Chapter 177
Helen lay on her chaise longue, her heart burning with resentment towards Carissa. Her attendant, Gillian, stood beside her, offering comfort.
“There’s no need to be so upset, Your Highness,” Gillian said. “Prince Rafael is a man with his own thoughts. He’s merely infatuated with Lady Sinclair’s beauty at the moment. I’ve heard she’s the most stunning woman in the capital.”
Gillian paused, then continued, “When Lady Sinclair first planned to marry, many noble families sought her hand. It’s a mystery why she ended up marrying General Warren.”
Dabbing Helen’s tears with a handkerchief, Gillian soothed, “After all, she is merely a secondhand item. There’s no need for you to be so enraged. If Prince Rafael insists on marrying her, so be it. A beauty from afar is pleasing to the eye, but living with her every day can become tiresome. No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she becomes petty and jealous, which man wouldn’t grow weary of her? Prince Rafael will have many concubines. Once her fierce demeanor is revealed, she may end up being disliked by the prince himself without you having to say a word.”
Helen seethed with anger. “That may be true, but how can a dignified prince marry a discarded woman—especially one cast out by a decayed family? How can I hold my head high in the palace?”
She had always been strong-willed. In the late king’s entire harem, apart from her sister, she had looked down upon all the other concubines. Even the noble concubine, Dakota, she regarded as insignificant. Dakota’s son, Kendrick, had married a niece from Queen Kylie’s family. Kylie’s natal family, the Quintons, came from a prestigious background and held significant power in the court.
Helen’s own daughter, Klera, was also in the midst of engagement discussions. The list of potential suitors included the sixth son from the Quinton family, from the third branch. Though a legitimate son headed the third branch, he had suffered a fall in his youth that left him with a damaged mind. Now, at forty years old, he behaved like a seven-year-old. Fortunately, he married a kind-hearted woman who accepted his condition and treated him as a child; they had a son and a daughter.
The sixth Quinton son wasn’t a scholar; he couldn’t even pass the state exams. His days were spent playing polo, flying kites, skating, and throwing darts. Recently, he had taken up gardening as a hobby.
Helen, of course, looked down upon him. She hoped Klera would marry someone knowledgeable and respectable, not someone frivolous and inept like the sixth Quinton son. However, the Quinton family was willing to marry off their sixth son to Klera because, once married, he could no longer hold a significant position in court. He could either find a minor official post or live out his days in idle leisure.
Previously, Salvador had spoken about this, indicating he was satisfied with the sixth Quinton son. Even Kiera had stolen glances at him and had fallen for him.
Helen found herself torn. She wanted to ally with the Quinton family, but she didn’t want her daughter to marry a wastrel. With both her children’s marriages proving unsatisfactory, how could a woman as strong-willed as herself bear it?
Consumed with anger, she ordered, “Summon Carissa to the palace tomorrow! I want to see what kind of enchanting vixen she’s become. Even as a discarded woman, she dares to aspire to enter the royal family?!”
Since convincing Rafael was proving futile, Helen hoped Carissa would retreat upon realizing the difficulty of her situation. Carissa shouldn’t assume that a few military achievements made her exceptional. If it had been in the past, Helen might have supported this marriage. Back then, Hector was still alive, and his family hadn’t been destroyed yet. The Duke of Northwatch’s family was prominent in the military, and Hector had also supported Rafael. But now, times had changed.
Carissa wasn’t a virtuous woman, nor did she have a powerful family to back her. What use did she have apart from her beauty? Moreover, she had been sent to Meadow Ridge for training and had developed a rough and unruly nature. How could such a person possibly become the matriarch of Hell Monarch’s Estate? The thought only fueled Helen’s disdain.
“Also, investigate whether she still has any contact with the Warrens. If she has ongoing interactions with them, it would be a breach of propriety. Such a woman must never be admitted into our family!”
“Understood, Your Highness. I will send someone right away,” Gillian responded and withdrew.