The Swordswoman’s Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 409: For Catherine

Riley knew Oliver was in Zrork City. However, as Oliver had predicted, Riley, always having looked down on him, was here on Catherine’s orders. To get anything from him, Oliver would need to flatter him. That’s why Riley was so sure Isolde was the woman Oliver had brought to appease him.

Then, after a slap that left him seeing stars, Riley was barely recovering when he saw Isolde’s furious expression. Before he could react, Oliver’s angry voice boomed, “Riley, how dare you be so rude? You dare disrespect my wife?”

Riley was stunned. “Marquise…” he stammered.

“Have you lost your mind? You dare lay a hand on me? Do you have the guts of a wild animal?” Isolde snapped, her fury like a thunderclap.

Riley, a man who had weathered many storms, realized there was more to this. Geoffrey’s burial was stalled, and if they knew he was here, they must have come to plead with him to speak on their behalf. After all, he was close to Catherine, and his words held more weight than the governor’s. They likely didn’t realize he was the one stirring the pot.

He offered an apology, but his tone remained arrogant. “I didn’t know you had arrived; my apologies for not greeting you properly. However, this so-called ‘disrespect,’ I can’t accept. Catherine knows the situation, and even if I told her, she’d find it absurd.”

“Catherine doesn’t believe me, and I can’t do anything to you, eunuch? Who do you think you are to act so high and mighty in front of me?” Oliver’s voice was sharp with contempt.

“Oh, you really think you’re something special, don’t you? Even Catherine never spoke to me like that, yet you act like you’re the king,” Riley sneered, regaining his composure and no longer afraid.

One was a useless general, the other a fortunate marquise. Within Zrork City, could they really do anything to him?

Hearing this, Oliver swung a fist, landing a direct blow to his left eye. “Tell Catherine I hit you. Go ahead and file your complaint; I’ll tell her my side of the story.”

“You…” Riley recoiled as the punch nearly sent his eye from its socket. He covered his left eye, his right glaring at Oliver in fury. “You’re out of line. We’re here on Catherine’s business, not to provoke you. How dare you behave so arrogantly?”

“I’m here to teach you a lesson on Catherine’s behalf,” Oliver retorted. “You were sent to Zrork City to do her bidding, yet you’re making her look bad. Who were those two women you just let walk out? Do you think I’m blind?”

“They… We’ve been working hard for Catherine. Don’t we have the right to have those women attend to us? I’m not in a position to do anything myself. Catherine knows that. Don’t try to accuse me falsely,” Riley snapped, his anger rising.

“Those two women can testify to your misconduct. You’ve just earned yourself a death sentence,” Isolde sneered, settling into a seat, her gaze cold.

“Why hasn’t my father been buried yet? You likely know the answer. But I won’t make things difficult for you today,” cha said.

Riley gave a grim laugh and removed his hand from his swollen eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Whether Geoffrey can be buried in the Langley family’s ancestral grave is not up to me. Don’t try to frame me for this. We’re here on Catherine’s business.”

He kept repeating how he was working for Catherine, as if that excuse made him untouchable.

“How convenient,” Isolde responded coldly. “I’m here today on business for both Catherine and the King.”

Riley froze. “You’re doing the King’s bidding? Do you realize that using the King’s name to deceive people is a crime that could lead to the destruction of entire families?”

“Doubting the King’s orders is also a crime punishable by the same fate. Didn’t you know that?” Oliver spoke up, his tone chilling.

Riley’s face darkened as he hesitated, his eyes flickering toward Oliver.

Oliver sat down and said, “There’s no point in denying it. We’ve investigated everything, even who’s paying for your stay here. This 100,000 won’t buy your silence, but if Catherine finds out you’ve been colluding with others to slander Geoffrey, a high-ranking noble, she’ll surely want to know what kind of punishment you deserve.”

“Stop making up lies!” Riley’s expression shifted as he grew defensive. “I never said anything bad about Geoffrey. All those words came from Vance.”

Isolde scoffed, “So you just sit there, while Vance does all the talking and you just nod along?”

Riley fell silent for a moment, then said, “It’s none of my business. I’ve never slandered Geoffrey, and I’m truly here on Catherine’s orders, with no other intentions. My loyalty to her is clear as day. You’re just trying to frame me, but Catherine will never believe you.”

Oliver and Isolde exchanged a look, carefully considering his words. He truly believed he was here on Catherine’s behalf. Could it really be her?

Catherine had never supported inheriting the title, but as Isolde had speculated earlier, Catherine wasn’t a scheming person. If she truly opposed this, she would have confronted them directly. But she hadn’t.

Isolde studied Riley again. He had started out looking guilty, but now he spoke with growing confidence. What did that mean?

It meant that at first, he lacked confidence, but in the end, he had convinced himself that he was truly here on Catherine’s orders. If he had truly been sent by her, he would have acted boldly from the start, without this endless stream of excuses and defenses.

Isolde came to a conclusion. He believed he was here on Catherine’s behalf, but Catherine never explicitly told him to come. He had just assumed as much. But there was still something she couldn’t make sense of.

And why had he brought two Imperial soldiers with him? Those soldiers were likely from Catherine’s palace, part of the Imperial Army. In other words, Catherine had sent him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to command those soldiers.

Isolde couldn’t solve these two mysteries, but her anger flared again. She coldly said, “Enough with your excuses. We all know what you’re up to. Go back and tell Ashley, if he wants to harm me, he can come at me openly, not with these underhanded schemes.”

Riley suddenly looked up, his eyes flickering with guilt and unease. “What… what are you talking about? What does this have to do with Ashley?”

The look in his eyes was enough to confirm Isolde’s suspicions. She exchanged a glance with Oliver, both of them standing up in unison. Isolde said, “Whether or not there’s a connection, you can’t fool me. Goodbye.”