Chapter 12
Thomas was momentarily stunned. A wife? She dares to think that? Arabella is the daughter of the Marquis’s estate, married in a grand procession–who could possibly bypass her?
“Although Marshal made significant contributions to the country, he is just one of many soldiers who has died in battle.
If every woman started using her father’s or brother’s achievements to force the court into demoting wives to concubines, what would the world look like then?
rs of his subjects.
Even though His Majesty rules the entire country, he can’t simply interfere in the private matters of
‘Besides, no matter how great Marshal’s accomplishments were, could they possibly outweigh the entire Marquis’s estate? Why would she think the royal family would demote the daughter of the Duke to a concubine and elevate her instead?
If she can’t even grasp something this simple, how can she possibly dream of becoming the Mrs. Farrow in the Duke’s estate? It is pure fantasy.
“A wife? What wife?” Thomas said, his voice laced with disbelief. “Hasn’t the Empress Dowager already issued a decree for the heir to take you as a concubine? Has your household not received the news”
‘Concubine? Helena’s face drained of color as she staggered backward in shock. Her eyes welled up with tears as she turned to Seraphina, looking fragile and helpless.
It took Seraphina a long moment to process what had just happened. Her voice trembled as she asked, “Lord Carver, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?
“Helena is the daughter of a great hero. How could His Majesty and the Empress Dowager possibly give her the title of concubine?”
Thomas couldn’t help but shake his head in exasperation at Seraphina’s confusion. ‘No wonder the Duke of Eldenhurst preferred to serve away from Althoria. With a wife like this, it was no surprise he didn’t want to stay in Althoria”
“Mrs. Farrow,” he replied, “The Empress Dowager’s decree is clear: Helena is to be made the heir’s concubine. There are no other instructions. How could you possibly think she would demote a wife to a concubine? That would be the most foolish thing to do.”
His words, though polite, were a veiled criticism. The Empress Dowager couldn’t have been that foolish; the only one left to blame was her.
Seraphina’s face turned bright red, and she was so stunned she could hardly catch her breath, nearly collapsing from the shock.
Thomas, uninterested in the domestic turmoil, simply bowed to them and left the hall, followed by several young officials.
Helena, still reeling from the blow, stood frozen, staring vacantly ahead.
Not long ago, in Chamber of Roses, she had been filled with pride; now, she felt utterly humiliated. She wanted nothing more than to smash her head against the wall to escape the disgrace and stop the world from laughing at her.
She thought, ‘Concubine… The court has made me a concubine. I haven’t just failed to get what le wanted–I have gained four rivals. And as for the rewards, they all go to my brothers and that fool, Charles.
What am I now? A joke? And that Arabella–she is infuriating beyond measure. Arabella has known about the Empress Dowager’s decision, yet in Chamber of Roses, she acted as though she were the one demoted to a concubine.
“She has raised my hopes to the sky, only to drag me down into the depths. That woman has done it on purpose. She has to have done it
on purpose
Seraphina, seeing her face go ashen, reached out and steadied her arm, trying to comfort her. “A concubine is still better than a bedchamber maid, Helena. You’ll have to accept your fate.”
Accept my fate? Helena slowly clenched her fists. Fate was the one thing she refused to believe in. If she had, she never would have schemed to get into Charles’s bed three years ago.
She thought, “What does the Empress Dowager’s decree matter? Once I get rid of that Arabella, the position of Mrs. Farrow would eventually be mine
“I pay my respects to you, Mrs. Farrow, came a voice.
18
Chapter 12
The four beautiful women, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly stepped forward and bowed. They were all palace–trained women who had failed to become imperial concubines. Each one exuded grace and poise, their refined presence impossible to ignore.
Helena gasped for air, her eyelids fluttering before she fainted dead away.
Seraphina gasped in shock. “Quick, someone get the doctor!
Immediately, the entire front hall descended into chaos
Meanwhile, the four beautiful women acred as though nothing was amiss. One of them, calm as ever, asked, “Mrs. Farrow, where would you like us to be settled!”
Seraphina gritted her teeth, wanting to dismiss them immediately..
ng so would be defying the
But when she remembered that these women were a royal gift, she knew she couldn’t an
act out of turn–doing so king’s command. With a reluctant swallow, she bit back her frustration.
“Gabriel, take them to Silver Suite and have Arabella settle them there,” she said.
She couldn’t do much about Arabella, but she thought sending a few women to bother her wouldn’t be the worst thing.
….
At Silver Suite, Arabella listened as Rosalie vividly described what had transpired in the f
front hall..
Rosalie recounted everything with great detail, even performing a dramatic reenactment of Helena fainting.
After hearing it. Arabella chuckled and said. “Four concubines, huh? Looks like Silver Suite will be lively from now on.”
Rosalie rolled her eyes. “Your mind is something else. Your husband is taking four new concubines, and you’re laughing about it?”
Arabella smirked. “Why shouldn’t I laugh? Whether he takes four concubines, forty, or four hundred, it doesn’t affect me one bit. I’m going to divorce him sooner or later. No matter what happens in the Duke’s estate, it’s none of my business.”
Rosalie blinked, clearly surprised. “But doesn’t it bother you?
Arabella leaned back, unfazed. They can’t touch me. The one who should be worried is Helena, not me.”
After all, Helena would be stuck in this life forever. Every new woman vying for his attention meant less chance for Helena. She thought, ‘How amusing! This is getting interesting by the minute!”
Clarissa furrowed her brows. “But what does His Majesty mean by this? Why would he suddenly grant four concubines?”
Arabella shrugged, clearly indifferent. “How should I know? I haven’t even met the king. How could I guess what he’s thinking?”
“Maybe, as Lord Carver said, His Majesty is rewarding Marshal’s family for their service to the country.”
At that moment, Gabriel entered the main courtyard of Silver Suite, calling out loudly, “Mrs. Farrow, the Madam has instructed me to deliver the four beauties His Majesty has granted to Mr. Farrow. She wants you to settle them. Please come out and meet them.”
Arabella smiled coldly She knew exactly what Seraphina was trying to do. Trying to use these concubines to annoy me? Well, that would depend on whether Charlie has the charm to make me fall head over heels, It is clear he isn’t capable of that yet.
Rosalie lowered her voice and noticed Arabella hadn’t moved. “My lady, if you’d prefer, I could send them away for you.”
Arabella shook her head, smiling. “No need. I’ll need them to deal with that Charles”
Rosalie blinked, quickly understanding the plan. “My lady, you’re clever. We can use them to trip up Helena and make her life even lurder”
Arabella just smiled, not saying a word.
Gabriel, seeing Arabella hadn’t come out, called again. “Mrs. Farrow, I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but even jealousy has its limits. The women standing here are gifts from His Majesty.
“Are you really going to defy His Majesty’s decree? A man
A man with n
multiple wives and concubines is perfectly normal. You should be
magnanimous and not let others laugh at you for being petty”
Arabella took a sip of coffee, her voice icy as she replied, “Gabriel, for speaking out of turn, I’m deducting three months from your monthly allowance
Gabriel was taken aback and blurted, “What right do you have?”
“Hacktalking your master? That will cost you six months”
Just then, a sharp female voice rang out from the courtyard entrance. “My, my, what a show! You’re even daring to punish Seraphina’s steward? Do you think here is the Marquis’s estate
