stared blankly at his departing figure. Her frostbitten fists clenched unconsciously.She knew Jane didn't love George. But what about him? It seemed he liked Jane quite a lot.Still, no matter how much he favored a woman, surely he wouldn't tolerate her meddling in state affairs, nor would he allow her to humiliate a commander who had rendered great service to the kingdom.Upon entering the palace, George dismissed everyone else.Maya gave Wendy one last look, her expression full of exasperation, as if saying, 'See? This is what happens when you don't listen to me.'Jane stood up and curtsied. She seemed neither apologetic nor flustered."Greetings, Your Majesty," she said politely. "Why did you order Jocelyn to kneel?" George's v

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 296

    Upon hearing that Jocelyn had fainted, George's expression changed slightly. His sharp brows furrowed as he suppressed his anger."A fine thing you've done!" he reprimanded.He immediately ordered for Jocelyn to be carried to the side chamber and summoned a physician to attend to her. At the same time, he issued a strict order to everyone in Zen Palace that the day's events were not to be spread.Not long after, Jocelyn regained consciousness in the warmth of the side chamber.A royal servant was attending to her."Commander Morris, are you feeling better?" the servant asked with concern.Jocelyn didn't actually faint. She had just run out of patience. Now, lying in bed, she feigned weakness."Help me up. I haven't finished kneeling for a full hour yet."Thud.Her legs, seemingly frozen stiff, failed to support her. As soon as she tried to stand, she collapsed back onto her knees.The royal servant hurried to help her up."Commander Morris, please don't worry. His Majesty ha

Latest chapter

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 420

    Jane never told George that Darren had died for her. The Thiberium poisoning had been meant for her. Darren had taken it in her place.She also never told George that Darren had already given her the Miracle Needles manual. At the time, she had been too busy waging war and had only learned half of it. So when he was poisoned, even though she hastily studied the rest, she still couldn't save him in time.Because of this, she could never forgive herself.That night, many struggled to sleep.George and the royal guards practiced combat through the night. The guards were miserable.Rachel lay awake until dawn, unable to calm her excitement about leaving the palace with the king the next day.The next morning, by the break of dawn, Rachel was already dressed and had prepared the offerings.The guards assigned to escort her had the carriage ready. When a concubine left the palace, she had to use the side gate.Rachel, however, didn't get into the carriage right away. Instead, she ask

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 419

    In the evening, at Tyrian Palace, George was about to settle down for the night when he noticed that Jane was still reading.He walked over. "Is that book really so fascinating?"Jane didn't even look up."I've sent people to investigate the purchase records of floral brocade in recent years. While waiting, I thought I'd search for clues about that nine-tailed serpent motif."George snatched the book from her hands, forcing her to raise her head and look at him. "It could just be an ordinary design.""Perhaps." Jane reached for the book, but he spoke again."There's a military physician in the Northern Battalion with the last name Durand. Was he the one who taught you Miracle Needles?"Jane's gaze subtly shifted.Growing impatient, George pressed further. "I want the truth. Was it him?"Jane's expression was cold and detached. "Yes."A storm brewed within George.The Durand family never passed down the Miracle Needles technique to outsiders—only their own bloodline. That mea

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 418

    There were screams from within the palace."You scoundrel! Who's sick? Who are you calling delirious? I'm perfectly fine! Ahh! What are you doing!"Since Mary was struggling so violently, Dina had no choice but to order her to be restrained. A moment later, Mary was tied to the bed, thrashing wildly as she shouted toward the door where Dina stood."Mother! Save me!"Dina couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. "Mary, I'm only helping you."Mary was utterly baffled. She had just been quietly embroidering a fragrant pouch, yet her mother suddenly thought she was ill."The queen. Get the queen!" Mary barked at Irene.Wilhelmina, who stood right beside Dina, felt a chill run down her spine.Why call for the queen? Could Mary really have lost her mind?–At Zen Palace, Jane was flipping through ancient texts, searching for any records of the nine-tailed serpent motif.Suddenly, Maya rushed into the inner chamber. She seemed out of breath."Your Majesty! Something terrible ha

