Has the heart to twist the knife!

He continued, “All this—for a man? You’d throw away your own flesh and blood? Say things like that just to push Mother over the edge? You know how much she loves Willow, and you still drove her away like that? You’re heartless—utterly ungrateful.”

But Athena suddenly raised her voice, cutting him off coldly. “The reason you’re so worked up, Lord Nicolas, is because you’re afraid—afraid that if something happens to Willow, you won’t be able to explain it to the Osborne family.

“If her reputation takes a hit, that marriage alliance falls apart. So why pretend it’s about anything else?

“She ran away just to string you along, and you all fell for it. Built her a stage to play her part, and you’ll be stuck in the show she’s written. You’ll regret it—and I’ll be there to watch.”

The mockery in Athena’s eyes hit Nicolas like a slap. He froze, as if someone had ripped the curtain down and left him exposed in broad daylight.

“You’re completely out of line,” he snapped. “Beg in the courtyard. And you’d better pray Willow’s safe—because if anything happens to her, I swear you’ll go down with her.”

Athena looked at Nicolas with icy disdain. “Willow ran off chasing after Lord Osborne. Instead of asking him what happened, you come after me like I’m the problem. What—do I look that easy to bully?”

She let out a scornful laugh. “So this is Lord Nicolas to the duke’s estate? What a joke. The once-mighty duke’s estate—it’s practically falling apart.”

The contempt in her eyes hit Nicolas like a blade to the chest.

But what cut even deeper was her attitude—how completely she had shut everyone out. She no longer saw Eloise as her mother, treated everyone around her like enemies.

Even he, her own brother, meant nothing to her. And now she was openly cursing the downfall of the family. Nicolas thought, ‘How has she become so cold, so completely heartless?’

Smack! The sharp crack of the slap rang out in the courtyard. Athena’s head whipped to the side.

It wasn’t until after his hand had landed that Nicolas realized what he’d done. His hand was trembling—and so was his heart.

The sister he had once adored, the one he’d never allowed anyone to touch—he didn’t know how he had ended up striking her himself.

Sharp pain stabbed at his chest, but when he looked into her eyes—cold, detached, unreachable—whatever words he wanted to say died on his lips.

He thought, ‘No—I didn’t do anything wrong. Athena has turned defiant, bitter. As her older brother, it is my duty to discipline her. Isn’t it?’

Athena didn’t move. She stood there for a long moment, frozen, as if the blow had bent her like a sapling caught in the wind—frail, trembling, close to breaking.

Eloise finally snapped out of it and rushed over. “Athena, are you alright?”

She reached out to check Athena’s injuries, but Athena flinched away before she could touch her.

A bright red handprint burned on her cheek, and a thin trickle of blood stained the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes, which had once brimmed with pain and resentment, now stared at Eloise with eerie calm. “No need for your concern, Lady Eloise. It’s better if you keep your distance. Who knows—if I say the wrong thing again, maybe I’ll earn another slap.”

There was no rage. No tears. Just a quiet, unsettling calm that made Eloise’s heart sink. It felt like Athena was drifting farther and farther away.

Seeing this only made Nicolas angrier. “Beg. No one is allowed to speak for her.”

His voice was cold and commanding, leaving no room for argument.

As the heir to the family, he had been raised to lead. Most affairs in the household had long since fallen under his control—and when he gave orders, no one dared disobey.

Eloise opened her mouth to plead for Athena, but Nicolas shut her down with a sharp rebuke. “Mother, don’t waste your sympathy. She needs to be taught a lesson. She’s completely out of control—even dares to talk back to you now.”

Athena’s defiance had hardened something in him. He thought if they didn’t discipline her now, she’d tear the family apart.

Perhaps weighing her options, Eloise said nothing more. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as she looked at Athena. But instead of stepping in, she started to gently urge her.

“Athena… just give in, alright? Why make your brother this angry?” She had, in the end, accepted Nicolas’s punishment of her.

A cold, mocking smile played on Athena’s lips. Whatever sliver of hope she’d been clinging to vanished completely.

Chin raised, she stared Nicolas down, her voice firm and defiant. “I did nothing wrong. I won’t beg.”

Lightning split across the sky, casting her face in a harsh, pale light.

There was something chilling in her gaze that made Nicolas’s heart skip. He wondered, ‘Is this really my sister—the bright, lively girl who used to laugh without a care? How have just three years turned her into someone so cold, so unrecognizable?’

The look in her eyes erased whatever flicker of guilt he might’ve had.

His voice dropped, steely with authority. “Someone, make her bow.”

Siena and Aliza lowered their heads, avoiding his eyes. Neither dared move.

Nicolas’s tone turned righteous and severe. “If we don’t discipline her now, she’ll cause real disgrace down the line. Today, I’ll act in Father’s place and set her straight.”

And just like that, the fear she’d buried for years came crashing back.

It was raining then too—three years ago. A night just like this.

She’d been alone then, broken and helpless, screaming for Eloise, crying out for Nicolas. But no one came. The heavens stayed silent. The earth gave no answer.

And now, the very people she had once begged for… stood here before her. But they weren’t saving her—they were the ones forcing her to relive that nightmare. How cruel. How absurd.

Nicolas hadn’t expected her to be this stubborn. She didn’t cry. Didn’t beg. Not a single word of apology.

Her icy stare cut right through him, so sharp it made him instinctively want to look away.

Then she spoke, voice calm and steady, “One day, you’ll regret this.”

Nicolas thought, ‘Regret? What is there to regret?’

Maybe it was the way she looked at him—with quiet scorn. Maybe it was her defiance, so steady it rattled him. Either way, Nicolas felt his pride bristle. He needed to prove he was right.

“Bow,” he snapped.

An older maid stepped forward, bowing slightly toward Athena. “Forgive me, Lady Athena.”

She reached out to press down on Athena’s shoulders, but Athena held firm—unmoving.

As she caught a warning glare from Nicolas, the maid’s hesitation vanished. Gritting her teeth, she kicked hard at the back of Athena.

In the pouring rain, Athena bowed.

No cries. No pleading. Just silence.

Athena bowed, just as Nicolas had ordered. She looked up at his righteous, untouchable face and said, voice like steel wrapped in silk, “You truly live up to your role at the Justice Ministry, Lord Nicolas.

“You know how to force a confession. But tell me—sitting in that seat of power, are you certain every case you’ve judged was free of injustice?”

Her words cut deep—every syllable sharp and deliberate, aimed straight at his heart. His chest rose and fell with barely contained fury.

He thought, ‘She is the one in the wrong, and yet she has the nerve to act like we are to blame. We’ve coddled her too much.

The more he thought about it, the colder his expression became.

No shame, no remorse. Just stubbornness. We have only