Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Bella/Don’t let her see me like this…
The black boots stepped on the marble, making a dull echo, as if knocking on everyone's heart.
His face was as pale as paper, but he exuded a familiar sense of oppression.
"The Duke... The Duke is awake!"
The Spencer soldiers, led by Captain Bates, were tied up in a corner. When they saw their former commander wake up, some of them subconsciously looked up, with a glint of hope in their eyes, but they were suppressed by Philip's personal soldiers.
Lady Violet's tears instantly flowed down her cheeks: "Hein!"
Victor lowered his head hastily. The usually reserved assistant took off his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped the corners of his eyes.
In the center of the crowd, Isabel held Margaret's sword and kept looking back.
The slowly approaching figure was reflected in the ice-blue eyes.
He was looking at her too.
In the brief moment of eye contact, all I could hear was my heartbeat.
"I'm late."
Heinrich's voice was hoarse as he took the heavy Spencer sword from her hand. Blood slid down the smooth blade, dripped onto the velvet carpet, and disappeared.
Hearing his voice again, Isabel felt a sense of unreality.
Facing a powerful enemy, she took a deep breath and suppressed all the words she wanted to say.
"The doctor said you just woke up and needed to rest. Why did you come down?"
The moment their eyes met, her expression changed quickly, as if she had expected everything.
"If I don't come down, how would I know that someone dared to break into my Spencer Mansion?" He raised his voice tacitly and stood in front of Isabel without leaving a trace.
"So, what is this doing?"
He chuckled briefly and slowly scanned the crowd.
The soldiers affected by the gaze trembled slightly and could hardly hold their weapons.
The couple stood side by side, Isabel secretly lowered her head.
Heinrich concealed it very well, and no one except the people closest to him noticed that his hand holding the iron sword was trembling slightly.
Almost at the same time, Isabel reached out and quietly supported Heinrich from behind.
Sensing the help, he did not resist.
He looked intimidating without being angry, but in reality he was using all his willpower to resist the emotions coursing through his blood and the pain in his body, not daring to reveal the slightest bit of vulnerability.
Otherwise, the dark pack of wolves in front of them would devour them completely.
"Hein... weren't you critically ill? How..." Vincent widened his eyes, muttered to himself, and fell dizzy again.
The situation has changed again!
He knew better than anyone how much the soldiers who had served in the army respected Heinrich. Trying to incite them with words and force them to kill a duke of noble blood and great reputation would be almost impossible!
Not to mention the soldiers, even cousins like Vincent had already begun to retreat the moment they saw Heinrich.
He glanced at Sophia, shook his head secretly, and said silently: "Forget it..."
The situation is over and the best opportunity has been missed. Those who are good at judging the situation should step down now.
Sophia didn't look at Vincent, but stared at Heinrich, and the hypocritical smile on her face completely disappeared.
"Hein." She smiled slowly, a sly glint in her eyes. "You're actually awake... How lucky."
"Why does luck always favor you?" She seemed puzzled, but her voice sounded like an exclamation.
Heinrich stood before him like a towering mountain, insurmountable.
Behind him, a huge lion and rising sun flag symbolizing the Spencer family hung on the wall.
"A one in a thousand chance of luck falls upon you? On...why?"
She chuckled softly, looking up at the sky and muttering, "Someone told me that the Holy Eternal Lord is equal and loving. But I want to ask him, is his love only bestowed upon those of noble blood...Mr. Spencer?"
She laughed tremblingly, and when she lowered her head, her dark eyes burned with a fiery light.
Why?
She had been planning for so long, scheming and trying every possible means to get out of the mud!
Just one step! Just one step away from that position!
At this moment, hatred filled his heart and the mask was completely torn off!
Someone seemed to be shouting beside my ear——
It was Sophia, banished from the Spencer household! It was Sophia, who grew up with a prostitute mother, endured constant scorn and humiliation, and struggled to rise to the top! It was Sophia, who willingly traded marriage for fame and fortune, then murdered her husband with her own hands, climbing the ladder step by step!
The day she left the Duke's Mansion, the scarlet lion and rising sun banner became the most profound and enduring desire in her memory! She vowed to obtain it! No matter the cost!
And now, all I have to do is kill him, all I have to do is... cross this mountain!
Sophia slowly reached for the waist of the personal guard behind her—a loaded firearm hung there. Her fingertips brushed against the cold metal barrel, her nails turning white from the pressure.
"Don't move."
Heinrich's voice rang out, clear and cold.
He slowly raised his right hand and pointed the gun at Sophia.