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 417

    "I only heard that Commander Morris was quite close to a military physician, and there were even rumors of an intimate relationship." At this point, Richard hesitated before adding, "But I believe those were baseless rumors. It was most likely just camaraderie between comrades."George's expression turned unusually serious."What is the physician's name, and where is he now?""I only recall that his surname was Durand."'Durand?'George immediately thought of the Miracle Needles. That physician was likely a descendant of the Durand family.Richard had no idea why the king was asking about this, so he returned to the main topic."Your Majesty, since Jocelyn is not the true Commander Morris, why have you not made this public?"George's gaze turned dark."I have my own plans."Right now, all he could think about was that military physician with the surname Durand.–Outside the royal study, Karlsen saw Richard step out and greeted him respectfully.Karlsen's face was expressi

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 416

    At Grace Palace, Rachel sat in front of the mirror. Her gaze was slightly empty. Aurelia couldn't bear to see her like this."Your Highness, it's getting late."The king not coming didn't mean she should refuse to sleep.Rachel murmured softly, "Yes, it's late."Was the queen accompanying the king at this hour?She used to console herself with the thought that perhaps the queen, like her, was nothing more than a facade to deceive others and had never truly shared the king's bed.But if that were true, why would the king summon her to Tyrian Palace? Even Rosalie had rarely set foot there in the past. This proved that the king truly favored the queen.Then what was she?She had exhausted every means at her disposal, yet she couldn't make the king spare her even a glance.Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.-The next day, during the court session, ministers were still debating over Jocelyn's death."Your Majesty, Commander Morris held great prestige among the people.

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 415

    Jane proposed making the truth public to prevent the people from continuing to misunderstand. However, George's gaze was extremely cold."There's no need."Now, it was her turn to be confused. Between two difficult choices, one should choose the lesser evil. As a king, did he not understand this?George was very serious."If we expose that Jocelyn is an impostor, the Morris family won't escape punishment. Neither will the tens of thousands of Northern Battalion soldiers."Even if those soldiers were unaware of the truth, people could always find an excuse to accuse them. If that happened and someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation, the entire Northern Battalion would be thrown into chaos.By keeping this secret, he could still protect the Morris family and those soldiers.If the truth was revealed, he would have to handle the matter impartially. Otherwise, his authority would be compromised.Jane said nothing.In her heart, she naturally leaned toward her

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 414

    George saw a light in her eyes that he had never seen before.The surroundings were silent. It was as if, as long as she looked at him like this, he could agree to anything.But he was not so easily swayed.After only a brief moment of distraction, he quickly regained his usual cold and imposing demeanor and spoke in a steady tone."In the second year of my reign, the allied forces of four nations attacked Nidora. I led the army into battle. After the war ended, I returned to the capital, passing through a misty forest on the way. There was an ambush in that forest."While fighting off the assassins, one masked individual released a creature that resembled a salamander. I was bitten by it and poisoned. Only later did I learn that it was Thiberium poisoning."Jane was well aware that Thiberium poisoning involved raising salamanders and feeding them a specially prepared poison daily. Over time, the creatures would absorb the toxins and become what was known as Thiberium, naturally

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 413

    Mary was feeling guilty. Jocelyn had managed to escape from prison thanks to the Falcon Command Token she had secretly delivered to her. She had known the truth would come to light sooner or later, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.Even more surprising was that after questioning her for a while, George suddenly stopped. Instead, he changed the subject and solemnly warned her."Mary, I can choose not to punish you for this matter, but from now on, stay away from Zen Palace."Mary's fists clenched involuntarily. She met George's gaze, refusing to back down, and smiled."Your Majesty, you've been on the throne for seven years now, yet you still have no heirs. That's quite unusual, isn't it? I heard from Grandmother that you've decided not to favor the harem unless the queen bears an heir?"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but over the years, you've shown favor to Lady Rosalie and Lady Helena, and even spent nights with Rachel. Yet none of them have conceived. So why do

  • Substitute Queen's Revenge   Chapter 412

    Mary stared blankly at the person before her.The queen was actually Commander Morris who had saved her all those years ago.Good heavens! What had she been doing all this time?She had actually believed Jocelyn and gone against the queen at every turn. She had even exposed the queen's marriage substitution.For the sake of Jocelyn, an impostor, she had nearly caused the death of her true savior.At this moment, Mary was filled with regret and remorse.Jane lowered her gaze to the bracelet on her wrist and sensed something was off.Their eyes met suddenly. Mary's gaze was emotional, her voice trembling. "You–"She had countless things to say, but she didn't know where to start."Commander, I personally measured your wrist for this bracelet. Now, do you still wish to deny it?" Mary gazed at her intently.Jane's brows furrowed slightly. "Princess–"Mary interrupted her. "I was a fool. I conspired with Jocelyn and went against you at every turn. It's only natural that you bla

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status