Perhaps due to her immense resentment, her lingering consciousness remained in her physical body. Even after two whole months of death, her body did not decay, emitting a faint scent of pine wood.
Many believed this was a sign that although Yesenia’s body was destroyed, she had transcended into a deity, and a special method was used to preserve her remains.
Subsequently, the Miller family, the rulers of Jostrana’s eight prominent households, took measures to protect Yesenia’s body, allowing it to survive until today.
Regrettably, thirty years ago, the faint fragrance vanished suddenly from her body, and Yesenia’s once beautiful and enchanting face withered in an instant, turning into the charred appearance it bore now.
Every time Yesenia manifested herself, a cascade of petals would fall from the flower wreath on her head, symbolizing her approval of the family’s succession and the continued transmission of the ancestral rites.
As the foremost family among the eight noble families of the Miller family, selecting a new family head and conducting ancestral rituals naturally required a grand ceremony.
Not only were representatives from the seven other families in attendances, but even His Majesty the Emperor himself and the Empress personally graced the occasion.
The person accompanying Rohan in receiving the Emperor and Empress was not his legal wife, nor any of his other wives, but a young and beautiful Chulae woman.
She donned a deep blue butterfly and floral patterned robe with wide sleeves, styled her hair in an elaborate updo adorned with four purple sandalwood carved hairpins arranged in a fan shape.
The tassels of pink peony octagonal flowers hung from her temples, touching her shoulders, and an aquamarine gemstone ornament in the shape of a teardrop adorned her forehead.
As soon as she made her entrance, many eyes were drawn to her.
While this woman seemed familiar to everyone, they couldn’t recall where they had seen her before.
A middle-aged man in a black suit with a bald head approached while holding a glass of red wine, his gaze never leaving the woman’s graceful figure.
“Rohan, this beauty by your side is truly eye-catching. You’re quite fortunate,” he remarked.
Rohan embraced the woman’s waist with one hand and engaged in a casual conversation with the middle-aged man. Then, he gently pushed the woman forward, introducing her in a low voice:
“This is Miss Sophie Todd. She has a name in Jostrana that you’re surely familiar with – Linda Gilbert.”
“What!”
“She’s the renowned Oiran Linda?”
Sophie smiled mischievously. “I remember Mr. Wright gave me a box of primo cigars when we first met.”
Only she and Mr. Wright knew about this incident.
Hearing her mention it, Mr. Wright immediately looked guiltily at Rohan; since his expression was unchanged, he must still be unaware of the past affair between Linda and him.
No, after he and Linda parted ways at the hotel, his company’s performance suddenly declined, losing half of its market share in Shario.
At the time, he thought his company had been hacked, but now he realized that this woman clearly had taken his secrets from the USB drive.
Mr. Wright’s anger and reluctance to confront her surged within him, partly out of fear that Rohan would hold him accountable.
Meanwhile, this matter was too embarrassing, considering that the Wright family was one of the eight major financial conglomerates. If it got out, it would be a great loss of face.
Sophie, being astute, had already seen that the man wouldn’t dare to show his anger in public; he could only swallow his grievances. With a subtle hint of mockery in her sincere smile, she offered him a toast, “Mr. Wright, I raise a glass to you.”
“Well, thank you, Miss Todd!” It was true that the more beautiful a woman was, the more deceptive she could be.
Rohan treated her as a companion, introducing her to the prominent figures of Truphis in both the business and political spheres. While the two laughed brightly, the three young masters of the Miller family stood by with cold eyes, arms crossed, observing the scene.
Their father was naturally licentious, having married several times and fathered children with different women. In terms of legitimacy, only the eldest brother was born from the legitimate wife; the rest could only be considered illegitimate children.
In this situation, their father should have his wife as his companion. How could their father let a shady mistress be with him?
“Forget it, Abram. Let’s just sit and watch quietly. As long as we don’t starve, what difference does it make who is the head of the household?”
“Elias, I’m not you. I can’t stand it. I’d rather go to the bar and sing,” he said, and with that, the man in a white suit with long strides headed towards the door, ignoring the attempts of his brothers to stop him.
Not long after Abram left, Elias also prepared to leave, “I… I’m leaving too. I really can’t bear to watch anymore. Elias, aren’t you coming? Let’s go to Marcel’s temple to roast fish.”
Elias nodded coldly, his gaze glancing lightly at the figure in white slowly approaching the entrance, a faint mocking smile appearing on his meticulously sculpted face. “Leave? I’m not leaving. I want to stay and see how Charlotte becomes the head of the household. Is she even worthy?”
In terms of capability, the eldest brother was the most outstanding; in terms of talent, Darren excelled. Charlotte was just a thief who secretly learned the dark arts from the elders, which led to her current achievements. Just wait and see, during the ritual, he didn’t believe the ancestor wouldn’t see through her hypocrisy.
Elias really didn’t understand what the Elias was doing. Wasn’t it masochistic? His lips twitched slightly, “Okay, then I’ll go by myself.”
“She’s here, she’s here! Miss Charlotte is here. Is the robe she’s wearing the royal decree dress of the Crown Princess? It’s really beautiful…”
“Tsk tsk, it looks like the royal family has indeed decided to make Charlotte the Crown Princess.”
“The Miller family is about to become the head of the eight major families, tsk tsk.”
The guests below the stage were whispering and looking admiringly and enviously at the slowly approaching figure.
Dressed in a pure silk robe with intricate golden embroidery of white chrysanthemums, her long hair tied up in an elaborate coiffure with a red ribbon, and walking in heavy wooden clogs twenty centimeters high, she was accompanied by seven or eight equally graceful and charming girls, creating an impressive sight.