Matthew’s face darkened with a murderous glare as he closed in menacingly. Anyone who dared harm Willow would pay dearly.

Macy frantically waved her hands, only able to make muffled, inarticulate sounds, which made Matthew frown. Then he saw that Macy’s tongue was gone.

“Where’s your tongue?” Matthew’s voice trembled as a chill ran down his spine.

He thought, ‘Even if Macy had been sold by those traffickers, with her looks, at worst she’d have ended up as someone’s concubine, or maybe forced into a brothel. How could she have ended up like this–her tongue cut out, reduced to such a miserable state?‘

On top of that, Matthew noticed the scars on Macy’s wrists. It was clear she had been abused. Matthew stared at Macy in utter bewilderment, his mind racing with unanswered questions. Macy sat on the ground, making desperate, muffled sounds but unable to utter a single word.

Matthew rubbed his temples in frustration, then pointed sharply at the maid attending her and barked, “You speak.”

The maid trembled all over but managed to stammer, “Sir, please calm down. Macy was rescued from a brothel. She was already like this when she first arrived there.”

Suddenly, it felt as if a thunderclap exploded right above Matthew’s head. His mind went blank for an instant. Then, a surge of fury welled up inside him. “What absolute rubbish,” Matthew spat.

The duke’s estate was a family of scholars and nobility who would never condone such cruel, torturous behavior. Only illiterate brutes would be capable of such brutality. Matthew refused to believe his family could be capable of such cruelty.

“No, I swear every word is true.” The terrified maid shook her head repeatedly, her forehead knocking against the floor in desperation.

Matthew whipped around to face Macy, teeth clenched. “Is what she said true?” he demanded.

Tears streamed down Macy’s face as she gave a faint nod. With trembling fingers, she scribbled a few words on the ground “Lady Willow did.” Those words said it all.

Matthew’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in utter shock. He staggered back two steps, muttering to himself, “I can’t believe it. Willow wouldn’t even step on an ant. How could she possibly do something so cruel?”

But Macy was right there before my eyes–she was living proof. He couldn’t deny it.

Macy pounded her chest, her voice slurred and desperate as she stammered, “H–hurt me.”

Matthew couldn’t help but recall what Athena had said. “Don’t be so naive that you end up being used as a pawn,” Athena had warned. “And what did you really get out of standing up for her?”

Back then, Matthew thought she was just being bitter and harsh. But now, thinking it over, he had to admit that her words carried an unsettling kind of sense.

‘But Willow has always been so kind. How could she do this?‘ he wondered.

Matthew racked his brain for a long time, but still couldn’t make sense of it. The shock was simply too much for Matthew to handle. Matthew grabbed Macy roughly by the collar, his face dark with fury. “Come with me. You’re going to confront Willow face to face.”

Macy shook her head frantically, terror in her eyes. Matthew barked, “Take her away.” Without hesitation, two attendants stepped forward and dragged her off by force.

The maids and older female servants in the courtyard were at a complete loss, frozen in shock. When they finally snapped out of it, they rushed off to report the incident to the Mcgee family.

Matthew stormed back to the estate, dragging Macy straight to Willow’s quarters. He marched in and threw Macy to the ground.

The violent commotion instantly silenced everyone inside, too frightened to speak. Willow looked at Macy in shock, her voice trembling as she stammered, “M–Matthew, why did you bring her here?”

“Willow, tell me the truth. Did you have anything to do with what happened to Macy?”

“Matthew?” Willow gasped, her eyes welling with tears. “How could you think that of me?”

Seeing the situation escalate, Nona immediately ushered all the servants out of the courtyard. ‘If word of this spreads, how could others think of Lady Willow?‘ she thought anxiously.

Just as the two were at a standoff, Eloise arrived with her entourage. As if clinging to her last hope, Willow threw herself into Eloise’s arms, sobbing, “Mother, I–I-” Before she could finish, she was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. Her sobs were mixed with violent coughing fits, making Eloise’s heart ache with worry.