Isabel didn't miss the look on Sophia's face. "It's time to end this farce. Don't be a desperate gambler."
She paused, then slowly raised her eyes: "Look back."
Sophia realized something and turned around suddenly.
The main door of the hall was suddenly pushed open, and the sound of orderly footsteps was heard - the Queen's guards in silver-white uniforms, holding royal flags, entered one after another. At the end of the line was the first secretary Luna in a dark green uniform.
She held the gilded scroll in her hand and scanned the room, finally landing on Heinrich. She nodded slightly and said, "By order of Her Majesty the Queen, I am guarding the Duke of Spencer's Palace."
She waved her hand gently: "Go."
The soldiers in silver-white uniforms quickly rescued Spencer's personal guards and then surrounded Philip's soldiers. The huge hall was packed with people.
Victor finally breathed a sigh of relief and secretly exchanged a glance with Isabel.
Last night, he climbed out of the kitchen drain, avoided Sophia's spies, and went to the Temple of Augustus. Of course, his mission was more than just delivering a letter.
The guards were disarmed, but Sophia came out of her gambler's frenzy and her expression gradually calmed down.
If there is a 50% chance of winning, it is enough to give it your all.
But if, like now, there is absolutely no chance of turning defeat into victory, then she will quickly weigh the pros and cons and choose to put on the mask again.
She stared at Isabel and suddenly smiled: "Audrey, I underestimated you."
The young girl opposite not only reacted quickly, but was also incredibly meticulous.
Throughout the entire process, except for Heinrich's awakening which was an accident, everything else was under her complete control.
From dawn on, when Spencer's personal guards were placed outside the door, the dominoes began to fall.
The old lady's subsequent appearance, Isabel's decisive act of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, and her subsequent use of the forgotten law of inheritance to block their progress, had all been dismissed as futile resistance. Now it became clear that she wasn't trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, but was simply stalling for time.
The real rescuer is the last trump card - the Queen's personal guard.
In a short time, Sophia had completely figured out the whole situation.
To be precise, it was Isabel who played the "right of succession" card first, and then the "Queen's Guard" became the trump card.
Sophia can't lose even if she plays any one of them.
Just think about it, if there were no regulations to overturn the original inheritance law, what would be the point even if the Queen's guards came to rescue her? Heinrich only had a one in a thousand chance of waking up, and Sophia would still be the first heir.
If there hadn't been reinforcements sent by the Queen, the succession law alone would have made things much simpler. Sophia didn't wait for Heinrich to die at home, but was so anxious to act because she wanted to take the initiative and prevent any changes.
Therefore, whether it was a subversive inheritance law or Heinrich's awakening... as long as it was an unplanned crisis, she would suppress it all.
But……
Sophia glanced around and saw the guards in silver-white uniforms, armed with weapons, surrounding her in the center.
With both cards played at the same time, she lost her military support and had no chance to make a comeback due to the loss of inheritance rights. The game was declared over.
"How... did you guess that?" Sophia looked at Isabel with a strange expression.
She wasn't Edmund; she wasn't impulsive or reckless, but rather skilled at forbearance and simmering. This chess game had been meticulously planned, with a near-perfect chance of victory, yet the opponent had seized on a single glimmer of possibility and turned defeat into victory.
Isabel's face was calm as she said calmly, "Because I understand you and have put myself in your shoes."
Sophia narrowed her eyes slightly.
"The power I've longed for my whole life is right before my eyes. Even if it means stepping on the corpses of everyone, I will reach out and grab it." His icy blue eyes looked straight at the other person without any hesitation. "If it were me, I would do the same."
Sophia was completely stunned.
Last night, Isabel not only figured out Margaret's mental journey, but also carefully predicted what measures Sophia would take.
From the moment she met this beautiful and calculating woman, Isabel keenly smelled a similar scent from her.
If she had received Sophia's script in this life, and fate had forced her to bow her head and trampled her into the mud, Isabel knew very well what she would do.
As if realizing that the plot in the book was about to happen, she chose to exchange with Audrey.
The Spencer family's wealth, fame, and wealth weren't that tempting; it was more comfortable to bask in the sunshine at Norman's. But if fate insisted on trying to manipulate their lives, she wouldn't mind fighting it and showing it some color.
Sophia is no exception.
So, if she were standing opposite him today, she would grab everything that God has given her so leniently with her own hands, using any means necessary.
Sophia was stunned for a long time, then she laughed softly, her laughter trembling.
"Audrey, you understand me better than I do myself. If we weren't a match..."
