The Swordswoman’s Revenge Story After Rebirth

Chapter 281: Provocation in the Gifts

After Garrett learned of Isolde’s condition, though outwardly calm, he was deeply troubled. Natasha mentioned that he often sighed heavily at night, muttering about finding a renowned physician. Natasha sighed softly. “Forget it. Even if it’s only five years, as long as those five years aren’t wasted, it’s enough.”

She looked up at Patricia. “You’ll need to help more with the wedding preparations. The Langley residence has no one to oversee things now, and Geoffrey is seriously injured and needs to rest. You and Vance should go over to help. Although the wedding will be held at the Langley residence, now that the two families have reconciled, there’s no need to draw such clear lines.”

“Don’t worry, Natasha. The wedding will be handled perfectly,” Patricia assured her.

“And one more thing…” Natasha hesitated. “The relationship between Isolde and Geoffrey is still strained. Although Isolde accompanied him to seek forgiveness, I asked Esme last night, and she said the two still haven’t spoken a word to each other. Think of a way to ease the tension. I’m not saying they should pretend nothing happened, but on the wedding day, with so many guests arriving, Geoffrey deserves some dignity… Actually, this dignity is for Prunella. I heard from Marley that Prunella had certain expectations. Go ask Marley what Prunella used to say, and try to arrange things according to her wishes. Give them a perfect wedding and fulfill Prunella’s wishes.”

Patricia noticed Natasha’s eyes reddening again and comforted her before saying, “Don’t worry, Natasha. I’ll go right away. It’s true that the Langley residence has no one to oversee things now, and we’ll need to coordinate with Margaret. I’m the one who should handle this. Margaret isn’t easy to deal with.”

“Of course, she’s not easy to deal with. On the surface, she follows all the rules, but behind the scenes, she’s extremely calculating. Go ahead, but if you encounter anything you can’t handle, remember to report back to me,” Natasha said firmly.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it. There’s no need to trouble you,” Patricia said with a smile.

“That woman is a sly one. You’re straightforward and honest, not suited to her twisted ways. If she follows the rules, then fine, I won’t need to step in. But if she tries to take advantage of Isolde, I won’t stand for it.”

“Alright, alright,” Patricia said, thinking that Margaret wouldn’t go that far. She believed Natasha was just overly anxious about Isolde’s wedding and overthinking things.

However, a few days later, when the Valen family came to deliver the betrothal gifts, Patricia realized something was wrong. In high-society weddings, every detail of the betrothal gifts had to be meticulously arranged. The betrothal money was, of course, a given. But there were also betrothal cakes, livestock, tea, rice, fruits, four types of dried fruits, a gift box, incense, firecrackers, bamboo, and silk, all of which had to be included. However, the betrothal gifts sent by Margaret were missing two key items: livestock and betrothal cakes.

Livestock couldn’t be omitted. Even if pigs and sheep weren’t used, chickens had to be sent as a substitute. If both parents were alive, two pairs were sent; if one parent was missing, one pair was sent. But Margaret hadn’t prepared any livestock.

As for the betrothal cakes, they were supposed to be sent according to the number of relatives and friends on the bride’s side. This was a must, and for a family like the Langleys, at least three loads of cakes should have been sent. But there were none.

When Patricia opened the gift box, she found green threads, cypress leaves, two pairs of betel nuts, sesame seeds, red beans, green beans, red dates, dried walnuts, dried longan, red bean ropes, red envelopes, betrothal money, gold ornaments, dragon-and-phoenix candles, and a couplet. But there were no lotus seeds or lily bulbs.

Margaret had come with a relative to deliver the betrothal gifts. Patricia didn’t recognize the woman, but she was introduced as the wife of the Prefect of Falcon Prefecture, a sister-in-law of Pablo. After presenting the gift list, the woman sat down arrogantly to drink coffee, her attitude haughty.

Patricia checked the list and asked, “Madam, the gift list seems complete, but why is there no livestock? And no betrothal cakes? Also, the gift box seems to be missing lotus seeds and lily bulbs.”

Margaret was taken aback and looked at her aunt. “Are they missing? Weren’t they prepared in advance?”

The woman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s just a formality. This isn’t the first wedding. All the proper rituals were done last time. Let’s not be too strict now. As long as it’s passable, it’s fine.”

Patricia didn’t like this at all. “There’s no ‘last time.’ Since it’s been decided that the wedding will be held again, it must follow the proper rituals. Whatever is customary for ordinary families, we’ll do the same.”

The woman sneered. “Ordinary families aren’t this meticulous. Even the betrothal money and jewelry—ordinary families wouldn’t have even a tenth of what’s here.”

“When I say ‘ordinary families,’ I mean families of our social standing,” Patricia said, though she was angry. Thinking that this was a joyous occasion, she suppressed her anger and said, “We don’t care how much betrothal money or jewelry is sent. A token amount is fine. But the lotus seeds, lily bulbs, betrothal cakes, and livestock must be added.”

The woman said indifferently, “There’s so much to do for the wedding. The Valen family isn’t like the Langley family, where things are usually calm. The Langley family is busy, and the family is large. Even a hundred people wouldn’t be enough to handle everything. Mrs. Sharp, isn’t it? You’re just an aunt. As long as it looks good on the surface, that’s enough. It’s all just symbolism. Why make such a fuss?”

This fifty-seven-year-old woman was a shrewd and meddlesome woman. Her husband was an official in Falcon Prefecture, but she had stayed in the capital. She was always present at clan weddings and funerals, well-versed in all the rituals. Over time, clan members would invite her to oversee such events. She had always curried favor with Margaret, her niece-in-law. The day before the betrothal gifts were delivered, she had already known Margaret’s intentions. So today, she deliberately made things difficult for the Langley family, trying to assert dominance and give Isolde a hard time.

Besides, the Langley family had no hostess, and Patricia was from the Sharp family. She couldn’t really make decisions or put on airs. Moreover, all the betrothal rituals appeared complete on the surface. The missing items weren’t critical; if anyone made a fuss later, they could just say the preparations were rushed and incomplete. The clan wouldn’t say much, especially since Oliver was a Valois, not a Valen.

And would the Langley family really return the betrothal gifts over such minor omissions? Returning betrothal gifts was considered extremely unlucky. Isolde had already had one engagement broken off and had gone through a ghost marriage. If she returned the betrothal gifts again, it would be the Langley family, not the Valen family, that would lose face.

Patricia was both angry and embarrassed. She was certainly angry, but she couldn’t return the betrothal gifts. She couldn’t refuse the gifts just because they were incomplete. If word got out, Oliver would lose face, and Isolde would lose even more.

Her face flushed red, then turned pale, as she remembered Natasha’s words: Margaret was someone who followed the rules on the surface but was utterly hypocritical behind the scenes.