Chapter 178
Gillian dispatched investigators and quickly learned of the commotion Rebecca had caused at Northwatch Estate with her eldest son and daughter-in-law. The incident had created quite a stir, making information easy to gather. The general sentiment among onlookers was that the Warren family had been excessively oppressive.
Gillian confirmed this information and reported it to Helen, who frowned at the news.
“If Carissa hadn’t pushed the matter to an extreme, would the Warrens have gone to such lengths to cause a scene? Did Sebastian really refuse to treat her?”
“It’s true,” Gillian confirmed. “The physician’s office also issued a statement clarifying that they refused treatment due to Madam Warren’s lack of virtue.”
Helen sneered. “Since when do physicians decide whether to treat a patient based on their character? As an outsider, how could he know the internal matters of the Warren family? Clearly, Carissa must have told him she was being mistreated by her in-laws. Sebastian, taking her side, refused to treat the old lady.”
“Perhaps it’s because, upon returning from Victory Pass, General Warren sought to marry General Yates as a secondary wife, leveraging his military achievements, and Madam Warren supported this arrangement. That may have displeased Sebastian, given his good relations with the Sinclair family,” Gillian added.
Helen’s face was filled with disdain. “Regardless of the reasons, one should never cut off another’s means of survival. If the Warren family’s matriarch hadn’t been pushed into a desperate situation, she wouldn’t have caused such a scene at Northwatch Estate. Aren't their family affairs already embarrassing enough without airing them publicly?”
Having been coddled since childhood and sheltered in the palace by Victoria, Helen had never been involved in palace conspiracies. Her naiveté led her to believe that if someone caused trouble, it must be the troublemaker’s fault—after all, why else would someone bring their troubles to light?
Naturally, Helen had already decided that Carissa was always wrong, and she intensely disliked her. Her aversion was so strong that she told Gillian, “Even if he wanted to marry a dog, I would consider it a better choice than Carissa!”
Gillian also felt that Carissa was unworthy of Rafael, but now wasn’t the time to stoke the flames. She could only say, “You could summon her to the palace tomorrow, Your Highness. Perhaps she will reconsider if she knows the difficulties she faces.”
When someone from Evergreen Palace arrived with a letter for Carissa to come to the palace the next day, Frederick and the two senior maids were extremely anxious. Everyone knew Helen was a difficult person to deal with. She had high standards and rarely held anyone in high regard. They had even heard that she had suppressed the more senior concubine, Dakota, for many years.
Frederick suggested, “My lady, perhaps you should ask Prince Rafael to accompany you to the palace. At least with him there, Lady Helen won’t make things too difficult.”
Carissa smiled. “There’s no need for that. Since Lady Helen still lives in the palace, she won’t overstep her bounds. At most, she’ll say a few harsh words. We’ve heard harsh words before. It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Unable to bear the thought of Carissa facing any more hardship, Lily interjected, “My lady, that’s not right. We haven’t done anything shameful, so why should we have to endure such harsh words?”
Carissa winked. “You make a good point. Should we just go into the palace and have a showdown with Lady Helen and smash Evergreen Palace to pieces? What do you think?”
Lily was taken aback; after a long moment, she quickly exclaimed, “That’s absolutely out of the question! That would be asking for trouble!”
Lulu chuckled and stepped forward to link arms with Lily. “Don’t worry, Lily, Lady Sinclair won’t be so reckless. If Lady Helen is unreasonable, we still have the Empress Dowager on our side. The Empress Dowager is very fond of Lady Sinclair!”
Lily nodded, but then shook her head. “It’s true that the Empress Dowager favors Lady Sinclair, but Lady Helen is her sister. The Empress Dowager is known to be very indulgent with her, so we might not be able to rely on her for help.”
When Lulu heard this, she said, “You’re right! What should we do, then?”
She started to worry along with the other three in the room.