Chapter 205

Xander held a vial in his palm, raising an eyebrow. He asked in confusion, "And what might this be?"

Xander studied the tiny vial.

"This is an elixir I refined," Athena explained. "It helps fortify the body and enhance vitality."

Xander hummed softly, a knowing glint in his eyes as he wondered, "Does Athena think I'm weak?"

"Prince Xander?" Athena called softly, noticing his pensive expression.

Xander accepted the medicine, a slight frown crossing his face at her formal address. "You can just call me Xander," he said, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "Being called Prince Xander all the time makes me feel ancient."

I’m only four years older than Athena, Xander grumbled inwardly.

Athena looked a little uneasy. "But, that wouldn’t be proper," she stammered.

Noticing Athena’s obvious discomfort, Xander decided not to press the matter further as he thought, I won’t force Athena. I shall let her do as she pleases.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned in the Duke’s Estate.

The Duke of Suffield had barely stepped out of the Palace when Fermin gave him a scathing tongue-lashing.

Upon his return to the Duke’s Estate, the first thing the Duke of Suffield did was to summon Willow for an interrogation.

"Didn’t you swear this was foolproof?" The Duke of Suffield bellowed, his face darkened with fury. His usual paternal gentleness was gone, and it was replaced by a terrifying wrath. "How could things end up like this?"

His rage reaching its peak, the Duke of Suffield suddenly struck Willow across the face.

Willow shrieked in pain, clutching her stinging face, while Eloise stood rooted to the ground, too afraid to step forward and plead for mercy.

Had Fermin not single-handedly shouldered the blame for this incident, the entire Duke’s Estate would have faced execution that night.

Sprawled on the ground, Willow’s cheek swelled, turning crimson from the blow.

With tears streaming down her face, Willow pleaded with the Duke of Suffield, "Please, Father, calm your anger! I truly have no idea how this happened. It must have been the people who made the fireworks. Perhaps, they had cut corners, and as a result, this happened. I have always thought of you, and will always have your best interests at heart!"

Willow's tear-stained face and swollen, red cheeks made her look all the more pitiful and vulnerable.

Eloise hesitated to intervene, fearing she might anger the Duke of Suffield. All she could do was watch Willow with a helpless gaze, eyes brimming with heartache.

"Father… Father…" Willow sobbed, her face streaked with tears.

Just then, Nicolas strode in through the doorway.

He rushed over to Willow, who was crumpled on the floor with a red, swollen cheek. Feeling a surge of concern, he quickly helped her up.

"Nicolas," Willow whimpered, gazing up at him with wounded eyes.

Seeing her so pitiful tugged at Nicolas’s heartstrings.

Nicolas gently wiped the tears from Willow’s face, then turned back to the Duke of Suffield. He stated, "Father, can’t you talk things out nicely? Why did you have to hit her? You’re aware of how fragile Willow’s health is. What if you seriously hurt her? How is she supposed to get married then?"

His remarks, however, reminded the Duke of Suffield that the union between the Duke’s Estate and the Osborne family had already been arranged, with the wedding ceremony scheduled for just after the new year.

Through his words, Nicolas was subtly hinting to the Duke of Suffield that Fermin’s scheme to marry Athena into the Osborne family as their matriarch was now impossible.

Now, only Willow could save the Duke’s Estate from this crisis.

The Duke of Suffield’s expression softened considerably as he explained, "I was blinded by rage. Fermin gave me a thorough dressing-down today. If we don’t handle this properly, I fear the entire Duke’s Estate may face dire consequences."

Nicolas helped Willow to her seat before turning to the Duke of Suffield. He reasoned, "Father, why don’t you think about it? All the previous fireworks went off without a hitch. So why did only the very last one go wrong?"

Nicolas was subtly steering the Duke of Suffield toward a deeper understanding.

The Duke of Suffield caught the underlying meaning in his words and demanded, "Are you suggesting someone sabotaged this?"

"Father, it’s just my guess, and I have no proof," Nicolas sighed. "But today, Fermin was reprimanded, and Lizzie suffered public humiliation. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?"

The Duke of Suffield’s heart lurched, his expression darkening. Both Fermin and Lizzie harbored unresolved grievances with Athena.