"But we are," Isabel interrupted. "So... one of us has to lose."
She looked at Victor, who immediately left with Captain Bates.
Soon, the soldiers brought out Dr. Leonard and the servant who had stolen and replaced the medicine bottles.
Dr. Leonard was in a state of disarray, with no visible injuries on his body. However, from his dazed eyes and trembling body, it was easy to tell that he had undergone inhuman torture.
After confessing everything he needed to, Victor handed the testimony to the first secretary, Lorna.
Lorna looked deeply at the two women confronting each other and unfolded the scroll in her hand: "Sophia Spencer, suspected of poisoning the Duke, illegal detention, and attempting to seize the title..."
"etc."
An old voice came from the door.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Archbishop Gryffin, dressed in a dark purple robe, walking slowly towards them, followed by a dozen or so believers.
Luna frowned, and Isabel's eyes moved slightly.
Across from her, Sophia smiled secretly and whispered, "Audrey, how can we discuss winning or losing until the very end?"
The Archbishop's voice sounded at the right moment: "According to the Pope's oracle, the disciple Sophia Spencer has made outstanding contributions. His Holiness has specially invited her to St. Petersburg to listen to his teachings."
Lorna: "Bishop Gryffindor, Sophia has violated the laws of the Duchy. You cannot take her away."
"Law?" The Archbishop glanced at the two bodies on the ground and said lightly, "It's just an internal conflict within the Spencer family."
Luna frowned, her voice cold, "Are you going to openly oppose the Queen?"
"I have the utmost respect for Her Majesty the Queen." The Archbishop extended his hand, and the cultist handed him a scroll. "Pardoning Sophia is also the Queen's wish. Please read."
Luna took the scroll and looked at it carefully, her face suddenly changed.
"Duke Philip has requested the Queen to transfer the power of pardon for the nobility..." she almost spat out the words through her teeth, "to Sophia Spencer voluntarily."
Everyone was stunned.
Isabel and Heinrich looked at each other, their eyes moving slightly.
There is an unwritten rule in the Principality of Ceylon that if a royal noble breaks the law, he can use the noble power of pardon, but only once.
Essentially, this privilege is to ensure that the royal family's power is not weakened by political struggles. Over the past century, the royal family has been in a stable state, so almost no one has used this power.
But today, Duke Philip actually used it to save Sophia from a distance.
Sophia seemed to have anticipated this. She smiled and glanced at Dr. Leonard, who was cowering in the corner. Dr. Leonard's trembling became even more violent when she met his gaze. "How could you charge me with such a serious crime just because two guards died and I wrote a few confessions?"
"It's only the first game, the outcome isn't decided yet." She straightened her back, looked at Isabel, and chuckled. "Audrey, what do you think?"
Isabel smiled. "I admire your confidence. But no matter how many rounds we play, I will make you lose again and again, just like today."
Sophia's smile gradually faded. "Really? Then I look forward to seeing you next time. Goodbye."
With that, she lifted her skirt and, under the protection of the Archbishop, walked out of the hall without looking around. The guards looked at each other in confusion, and finally followed her out.
With a complicated expression, Lorna conveyed the Queen's concern to Heinrich and left with the soldiers.
As the door closed, the tension in the hall suddenly dissipated.
This hurdle is finally passed.
Lady Violet staggered over, but stopped a step away from Heinrich, tears falling to the ground.
"Oh, my poor child..."
Before he finished speaking, Heinrich's body shook, a suppressed cough escaped from his throat, and the blood that had been suppressed for a long time gushed out -
Isabel quickly supported him, her palm touching the burning heat beneath his skin, and her heart suddenly sank, "Quick! Call a doctor!"
She had just opened her mouth when Heinrich suddenly grabbed her wrist with surprising force.
His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing was rapid, but his voice was soft: "Audrey..."
Isabel lowered her head, trying to hear his words, revealing the glaring marks on her neck.
Heinrich's pupils shrank sharply, and he used all his strength to push her away: "Stay away from me..."
"Puff!" He spat out another mouthful of dark red blood, completely lost consciousness, and fell into her arms.
-
There were painful roars coming from the bedroom, which continued throughout the day.
Isabel and Violet stayed outside the door, not daring to leave.
In the room, Heinrich was tied up with chains again, this time, it was his own request.
The doctor gave him medicine and he barely opened his eyes.
Through the crack in the door, I met those ice-blue eyes.
"Close the door..." Heinrich trembled in pain, "Don't let her see me..."
——Seeing me in such a mess.
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