Chapter 4

The Apex General had two fearsome deputy generals serving under him, and Paul was one of them. His name was well-known throughout Danveria.

For the past ten years, the Apex General guarded the frontier without ever returning to Ashbourne. Paul was the one who came back every three years when military commanders were required to report in person. He would appear before Arthur to report on the state of the border, so naturally Gillian recognized him as well.

Her eyes widened in astonishment as she watched Paul drop to one knee before Julia and bow his head. "Please forgive me, Ms. Sewell. I have failed in my duty and allowed you to return to the capital alone."

Julia rubbed her wrists while Yvette helped her back onto her feet.

"It's fine. You had troops to command and my brother's funeral arrangements to oversee. I didn't want to burden you any further, so I left first."

Paul looked up, meeting her eyes for the briefest instant. Then he turned to glare at Martha.

"When he was alive, the General cherished Ms. Sewell above all else! How dare you allow her to suffer such humiliation!"

Paul was a towering man with a broad and imposing figure. Though only in his 30s, he was already a battle-hardened veteran who had slain countless enemies.

The moment he glared at her, Martha knew she could no longer hide the truth. She immediately dropped to her knees before Julia and slapped herself twice across the face before bursting into loud sobs.

"I was blind, miss! I failed to recognize you! I'm old and useless—I deserve to die!"

Supported by Helga, Gillian quickly stepped down from her carriage.

The instant Paul saw her, he hurriedly bowed.

"Princess Gillian! Greetings, Your Highness!"

The moment Martha heard the words "Princess Gillian", the color drained from her face until she was paler than the surrounding snow.

Things were screwed now. If Gillian was here, what was going to happen to Rebecca?

Gillian walked right up to Julia. "You foolish girl. The Sewell family never sent anyone to escort you home, yet you refused to tell me the truth. Did you think I wouldn't help you?"

Julia lowered her head. Her voice remained calm, tinged with quiet grief. "My elder brother has passed away. Father and Mother are overwhelmed with sorrow. It's only natural that they overlooked some things."

Paul spoke up then. "Ms. Sewell and the General were twins. She stayed at the frontier with him for about four years. The siblings were extremely close and had promised to return home together one day."

"I never imagined... that I would be the one bringing my brother's belongings home instead," Julia said as her tears started to fall.

She cradled "his" bloodstained clothing against her chest, clutching the pennon as well.

Gillian's heart ached all the more. Remembering how the Sewell family's servants had deliberately misled her, she became livid.

"Guards! Drag these insolent servants aside and flog them thoroughly, but not here. Don't sully the road that carries the Apex General's spirit home."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The guards moved forward immediately. Before long, agonized screams echoed through the alley. Not long afterward, Julia's parents hurried over with the rest of the family. Standing beside them was Diane Wentworth, the Marchioness of Cavenlea. Only Marvin was absent.

Julia sneered inwardly.

So they'd finally decided to come out?

The entire family was blessed with attractive features. They were also dressed in splendid furs and luxurious winter robes.

Rebecca, in particular, was wearing a pink vest beneath a scarlet cloak trimmed with the finest fox fur. She looked like spring blossoms in full bloom, as radiant as the moon itself.

Compared to the plainly dressed Julia, who was worn from the journey, Rebecca did look more like the cherished eldest young lady of the Sewell family.

Francine held Rebecca's hand as they stood together behind Ezekiel, the newly titled Duke of Winmere. Rebecca's face was delicate, and her eyes shimmered like rippling water.

She glanced at Julia and scrutinized her from top to bottom before withdrawing her gaze indifferently, but Julia was perceptive enough to catch the contempt in her eyes.

In that single moment, Rebecca had already assessed their respective situations. She knew that once Julia returned from the frontier, Julia would be at a complete disadvantage.

"Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, Deputy General Hiron." Ezekiel strode forward and bowed respectfully. "The servants have already informed us of what happened. It's all just a misunderstanding. Rebecca, come greet Her Highness, the Princess Royal."

