Chapter 4 Sophie is furious, strip her clothes for me
Cameron had two capable generals under his command.
Chris was one of them.
His reputation was known to everyone.
For the past ten years, Cameron had been guarding the border and never returned to Emerald City.
Every three years when military generals needed to return to Emerald City to report their duties, it was always Chris who went back on Cameron's behalf to meet with Doyle and report on the border situation.
Sophie naturally recognized him. Her eyes widened as she stared at Chris kneeling on one knee before Cressida.
He clasped his hands together: "Miss Hamilton, please forgive me. I failed in my duty to escort you, allowing you to return to Emerald City alone."
Cressida rubbed her wrist as Emma helped her up.
"It's fine. You had to manage the troops and prepare for Cameron's funeral. I didn't want to cause more trouble, so I left first."
Chris raised his head and made eye contact with Cressida.
He immediately glared sharply at Tatum: "General Hamilton cared most about Miss Hamilton when he was alive, yet you dared to wrong her!"
Chris was very tall and naturally imposing. Though only in his thirties, he was already a veteran who had killed countless enemies on the battlefield.
With one glare from him, Tatum knew he could no longer hide the truth and immediately knelt before Cressida.
Tatum slapped himself twice across the face, crying uncontrollably.
"Miss Hamilton, this old servant was truly blind, not even recognizing you. I'm old and truly deserve to die!"
Sophie, holding Juliet's hand, quickly got down from the carriage.
Seeing her, Chris immediately clasped his hands and bowed his head: "Greetings, Princess Russell!"
Hearing Chris's words, Tatum's face turned terribly pale, even more ashen than the snow.
It's over! It's over! Sophie is here too. Rose, what do we do?
Sophie walked quickly to Cressida: "You silly girl, the Hamilton family never sent anyone to escort you back, yet you refused to tell me the truth. Did you think I wouldn't help you?"
Cressida lowered her head, her voice still calm but filled with sorrow.
"My brother passed away. My parents are too grief-stricken to think clearly. Some oversights are unavoidable."
Chris added at the right moment: "Miss Hamilton and General Hamilton were fraternal twins. Miss Hamilton stayed at the border with General Hamilton for three or four years. The siblings were extremely close and had even agreed to return home together."
"I never expected that this time I would be bringing back my brother's belongings." As Cressida spoke, tears fell.
She held the blood-stained clothes in her arms, gripping the red tassel tightly in her hand.
Sophie felt even more heartbroken.
Thinking about how these Hamilton family servants had misled her, Sophie couldn't help but get angry.
"Someone, drag these damned servants aside and beat them hard! Don't do it here—don't dirty the path for General Hamilton's spirit to return home."
"Yes!" The guards took action, and wails echoed through the alley.
Before long, Patrick and Clio, along with their family, hurried over.
Standing beside them was Thalia, but Cressida's brother Michael was nowhere to be seen.
Cressida sneered coldly to herself.
Finally willing to come out?
The Hamilton family members all had decent looks and were dressed in fine clothes.
Especially Rose, who wore a peach-pink dress with a crimson cloak over it, and premium fox fur wrapped around her neck.
She was adorned like a bouquet of flowers, radiant as the moon.
Compared to the plain-faced, weathered Cressida, Rose looked more like the girl who had been pampered and adored by the Hamilton family.
At this moment, Rose was being held by Clio's hand, standing behind Patrick alongside her.
Rose's oval face showed eyes like water, her gaze turning toward Cressida.
Her eyes first looked Cressida up and down, then swept over her carelessly, allowing the perceptive Cressida to catch a hint of contempt.
In that instant, Rose must have been measuring her own status against Cressida's in her mind.
Rose knew that once Cressida returned from the border, she would have no advantage.
"Princess Russell, General Diaz," Patrick strode over, clasping his hands to greet Sophie. "The servants have already informed me of what happened. This is all a misunderstanding. Rose, come greet Princess Russell."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rose stepped forward with delicate steps.
Before she could speak, Sophie angrily demanded: "Who gave you permission to wear such colors?"
Juliet then said sternly: "King Russell ordered the entire realm to observe mourning for General Hamilton for three months, with the whole city in plain dress. How dare anyone dress up so elaborately!"
Rose's face suddenly turned extremely ugly, as if she'd been struck by a blow.
She quickly knelt on the ground.
"Princess Russell, please forgive me," Rose's voice was also soft, with a sobbing tone. "This young lady is sensitive to cold, so I only wore this at home, not daring to show off in public."
Sophie looked at her, her voice extremely cold.
"Sensitive to cold? Miss Hamilton knelt holding the relics, kowtowing with every step, traveling all the way from the distant border back to Emerald City to guide General Hamilton's spirit home."
"Her legs are frozen purple, her hands covered in frostbite! Yet you were enjoying warmth in the Hamilton Mansion. Tell me, are you worthy?"
Sophie had been holding back her anger.
These damned Hamilton family servants had nearly made her wrongly accuse Cressida. Now facing Patrick's family, she had an outlet for her fury.
Rose was already terrified, her lips trembling.
Seeing this, Clio quickly knelt down to plead: "Sophie, please calm down! This is all my fault. Mrs. Thompson visited our humble home today, and I wanted Rose to look presentable for the guest, so I had her wear new clothes. I beg Princess Russell's forgiveness!"
Thalia, who had been suddenly mentioned, secretly glanced at Clio.
Thalia stepped forward, smiling as if to ease the awkwardness: "Princess Russell, please calm down. I also came to offer condolences for General Hamilton."
Cressida looked at Clio, confusion rising in her phoenix eyes.
"Mother, who exactly is this Rose? Earlier the servants said there was already a Miss Hamilton in the mansion, and Tatum didn't recognize me either."
"If she is Miss Hamilton, then who am I?"
Sharp gazes fell on Clio all at once.
Thalia also showed a puzzled expression.
Earlier at the banquet, Clio had held Rose's hand and introduced her as her daughter.
Thalia had naturally assumed this was Cameron's only twin sister from the rumors.
That's why she had shown her favor, even giving her a bracelet she'd worn for thirty years.
Under so many stares, Clio felt she could barely breathe.
Especially Cressida's gaze—so sharp and bright, like a blade pointed directly at her!
Was this her daughter? Coming back just to humiliate her!
Clio's expression was hesitant. In front of Sophie and Chris, she couldn't deny Cressida's identity.
Finally, Clio's lips moved: "Rose has a pitiful background. She was abandoned by her parents as a child, so your father and I adopted her."
Cressida: "Why was this never mentioned in the family letters? My brother and I knew nothing about this."
Sophie's face was extremely cold.
"Just because she's not Cameron's real sister, she dresses so showily—truly heartless. Juliet, strip her clothes off."
Following orders, Juliet took action directly.
She stripped off the crimson outer robe, then tore off the pink dress.
Chris and his soldiers turned their backs to avoid the scene.
Rose screamed repeatedly, as if being tortured.
"Mother, Mother!" she cried out.
Even though Clio wanted to protect her, Patrick held her back.
With Sophie present, they couldn't act rashly.
Clio cried desperately, calling out over and over: "My Rose..."
Clio cried so miserably. Cressida couldn't help but remember that in her past life, when Clio had Michael break her fingers, she hadn't shed such tears.
Does it hurt already?
But Clio, this is just the beginning.
Patrick looked at Cressida: "Cressida, why don't you plead for her? Rose is your sister, after all."