Chapter 86: Whispers in the Courtyard

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Whispers in the Courtyard

"I always knew Lady Deborah was destined for greatness!"

Another noblewoman laughed.

"Sister Salome, you’ll soon be the mother of the future Crown Princess! I wouldn’t even dare dream of such honour!"

Surrounded by endless praise, Salome could barely contain the smile on her face.

Just then, a maid hurried into the courtyard.

"My Lady! Lady Deborah has returned!"

Still basking in everyone’s admiration, Salome failed to notice the maid’s anxious expression.

"Oh? Did she return with her brother? Or did His Highness send palace guards to escort her home?"

The maid hesitated.

"It... It was the people from Draevenor Manor who brought her back."

"Draevenor Manor?"

Salome looked puzzled.

"What does the Duke have to do with this?"

One of the noblewomen immediately smiled.

"His Highness has always respected the Duke. Perhaps he invited His Grace along to meet his future Crown Princess."

Hearing that, Salome’s smile grew even wider.

"It seems His Highness truly values Deborah. I’m almost worried people will become jealous."

The maid opened her mouth.

Then closed it again.

Salome waved her hand impatiently.

"Since she’s back, bring her over. She can greet all her aunties and tell everyone what happened today. Give everyone something worth boasting about."

The maid looked as though she was about to cry.

"But..."

"Lady Deborah..."

"She’s unconscious."

Salome’s smile froze.

The surrounding noblewomen gasped.

One of them asked in surprise,

"How could that be?"

"She was perfectly healthy this morning."

Salome forced a laugh.

"It’s my fault. I’ve been helping her lose weight lately. She probably fainted from hunger."

The maid quickly shook her head.

"No, My Lady. The guards from Draevenor Manor said Lady Deborah offended Her Grace the Duchess again. His Grace punished her by making her kneel. She couldn’t endure it..."

"So she fainted."

"What?!"

Salome shrieked.

She shot to her feet so quickly that the tea cup in her hand crashed onto the ground.

The noblewomen exchanged astonished glances.

Without caring about her dignity, Salome rushed outside.

The moment she saw Deborah lying unconscious in a carriage, her clothes in disarray, with the guards of Draevenor Manor standing beside her...

Her vision nearly went black.

Only then did she notice the noblewomen following behind her.

Embarrassment instantly flooded her face.

Grinding her teeth, she shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Take her inside! Quickly!"

The servants hurriedly carried Deborah back to her room.

It was undoubtedly the most humiliating day of Salome’s life.

Not long afterwards...

The gathering quietly moved elsewhere.

Without Salome present, everyone’s tone changed completely.

"She’s always bragging about that daughter of hers. Calling her some once-in-a-generation literary genius."

Another woman sneered.

"And she’s so stingy. I wondered why she suddenly invited us all over today."

"So it was just to boast that Lady Deborah had been invited out by the Crown Prince."

She laughed mockingly.

"And look what happened. She offended the Duchess and ended up being punished instead."

Someone suddenly remembered something.

"Speaking of which... Isn’t the Duchess from the Hartwell family?"

Another lady nodded.

"Exactly. The Corvis Family only rose to prominence because of the Hartwells. Without General Hartwell’s support back then, they would never have reached today’s position..."

"And after the Hartwell family declined, they were among the first to distance themselves. They even helped spread rumours to discredit them."

She clicked her tongue.

"And now, Elysia has become the Duchess of Draevenor."

Another woman sighed.

"Still, I’ve heard the Duke has someone he truly loves. The Duchess’s good fortune may not last forever."

---

Back at the tavern...

Elysia finished her meal before gently dabbing the corners of her lips with a handkerchief.

Cassiel looked towards the manager.

"Have Bran settle the bill."

The manager hurriedly bowed.

"Your Grace honours this humble establishment simply by visiting. I would never dare accept your money. Please allow this meal to be my small token of respect."

Cassiel glanced at him calmly.

"Charge what it is worth. Bran will pay."

The manager immediately understood.

His Grace wasn’t lacking money.

He simply disliked taking advantage of others.

He forced a smile.

"Yes, Your Grace."

After personally seeing Cassiel’s party off, the manager finally let out a long breath of relief.

The servant beside him sighed.

"The Duke truly is different. He’s generous. Unlike the gentleman upstairs. When we told him the meal was complimentary..."

"He actually accepted it without paying a single coin."

The manager snorted.

"The one upstairs still relies on his parents for his allowance. Of course he’d be reluctant to spend. But His Grace..."

He smiled meaningfully.

"That’s a different story altogether."

The servant immediately leaned closer.

"What story?"

The manager’s expression darkened.

"Have you finished your work? Why are you gossiping instead of working?"

The servant laughed awkwardly before hurrying away.

---

As they prepared to leave...

Elysia suddenly thought of Lillian.

She had spent the entire afternoon waiting by herself.

She was probably hungry by now.

So she instructed the tavern to prepare a simple meal.

One bowl of barley porridge.

A plate of roasted meat.

And another plate of braised vegetables.

By the time they returned to the hillside...

Lillian was already waiting there.

For some reason...

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Whether from the afternoon sun...

Or something else...

Even she herself wasn’t entirely sure.

The moment she saw them, she smiled shyly.

"Your Grace."

"Your Grace."

Elysia immediately noticed the obvious improvement in her mood.

Smiling, she handed over the food basket.

"You can eat on the way home. We brought this for you."

Lillian accepted it happily.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll finish every bit of it."

Watching her radiant smile...

Elysia became even more certain.

Lillian was in an exceptionally good mood today.