Chapter 116 Humiliation Again

Vance burst into a harsh laugh. “This Duke’s estate? I don’t have a say here? Even Isolde, your so-called County Princess, is nothing more than the illegitimate daughter of a concubine.”

Esme smirked. “You are indeed the legitimate son of the Langley family, but here in the Duke’s estate, if we’re talking properly, the only legitimate child is County Princess Isolde. You and your family are merely guests here, and if the master of the house is pleased, they allow you to eat. If not, they can throw you out without a second thought. If I were you, I’d stick to eating my free meals quietly. Rules aren’t for you to enforce; they’re for you to follow. Do you understand?”

Vance had always known that, as the legitimate son, he was supposed to be superior, even compared to Geoffrey, who had earned his title through military merit. His mother had always told him that, no matter what, he was more important than Geoffrey, a mere bastard. So, in his mind, he was always superior to his brother.

He thought that, since he was back at the Duke’s estate, he was entitled to rule the place. Now, hearing Esme speak like this, he was livid. “You, an old servant from the palace, dare speak to me like this? Believe me, I’ll tear your mouth off right now!”

“Go ahead,” Esme’s face hardened, losing the patience she had earlier. She stepped forward, her voice as cold as ice. “If you even lay a hand on me today, I’ll immediately fall down right here. I may not have been the Queen Mother’s favorite in the palace, but I still have some connections. Many old officials in the court would be willing to help me out.”

“You…” Vance’s face turned pale, his hand rising in fury, but he hesitated. As Isolde had expected, he was nothing but a big shot in his own home—he couldn’t bring himself to strike Esme.

“Go ahead,” Esme challenged, stepping closer, her voice cutting. “Strike me. Try hitting my face.”

Vance staggered back two steps, taken aback. “I won’t strike you,” Vance sneered, his face full of disdain. “I won’t lower myself to fight with an old servant.”

He lifted his gaze to Isolde, standing nearby, his anger turning toward her. “Isolde! You let this old servant speak for you? I’m your elder, and I’ve come to teach you a lesson. Your father wouldn’t dare say anything.”

“Then go ahead,” Isolde said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ve been standing here waiting for you to teach me a lesson.”

Her tone, laced with disdain, struck a nerve with Vance. He couldn’t hit the old eunuch, but he could hit this insolent girl. With an angry yell, he rushed forward and raised his hand to slap her, shouting, “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson for Geoffrey!”

But before he could strike, Isolde grabbed his wrist with remarkable strength. He cried out in pain. “Let go! Let go! I’m your uncle! How dare you lay a hand on me?” He was shocked, not just by her strength, but by how easily she overpowered him.

Isolde stepped closer, her voice chilling. “As I said before, Esme is right: You’re just a guest here. I’m the one who decides who gets fed. If you annoy me, I’ll sweep your entire family out of here.”

“You…” Vance’s face turned bright red with fury. How could he, a respected elder, be humiliated like this by a mere child? His anger boiled over, and he screamed, “Get someone! Beat her!”

Isolde’s cold gaze swept over the two lackeys who had followed Vance. “Who’s going to stop me?” she asked.

The two lackeys, knowing all too well what Isolde was capable of, exchanged fearful looks. They lowered their heads and backed off, unwilling to intervene.

Isolde turned her gaze back to Vance, a mockery in her eyes. “Even these two know who the real master of the Duke’s estate is. They understand who they should fear. But you… after all this time, still ungrateful, causing trouble. Do you really want to humiliate yourself further?”

She released his wrist with a forceful push, causing him to stumble backward.

“Fine! Fine! You’ll regret this,” Vance muttered, glaring at her. “I’ll go tell your father about this.”

Isolde watched him leave, a faint look of disappointment crossing her face. “Is that all? You make such a spectacle of yourself and still don’t have any good tricks up your sleeve. Truly, one generation is weaker than the last.”

Esme smiled. “Vance is exactly that predictable. What a thick-skinned man, shameless and loud, living off the estate, still acting like he owns the place. I’ve certainly learned a lot since coming to the Duke’s estate.”

Hattie laughed. “You think you’ve learned something? Wait until you’ve spent more time here. You’ll see plenty.”

Esme stretched and raised her hand with grand flair. “Alright, let’s leave. The battle’s over, let’s retreat gracefully.” A gleam of excitement flickered in her eyes. After a lifetime of intrigue and scheming, the sudden calmness felt strange to her.

“Do you think Geoffrey will do anything when Vance goes to see him?” Hattie asked, helping Esme inside.

Esme smiled knowingly. “Oh, he’ll get something out of it. After all, Vance has his uses. That’s why I let him make a fool of himself. It’s all part of the plan.”

She glanced at Isolde. “If Geoffrey wants to give him more, that’s between them. We don’t need to lift a finger.”

Isolde shrugged. “I didn’t lay a hand on him. He tripped on his own.”

“Well, Geoffrey might give him more, but it doesn’t concern us. We’ll stay out of it,” Esme concluded.

Vance did indeed storm into Geoffrey’s room, demanding answers. Harlan tried to calm him down, but finally had to report to Geoffrey. As Geoffrey read, he initially ignored Vance’s ranting. It was only when Harlan entered again that Geoffrey finally put his book down and walked out to face him.

Vance was still ranting loudly when Geoffrey entered the room. “What’s going on here?” Geoffrey asked, his expression serious. Usually, Geoffrey was gentle with Vance, but today, he was stern, his face hard.

Vance, still furious from the earlier events at the Pearl Tower, shouted, “Geoffrey, do you think we’re here in the Duke’s estate just for free food? Have you been planning to kick us out all along?”

Geoffrey furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about? I never said anything like that.”

Vance snapped, “You’ve got your daughter running around saying that we, your family, live here like servants. She says that when she’s in a bad mood, she’ll throw us out!”

Geoffrey thought back to his earlier plans to reprimand Isolde and realized that Vance was serious this time. “Did you actually go to see her tonight?”