Chapter 356

Carissa blinked, unable to believe her ears. She looked at the two thousand silver coins in banknotes that had been handed to her, feeling a mix of astonishment and disbelief. Wow, Helen really was generous with her money. It seemed so easy for her to give it away. Carissa could see Helen was truly becoming a gullible fool—no, she already was a fool.

“Have you finally seen Eleanor’s true colors, Mother?” Carissa asked with a softer smile.

Helen’s face darkened. “Do you think I’m blind? Even after all this, how can I not have figured her out?”

“I saw you speaking to her so politely, and thought maybe you were still deceived by her,” Carissa replied.

Helen snapped, “How can I not speak politely? One of us has to be strict and tough, while the other has to be soft and accommodating. We can’t really tear down all the pretenses we have with her. She’s on good terms with most of the noblewomen. If she twists things around and tarnishes my reputation, won’t I be humiliated? You’re different—you’re fearless and lack awareness!”

Carissa remained silent, counting the banknotes. Each banknote was worth one hundred silver coins. She casually handed one to Gillian.

“This is your share of the winnings.”

Gillian’s eyes widened, and she seemed to gasp. “Your Highness, this is one hundred silver coins!”

“That’s right. You’ve served Mother for many years. Since she won the money, you naturally deserve a portion of it,” Carissa said with a smile.

Helen shot Carissa a sidelong glance. “Why are you giving her this? She has no worries about food and clothing. As long as she’s by my side, I’ll provide for her in her old age. It’s dangerous for her to have so much money at her age. She could easily be swindled.”

But Gillian quickly thanked Carissa and took the banknote. Carissa observed the old attendant’s reactions. She guessed that Gillian’s daily needs were likely covered, but beyond the regular stipend from the palace, Helen probably didn’t offer much additional reward. It wasn’t that Helen was harsh, but rather, she treated Gillian as one of her own. Some people were like that—kind to outsiders but indifferent to their own, sometimes even pinching pennies from their own to benefit outsiders.

Carissa pocketed the rest of the banknotes, thinking that, for now, it would be fine if Helen continued to see her as an outsider.

Chapter 2

Better to remain an outsider than to be treated like one of her own, especially if it was like this.

When Gillian received the banknote worth one hundred silver coins, she stared at it with wide-eyed amazement as if she had never seen such a sum before. Helen couldn’t help but scoff at the older woman’s reaction.

“Look at you! Have you ever lacked anything in these years?”

“My lady, you have always treated me generously and I’ve never lacked,” Gillian said with a broad smile. However, who wouldn’t want a little extra money on hand at this age?

Gillian cast a grateful glance at Carissa. She resolved that if there were ever a time when Helen was displeased with Carissa, she would certainly speak up on Carissa’s behalf.

Helen leaned her elbow on the carriage window, turning her eyes away from Carissa and maintaining her usual disdainful demeanor. Yet, internally, Helen’s feelings toward Carissa had changed significantly.

Despite knowing the true story of the stolen dowry, Carissa had never complained or blamed Helen in person. Instead, Carissa took action and went to Eleanor’s residence to retrieve the pearls and the three thousand silver coins.

Helen’s decision to give Carissa the two thousand silver coins was driven by her guilt. After all, asking Gillian to steal pearls for Eleanor was wrong. Eleanor had put Helen in a difficult position. If she hadn’t done it, she wouldn’t have seemed brave enough and would have faced public criticism. Fortunately, the matter was resolved.

Upon reflection, Helen realized two dangerous aspects she hadn’t considered at the time. Now, thinking back on them sent a shiver down her spine. The first was Eleanor’s refusal to return the pearls and her leverage over Helen regarding the dowry. The second was the potential chaos if Carissa made a public fuss about it. If that happened, Helen would lose all her dignity and standing, leaving her in a dire situation. Thinking about these things made Helen realize how vicious Eleanor could be.

However, after this incident, Helen could no longer harbor any dislike toward Carissa. In fact, she even regretted some of the harsh words she had spoken when Carissa first arrived. Helen also realized that it wasn’t that Carissa couldn’t handle her. Just seeing how easily Carissa had managed to anger Eleanor and retrieve the pearls showed the younger woman’s capability. If Carissa were to contend with Helen, the former would undoubtedly win.