Chapter 152
Henry looked terrified. Just as he was about to explain himself, Thanatus impatiently cut him off. “Mr. Monson, I shall report today’s events to the Emperor in full detail. You’d best watch your step.”
With an ingratiating smile, Thanatus bowed to Xander. “Your Highness, I shall take my leave.”
Xander’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Much obliged, Thanatus.”
“I wouldn’t dare presume, Your Highness.” With two respectful steps back, Thanatus withdrew with his full retinue.
Xander looked at Athena, battered and in such a sorry state, a flicker of sympathy crossing his eyes. “Can you still walk?”
Athena’s foot was covered in blood, and wounds were everywhere. The embedded debris had to be removed and the wounds bandaged at once. Every extra moment was pure agony.
Athena gave a weak but determined nod, her face pale. “I can manage.”
“You don’t have to push yourself,” Xander said, and before Athena could react, he stepped forward and swept her up into his arms in one fluid motion.
Athena’s face registered sheer panic as she struggled to break free, only to hear Xander’s commanding voice right by her ear. “Don’t move.”
Athena looked terrified, her eyes wide with panic and helplessness. “Xander, I can walk on my own.”
Xander felt a pang watching her flustered expression. “Are you trying to lose your feet?” he chided gently.
He thought, ‘As a doctor, shouldn’t she know how serious this injury is? And yet she still insists on walking by herself. Honestly, how foolish can she be?’
Xander held her firmly in his arms, refusing to let go.
His actions made Ferris’s eyes burn with jealousy.
“Atheny.” Ferris blocked Xander’s path, summoning his courage. He said firmly, “Your Highness, please wait. Atheny is my fiancée, let me handle this.”
Though Ferris couldn’t figure out why Xander was going out of his way to help Athena, his instincts as a man told him Xander was being far too attentive to her.
Ferris thought, ‘There’s no way he doesn’t have feelings for her. I’d never believe otherwise.’
Xander fixed Ferris with a frosty stare. “Ferris,” he said icily, “you’re absolutely useless.”
Ferris hung his head. He hadn’t helped Athena at all, just stood by and watched her get hurt like this. His outstretched hand dropped limply to his side. A crushing sense of defeat washed over him.
“Ferris,” Athena called out at that moment. Athena turned to Ferris with an encouraging look. “Would you help me instead?” she asked softly.
Hope returned to Ferris’s once lifeless eyes. He marveled inwardly, ‘I really thought Athena would hate me, but she still believes in me. From now on, I swear I’ll protect Athena with my life.’
Athena and Ferris exchanged a tender smile, their eyes radiating with affection that seemed almost overflowing.
Xander’s expression darkened. With things having come this far, it would be utterly tactless to keep holding on to Athena.
‘She doesn’t care for me. Her heart belongs to Ferris,’ he thought bitterly.
Xander gently placed Athena in Ferris’s arms and said solemnly, “Protect her well.”
Ferris carefully took Athena into his arms and vowed solemnly to Xander, “You have my word, Your Highness. I’ll protect Atheny with my life.”
Without so much as a glance in their direction, Xander strode away.
As the retinue finally withdrew, Athena let out a long sigh of relief.
Ferris smiled gently at her. “Atheny, let me get you out of here.”
Athena shook her head firmly. “It wouldn’t be proper for me to stay at the Mcgee family.”
Ferris looked genuinely puzzled. “But why?”
“An unwed man and woman alone together, that wouldn’t be proper.”
Ferris nodded with a touch of helplessness. “You have a point. How about my cottage in the southern district?”
Ferris sought Athena’s opinion.
Athena nodded, a gentle smile on her face. “Alright.”
But before leaving, Athena turned her purposeful gaze toward Henry.
Henry’s heart leapt with joy. He thought Athena had changed her mind.
Henry eagerly stepped forward and called out to Athena, his tone overflowing with exaggerated warmth. “My dear Athena, as long as you wish to return, our family’s doors will always be open to you.”
Eloise added hastily, “Yes, Athena, please come home. There’s no need to make such a scene.”
