Chapter 402: A Lesson for Ashley

The attendants had given her some water, but before long, it had turned icy cold. Ashley’s legs began to tingle with numbness, and she had no choice but to stand and pace back and forth in the hall. Finally, she heard voices outside. “The Empress has arrived.”

She quickly moved to the side, standing with her hands clasped in front of her, trying to suppress the anger bubbling in her chest. Sophia entered with Rowena, and Ashley curtsied. “I greet Your Majesty, the Empress.”

Sophia glanced at her but didn’t acknowledge her greeting. She walked straight past Ashley, sitting down before calmly saying, “No need for formalities.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Ashley said, and without waiting, she stepped back and sat down. Barely had her bottom touched the chair when Rowena’s sharp voice rang out. “Ashley, the Empress did not grant you permission to sit.”

Ashley’s eyes flashed with anger, but she bit it back, standing again. “I apologize, Your Majesty, for my disrespect.”

Sophia wasted no time. “This isn’t the first time you’ve acted disrespectfully, is it?” she said, her tone icy. “I heard today that you were discussing court matters in front of the King. You know the rule—no interference from the harem in state affairs. Are you aware of this rule?”

Ashley tried to defend herself. “The King asked me, and I simply answered.”

Sophia scoffed. “If the King asks you, your answer should be, ‘I am foolish and know nothing.’”

Ashley, feeling cornered, retorted, “You speak of the harem not meddling in politics, but surely, that’s not entirely true, is it? Isn’t Victoria part of the harem?”

Sophia’s lips twisted into a cold smile. “Ashley, who told you that Victoria is just a member of the harem?”

“Is she not?”

“Victoria ruled the empire, and she can manage both the court and the harem. Don’t you dare think you can compare yourself to her. Do you understand the consequences of overstepping your place?”

Ashley’s anger flared, but she held it back. “I misspoke, Your Majesty.”

Sophia’s voice turned sharper. “It’s not just a matter of words today. You’ve shown disrespect, acted out of turn, and forgotten your place. Since you’re new to the palace, I’ll be lenient. Consider this a small punishment. I’ll have your Imperial Concubine Summoning Placard revoked for three months. Go reflect on your actions.”

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. “I do not accept this!”

Sophia’s eyes grew colder as she looked at her. “What does it matter whether you accept it or not? In this harem, whether you accept what I say means nothing. You think there’s always a way to bend me to your will? Do you understand?”

Sophia’s smile was icy, her eyes sharp. “I’m not going too far, Ashley. I’m going exactly as far as I need to.”

Ashley stood there, speechless. The coldness in Sophia’s demeanor made her finally realize the mistake she had made. Every step she had taken so far had been wrong. From the moment she entered the palace, she had been on the wrong path. First, she had been deceived by Oliver—she had no doubt that the King was still wary of her after the incident with the iron box. He was watching her carefully. Then, she had offended the Hanson family and Layla. Thankfully, the King didn’t know she had been involved with Arthur’s schemes, or her position in the harem would have been completely ruined.

She felt a deep sense of frustration. She had come to the palace believing she could control everything. She thought the women in the harem were short-sighted, and she could easily step on them, eventually rising to a higher position where she would directly challenge Victoria. But now she realized how naive that was. She hadn’t even come close to Victoria’s power, and here she was, on the brink of ruin.

“I understand my mistake,” she said, lowering her head.

Sophia raised her hand dismissively. “Good. Now go.”

Ashley curtsied, hiding the seething humiliation inside, and turned to leave. As soon as she stepped out of Sophia’s palace, she gritted her teeth. “Vivian, find out who visited Sophia’s palace today.”

Vivian hesitated. “Ashley, this isn’t something that’s easy to find out.”

“Useless,” Ashley snapped.

Vivian held back her frustration and said, “You should just stay low for now. Your Imperial Concubine Summoning Placard has already been taken away. If you anger the Empress again, it might not just be three months—it could be three years.”

Ashley felt a cold chill in her chest. Vivian’s words were true. In the palace, nothing was easy, and everything was a struggle. She had hoped for more, but now she saw her options shrinking. Today, it was likely that Victoria’s people had come to Sophia to ensure she was punished.

Victoria… You won’t act yourself, but you send Sophia to punish me.

Slowly, Ashley’s anger began to subside. In this palace, the only one who could rival Victoria’s power was probably Catherine. And right now, she desperately needed someone to back her up.

The humiliation she had suffered today made her finally see things clearly. She couldn’t act rashly anymore.

“Vivian, you’re right. I need to calm down and stay low for now,” Ashley admitted.

Ashley’s brow furrowed. She had already deceived Finnian before coming to Argentum, but Finnian wasn’t someone who could be easily fooled. He knew too much about her past, especially the things that had been said to encourage him to join the prince’s side. He would eventually piece it all together, and when he did, he would expose her to the King.

No, she couldn’t let Finnian arrive in Argentum. But now, she had no one to turn to. Arthur? Martha? They seemed to be aligning with her, but they were still too inexperienced. Arthur had even lost his position.

Ashley found herself at a loss. There was no way forward. Arthur’s family situation was a mess. Madilyn and Agnes were fighting, and Agnes had left her family home two days ago. Arthur wanted to go after her, but Madilyn forbade anyone from going. Arthur had clashed with his mother over this, and Madilyn had nearly threatened to end her life to force Arthur to stop. Then, Cristina had sneaked back into the picture, adding fuel to the fire.

Arthur had once felt sympathy for Cristina, but after losing his position, he blamed her for everything. When he saw her, he snapped, “How could you be so useless? What will you do now that you can’t even hold a position?”

Cristina, furious, shot back, “Are you blaming me? You think I’m the reason you lost your job? I had to sneak out the back door just to get here! You’ve done nothing for me, and you dare blame me?”

Ashley’s anger exploded. “I’m ruined because of you! Everyone warned me that if I indulged you, I’d destroy myself. And now it’s true! I’ve spoiled you to the point where you can’t even appreciate anything, and if you don’t learn gratitude, you’re worthless!”