The Swordswoman’s Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 276: A Thorough Explanation

The King unleashed a torrent of criticism at Harper in the royal study and then summoned Layla. Despite their desperate attempts to explain themselves, the King refused to believe them. He threw a single question at Layla: “What was Margaret doing in the palace today?” This left her speechless. After a moment of stunned silence, she stammered that Margaret had come to visit her.

There were things the King could suspect, but Layla could never admit to them. Earlier, she had insisted the information came from palace servants who had heard rumors outside. If she now claimed Margaret had told her, she would be guilty of deceiving the throne.

In a fit of rage, the King demoted Layla from Consort to Noble Concubine and Harper from a fourth-rank official to a lower fourth-rank position. Although Harper remained a Vice Minister of Rites, his rank was significantly reduced. He had worked hard to climb to the fourth rank, and now he had been demoted. He felt as though he had swallowed a mouthful of blood.

After leaving the royal study, Harper blamed Layla. “This is a matter for the court. Why did you get involved? Even if you heard the news, you should have sent it to the family. How could you personally tell the King?”

Layla was furious. She knew she had made a mistake, but responded coldly, “When Margaret came to see me, I thought Matthew wanted me to report this to the King to earn merit for the Hanson family. If you were also planning to report it, why did Margaret come to the palace to deliver the message? Now you’ve been harmed, and so have I.”

Harper had never been particularly fond of Margaret. Over the years, she had rarely cared for her family, and whenever she returned home, she acted with an air of superiority. Now that she had caused such a disaster, resulting in Layla’s demotion and his own, he was furious. “Don’t worry. I’ll go see Matthew right away.” With that, he stormed off.

Layla returned to her palace, growing angrier. She ordered a palace maid to send a message instructing Margaret to come to the palace the next morning to pay her respects. Margaret, unaware of what had happened, believed the exposure of the matter would surely damage Isolde and Geoffrey.

When the palace maid arrived, Margaret discreetly asked, “How is Her Highness’s mood today?” If Layla was in a good mood, it meant she had earned merit. If she had been reprimanded by the King, her mood would surely be foul.

The maid, who had served Layla for years, was now suffering because of her demotion. She resented Margaret. Hearing Margaret’s question, she replied coldly, “Thanks to you, Madam, Her Highness is now a Noble Concubine.”

Margaret was shocked. “A Noble Concubine? How is that possible?”

“You’ll find out when you enter the palace tomorrow,” the maid said before leaving.

Margaret was deeply shaken. Could Layla’s demotion be because of Geoffrey’s matter? Surely not.

Having spent many years in the palace, she knew how to speak tactfully in front of the King and how to read his expressions. If the King had been displeased, she would have stopped talking. There was no way this could have led to Layla’s demotion.

Just as the maid left, a servant came to report, “Mrs. Valen, Harper is here.” Margaret straightened her clothes and hair, then walked out with her maids and servants, exuding an air of grace and dignity.

Harper, already seething with anger, became even more furious when he saw her surrounded by attendants, acting as though she were royalty. Margaret, seeing his livid expression, guessed he had come because of Layla’s demotion.

After sitting down in the side hall, she dismissed the servants. “What’s wrong? Look at you, so flustered. What will the servants think?” Margaret asked, frowning.

“What will they think?” Harper snorted, pacing back and forth before stopping to glare at her. “You’re sitting there so high and mighty, acting like the Queen.”

“How dare you speak like that!” Margaret was instantly enraged. “How can you say such things?”

Harper retorted, “Why can’t I? Isn’t this how you always operate, pulling strings from behind the scenes? You may not have the fortune to be Queen, but you certainly have the ambition.”

“Explain yourself clearly!” Margaret demanded angrily. Since marrying Pablo, her family had never dared to speak to her like this. This brother of hers, hadn’t he been promoted by Pablo? He had always been respectful to her. What had gotten into him today?

Harper angrily demanded, “Why did you go to the palace and tell Layla about Geoffrey? If you knew about this, you should have told Matthew or me. How could you go to Layla? She was reprimanded by the King and demoted to Noble Concubine. I’ve also been dragged down because of you, and now my rank has been reduced. You’ve played your little game well, causing all this trouble while remaining unscathed.”

Margaret was shocked. “How could this happen? Did Layla tell the King what I said?”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Harper sneered.

“It was just a casual conversation between sisters. How could I have expected her to tell the King? This is a matter for the court. Was it appropriate for her to bring it up to the King? Even if I didn’t remind her, she should have known better. How could she be so foolish?” Margaret said.

Harper wasn’t convinced. “Then why did you go to the palace?”

Margaret sighed. “After the events in Zloimond, the King appointed Ashley, Finnian’s granddaughter, as Consort Ming. You know how much the King admires Finnian. Before entering the palace, Ashley was staying at our residence. She proposed that, having no relatives in Argentum, she would like to recognize Pablo and me as her adoptive parents. You know my temperament—how could I agree? But Pablo said that out of respect for the scholar, we had to accept her. There was nothing I could do. Given the circumstances, I thought I’d go to the palace and inform Layla. I’ve observed Ashley carefully—she’s a clever girl, and with her grandfather being a renowned scholar, the King will surely show her some favor. Once she enters the palace, the two of them can support each other and help lay the foundation for Layla’s child.”

Harper was still skeptical. “Is that really all? Then why did you bring up Geoffrey?”

Margaret explained, “During our casual conversation, I mentioned what happened at Karami’s palace. Of course, all of this was told to me by Ashley. She was the one who took Kamari’s head. I talked about the chaos at the time, how Oliver and Isolde achieved victory, and how Geoffrey saved Isolde. Honestly, I don’t remember exactly what I said—it was just casual talk. Who knew Layla would take it to heart?”

She glanced at Harper and sighed softly. “You know how Layla has struggled in the palace over the years. Although she was made a Consort and gave birth to Wyatt, she’s getting older, and there are so many new faces in the harem. She’s anxious.”

Harper finally believed her because it was true—Layla had always been like this. He snorted. “No matter how anxious she is, she shouldn’t interfere in court matters. Now I’ve been dragged into this for no reason.”