The Slave Queen - Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Verda still did not know that Raelynn had already seen right through her.
She was still gloating to herself, convinced that Raelynn's silence meant she was utterly speechless.
But before she could react, another stinging slap landed on her other cheek.
This time, it was Margot who struck her.
Verda stared at Margot in utter disbelief. She had never imagined that Margot would stoop to striking a young girl just to protect Raelynn.
'Though I'm a concubine's daughter, I'm still a young lady from an official family! How dare you slap me in public again and again like this?" Verda fumed inwardly.
Margot said, "The affairs of the Duke's estate are our family's concern, not yours. If I hear even one more word of you mistreating Raelynn, I'll visit your father and have him give me an explanation."
At the mention of Rowan's name, Verda instantly fell silent.
Yet deep inside, a venomous hatred for Raelynn festered.
Verda seethed inwardly, 'Julia was right. Raelynn is nothing but a vile bitch.
'I'll make her pay for what she did to Julia!
'From this day forward, I swear that I will never let Raelynn off!'
As she was making this inner vow, a handsome young man with striking features suddenly emerged from the crowd.
It was none other than Ian Lindsay.
Ian had originally intended to skip the Ice Party today.
After all, with Julia already in his heart, he did not need to seek out other noble ladies.
But then he heard that Julia would be attending as well.
Lately, she had been turning down all his invitations, always finding excuses not to see him.
His heart ached with longing for his beloved.
So, upon learning that Julia would be at the Ice Party, he made a special trip, hoping to see her and ease the ache of longing in his heart.
But no sooner had he arrived than he heard Verda's near-hysterical shrieking, including when she said, "Only Julia deserves to marry Lord Shawn!"
If Julia married Shawn, Ian would be devastated.
To make matters worse, Verda was Julia's closest confidante.
Ian strode up to Verda, urgently grasped her shoulders. "What do you mean Julia is going to marry Shawn?" he demanded, his voice tight with alarm.
Verda jumped in fright.
But when she realized it was Ian, a faint blush flashed across her face.
Verda mused, 'The men of the Lindsay family are all exceptionally handsome.
'Even if I can't marry Lord Shawn, becoming Lord Ian's wife would still be quite a catch.'
However, with all eyes on her, Verda managed to cling to her last shred of propriety and refrained from openly making advances towards Ian.
With feigned sympathy, Verda said, "Lord Ian, I know you're deeply devoted to Julia. But the truth is, she only sees you as a brother. After all, you were originally Raelynn's fiancé, and you truly loved her. Julia only stayed close to you because she was worried you couldn't bear Raelynn being sent to the palace as a servant.
"In reality, Julia's heart belongs to none other than Lord Shawn."
Her words landed like a bombshell, instantly sending shockwaves through the crowd.
The onlookers erupted into a frenzied commotion once again, whispering and exclaiming among themselves.
At her words, Ian recoiled, disbelief etched across his face. Then, as if a terrible realization seemed to hit him, he suddenly spun around and fled.
Raelynn, who had overheard the whole exchange, could barely suppress a snicker.
Raelynn thought, 'Thank goodness Julia isn't here right now. If she heard what her hopeless ally just blurted out in public, she'd probably pass out from sheer rage.
'Julia always loves to play the role of a pure, innocent victim. She tells everyone that I am a wicked older sister who always bullies her.
'As for Ian breaking off our engagement, that was just another one of Julia's carefully staged displays of her supposed charm.'
If Verda didn't tell Ian these thingstoday, when Julia actually managed to scheme her way into becoming Shawn's wife, she could've found countless ways to salvage her persona.
She might even have spread the word that both Shawn and Ian had fallen for her.
Such a storybook-worthy romance would only have burnished her image further.
But now, thanks to a few presumptuous words from Verda, who thought she was helping Julia, she had single-handedly ruined any chance of that.
Raelynn smirked, and finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She thought, 'I can't wait to see how Julia reacts when she finds out. Will she finally have a falling out with Verda? And when that happens, how will Verda handle losing her only friend?'
Raelynn wasn't the only one who saw through it. The onlookers had also read between the lines, exchanging knowing glances before breaking into hushed whispers.
Verda watched as Ian walked away. She called out to him, but for some reason, he didn't stop. In the end, she could only give up, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
But as she turned back to Raelynn, whose expression remained utterly unruffled, venomous hatred filled Verda's eyes.
After that whole farce, Raelynn couldn't even muster the interest to slap Verda again.
She thought, 'Honestly, what is the point of tangling with someone so utterly foolish? She is probably too dense to even understand an insult.'