Chapter 220
Fiona had never believed herself to be someone capable of such bravery. For half her life, she had been a wallflower, yet what she did today filled her with self-admiration.
She reflected, “Back then, I adored Nicolas. To me, he was like the moon in the sky – distant and unattainable. For a merchant’s daughter like me to marry him felt like a blessing. But I finally witnessed his callous nature after I married him. Only then did I realize how terribly wrong I’d been. I learned the hard way that I should never judge someone by appearances. On the surface, he seemed like a gentleman, but deep down, he was nothing but a despicable, shameless scoundrel. He never loved me, and he wouldn’t even bother pretending that he did. All he ever cared about was his pain."
I won’t become their accomplice like the others, Fiona thought bitterly as her broken heart hardened with resolve.
She hurried out of the courtyard and headed towards the back gate. She had to warn Athena about their schemes.
Just then, a figure abruptly appeared, blocking her path.
Startled, Fiona instinctively slammed to a halt, her heart pounding. Her gaze shot up, only to meet Nicolas’s chillingly sinister face.
Nicolas stepped in front of her, his voice deceptively gentle as he asked, “My love, where are you rushing off to in such haste?”
Having spent years steeped in officialdom, especially within the notorious Justice Ministry, Nicolas carried a heavy, murderous aura. Though he deliberately tried to rein it in, his presence still sent Fiona’s heart racing with terror.
“I’m just going out for a walk…” Fiona forced her voice to sound calm, though her heart was racing wildly in her chest.
Fiona couldn’t read Nicolas, nor could she fathom what was on his mind. She only felt that his eyes could see right through her, exposing every bit of fear in her heart.
Nicolas flashed a faint, calculated smile as he stepped forward and firmly pulled Fiona’s hand into his own.
In an uncharacteristically gentle voice, he said, “It’s freezing out. Why didn’t you wear more? Your hands are cold as ice.”
As he spoke, he brought her hand to his lips and gently breathed warm air onto it. He cupped her hands in his, warming her with a tenderness that felt more like control than comfort.
Yet, the more he acted this way, the more terrifying Fiona found him.
Nicolas fixed his gaze on her, his tone deceptively gentle. “I noticed you coming from Willow’s courtyard just now. Why didn’t you go inside?”
Fiona’s heart pounded in her throat. Her expression tense, she stammered, “I was afraid of disturbing Willow, so I didn’t go in.”
Her voice was already soft, but under Nicolas’s intimidating presence, it grew even fainter and more uncertain.
Nicolas let out a thoughtful hum, his scrutinizing gaze fixed on her. “Matthew is still at that impulsive age, my dear. Don’t take his wild talk to heart. It’s all nonsense.”
Fiona stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, “N–no… I didn’t… I didn’t really take it to heart…”
Fiona broke off mid-sentence, fear freezing her words.
Nicolas hadn’t even said what Matthew had told him, yet she blurted out that she hadn’t taken it seriously. That slip was as good as admitting she’d overheard everything.
Sure enough, Nicolas’s expression darkened by degrees, his gaze locking onto Fiona with viper-like intensity.
Fiona’s face paled with terror, but what filled her heart was more than fear. It was utter disappointment. I’m Nicolas’s wife, she thought bitterly, yet in his eyes, I’m worth less than a criminal.
Nicolas tightened his grip on Fiona’s hand, squeezing with increasing force until a searing pain shot through her wrist. Her face contorted in agony as she gasped, “My lord, you’re hurting me!”
“Are you trying to tip off Athena?” Nicolas growled, his eyes blazing with menace.
Fiona, timid by nature, was so thoroughly intimidated by him that she dared not entertain any other thoughts. Fiona shook her head frantically, forcing her eyes to shine with the same adoration she used to show him. “No, my lord, it’s not like that at all! I—I just thought, since Willow was hurt, I only wanted to buy her some medication, that’s all…” she stammered.
Perhaps it was Fiona’s timid display, or perhaps it was Nicolas’s excessive confidence; he was certain that Fiona was utterly devoted to him. Such a woman, in his eyes, was nothing more than a useless dodder vine, and he believed that they were utterly incapable of stirring up any real trouble.
