Chapter 3

Yvette and Helga both froze. Inside the carriage, Julia listened to the commotion with an unflinching expression. She knew this was coming.

When she had returned in her previous life, the gatekeeper had stopped her as well. Back then, she hadn't known that Rebecca had already stolen her identity as the eldest daughter of the Sewell family. She'd assumed the gatekeeper simply didn't recognize her and was deliberately making things difficult.

The argument had escalated until she laid hands on the servants. The noise eventually drew her parents out. Afraid of attracting the neighbors' attention, they had no choice but to let her inside.

Only later did Julia overhear them explaining to the neighbors that she was merely a poor distant relative who had come begging for help.

Despite returning to her own family, she had to sneak around like some disgraceful outsider.

This time, she would make them welcome her through those gates with the proper respect she deserved.

Meanwhile, Yvette cried out, "The eldest young lady has only just returned from the frontier. She even brought back the General's belongings! How could she have arrived this morning?"

Helga chimed in, "Whether it's really her or not, wouldn't the matter be settled if you simply asked the Duke and Duchess to come out and have a look?"

The gatekeeper glanced at Helga before eyeing the carriage behind them. Gillian had deliberately traveled incognito today. There was no insignia on the carriage, nor anything to suggest its owner's status.

"The Duke and the Duchess are busy people," the gatekeeper declared with an arrogant scoff. "Do you think they'll come out to see just anyone?"

"What insolence from a servant!" Helga said, her temper rising.

She had served beside Gillian for many years. Everywhere she went, people treated her with respect. Never had she encountered a mere servant bold enough to stand in her way like that.

Julia lifted the carriage curtain. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone outside.

"Father and Mother sent people to the frontier some time ago to bring me home, along with my brother's belongings. I became separated from the servants along the way, which delayed my return. If you don't believe me, you can check with the family steward."

But the gatekeeper didn't hesitate to fire back, "The eldest young lady of the Sewell family has always been raised at the country estate! The Duke and the Duchess never sent anyone to the frontier.

"Where did a fraud like you even come from? How dare you impersonate our young lady? Leave now, or I'll report you to the authorities."

Gillian quietly turned toward Julia. "Do you have anything that proves your identity?"

"No…" Julia replied, deliberately letting her face go pale. "After becoming separated from my attendants, I was left with almost nothing. Even my money is nearly gone."

She wasn't lying. She had spent ten years living as a man on the frontier. What proof of her identity could she possibly still have?

Gillian's eyes flickered with suspicion.

Just then, another voice sounded from behind the gatekeeper.

"What's with all this noise? Don't you know the Duke and the Duchess are entertaining an honored guest today?"

"You're finally here, Mrs. Potts! A young woman has shown up claiming to be the eldest young lady of the Sewell family."

Martha Potts stepped through the entrance. She wore a silver hairpin and walked with her feet turned outward. Her sharp, upturned brows made her look severe.

As the maid who had accompanied Francine into the Sewell family, she had risen over the years to become the head stewardess of the family. Her words carried a great deal of weight among the staff.

But the instant Julia drew back the curtain, Martha saw her, and her sharp brows twitched. She'd watched Julia grow from a baby to a young woman of 14, so there was no way she could fail to recognize her.

However, she hesitated for only the briefest moment before clearing her throat and declaring, "Another group of swindlers? Not long ago, someone came claiming she was carrying our young master's child, dragging around a fake pregnancy just to demand an official position in the family."

She lashed out at the gatekeeper. "The eldest young master has only just fallen in battle, and swindlers are lining up with fabricated identities to profit from our family's grief. Why haven't you driven them away already?"

Having been scolded, the gatekeeper glared at Yvette.

"This is the head stewardess who serves the Duchess personally. If she says that your mistress isn't the young lady, then she isn't! Now get lost, or don't blame us for what happens next!"

Those words immediately made Gillian purse her lips. The warmth vanished from her eyes as she looked at Julia.

"I've brought you this far, young lady. You'll have to settle the rest with the Sewell family yourself."

Her voice had turned cold as well.

Julia didn't hesitate. After rising to her feet, she bowed calmly.

"There must be some misunderstanding. Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me today. I will surely repay this kindness someday."

Gillian's expression remained icy and unmoved.

Cupping her aching knees, the fragile-looking Julia stepped down from the carriage. The sky was gloomy, but now that Julia was right in front of her, Martha got a clear view of Julia's face and surreptitiously dug her nails into her palms.

It really was Julia, and she hadn't died in battle. She'd truly returned!

Looking straight at Martha, Julia smiled faintly, her graceful features softening. "Martha, have you truly forgotten me? Go tell Father and Mother I've come home."

Martha turned her face away. "You're a fraud through and through. Men! Tie her up and hand her over to the authorities!"

Servants poured out of the compound.

In her previous life, this had been the moment Julia had fought the gatekeeper and the others, causing a tremendous disturbance. At the time, she'd believed that Martha simply hadn't recognized her because of her eyesight failing in her old age.

But now, she could tell that Martha had already received orders from Francine.

To keep a secure grip on their unimaginable wealth and status, the entire family had already prepared for this day. Even if Julia came home alive, they had never intended to let her live.

Turning her over to the authorities was merely a respectable excuse. If she allowed them to take her away, she knew death would be her only outcome.

But Julia didn't resist. Instead, she cried out in apparent shock. "What are you doing? Martha, it's me!"

Yvette threw herself in front of her. "Don't touch my mistress!"

Both women were simply shoved to the ground, their bundled-up belongings bursting open. A bloodstained set of men's clothing fell out, along with a crimson pennon that had once hung from a spear.

Seeing the way they were being manhandled, Helga was about to intervene when Gillian called out from inside the carriage, "Helga, it's time for us to leave."

Helga could only return to the carriage.

"Tie them up! Don't let them defile the entrance of Sewell Manor."

Martha's tone grew even more resolute, as though she held the power of life and death in her hands.

Gillian's carriage had yet to depart when the thunder of galloping hooves echoed through the narrow lane. An imposing man clad in armor charged forward on horseback, followed by four soldiers.

It looked like he had ridden for a long time without stopping, for the snow had coated his rusty red armor in white.

The instant he saw Julia pinned down by the servants, his eyes nearly bulged in fury. He leaped to the ground before his horse had even come to a full stop.

"You bastards! Let go of Ms. Sewell!"

His whip lashed through the air with the roar of a tiger. In an instant, the faces of several servants split open, blood spraying from torn flesh.

Helga hurriedly turned to Gillian. "Your Highness! That man is Paul Hiron, the Apex General's deputy!"