The Slave Queen - Chapter 82: Chapter 82

However, after being provoked by Verda, Raelynn actually announced the engagement today right in front of all the young elites of Hazond City.
With the news out in the open, this engagement was practically set in stone.
All the countermeasures Gabriel and Hugo had painstakingly devised over the past few days were now rendered useless.
At that moment, Gabriel didn't just despise Verda's foolishness. He couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment toward Julia as well.
Gabriel thought in frustration, 'Why did Julia have to provoke Raelynn when she knew full well Margot was protecting Raelynn?
'If this situation escalates, would Father, Mother, and I have to side with Julia or Raelynn?
'As much as we couldn't bear to see Julia wronged, Raelynn was still my dear sister!'
Yet, when facing Julia, Gabriel simply couldn't bring himself to be harsh.
Julia was utterly thunderstruck.
Julia thought bitterly, 'I always believed there was still room to stop Shawn from marrying that wretched Raelynn. Who could have imagined the whole of Hazond City would find out?'
Julia fumed inwardly, mentally cursing Verda out.
All she could do was choke down her bitter resentment at the moment.
Julia's eyes were red-rimmed as she pleaded weakly, "Gabriel, I truly had no idea Verda would do such a thing. I really..."
Gabriel said wearily, "Let's just drop this. When Raelynn comes back, I'll have a talk with her. After she's married into the Lindsay family, she won't cause you any trouble."
Gabriel suddenly felt a wave of profound weariness.
He just couldn't understand why his two sisters could never just get along for the sake of family harmony.
'It used to be Raelynn, but now...' Gabriel thought as a wave of profound weariness washed over him.
Gabriel instinctively refused to believe that his sweet, obedient little sister—the one he'd watched grow up—could do such a thing.
Gabriel recalled the intelligence his trusted aide had brought back after he'd sent him to re-investigate the truth.
'I have never known this side of Julia before,' Gabriel thought.
That was the moment Gabriel's trust in Julia wavered for the very first time.
Seeing Gabriel's obvious reluctance to speak with her, Julia was suddenly gripped by an inexplicable wave of panic.
Julia thought in alarm, 'Something is slipping through my fingers...
'This is all Raelynn's fault!'
Julia's face went ghostly pale with fear as she buried herself in Cecilia's arms, looking utterly helpless.
Cecilia's heart ached unbearably as she pulled Julia into a tight embrace. "Julia, why are you trembling all over? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine." Julia shook her head, her gaze still lowered, making her look even more pitiful.
Even Gabriel couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Julia.
At this moment, Hugo, who had remained silent, finally spoke sternly. "Julia, today you and those young ladies spoke out of turn in front of your grandmother and sent her into a coughing fit. Do you have any idea how much trouble this will cause me?
"All these years, I've truly spoiled you rotten!"
Hugo could already picture the scene. Tomorrow at court, his peers would certainly impeach him for failing to keep his family in order.
For a grandchild to dare openly defy their grandmother was nothing short of a grave transgression in the eyes of the King, who prized family conduct above all else.
To make matters worse, Raelynn had already caused the noble consort to lose a son.
Margot even went so far as to invoke the Royal Pardon to save Raelynn.
Hugo felt that the king must have long held deep displeasure toward his family.
Hugo then turned his full fury on Julia, the instigator of this whole mess.
Never before had Julia been so severely reprimanded by Hugo.
Julia flinched, another shiver running through her as fear tightened its grip.
Sensing Julia's reaction, Cecilia's heart ached. She pleaded softly with Hugo, "My lord, please calm down. Don't be so harsh on her."
Hugo said, "If you keep indulging her like this, who knows what disasters she'll bring upon us! Had we not spoiled her so much, that incident with the noble consort—"
Seeing Hugo so furious he was about to lose control of his tongue, Gabriel and Cecilia urgently called out at the same time to stop him. "My lord!" Cecilia cried.
"Father!" Gabriel added.
Despite all of Julia's misdeeds today, what happened back then was a secret known only to a select few in the family. It absolutely must never be revealed to outsiders.
Otherwise, that would be high treason against the Crown.
Cecilia cast a guarded, meaningful glance at Ian.
Ian was still completely in the dark about that incident.
Otherwise, a man of Ian's integrity would surely never accept Julia.
Cecilia thought, 'But Julia didn't mean any harm!'
Hugo was jolted back to his senses by their urgent shouts.
Hugo suddenly realized he had nearly let slip dangerous words in front of Ian. He could only forcibly swallow back what he was about to say.
But in the end, Hugo still shot Julia a stern, warning glare.
Julia was overwhelmed by a crushing sense of injustice.
Waves of chills racked her body.
At that moment, a single, crushing thought consumed Julia.
She thought, 'It's all over. After scheming for so long, I was supposed to bring that wretched Raelynn to utter ruin and make her vanish from Hazond City for good.'