No sooner had he spoken than Rebecca stepped forward gracefully. But before she could even speak, Gillian's voice rang out sharply.

"Who permitted you to wear such colors?"

Helga immediately piped up, "His Majesty the King ordered the entire country to observe three months of mourning for the Apex General. The whole capital is draped in white mourning banners. How dare anyone dress in such bright, festive colors?"

Rebecca's face turned deathly pale, looking like she'd been struck in the head. She hurriedly fell to her knees.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness." Her voice was soft and trembling. "I'm sensitive to the cold. I only wore these clothes inside the house. I never intended to show myself in public."

Gillian regarded her with a frosty gaze. "Sensitive to the cold? The eldest young lady here carried her brother's belongings, kneeling and bowing with every step all the way from the distant frontier to guide the Apex General's spirit home.

"Her legs have gone blue from the cold, and her hands are covered in frostbite. And this whole time, you were busy enjoying the warmth of the manor. How dare you?"

Gillian had been suppressing her anger for quite some time. The Sewell family's deceitful servants had nearly caused her to wrong Julia. Now that the Sewells had shown up, she finally had an outlet to vent her fury.

Rebecca was thoroughly terrified. Her lips quivered uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Francine immediately knelt to plead, "Please calm down, Your Highness! This is entirely my fault. The Marchioness of Cavenlea honored our humble home with her visit today. I wanted Rebecca to receive our guest properly, so I had her put on her new clothes. Please forgive her."

Abruptly finding herself dragged into the matter, Diane shot Francine a subtle glance before stepping forward with an awkward smile.

"Please calm down, Your Highness. I also came today to pay my respects to the Apex General."

Julia looked toward Francine, her eyes slowly clouded in confusion.

"Mother… who is Rebecca? The servants told me that the eldest young lady of the Sewell family had already returned home, and even Martha no longer recognizes me. If she's the eldest young lady, then who am I?"

All eyes fell on Francine. Even Diane looked puzzled.

Earlier at the banquet, Francine had proudly held Rebecca's hand while introducing her as her daughter. Naturally, Diane had assumed she was the Apex General's twin sister.

Therefore, she'd shown Rebecca exceptional favor, even gifting her the prayer beads she'd worn for 30 years.

With so many pairs of scrutinizing eyes on her, Francine suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Julia's sharp, bright gaze looked all the more like a blade pointed directly at her. How could this be her daughter? Why was Julia causing her such humiliation the moment she returned?

Francine hesitated. With Gillian and Paul standing there, she couldn't deny Julia's identity.

Finally, her lips moved. "Rebecca has a pitiful background. She was abandoned by her birth parents as a child, so your father and I adopted her."

Julia asked quietly, "Why was this never mentioned in your letters? Neither my brother nor I knew anything about it."

Gillian's expression grew even colder. "So it's because she isn't the Apex General's sister at all that she's dressed herself this extravagantly. How heartless. Helga. Strip those clothes off her."

Helga heard the order and immediately stepped forward. She tore away the scarlet cloak and ripped off the pink vest beneath it.

Paul and the soldiers turned their backs at once out of respect for a young woman's modesty. Rebecca shrieked again and again, as though she were being subjected to torture.

"Mother! Mother!" she cried.

Even though Francine desperately wanted to shield her, Ezekiel grabbed her arm and held her back. They couldn't afford to overstep, not when Gillian was right there.

Francine burst into tears, sobbing, "Rebecca… my beloved Becca…"

She cried with such heartbreaking anguish that Julia couldn't help recalling the lack of similar sorrow from Francine when she ordered Marvin to break every one of Julia's fingers in her previous life.

So this was enough to make her heart ache? But this was just the beginning.

Ezekiel turned to Julia. "Julia! Why aren't you pleading for mercy on her behalf? Despite everything, Rebecca is still your sister."