Chapter 11
Lilian’s words left Rupert thunderstruck, unable to regain his senses.
All he could think about was Lillian struggling to stay afloat in that laundry pond, while the other servants watched and laughed around her.
The dull ache over his chest intensified.
He wanted to speak, but it was as if his throat had been chained, and he only regained his senses when the door shut behind Lilian.
“Milady… Hngh…”
That was when Jade started sobbing, to everyone’s annoyance.
Evelyn shot her a glare right then. “Is crying all you can do?! Get the doctor already!”
It was only then that Jade came to her senses and hurried away, while Rupert escorted Evelyn back to Cherryton.
The marquise arrived with the family doctor, who quickly examined Evelyn.
While he worked, the marquise took Rupert outside, “What happened? Why would Evelyn fall for no reason? D–Did Lily-”
“Mother!”
Rupert growled, cutting her short with a frown. “Lily was the one who saved Eve!”
Then, remembering right then, he wheeled on Jade. “You. Over here.”
Jade’s left cheek was clearly swelling, making it obvious that Winter really struck her hard.
But even as she knelt before Rupert and the marquise–whether she was deliberate or otherwise, her swollen cheek was aimed squarely at the marquise.
Seeing that, the marquise gasped in shock, “Oh! What happened to your
face?”
Jade stayed silent as she glanced at Rupert gingerly.
Rupert studied her in turn, before finally asking, “Did you have a quarrel with Lily?”
Jade flinched in surprise, but promptly shook her head, “No, I’d never quarrel with Ms. Kerr!”
“Then why do you keep falsely accusing her repeatedly?” Rupert asked icily.
He was just too furious back at Floret Garden to think straight, but anyone who could think would have quickly realized something so obvious.
After all, Lilian was no fool. Why would she try to harm someone in broad daylight, and with people watching?
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Moreover, Jade arrived at Floret Garden when he did, and by then, both Lillan and Evelyn had already gotten out of the pool.
And yet, Jade immediately accused Lilian of pushing Evelyn into the pond anyway!
Considering how certain Jade was when she accused Lilian three years ago, Rupert felt a chill inside him.
On the other hand, Jade could sense Rupert’s rage, and knew that if she even misspoke once, she would be beaten to death.
She racked her brains, but found a solution anyway. “I–I was just worried about Milady! She might have been bullied, and I did it to protect her!”
“For Eve?” Rupert chuckled coolly. “Are you suggesting that she put you up to this?”
“N–No!” Jade promptly shook her head, and stopped talking altogether.
She thought name–dropping Evelyn would have been enough to curry Rupert’s sympathy, only for her to nearly drag Evelyn into her mess!
That was when Evelyn called out softly from her bedroom, “Jade… Jade…”
Anyone’s heart would break from hearing that frail voice that was clearly pushing herself.
Rupert’s brow creased, but his rage subsided from that frail voice anyway.
He shot Jade a cool glare and growled, “If this happens again, Winter wouldn’t have to do a thing I will cut off your tongue and feed it to the dogs! Now go do your job!”
“Y–Yes, Mr. Lestrade!”
As Jade promptly made a dash for Evelyn’s bedchamber, the marquise sighed in relief before shooting Rupert a glare of disapproval. “How could you accuse your own sister of such a thing?! Don’t you know what Eve is like?”
Rupert merely shot her a look of disappointment in turn. “Did you know that Lilian learned how to swim now?”
The marquise gaped, as she certainly didn’t. “She learned to swim? But she couldn’t before…”
Indeed, Lilian didn’t.
But she was shoved into a laundry pond, keeping her in with poles.
How much she would have despaired?
And where was her brother at that moment?
Rupert said nothing, and strode off.
The marquise chased after him, calling out, “Where are you going?”
“The palace.”
Two simple words, endlessly cold.
The marquise felt a child running down her spine as a thought came to her, and promptly called for an old maid, “Quick! Send for Consort Darling!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Soon, as Rupert kicked open the front doors of the washhouse, he found the maids dragging a scrawny maid towards the laundry pond.
Clearly, they were going to throw her in.
It was a sight that stung Rupert’s eyes, and in his mind’s eye, the scrawny maid seemed to have Lilian’s face three years ago.
Was this how they bullied his sister?!
The madame recognized Rupert just then, and bowed to him, gesturing for the other maids to follow suit.
“Greetings, Mr. Lestrade! To what do we owe the pleasure?” She asked.
Rupert did not even look her way, however, as he strode towards the group of maids just now, grabbing one by her collar and throwing her into the pond!
It happened out of the blue, and it was only when the maids screamed that the madame leaped to her feet, crying out, “Oh! What are you doing, Mr. Lestrade?!”
Even before she finished, she was soaring through the air too, crashing straight into the ice- cold pond the next instant.
And Rupert never said a word as he threw more maids into the pond.
Then, as the ones thrown in earlier tried to crawl out, Rupert picked up a pole and swung it at them.
He was trained to fight and therefore strong, and one stroke broke a maid’s leg, and she screamed just as she passed out.
Seeing that, no one else dared to move and stayed in the pond, staying soaked from head to
toe.
Even their sobs were suppressed, fearful that the pole would strike them next if they were too loud.
But though they appeared miserable, was that not the case for Lilian?
When Rupert’s dear sister stood in that same pond and cried, did these wretches spared her?
Chapter 11
The thought only infuriated Rupert further, his blazing glare could well reduce the maids to ashes right then.
Seeing as the maids were afraid to even beg, the highest–ranked madame tried to reason, Please, Mr. Lestrade! I know you’re doing this because of Ms. Kerr, but we were all under orders! We serve the emperor, and if he knows this…”
Rupert swung the pole at her right then, stopping just inches from her face.
He laughed coldly, his glare icy as he gloated, “What are you going to do about it? Threaten me with the emperor’s name?”
“Such brawn, Mr. Lestrade.”
A mild voice with an elegant accent spoke behind him just then. “Perhaps it’s really as you suggest not even the emperor can stop you now?”