Eloise helped Willow sit down, then turned to Matthew with a stern look. “What’s with this storming in? Have you lost your mind? With so many eyes watching these days, you just bring someone into Willow’s courtyard? Who is she, anyway, that you’d stand up for her like this?”

While scolding Matthew, Eloise glanced down at Macy lying on the ground. Eloise looked at her twice, thinking the girl seemed familiar. But for a moment, she couldn’t recall who this was.

It was Dorothea who reminded Eloise, “Lady Eloise, she’s Macy, the maid who used to serve Lady Athena.”

“Macy?” Eloise repeated the name softly to herself, and gradually, the image of an oval-faced maid surfaced in her mind. Eloise gasped sharply as the memory returned. But the woman before her looked so different from the Macy she remembered.

Eloise stepped forward cautiously, studied her closely, and asked, “Are you Macy?” Tears streamed down Macy’s face as she nodded.

“Lady Eloise is speaking to you. Why aren’t you answering?” Dorothea snapped, and Macy opened her mouth, showing Eloise the empty space where her tongue should have been.

At the sight, Eloise staggered back, her face draining of color. “Her tongue? What happened to her tongue?”

Eloise knew Macy had been sold off. Seeing the look on Eloise’s face, Matthew realized she truly had no idea.

His voice softened slightly as he said, “Mother, you don’t know. After Macy was sold, they cut out her tongue and severed her wrist and ankle tendons too.”

Eloise’s face turned pale as she clutched her chest, feeling a tightness inside. “H–How could this be? Even if she was sold off, she should have only ended up in some labor camp. Who could be so cruel as to reduce her to this state?”

After all, she was a former maid of their household. Even if Macy had made mistakes, Eloise couldn’t bear to see her end up in such a wretched state.

Seeing that Eloise was genuinely unaware, Matthew turned to Willow. “Willow, you still haven’t answered my question.”

Eloise gasped sharply in shock, staring at him. “Matthew, have you lost your mind? Why would you even question Willow about this? What could this possibly have to do with her?”

Matthew remained silent, his gaze locked on Willow.

In the past, all Willow had to do was cry, and everything would be swept under the rug. But now, Matthew turned a blind eye to her tears. He wanted only one thing: the truth. He needed to be sure Willow wasn’t using him, that she truly saw him as her brother, as family.

Willow saw there was no way out and simply said, “Matthew, I’m just as shocked as you are. I knew nothing about any of this. After the human traffickers took them away, I never imagined things would turn out like this. If I’m at fault at all, it’s for misjudging people, and I’m willing to take responsibility.”

Her eyes were red as she wept pitifully, tears streaming down her face. Her words sounded so heartfelt, it was hard to believe she was faking it.

Macy shook her head desperately, consumed by hatred for her own silence. She hated even more that she couldn’t expose the truth. She pounded her chest in despair, and her voice barely escaping in broken sobs, she cried, “N–no, it’s not-”

Yet, tragically, Macy’s suffering went completely ignored. All eyes were on Willow; everyone chose to believe her.

Eloise pulled Willow into an embrace, shooting Matthew a disapproving look. “Macy’s misfortune is her own doing. How can you blame Willow for that? Those traffickers are capable of anything.”

“Macy must have been disobedient; that’s why they treated her so harshly.” With that, she heaved a heavy sigh. “After all, she did serve Athena for a time. The family has a countryside manor. Let Macy stay there to be looked after.”

Willow looked gratefully at Eloise, “Mother, I’d like to give Macy a monthly allowance from my money.”

“My girl, you’re always so kind-hearted,” Eloise said with deep approval.

A chill ran through Macy’s entire body. ‘If I’m sent to the countryside manor, won’t I just fall back into Willow’s clutches?‘ she thought, terrified.

In a panic, she shook her head wildly, her mangled cries tearing from her throat. “No, don’t,” she choked out. Desperate, she even tried crawling away on all fours.

Horrified by Macy’s frenzied state, Eloise clutched Willow protectively. Panic-stricken, she cried out, “She’s gone mad. Quick, take her away.”