The Slave Queen - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

After Julia left, Cecilia turned anxiously to Hugo. "Lord Hugo, why didn't you let me ask her directly? If Julia truly doesn't care for Ian, we should start making other arrangements. What if the Lindsay family really does come to propose...?"
"Then she'll marry him," Hugo said firmly, without hesitation.
Cecilia opened her mouth to respond but found the words stuck in her throat.
Seeing her worried expression, Hugo sighed and turned to Gabriel. "Gabriel, go on. Your mother and I need to speak in private."
"Yes, Father."
Gabriel obeyed without protest, slipping quietly out the side door."Yes, Lady Cecilia."
Once they were alone, Hugo finally said, "That marriage was meant for Raelynn and Ian from the beginning. It was Julia who stepped in while Raelynn was away, and that's why we're in this mess."
"Lord Hugo, that's not fair. Raelynn wasn't here, and Julia simply—"
"I know." Hugo cut her off with a look. "You're always defending her. But listen: Julia first got involved under the pretense of comforting Ian. Fine. But we have Gabriel in this family—if anyone needed to speak on our behalf, it should've been him. At most, Julia should've exchanged a few polite words. But look what happened instead.
"For four years, Ian has been coming by regularly. Visiting Lunebloom Hollow. Spending time with Julia. She was raised in this household—she knows perfectly well how appearances matter. And yet, knowing full well Ian was Raelynn's fiancé, she allowed that closeness to continue. What does that say to you?"
Cecilia met his eyes and slowly shook her head.
"She must have feelings for Ian. But now that Raelynn's marrying Shawn—a far more prestigious match—she's feeling slighted. That's all this is."
"That's not true!" Cecilia insisted, voice tightening. "Julia isn't that kind of girl."
She said it with conviction.
After all, she had raised Julia herself.
There was no way Julia could be so petty and jealous.
Hugo gave her a steady look. "Then how do you explain her behavior today?"
Cecilia fell silent, unable to answer.
Hugo let out a long sigh and gently pressed her back into her seat. He reached out, resting his hands on her shoulders, massaging them as he spoke.
"You've spoiled her, and that's all right. We all have. But in the end, she's just a daughter. An adopted one, at that. Marrying a man like Ian is already a stroke of fortune she probably doesn't deserve.
"Our family's future rests with Gabriel."
At the mention of Gabriel, Cecilia's expression shifted. "You mean..."
Hugo's gaze darkened.
"We've already suffered enough scandal with one daughter. We can't afford another who breaks her promise and shames us."
In other words, this marriage would go forward—Julia had to marry Ian.
Now that the reasoning was laid out clearly, Cecilia gradually came around. She nodded slowly. "You're right. The Lindsay family isn't exactly low-born. Ian's a good match."
And just like that, the marriage was settled—with only a few short words.
Outside, hidden by the door, Julia clenched the silk handkerchief in her fist so tightly her knuckles went white.
In Moonspire Keep
Julia stormed into her room, eyes blazing with rage.
Knowing Cecilia hadn't returned yet, she made no effort to hide her fury. With one violent motion, she swept her jewelry box off the vanity. It clattered to the ground, scattering ornaments across the floor.
She thought, 'Damn it! Damn them all!
'Everyone in the Lennox family deserves to suffer!'
Hugo and Cecilia might coddle her on the surface, but the moment her interests clashed with Gabriel's, they cast her aside without a second thought.
'They want to marry me off—just to clear the way for Gabriel's future?
'Absolutely not.'
If Raelynn had stayed rotting in the countryside, then maybe marrying Ian wouldn't have been such an insult.
After all, the heir of marquis' estate was still a respectable match for a duke's daughter.
But now? Now that Raelynn had somehow caught the eye of Shawn, a man admired across the empire.
How could she not feel hatred? How could she not burn with jealousy?
That match should've been hers.
She thought, 'It is all that old hag's fault.
'If that old crone promised she could convince Shawn to marry into the Lennox family, I never would've bothered with Ian.
'I would've happily handed him over to Raelynn.'
Because once they were both married, she had a hundred ways to make Raelynn's life a living hell.
That was what toys were for—to be kept close and slowly crushed.
But now?
Now the title of Prime Minister's wife was about to fall into Raelynn's lap?
She couldn't accept it.
She wouldn't accept it.
"Favoritism. You're all so damn biased!"
Julia's eyes were wild. Her fists clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms. The hatred in her gaze seemed almost tangible.
"Raelynn. It's all because of you!
"Why are you still alive? You should've died in Aether Sanctum! No—why didn't you die in the countryside? And now you dare come back? You dare fight me for a man?"
Outside the door, Katherine—her maid—stood frozen, terrified by what she'd just heard.