Doug shot her a glance, full of indulgence, and said, “You’re just talking nonsense. So, what do you really think?”

Isolde straightened her posture and said, “You don’t need to go out of your way for me. If it works out, great. If not, then so be it.”

“So be it? You’re just going to give up that easily? Rosemary has already spoken, and I believe Clark isn’t too keen on inheriting the Duke’s title either. Are you really willing to let your father’s achievements fall into the hands of those incompetent people? Let their descendants live off your father’s legacy?”

Isolde replied calmly, “This kind of thing can’t be forced. I trust that the King already has his own plans.”

“You’re that confident?” Doug, seeing how sure she was, felt reassured.

“Half and half,” Isolde said with a smile.

“Then that’s settled. I’ve wasted my trip today. I’m leaving,” Doug laughed, clearly relieved.

“Not staying for a meal?” Isolde stood up and asked.

“No, I’m leaving.” Doug pinched her cheek and said, “Eat more yourself. Put on some weight.”

“Got it.” Isolde grinned at him.

Doug felt a pang of sourness in his heart. He patted her cheek lightly twice before turning to leave.

Isolde slowly sat back down, and before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.

Esme, who had been watching from outside the door, quietly stepped back to let her cry in peace. She sighed softly, feeling genuinely heartbroken for the young lady.

At Claymont Palace, Ashley was certain the King would summon her tonight, so she asked about the customs at Ivylane Spring.

Vivian explained, “After the King selects someone, the eunuch in charge of the imperial bedchamber will come with the decree to escort you to Ivylane Spring for a bath. At this point, you need to tip the eunuch, because only if you do will they prepare dried flower petals for the bath. The King likes the scent of flowers but dislikes incense. You absolutely cannot skimp on this tip. After the bath, the eunuch will take you to the King’s chambers, where you should just lie there quietly. The King doesn’t return to the palace early, so remember – not too much water from now on. Sometimes, you may have to wait an hour or two. If you drink too much, it will be inconvenient.”

Ashley kept this in mind but couldn’t help asking, “How much is the usual tip?”

Vivian answered, “At least five thousand.”

“Five thousand?” Ashley frowned. When she entered the palace, she was already short on money. Even after being granted the title of consort, she had not yet received any official rewards. Though the other consorts had given her gifts, none of them were money.

She looked at Vivian and said, “Help me handle the arrangements for now. I’ll worry about the future.”

Vivian hesitated. “This…”

“Pick any piece of my jewelry as compensation,” Ashley said.

Vivian hadn’t expected her to be so strapped for money. Wasn’t she supposed to be Pablo’s goddaughter? How could she be so destitute?

Naturally, she didn’t dare take Ashley’s jewelry, so she decided to front the money for the tip herself. If Ashley served the King well and received a reward, she would get a share of it anyway.

And so, Ashley began her preparations. Face threading, eyebrow grooming, facial masks – it took the better part of the day. From noon onward, she refused to drink a single sip of water and ate only a light meal.

She waited and waited, and by the time dinner came, the eunuch still hadn’t arrived with the decree.

Ashley was getting restless. She turned to Vivian and said, “Send someone to find out if the King has made his selection.”

Vivian stepped out and sent Sidney to investigate. Before long, Sidney returned, panting, and said, “The King has chosen someone – Layla will be serving him tonight.”

“Layla?” Ashley nearly jumped up. “The King picked her tonight?”

“That’s what I heard,” Sidney confirmed.

Ashley was stunned. How could this be? By protocol, the King should have summoned her by now. She even showed her face today – although the King didn’t openly praise her, he did accept her suggestion. So why was he being so stingy with his favor?

She couldn’t understand. Could it still be because of the iron box incident? It must be. She had never given the King a proper explanation, so he must still be suspicious of her.

Thinking of this, she grew even more unsettled. “Prepare my clothes. I’m going to see the King.”

“Hold on,” Vivian stopped her. “Wait a few more days. If you rush to him now, who knows what he’ll think? You mustn’t act recklessly.”

“Vivian,” Ashley looked at her intently. “You’ve been in the palace for a long time. Tell me, has the King ever treated a newly admitted consort this coldly?”

Vivian hesitated. “This? It’s nothing. Every three years, the palace holds a selection, and some women wait a year or two without ever seeing the King.”

“So, you’re saying that no one ranked above a consort has ever been treated like this?”

“A newly admitted consort? No, this hasn’t happened before,” Vivian, too, was starting to feel disheartened. Why was the King so indifferent toward Ashley? When she had first been assigned to Claymont Palace, she had secretly been pleased. Ashley’s background wasn’t particularly high, but she was the one who killed Kamari, and her grandfather was a respected scholar whom even the King held in high regard. Vivian had thought the King would undoubtedly shower her with favor. But now, things clearly weren’t going that way.

After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Do you really think the King accepted your suggestion today?”

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you saying… the King heard me but actually disagreed with me?”

“I wouldn’t dare presume, but the King has always been fair in rewards and punishments. It’s strange for him to treat you like this.”

Ashley felt a chill in her heart. “Vivian, can you find a way to investigate Geoffrey’s succession issue for me?”

Vivian replied, “If you want information, you have to get it from the people closest to the King. But getting even the slightest word from them won’t be easy.”

“Use some money to grease the wheels,” Ashley said.

At that, Vivian frowned. She didn’t mind spending money on tipping the eunuchs for the bedchamber arrangements – after all, there would be rewards once Ashley gained favor. But now, Ashley wanted to bribe people for unrelated matters? Did she not realize that the King’s personal attendants wouldn’t even look at such a small sum?

Vivian hesitated. “Five thousand, I can come up with. But that’s barely enough to do anything. Do you think the King’s closest attendants care about such a paltry sum?”

Ashley narrowed her eyes at her, displeased. So, now that the King hadn’t chosen her tonight, Vivian was starting to doubt her? The last thing a person needed was for their own people to lose confidence in them.

Ashley was annoyed but also growing anxious. She had truly, deeply realized – money was everything.