Chapter 1051
Camila settled into the third room of the Peace Wing, becoming Skye Embroidery's first true resident. Violet smiled with quiet satisfaction at the sight of Camila delicately stitching a flower at the embroidery frame. The start had been arduous, but it was a start. Violet clung to the hope that, in their darkest moments, women with nowhere else to turn might choose Skye Embroidery over death.
Elsewhere, Serena returned to her family after her divorce. Viola, thoroughly displeased, refused to let Serena enter their home. Barrett, however, insisted on bringing her back to Valor Estate. Furious, Viola stormed to her own family's home. In her mother's sitting room, she wept bitterly, lamenting Barrett's state. “He’s lost his position, neglects his duties, and is nothing but a useless wreck! I can’t live like this anymore!”
Evelyn, weary of similar complaints, barely reacted, staring blankly ahead and letting Viola cry herself hoarse. Zoey, however, had no such patience.
“If you can’t live like this, then divorce him,” she snapped. “But don’t think for a second you can come crawling back here afterward! Maybe try your luck at Skye Embroidery—but don’t count on them taking you in. After all, you had a significant hand in pushing Amelia to her death.”
Viola paled at the mention of Amelia, her sobs silenced. She lacked the courage to face her sister-in-law's accusations. After sulking for two days at Silverstone Estate, she returned to Valor Estate in shame.
Meanwhile, Zoey visited Skye Embroidery and met Camila. Having heard whispers of Camila's plight, she privately asked Violet, “Is there any way you can help her find justice?”
Violet's answer was practical, if disheartening. “I’ve already sent Claire to investigate. But even if we clear her name, the dye shop she lost… I doubt it can be returned. Women, aside from their dowries, were not allowed to own private property.”
After leaving the workshop, Zoey reflected on her own situation. She knew the fragility of her seemingly charmed life, likening her grand estate to fine silk infested with lice. She couldn't afford to wait idly for disaster. Her children were too young for marriage, but it was time to prepare their dowries and engagement gifts, matters not left to the last minute in families of their status.
Zoey resolved to act, feeling a pressing urgency. She reorganized her own dowry and purchased several shops to add to her daughter's future inheritance, expecting her practical and affectionate mother-in-law, Evelyn, to approve.
Although her daughter wasn't yet marriageable, Zoey began considering a match early, given her husband Oliver's uncertain prospects and the unlikelihood of his career regaining its former momentum.
That evening, chaos erupted at the Drunken Blossom tavern. The Earl of Delmarsh's second son attempted to set the building on fire over a dispute with a courtesan. Bystanders quickly extinguished the fire, averting a catastrophe.
The incident sparked outrage, especially when the young man's position in the Garrison Unit became public. Rumors of reckless behavior among Garrison Unit members spread rapidly. The Oversight Department reported the matter to the court.
Salvador, though initially reluctant to act against the Garrison Unit, was left with little choice due to the public furor. He ordered Carissa and Max to conduct a thorough investigation and restore order.
High-ranking officials pleaded for leniency for their sons, but their tears only angered Salvador further. He dismissed them with a scathing rebuke, grudgingly promising some mercy.
After the court dispersed, Salvador summoned Carissa. She calmly presented her findings. Salvador's expression darkened as he read of arson, murder, and the abduction of young women, all in collusion with moneylenders.
“Hand them all over to the Supreme Court,” Salvador thundered. “Let the law deal with them harshly!”
Carissa bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. I will see to it immediately.” Salvador recognized Carissa's decisive role and, though initially angry, now commended her for uncovering the dangerous actions of the Garrison Unit.