Chapter 416

However, it was too late. Before the maid could leave, a woman entered, dressed in a begonia-red brocade dress with intricate floral patterns, over which she wore an exquisite fur cloak.

Carissa glanced at her and saw a woman with jet-black, lustrous hair and skin as fair as snow. Her features were so refined that not a single flaw could be detected. She wore an emerald hairpin with a four-leaf clover pattern in her hair, adorned with floral decorations, and red ruby earrings hung from her earlobes. Her waist was slender and graceful; her movements were charming and elegant, a blend of allure and cool detachment.

Abigail furrowed her brow upon seeing the woman. The insolent woman had left her room and was now offending their distinguished guest.

The woman, Ruby, entered the sitting room. She cast a dismissive glance around and then gave a slight curtsy. “I’ve heard that a distinguished guest has arrived at the estate, and I’m not permitted to enter the sitting room. I’ve come to pay my respects, so as not to be remiss in etiquette.”

Leona, who had remained silent until now, was visibly shaken by Ruby’s insolence. Ruby had completely disregarded her cousin, prompting Leona to tremble and scold, “What are you doing here? Leave!”

“Oh? So, it turns out the distinguished guest is someone to be ashamed of? Madam Leona, please don’t be angry. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of any distress that might affect your pregnancy,” Ruby replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“How dare you!” Abigail’s face turned ashen with fury. Still, she refrained from expressing her anger openly due to Carissa’s presence. “What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry and pay your respects to the princess consort!”

Ruby’s gaze shifted to Carissa and Violet before finally settling on Carissa. Her eyes widened slightly with surprise, clearly taken aback by Carissa’s beauty. Ruby wondered how she compared to her.

In a cool and indifferent tone, Ruby said, “With so many princess consorts in the capital, I’m not sure which one has arrived.”

After speaking, she gave a perfunctory curtsy in the face of the angry glares from the other women. “Regardless of who it is, I’ve paid my respects.”

Without even glancing at her, Violet addressed Abigail directly, “In the Spencer family, such unruly concubines would be taken out and given a sound thrashing. I wonder if your household upholds such strict discipline as well?”

Violet’s palms itched with anger, and she had to restrain herself from rushing out and slapping the insolent woman.

Carissa, though not much better off, had tempered her demeanor over the years and was much more composed. This was a matter for the Earl of Gracehold’s family. Since Abigail was turning a blind eye, Carissa wouldn’t stop Violet.

So, Carissa simply took a sip of her coffee, her expression calm and detached, not even glancing at Ruby. Seeing this, Abigail realized that Carissa was showing leniency out of consideration for the Earl of Gracehold’s family. Her expression darkened immediately.

“Take her away.”

Two maids stepped forward to drag Ruby out. Ruby glared at them coldly and spat, “How dare you touch me with your dirty hands?”

With a huff, she turned and headed outside. Her voice rang out sharply from the corridor, “Hah! What princess consort? Even someone like me, from a brothel, is purer than her.”

The anger in Violet’s eyes flared up, burning brightly. With a polite bow, she said, “Excuse me for a moment!”

She strode out and grabbed Ruby by the shoulder. “You old harpy, look over here!”

“What are you—*”

Four sharp slaps echoed through the air, followed by a kick, and Ruby’s screams filled the air. Violet yanked Ruby’s hair back and slapped her again. “You better remember my face! I’m Violet from the Spencer family. If I hear even one word against the Hell Monarch’s princess consort from you, I’ll hit you every time I hear it, and each time will be worse than the last.”

The faces of the women from the Earl of Gracehold’s family turned ashen. The scene was truly embarrassing. Not only were they furious with Ruby’s disgraceful behavior, but they were also irritated that outsiders were meddling in their internal affairs.

Leona trembled with anger, her once bright eyes now filled with tears and sorrow.

Carissa set down her cup and said, “Leona, let’s take a look around the estate.” Turning to Abigail, she inquired, “Do you mind if I have a look around?”

Abigail forced a smile, understanding that they wished to speak privately and thus dared not stop them. “Please go ahead, Lady Carissa. Leona, be a good host to the princess consort.”

Changes Made:

• Punctuation: Corrected numerous punctuation errors, particularly commas and hyphens. Added missing commas, removed unnecessary ones, and corrected hyphenation (e.g., "four-leaf").
• Grammar: Corrected minor grammatical errors such as subject-verb agreement and tense consistency.
• Sentence Structure: Improved sentence flow and structure for better readability. Broke up some long, rambling sentences.
• Word Choice: Minor word choice improvements for clarity and flow.
• Consistency: Ensured consistent capitalization and spelling (e.g., "Gracehold").
• Paragraphing: Improved paragraph breaks for better readability.

The revised passage is more grammatically correct, flows better, and is easier to read.