Chapter 4
1297words
When the butler knocked on my door, I was sitting at my dressing table.
The boxwood comb passed through my long hair, one stroke after another, unhurried and methodical.
I didn't turn around.
"Madam, a letter from the Queen's palace." I extended my hand, took the envelope, examined it carefully for a moment, then said to the butler, "Prepare the carriage."
"But Madam, the Duke is… still sleeping."
"His affairs are none of my concern." I stood up, the silk hem of my dress sweeping across the carpet, utterly silent.
…
In the Queen's bedchamber, the scent of rose incense was extremely comfortable, as if all the pores of one's body had opened up.
She wasn't sitting on the throne, but instead stood by the window with her back to me.
A blurred silhouette outlined by the morning light.
"Lady Celeste." She finally turned around, her face wearing its customary gentle smile, but that smile was frozen on her skin, not reaching her pitch-black eyes.
"I heard someone has lost something valuable."
I bent my knee and performed a flawless court curtsy. "It was my negligence that allowed filthy things to enter the mansion."
The queen let out a soft laugh as she moved away from the window and strolled to a massive jade dressing mirror.
"I rather think that some things don't pollute the Celeste family," she said, extending her hand and lightly tracing the cold mirror surface with her fingertips, "but rather, the dignity of the royal family."
She stopped her movement, her gaze falling on me through the mirror.
"The ruby bracelet I bestowed upon you, whose hands is it in now?" I am investigating.
I couldn't say such words aloud; that would be the excuse of the weak.
"I have failed in my duty, but I will surely find it." The Queen finally turned around completely, and fire ignited in those gentle eyes.
"At the palace banquet last night, I saw with my own eyes the Chief Lady-in-waiting wearing the bracelet I gave you, dancing before the King." She stepped closer to me. "She danced quite well, didn't she?"
I took a deep breath. "Your Highness, Winterborne and Selina are cousins. During the half year since I left the Duke's mansion, she took my belongings."
The Queen smiled gently, a look of "just as I thought" flashing in her eyes.
"So, how do you plan to handle this?"
I raised my head and looked directly at her. "Please give me one month, Your Highness."
The Queen nodded with satisfaction. "But what I'm giving you is not just time."
She walked up to me, raised her hand, and her slightly cool fingertips gently brushed across my cheek.
That touch didn't feel like comfort, but more like measuring a weapon.
"You can also summon the palace guards to investigate any truth you wish to know." Her voice was very low, like a lover's whisper, yet carried a bloody scent.
"My child, remember, when it's time to cut ties, cut them." …
Leaving the Queen's palace, I had just stepped out of the hall when a voice stopped me.
"Duchess, please wait." Margaret, the Grand Empress Dowager's personal lady-in-waiting, was smiling and curtseying to me.
She was over forty, with an ordinary face, the kind that would be impossible to find again if lost in a crowd.
But everyone in the palace feared her.
"Lady Margaret." I stopped and returned her courtesy.
"Duchess, the Grand Empress Dowager has heard that someone in your household has taken it upon themselves to present the Queen's gifted jewelry to the Chief Lady-in-waiting, and specifically instructed me to inform you—" She paused, her smile pregnant with meaning.
"Do not worry, the Grand Empress Dowager will see justice done for you." My heart trembled.
The Queen and the Queen Dowager, this pair of mother and daughter-in-law had been at odds since the King's ascension to the throne, yet now, they were standing on the same side for my matter.
I bowed deeply in the direction of the Queen Dowager's chambers.
"Please convey my deepest gratitude to the Queen Dowager."
"Additionally," Margaret glanced around to ensure no one was present, then continued in a lower voice, "the Queen Dowager hopes you understand that some matters require someone to carry out justice on behalf of heaven." She looked at me and added a sentence.
"You understand." Of course I understood.
The Queen had given me the authority to investigate, while the Queen Dowager had given me the power to pass judgment.
"I understand," I nodded.
Margaret smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
"By the way, your son Arthur's birthday is coming soon, isn't it?"
"The Queen Dowager prefers tranquility and won't attend, however, the Archbishop will visit your residence on that day. Arthur is a good child, guide him well." After saying this, she bowed again and turned to leave.
I stood in place, not moving for a long time.
The Archbishop's attendance was undoubtedly the heaviest weight that the Queen Dowager added to secure my son Arthur's right of succession.
As the carriage drove through the royal avenue, I had already formulated a complete plan in my mind.
When I returned to the Duke's residence, Hector was pacing back and forth in the courtyard.
Like a wild beast trapped in a cage, anxious and angry.
Seeing me step out of the carriage, he immediately rushed over with large strides.
"You've finally returned." He lowered his voice, anger burning in his eyes.
"You promised me that you would only handle the jewelry matter before Arthur's birthday, so why did you go to the palace today?" I ignored him and walked straight toward the main building.
He followed behind me like an inescapable shadow.
Entering the room, I didn't glance at him once and went directly to the dressing table.
I opened the jewelry box and took out a cornflower brooch studded with diamonds.
It was the one the Queen had personally pinned on me when I married into the Duke's family.
I slowly pinned it to my collar, my movements graceful, as if performing some sacred ritual.
Hector's patience finally ran out. "Filwin! What are you even…"
I turned around, calmly interrupting him.
"Yesterday the favored concubine wore that bracelet to the banquet. Do you think the Queen would turn a blind eye?"
"Are you truly unaware of what your dear mistress Selina has done? Giving the ruby bracelet the Queen bestowed upon Celeste to the King's mistress! Letting her flirt with the King right in front of the Queen?"
The anger on Hector's face froze inch by inch, then shattered.
Fear, like vines, crept up his face.
He certainly knew that regifting royal bestowments could be seen as challenging the authority of the giver. At best, it meant exile; at worst, his entire family would suffer the consequences.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Finally, he almost bit out a few words through clenched teeth.
"So… how do we remedy this now?"
"The affairs of the mansion need to be put in order." I sat down in the chair, methodically adjusting my gloves, "The butler is getting old, he should be replaced with someone younger."
"The servants have become too lax as well, they need to be disciplined anew." Hector's fist immediately clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
"Are you trying to seize power?"
"Power?" I laughed.
"I just want to ensure this household isn't completely ruined because of certain people's stupidity." These words, like a poisoned thorn, pierced deeply into Hector's heart.
He glared at me intensely, yet couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