"Athena must be behind this," the Duke of Suffield concluded, his suspicion hardening into certainty.

"How could she possibly have such audacity to do so?" The Duke of Suffield’s voice trembled with disbelief.

In his eyes, Athena might be aloof, but she couldn’t possibly have pulled this off.

The only possible explanation was that she must have leveraged Prince Xander’s influence, he silently reasoned.

At this thought, the Duke of Suffield felt a chill run down his spine as he wondered, "Will Athena go against the Duke’s Estate?"

Nicolas scoffed coldly, "Father, didn’t you see how brazen she was today? She was practically glued to Prince Xander. If that woman ever gets any power, the first people she’ll trample are those closest to her. Otherwise, how could she have seen us today and just completely ignored us?"

The more the Duke of Suffield thought about it, the more convinced he became. After all, the palace wasn’t that large either.

The Duke of Suffield thought bitterly, "Even though Athena was seated in the front row with Prince Xander, if she had wanted to, she could have found a way to at least greet me. Yet, from start to finish, she never once looked our way–not even a single glance."

At the thought of this, the Duke of Suffield was both heartbroken and furious–heartbroken by Athena’s heartlessness, and furious that she had won Xander’s favor.

She should have been an obedient child, the Duke of Suffield thought bitterly. That way, the Duke’s Estate and the McGee family could have formed an unbreakable alliance. But she had stubbornly refused. She would rather die than stay with the family.

Just then, Eloise wrapped an ice pack in a handkerchief and gently pressed it to Willow’s swollen cheek.

After hearing the father and son’s conversation, Eloise weighed her options carefully before finally recounting her encounter with Athena a few days ago.

"Now that she’s investigating my father’s case," Eloise said anxiously, "I’m afraid it will unleash another bloody storm in court."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Suffield’s eyelid twitched as he let out a string of cold, mocking laughs. He scoffed, "Who does she think she is! Even if she’s the future Mrs. Cavendish, that case isn’t something she can meddle in as she pleases. Just because she has some medical knowledge, she thinks she can turn the world upside down? She truly has no idea how big the world is!"

Nicolas’s brow furrowed deeply as he said, "Let her investigate all she wants. At least she’s left the family now, so it won’t come back to…"

But even as he said it, Nicolas couldn’t help but feel a nagging unease inside.

But she’s still part of the Monson family, isn’t she? I guess I have no choice but to have a proper chat with Athena, Nicolas thought.

As his anger gradually subsided, the Duke of Suffield turned to Nicolas and said, "Fermin has entrusted the follow-up matters to our estate. Most of the injured family members are women, who naturally value their appearance above all else. I’ve heard that many suffered facial burns this time, and only the Snowveil Balm can remove the scars. See if you can find a way to obtain some of that ointment from that woman."

As he was so deeply disappointed with Athena, the Duke of Suffield refused even to utter her name, referring to her only as "that woman."

Nicolas nodded, finding nothing amiss. After all, as Athena’s older brother, Nicolas was certain she wouldn’t turn him down.

If I can get my hands on the Snowveil Balm, it’d be the perfect opportunity to forge connections with the other noble families, Nicolas thought.

Nicolas could barely contain his delight as he readily agreed, "Yes, Father."

Wasting no time, Nicolas immediately set off and soon arrived at Athena’s manor.

Seeing the “Monson” plaque mounted at the gate, Nicolas’s brows knitted together in displeasure.

As a woman, she should be focusing on getting married and managing the household. Who does she think she is, trying to call the shots around here? What utter shamelessness! Nicolas thought with disdain as he stood by the entrance.

He turned to his attendant and instructed, "Knock on the door and tell the gatekeeper the heir of the Duke’s Estate is here. Get Athena to come out and see me."

Startled by the order, the attendant glanced hesitantly at the imposing gate, but couldn’t bring himself to approach.

After a moment’s reluctance, the attendant gently reminded Nicolas, "Lord Nicolas, now that Lady Athena is the future Mrs. Cavendish, she may not readily agree to see you."

After all, the servants had all witnessed firsthand how Athena left the family back then.

With such a huge falling out, what gave Lord Nicolas the nerve to demand Lady Athena come out and meet him! the attendant thought.