Nicolas reluctantly conceded. “For Father and Mother’s sake, I’ll let this slide. Consider yourself lucky. I trust you’ve learned your lesson.”
He carried himself with such self-righteous grandeur as though bestowing some favor upon Athena.
Athena shook her head with a cold sneer at her family’s hypocritical faces. “Where is Macy’s body?”
Their smiles slowly faded.
Athena had never intended to come home in the first place. They were just deluding themselves.
The only one she cared about was that lowly maid.
Henry’s smile faltered, anguish welling in his eyes. “Athena, do you really mean to leave the family?”
Athena met their eyes, her voice unwavering. “The only thing I want is Macy.” There wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion in her gaze as she looked at them.
Tear-streaked, Eloise called out her name again and again, but Athena’s eyes remained utterly unmoved.
Nicolas could barely contain his frustration. With a sneer, he said to his mother, “Look at her now, Athena thinks she’s untouchable just because she has someone powerful backing her.”
Facing his mockery, Athena immediately fired back, “Nicolas, you’d better start thinking about how to plead for the Emperor’s forgiveness. I never forget a slight, when I see His Majesty, you can be sure I’ll give him an embellished account and make you look even worse.”
“You…” Nicolas’s face turned ashen with rage. He snapped, “You’re absolutely impossible!” With that, he turned on his heel, too furious to argue further.
Athena said with deliberate calm, “Even the Emperor has praised me as intelligent and virtuous, yet you call me unreasonable. Tell me, Nicolas, are you questioning His Majesty’s judgment?”
Nicolas was so furious he could barely catch his breath. “Athena,” he spat, “stop twisting my words!”
Athena sneered coldly. “You’d better hold that tongue of yours. One day it’s going to land you in serious trouble.”
Too furious to say another word, Nicolas huffed and then snapped at the butler, “Hand over Macy’s body to her.”
Ever since the incident, Macy’s body had been dumped in the backyard. Nicolas had been at a loss over what to do with it, so Athena taking her away was actually a relief. This finally put the matter to rest.
The butler acknowledged the order, then instructed the servants to place Macy’s body in the carriage so Athena could take her away.
Eloise still wanted to call out to Athena, but Henry practically dragged her back into the residence.
At the entrance, only Willow remained. The figure that had haunted Willow’s thoughts day and night suddenly came into view.
Ferris carried Athena toward the carriage. As he turned, he saw Michael standing not far away, utterly devastated.
Michael was drenched in sweat, still struggling to catch his breath. It was clear he’d just rushed over after getting the news.
Michael’s eyes blazed with intense longing the moment he saw Athena.
“Atheny,” Michael called out, his voice thick with emotion.
His gaze fell upon Athena’s foot, and the burning intensity in his eyes instantly chilled. Instead, a dark, dangerous fury radiated from him.
Ferris stopped in front of Michael, holding Athena in his arms. His voice was cold as steel. “From now on, Lord Osborne, you’d do well to remember your place with my fiancée. ‘Atheny‘ isn’t a name for you to use so casually.”
She felt that a maiden’s nickname was only for family to use. Now that Athena was no longer a member of the Monson family, Michael had no right to call her “Atheny.”
Ferris’s warning might as well have been air to Michael.
Michael fixed Athena with a stubborn, guilt-laden gaze, his eyes brimming with remorse and self-reproach. Seeing her injuries, he was so overwhelmed with remorse he wished he could have torn his own heart out.
Michael pleaded desperately, “Why… why couldn’t you just give me a little more time? I was on the verge of convincing Her Majesty to grant me your hand in marriage…”
Though his devotion was unmistakably real, it only filled Athena with sickening disgust and icy terror. Michael had once declared he would take her as his wife, along with Willow.
Athena was seething with anger. “Michael, you’ve been dictating my life from the very beginning. Did you ever ask me what I wanted? I couldn’t care less about being your second wife, Michael. Not even as your primary wife would I ever agree. Because I don’t love you, Michael. The only man I want to marry is Ferris.”