The Swordswoman’s Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 447: A Proud Display

Isolde was baffled. Agnes, raised under Pablo’s strict tutelage, was supposed to be a well-mannered lady of the house. Though she had previously made some improper choices, publicly reprimanding her elders was a serious offense—an act of great disrespect and filial disobedience. How could she dare act in such a way?

“Agnes is quite the show-off,” Isolde remarked coldly.

Agnes, hearing her voice, turned around, her eyes still filled with fury. “What’s it to you? Get lost.”

Isolde snorted, walking into the room. “Is this your place? Who are you to tell me to leave? You don’t have that kind of authority.”

Agnes, pointing angrily at Heidi, asked, “Do you even know who she is? You’re sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. Don’t be fooled by her innocent look; inside, she’s filled with poison. She acts all sweet to me, but she’s scheming behind my back. What kind of person does that make her?”

Heidi looked up, speaking with a resigned tone. “I don’t understand why you keep accusing me of plotting against you. I’ve never spoken ill of you. You’ve misunderstood.”

“I haven’t misunderstood. It’s you. Don’t pretend. You disgust me,” Agnes hissed, but her tone had a slight edge of caution when she glanced at Isolde. “You married my grandfather when you were young—who knows what you’re after? Shameless.”

With that, Agnes turned and stormed out of the room.

Isolde stood frozen, a bit stunned. Was she really bold enough to say that? Didn’t she fear these words would reach Allan? She was living in the household after the divorce and yet still dared to provoke her grandfather?

It seemed either Heidi had done something or said something to provoke her, or this was all one big misunderstanding.

Isolde turned to Heidi. “Don’t take it personally. She’s just crazy.”

Heidi sighed, shaking her head. “I won’t let it bother me. But honestly, it’s not helpful to keep insulting me like this.”

Isolde sat down, then asked, “What exactly did she say? Those words were so harsh—why didn’t you tell Allan about it?”

Even though Heidi was the second wife, she was still Allan’s legitimate wife, and Agnes’s grandmother. Even Margaret wouldn’t dare openly disrespect her. Could it be that Agnes had truly gone mad?

Heidi explained, “She must have heard some rumors. She believes I’ve secretly met with Arthur and spoken badly about her in front of him.”

“How can she blame you for that? Besides, wasn’t it her mother who pushed for the divorce with Arthur? Arthur actually tried to reconcile.”

“He tried, but she wouldn’t agree right away. She wanted to save face. Plus, Margaret probably told her that Arthur would never agree to the divorce, which made her more insistent. In the end, Arthur did write the divorce papers. Now she thinks I’m the one who poisoned his mind against her.”

Heidi stood, but then wobbled slightly. Isolde immediately moved to steady her, but Heidi quickly pulled away as if Isolde had touched a sore spot.

“What’s wrong?” Isolde asked.

Heidi smiled faintly. “It’s nothing. She came by yesterday, tried to make trouble. I dodged, but she bumped into my shoulder. It’s nothing serious.”

Isolde’s anger flared. “She dared to lay hands on you? You have to tell Allan about this. Let him handle it!”

Heidi waved it off. “No need to bother Allan. He’s busy. This is a small matter.” She then gestured for a servant to bring something over.

The servant entered, holding a delicate box. Heidi took it and handed it to Isolde. “This is for you. Do you like it?”

“Why the sudden gift?” Isolde asked, quickly trying to refuse. “No, no, keep it.”

“Please, just a small token of appreciation. You gave me so many beautiful pieces of jewelry, and I didn’t have anything special to give you. So, I had someone make this hairpin for you. It’s not much, but it’s unique. Do you like it?”

Isolde opened the box to find a jade hairpin at the top, exquisitely crafted. She lightly touched the gold-wrapped part, her eyes flashing briefly before she smiled and said, “It’s beautiful. I really like it. Thank you, Grandmother.”

Heidi smiled warmly. “I’m glad you like it. Wear it.”

Isolde placed the hairpin in her hair and asked, “How does it look?”

Heidi smiled charmingly. “It looks lovely, truly lovely.”

The servant standing nearby also praised, “Isolde, with your beauty, even a simple hairpin would look stunning.”

Isolde bowed her head. “Thank you, Grandmother. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll take my leave.”

“Go ahead, come visit when you have time,” Heidi said with a smile.

Isolde smiled as she turned to leave, but once her back was turned, her smile quickly faded into a cold expression. She walked out of the courtyard without removing the hairpin, making sure no one was following her. When she reached Ningser Pavilion, she finally took off the hairpin.

Oliver, seeing her return, noticed her unusual expression. Thinking that Agnes had gone too far, he said, “If you can’t stand it anymore, just tell Grandfather. No need to get upset with her.”

Isolde shook her head, then called Hattie and Hazel inside, locking the door behind them. She then handed the hairpin to Oliver. “This was just given to me by Heidi.”

Oliver took a quick glance and said, “It looks nice. What’s the problem? You’re calling her Heidi now?”

