The Slave Queen - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Verda thought smugly, 'Let's see how Raelynn tries to wriggle out of this one.
'This concerns a human life!'
In a court official's family, if a servant were to harm the mistress's unborn child, they'd be put to death. The consequences would be only greater if such a thing took place in the royal family.
Having said her piece, Verda fixed Raelynn with a smug, triumphant look.
Margot's eyes instantly turned sharp and cold after she saw Verda daring to bring up that matter in public.
Not being able to protect Raelynn back then and letting her suffer so much in the palace became Margot's eternal torment.
She thought, 'How dare that bastard from the Carlson family repeatedly bring up this matter in my presence?
'She truly has a death wish.'
However, before Margot could utter a word. Raelynn calmly countered Verda's accusation. "As for your question, I'd like to know myself. How does she even sleep at night?"
That sentence carried so much information that everyone was stunned.
Everyone present was sharp enough.
Almost the moment Raelynn's words hung in the air, the crowd erupted into heated debate.
Someone in the crowd wondered aloud. "What's going on? From what Lady Raelynn just said, sounds like there's more to this story."
Another person said, "No way. The royalty officially decreed this. If it were false, would they really have sentenced Raelynn to four years of servitude?"
Just then, Trina murmured, as if lost in thought, "What if Raelynn was truly wronged? After all..."
As soon as she finished, she exchanged a deeply knowing glance with Lark.
Instantly, the sharp-witted people among the crowd connected Lark's earlier exposure of Julia's deception and began to piece together some terrifying implications.
Although Verda was plain-looking and not the brightest, her hearing was surprisingly sharp.
She naturally caught every word of the crowd's gossip.
The more she heard, the darker her expression became.
Verda thought to herself, 'I was certain that once this scandal came to light, Raelynn would be ruined beyond recovery. A disgrace like this is enough to shame the entire family. She would surely be branded with eternal infamy.
'Yet she actually managed to weasel her way out with such ambiguous words!'
She knew that if word of this reached the palace, it would be a direct challenge to the Crown's authority.
It would be like stomping the royal family's dignity into the dirt.
'What a glib tongue!' Verda thought angrily.
Even as rage burned within her, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She thought, 'What if Raelynn was telling the truth, and she really wasn't the one who did it? What if everything I believed was just a lie...'
Cold sweat began to bead on Verda's forehead as the realization hit her.
Even her lips turned a shade paler.
Just then, the murmurs of the crowd reached her ears once more.
It was as if she'd been given a shot of reassurance.
Someone in the crowd sighed regretfully and said, "But even if it truly was a wrongful conviction, would the verdict ever be overturned? After all, who would dare challenge the royal family's authority?"
No one would dare humiliaty the royalty.
If Raelynn was dragged into the palace and humiliated for years over a wrongful conviction, the royal family's dignity and credibility would be gone.
Just the thought of it made the tenderhearted feel a deep sense of injustice for Raelynn.
But upon hearing this, Verda's eyes instantly flashed with a shrewd, malicious glint.
She thought, 'Exactly. Even if Raelynn was truly wronged, what of it?
'Would the king and the noble consort really sacrifice the Crown's dignity for a mere official's daughter like her?
'Raelynn will just have to take this. She's got no way out of this one.
'As for overturning the case? She can forget about it!'
Recalling how Julia had been cornered by Margot and Raelynn just moments ago, Verda felt a sharp pang in her heart.
Julia was the only one in all of Hazond City who had ever shown her true kindness. Julia was Verda's one and only friend.
Verda would rather die than let Julia's reputation be tarnished.
Verda grew even more smug. "Raelynn, don't you dare think you can pin this on Julia. I know you're jealous of her. First, you slander her background, and now you accuse her of harming the noble consort's unborn prince. How could anyone be as vicious as you?
"How dare you dream of marrying Lord Shawn? Only someone as virtuous as Julia is worthy of being Lord Shawn's wife!"
Raelynn's keen eyes caught the fleeting blush that colored Verda's cheeks when she mentioned Shawn.
With just one glance, it suddenly dawned on her why Verda harbored such fierce hatred toward her.
Even when everyone knew that Julia and Ian were about to get married, Verda stubbornly insisted that Julia's heart belonged to Shawn.
It was probably because Verda harbored a forbidden longing for Shawn.
Deep down, Verda might hope that if Julia married him, she might even be taken as a concubine.
Raelynn nearly laughed at such a petty scheme.
Though filled with endless torment, Raelynn's four years in the palace hadn't left her empty-handed.
In the palace, reading people and understanding their motives was, after all, an indispensable survival skill.
Moreover, having entered the palace branded as a criminal, she naturally had to be even more cautious than anyone else.
Even the ever-changing moods of the noble consort were an open book to her.
Verda, whose every thought was plain as day, could not pose any threat to Raelynn.