After Fiona finished speaking, she suddenly covered her mouth for a moment, looking at Carissa in terror.

“Did you just say that girl died three years after entering Harmony Palace? She had her fingers and toes. chopped off? Heavens, how could that happen? What did she do wrong? I thought she came from a decent family and had good character, which is why I sent her to Grand Princess Eleanor, What could she have possibly done to deserve that?”

“She erred by being seen by you,” Carissa said.

“What?” Fiona’s face registered shock and innocence. I truly didn’t expect this. I had good intentions. I thought the Marquis of Grovehill’s family was a noble household. Even if the girl was just a concubine, it would be better than marrying a commoner.”

Carissa replied coldly, “Are you saying you didn’t know she would end up staying at Harmony Palace instead of Grovehill Estate? That’s quite the convenient excuse.”

Fiona hurriedly explained, “I really didn’t know! After all, Lord Henry doesn’t live in Harmony Palace. I thought that since he lived at Grovehill Estate, his concubines would also stay there. I truly don’t understand why Grand Princess Eleanor treated her that way.”

Molly usually wouldn’t defend Fiona, but she felt a wave of crisis this time as Carissa aggressively pursued the matter. For the first time, Molly stepped in to help Fiona.

“I believe Lady Fiona is a good person, Commander Sinclair. She only wanted to give Lady Wendy a better, life.”

Carissa’s expression remained icy. “A good person, you say? So, did Lady Wendy go of her own accord, or did you deceive her into coming with you?”

Fiona replied, “She came of her own accord. I told her to come to the capital to be one of Lord Henry’s concubines. Both she and her family agreed, and I even provided a dowry for her. Her family added dowry items as well. You can verify this.”

Carissa said, “We will certainly investigate.”

“Go ahead and investigate all you want. Her family agreed to everything,” Fiona declared, showing no signs of guilt.

Carissa looked at her steadily for a long moment until Fiona averted her eyes, revealing a flicker of fear.

Finally, Carissa said, “Alright, we’ll leave it at that for today. If we think of anything else we need your assistance with, we’ll come back.”

Fiona’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she stood up. “Alright, we’ll be happy to cooperate.” Then, she gestured at one of the maids. “Please show them out.”

Carissa saluted in acknowledgment and left with Michael and the capital guards.

Outside, passersby hurriedly pretended to be merely passing by, quickening their steps as they saw them

emerge.

That night, the major families were in an uproar, gossiping about the Capital Guard’s visit to Edgeview

Estate that lasted nearly four hours. That naturally sparked a sense of unease. The conspiracy case involving Eleanor felt like a wildfire spreading among the noble families in the capital, and no one knew when it would reach their doorstep.

However, not everyone was afraid. Some families looked down on Carissa. They believed she was merely flaunting her authority under the guise of the kingdom’s highest female official, using the conspiracy case to assert dominance over the noble families.

When the Duke of Oakspire, Norman Whitfield, heard about the event, he was extremely furious. During dinner, he instructed that no one in his household was to associate with anyone from Hell Monarch Estate.

“Have we reached the point where a hen crows at dawn? Is she trying to overturn everything?” Norman shouted, his face flushed with anger as he slammed his cutlery down.

“She dared to bring people directly into a prince’s residence and interrogate the people in there for four whole hours! The king must be blind to allow a woman to command the Mystic Army. If she continues to be allowed to stir up things like this, what dignity do the noble families have left?

“She thinks she can act with impunity by relying on her dad and brothers‘ military merits. If she dares to come and interrogate my household, I’ll make sure she’s unable to leave once she enters!”

The head of the Quinton family, Malcolm, who was also the current Civil Minister, gathered the elder and younger members of his family together, his expression grim.

The Quinton family had produced great scholars in the past. Even the current patriarch of the family, Gerald Quinton, had once been a teacher to the late king. Though he had retired to live a quiet life, his words still sent ripples through the literary circles of the court.

The Quinton family was regarded as the pinnacle of the civil service elite, thanks to two factors–Gerald’s status as a teacher to the late king and the fact that the current queen was a member of the Quinton family. Adding on that Malcolm was now in charge of the Civil Department, even the prime minister’s family couldn’t compare to them.

However, Malcolm knew that with the family’s current prestige, they were under strict control regarding their descendants‘ behavior, and the women in the family adhered to traditional values, ensuring no scandals would arise.

Yet this time, Malcolm felt that Carissa had gone a bit too far with her antics.

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