Hattie and Hazel crowded around to inspect the hairpin. “It’s definitely a fine piece. The jade is clear and gold wrapping, and to her surprise, it came off easily, revealing a carved jade underneath. The carving looked like flames.”

Oliver studied it carefully, then froze. “Is that the flame pattern of Deandre?”

“Exactly,” Isolde replied coldly.

“Deandre’s flame pattern? What is it?” Hattie asked.

“This flame pattern is known by few, but Harrison should have seen it,” Oliver said, his expression grave. “This was given to you by her? Why does she have it? What’s her intent?”

Isolde shook her head. “I don’t know her intent, but since she has this flame-patterned hairpin, I can almost conclude that she’s not simple.”

Hattie frowned. “How did you know there was a flame pattern in the hairpin?”

Isolde almost blurted out that she had seen it in her past life, but took a deep breath and replied, “Oliver told me. He said the flame pattern is Deandre’s signature. Francisco, Deandre’s strategist, sends spies with these hairpins as a token of recognition. When they meet their own people, they use the hairpin to prove their identity. But this one is fake.”

“Fake?” Oliver asked, surprised. “How can you tell it’s fake?”

“All flame-patterned hairpins have unique codes. This one has none. It’s clearly a counterfeit. The real one should still be with Heidi.”

Hazel looked confused. “Why would she give you a fake hairpin? She could have just not given you anything, but by giving it to you, isn’t she revealing her identity?”

Isolde smiled faintly. “Who in the court, except for my grandfather, would know that this hairpin is a spy’s token?”

The existence of this flame-patterned hairpin wouldn’t be revealed until four years later, when Southern Watch captured a spy and, through interrogation, uncovered its significance. As of now, only she knew, and of course, the spy knew. Heidi likely assumed she didn’t know. But what was Heidi’s real intent in giving her this hairpin?

Oliver asked, “What are you going to do about it?”

Isolde looked at him. “Since she wants me to wear it, I’ll wear it. But not this one. Oliver, come with me.”

Oliver asked, “Where are we going?”

“To see Collin,” Isolde smiled. “It’s been a while since I visited Everfort Granary. Let’s go check it out.”

“Alright,” Oliver said, knowing there must be a reason. They’d find out when they got there.

“Hattie, Hazel, go investigate Heidi. She has a son and a daughter in Argentum. Besides checking on Heidi, look into her children as well. Don’t miss a thing.”

“Understood,” they replied.

The next morning, Oliver headed back to Southern Watch, while Isolde didn’t sleep. Instead, she went with Esme to find Agnes.

Agnes had just gotten up. The cold weather kept her indoors, where she had breakfast.

Upon hearing that Isolde had arrived, Agnes slammed her fork down and coldly looked up, saying, “What do you want?”

Isolde gave her a cold glance and said, “You used to criticize me for not respecting my elders, but what about you? Even though Grandmother wasn’t your grandfather’s first wife, how can you disrespect her?”

Agnes snapped, “Are you defending her?”

“I’m not defending anyone. I’m just here to speak the truth,” Isolde replied, sitting down and folding her hands on the table. “Not only did you disrespect her, but you even laid hands on her. I’m going to tell Allan about this.”

Agnes’s eyes widened in fury, her voice shaking with anger. “I hit her? Why don’t you say I killed her? I never even touched a hair on her! That woman is full of lies, and she dares to say I hit her. Fine, I’ll confront her myself. When did I hit her?”

She stood up, ready to leave.

Isolde grabbed her arm, staring at her. “Really? Not even a shove?”

Agnes jerked her arm away and said, “I didn’t touch her. If it weren’t for my grandfather, I would have hit her myself! Who told her to act so innocent?”

Isolde studied her face and could tell Agnes wasn’t lying this time. Agnes was untrustworthy, but Isolde had a good sense for people. Agnes truly hadn’t hit Heidi.

But Heidi had been hurt, and it was said Agnes was responsible. How had they ended up at odds? It seemed Isolde needed to ask more questions.

She frowned. “Why is Grandmother speaking in circles? Making something out of nothing, this could cause trouble for her if I tell Grandfather.”

“Stop pretending! You and she are in cahoots to plot against me! Haven’t you already made my life miserable enough?” Agnes snapped.

Isolde looked at her and said, “I may not like you, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to harm you. I don’t think Grandmother has any ill intentions either. Could it be you’ve misunderstood something? She met with Arthur, perhaps to speak in your favor.”

Agnes sneered, “Speak in my favor? I’m not deaf. I heard what they said. She painted the Valen family in such a bad light, how could that be in my favor? She listened to that old hag and turned Arthur against me. If she hadn’t done that, why would he have divorced me?”

Isolde’s eyes flickered. “What exactly did they say?”

Agnes snorted. “What’s it to you? Why should I tell you? We’re the same—both of us are guilty.”

Suddenly, Agnes noticed the hairpin on Isolde’s head. She pointed at it, furious. “No wonder you’re…