Chapter 507
When Hedda saw Athena coming in, her crying stopped for a moment, but she still held her neck. “Athena, don’t try to argue! No matter what, a divorced woman is unlucky! If my daughter can’t marry into a good family because of this, I will never forgive Gracie!”
Alexandra heavily slammed the table. “Hedda, you are being presumptuous. It is not your place to interfere in the affairs of the Xander Manor! Gracie is a maid of the Xander Manor. If you dare to cause trouble here again, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Hedda was startled by Alexandra’s imposing manner but remained unwilling to give in. “How can you be so biased! I am also your daughter-in-law! Are you just going to sit back and watch your two granddaughters unable to marry?”
Athena stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Hedda. She said, “If you’re worried about your daughters’ marriages, you can have Prince Terence ask His Majesty for a marriage decree, or ask the Regent to act as a matchmaker for them. The Xander Manor has plenty of connections to ensure your daughters marry well. But if you want to use Gracie as a stepping stone to make trouble, then I can only tell you that it is impossible.”
Hedda looked at Athena’s cold eyes and Alexandra’s firm attitude. Finally, she dared not cry anymore, only pouting her lips. She wiped away her tears aggrievedly. “You… You are just making things difficult for me.”
Alexandra glared at her coldly. “If you continue to be unreasonable, go back to the Cavendish family and don’t come to the Xander Manor again!”
Hedda shuddered in fright, finally daring not to speak again, but her eyes kept darting around. Sobbing, she said unwillingly, “I can let Gracie stay, but you can’t ignore the marriages of my children.”
Alexandra looked at Hedda’s rogue face, her face turning pale with anger. Hedda’s tears were nothing but a show; what she truly sought was a good marriage for her two children.
“The Xander Manor will do its best to help with the marriage. As for the ‘good marriage’ you mentioned, how good is good enough?” Athena also felt tired, but could only deal with Hedda.
Seeing Athena ask, Hedda immediately wiped away her tears and said with a smile, “You’ve hit the nail on the head. Of course, the higher the marriage is, the better. Benson is very talented and naturally wants to marry a noble lady as his wife. Ella is born delicate and lovely, and I think she is worthy of a Prince.”
Alexandra was unhappy when she heard this. She knew Hedda’s children. Since she was raised by her since childhood, she didn’t develop any literary talent. Benson spent every day indulging in sensual pleasures and was a regular at brothels. Which good woman would marry him? Ella was pretty, but she was just a bit foolish. She was not very bright and couldn’t even do arithmetic. No royal family would marry a simple-minded woman. For the sake of the Hedda family’s reputation, Alexandra didn’t say these words.
With a stern face, she said euphemistically to Hedda, “Hedda, marriage is about matching social status, and more importantly, the word ‘good match’. When Benson wants to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official, have you ever thought that those families choose their daughter-in-law based on the son-in-law’s character and future prospects first? He must be someone who is focused, steady, and able to manage the family’s finances so that the lady’s family can entrust their daughter to him with peace of mind.”
Hedda nodded repeatedly. “You’re right.”
Alexandra raised her eyes to look at Hedda, her tone with a bit more profound meaning. “Benson is still young. Right now, the most important thing is not to climb up the social ladder, but to first focus and establish a solid reputation. Whether it’s studying or managing affairs, he needs to make some achievements. Otherwise, even if a high-ranking family is interested, seeing his current situation, they would probably hesitate again and again. After all, no family wants to marry their daughter into a family that doesn’t know restraint, to suffer hardship.”
Hedda’s smile froze, and she quickly defended, “You’re right, but Benson is just young and likes to play; he’s a kind man! Besides, Ella is so charming and has a simple nature. How could the county royal palace not like her?”
Athena sighed secretly in her heart. Truly, greed knew no bounds. Everyone wanted to climb the social ladder, but they all overestimated themselves.
Alexandra said, “Simplicity is a good thing, but when the county royal palace chooses the head wife, they value more than just looks.” Alexandra put down the cup, her tone still gentle, but every word hit the mark. She continued, “She must be someone capable of managing household affairs and distinguishing right from wrong to support the family and handle interactions with relatives. Ella’s personality still needs to be honed. If she marries into the county manor, I’m afraid she will hardly be able to handle the complicated affairs in the manor. At that time, not only will she be wronged, but she will also implicate the friendship between the two families, which is not what you and I want to see.”
She paused and added, “Although the Xander Manor has some connections, it can’t force others to marry against their will. Why not let Benson concentrate on his career first, and let Ella learn some housekeeping skills? When they become independent, it would be more appropriate to find families of equal status than to rush to climb the social ladder.”
Hedda’s face turned pale as she listened. Alexandra was implying that her children were useless, but she couldn’t refute it in public. But she couldn’t say something like “Even if my son is a playboy, he is still worthy of marrying a noble girl,” or “My daughter is stupid, but she can also be a princess consort.”
She clenched her handkerchief, her tone tinged with reluctance. “But… But if Gracie stays in the manor, it will ultimately affect the reputation of my children! What if people avoid them because of her, and are unwilling to even consider them?”
Athena sneered as she listened from the side. “So, for the sake of your own children, you would drive out an innocent person? If word spreads, people will only say that the Cavendish family cares for nothing but self-interest and ignores all sense of justice–and in the end, it will be your children’s reputation that suffers.”
Alexandra nodded in agreement. “Athena is right. If you truly care about your children, you should advise them to cultivate themselves first, rather than focusing on making an issue out of others. Let’s end this matter here today. If you bring up this expulsion again, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
Having been spoken to in this manner, Hedda didn’t dare to say anything more. She forced a smile and said “yes," but Alexandra ignored her. Instead, she picked up her coffee. Seeing this, Hedda had no choice but to reluctantly get up, bid farewell, and leave.
After leaving Alexandra’s courtyard, Hedda felt a surge of frustration in her heart. Today, she shamelessly came to pressure Athena and Alexandra, but she didn’t expect to be dismissed by them in a few words. She couldn’t be willing to accept this. For the sake of her children’s future, she had to drag Athena into this, no matter what.
Immediately, Hedda said to the maid beside her, “Go send a letter to the Princess Consort of the Garrick Manor, saying that the Xander Manor invites her to have afternoon coffee together, and the location will be at the Star Pavilion.”
There was a daughter in the Garrick Manor who was very pretty, and Hedda had liked her for a long time. It was just because of her humble status that she couldn’t get close to the other party. But Athena was different. She was the Princess Consort of the Xander Manor, and everyone had to give her some respect. At that time, if she mentioned the marriage during the banquet, the other party would probably not be able to refuse, considering Athena’s reputation.
The more Hedda thought about it, the happier she became, and she walked with more energy.