When fate plays its hand (Miranda)

Chapter 960 +25 BONUS Once Carissa arrived at Silverstone Estate, she quickly briefed Zoey on the situation.

Zoey immediately said, "This involves General Sullivan, so not a moment can be wasted. I'll go immediately." Since Barrett had been taken to the Ministry of Justice, Viola had been on edge. She had even returned to her family for help, hoping they could pull sstrings on Barrett's behalf. However, Zoey outright refused.

"This is a matter between kingdoms," Zoey had said. "What could a woman likepossibly do to change anything?" Still, Zoey had made inquiries. She learned that while Barrett was detained at the Ministry of Justice, he was being given special treatment and hadn't suffered any undue hardship.

Zoey shared this information with Viola, but it did little to calm her. She complained incessantly, saying she had worked so hard to see Barrett appointed as commander of the Nightsteel Guard, only for him to end up in prison because of Aurora. She even blamed Natalie for arranging the marriage and Evelyn for agreeing to it.

Zoey had scolded Viola for her complaints, urging her to show more resilience and take responsibility for her choices.

Faced with Zoey's rare display of anger, Viola hadn't dared to argue further and returned to Valor Estate. Once home, she refused to handle any household affairs and left everything to her father-in-law, Jonathan. Word got out, and it beca source of ridicule for stime.

When Zoey arrived at Valor Estate, her first request was for Viola to bring her all the servant contracts. Viola frowned and asked why, but Zoey simply replied, "I'm looking for a way to help Barrett,' Viola pressed for more details, but Zoey, looking visibly anxious, brushed her off. "I'll explain later. Just do what I said. Now." Left with no choice, Viola retrieved the contracts and handed them over before retreating to her room.

Zoey pored over the documents and then summoned the steward to question him about the origins of the household staff, focusing particularly on those who served Aurora. After gathering sinitial information, she turned her attention to the gatekeeper and interrogated him about any comings and goings.

She reasoned that whatever was going on likely happened in the past few months, from the tWesthaven's envoys arrived until now. Investigating this window of twould yield +25 BONUS Chapter 960 the most accurate results. If nothing cto light, she would consider earlier periods.

The gatekeeper kept records of entries and exits, though his diligence was inconsistent. Sentries were missing, but overall, there was a decent log.

After reviewing the logs, Zoey found no significant irregularities. The maids and attendants from the inner household rarely left the estate, except for errands like shopping. As for the male servants, Aurora hadn't employed any in her courtyard for stime.

The steward confirmed this. Ever since Aurora survived an assassination attempt, she had forbidden male servants from entering Blessed Haven. Even when heavy items needed to be moved, she insisted on supervising them personally.

Aurora had strict reasons for her precautions she was genuinely afraid that a strong male servant might smuggle in a weapon and take advantage of a moment of inattention to harm her. Her measures were extreme, but they reflected a deeply ingrained sense of vigilance.

With this in mind, Zoey ruled out the male servants entirely. If no men were allowed in Blessed Haven, any communication had to rely on the maids. This added an extra layer of risk-each additional person involved increased the chance of information leaking. With things done in such a thorough manner, it meant any information wouldn't pass through too many intermediaries.

After questioning the steward, Zoey moved on to interview other household staff, excluding those who worked directly in Blessed Haven. She asked whether anyone had seen the maids or attendants from Blessed Haven leave the estate alone, when they had gone out, and if anyone had noticed them meeting with anyone in particular.

The staff recounted various details from the past few months. Most of it was mundane or irrelevant, but Zoey listened carefully with remarkable patience.

To find anything substantial in a short time, she knew she had to sift through the mountain of trivial anecdotes for one loose thread-something she could pull to unravel the bigger picture.

By nightfall, her persistence paid off.

One of the servants, Jill, recalled an incident on the day Rebecca passed away. The steward -had taken a group of staff out to purchase supplies for the funeral. During this errand, a maid from Blessed Haven, Leila, had been seen sharing coffee with a woman she referred to as a good friend from the shometown.

Jill had stopped by to greet them, and remembered receiving a small cake from Leila during the encounter. At first glance, it seemed innocent enough. It wasn't unusual for people from the shometown to catch up over coffee. Even Zoey's maids often took similar breaks during errands. +25 BONUS Chapter 960 However, given the timing, the incident stood out.

Rebecca had just passed away, and Leila-a maid from Aurora's trusted circle-had been called out for coffee. Furthermore, during the funeral itself, Aurora, who typically avoided large gatherings, had attended in person to observe mourning rites. While standing vigil, Aurora had exchanged a few words privately with a visitor who cto pay respects named Paige, or better known as Mrs. Lester. As it happened, Paige's maid was the very sfriend who had shared coffee with Leila that day.

Zoey immediately recognized the connection. The Lester family was a merchant household in the capital that happened to be related to Henry's late concubine, Melanie Lester. Zoey had previously looked into the Lester family because of Celeste's trip to the Southern Frontier. Without hesitation, Zoey ordered Leila to be detained and brought before her for questioning. She dismissed everyone except Jane, insisting on conducting the interrogation alone.