Nicolas released his grip, his expression smoothing into its customary composed mask.
“Being cooped up in the estate all day must be stifling,” Nicolas remarked, his tone laced with feigned concern. “But as one of the ladies from the Duke’s Estate, you can’t go out without attendants. If anything were to happen, how could I possibly answer to your father-in-law?”
With a wave of his hand, Nicolas summoned several attendants and commanded, “All of you are to accompany Lady Fiona. Should any harm come to her, I’ll have your heads.”
Nicolas’s voice was laced with menace, sending chills down the spine of everyone present.
Every hair on Fiona’s body stood on end as she stared at Nicolas, who gave her a deceptively gentle smile. A chill crawled up her spine, leaving her trembling uncontrollably. He was both testing and warning her. With the entire Wynn family behind her, she couldn’t afford to entertain even a single rebellious thought.
Fiona’s face turned ashen as she nodded fearfully before stammering, “Yes, my lord. I understand.”
Nicolas, pleased with her submission, reached out and gently patted her head. With feigned gentleness, he said, “You may go now.”
After Fiona left, Nicolas returned to Willow’s courtyard.
As soon as Nicolas stepped inside, Willow’s agonizing screams pierced the air as she screamed, “Let me die, just let me die! I can’t take this anymore!”
All Eloise could do was hold Willow in her arms and weep, utterly helpless.
Seeing Nicolas walk in, Willow reached out her hand to him, her face contorted in agony, and pleaded, “Nicolas, save me, save me! I’m in so much pain…”
Nicolas’s heart ached as he gripped Willow’s hand, his gaze turning murderous as he glared at the maids. “What kind of incompetent fools are you?” he barked. “Can’t you see that Willow is in agony? Where the hell is her medicine?”
“She’s already taken the medicine,” Eloise said, her voice nasal from crying. “Willow’s leg bones are fractured, and she’ll need months of bed rest to recover. The doctor also said the first ten days or so will be the most agonizing, and there’s nothing for it but for her to grit her teeth and bear it.”
Nicolas’s eyes reddened as he murmured under his breath, “She just has to bear it?”
Nicolas thought bitterly, My sister, Willow, was raised like royalty. She has been pampered and cherished her whole life. But now, because of Athena, she’s lying here with a broken leg. Who knows if she’ll ever fully recover? Damn you, Athena!
Willow clung to Nicolas’s hand, her face twisted in agony as she sobbed, “Aconite powder, Nicolas! Please, give me the aconite powder now!”
“No, absolutely not!” A flicker of panic crossed Nicolas’s face as he refused, “That stuff is highly addictive if you take too much. You can’t keep relying on it!”
When Willow endured the whipping before, aconite powder was the only thing that could dull her pain. Nicolas had witnessed firsthand just how potent this drug was. While it could numb the pain, the addiction that followed would hollow a person out, leaving them a mere shadow of themselves.
Nicolas took over from Eloise and pulled Willow into a firm embrace as he gently consoled, “Don’t be afraid, I am here.”
Willow sobbed, “Nicolas, I’m begging you. Just this once! I can’t take the pain anymore!” No matter how Nicolas tried to reason with her, Willow refused to listen. The agony from her broken leg was so unbearable that Willow felt like smashing her head against the wall.
In the end, Nicolas relented with a weary sigh. “Fine, just this once,” he said, unable to refuse her any longer.
With the estate physician adjusting the dosage, he reasoned to himself that there shouldn’t be any real problem.
Moments later, the aconite powder was brought in. Willow gulped down the aconite powder in one go. Within moments, the pain subsided.
Willow lay limp as a rag on the bed, yet her mind clung stubbornly to her marriage. Gasping weakly, she insisted, “Nicolas, Mother, my wedding date must not change again. Even if I have to crawl, I’ll make it to the Osborne family!”
“But your injury hasn’t even healed yet!” Eloise exclaimed, her face a mask of utter surprise.
“It is just one day, and I can tough it out,” Willow said through gritted teeth, her eyes locked on the aconite powder. “This stuff works miracles. With it, getting through the day won’t be a problem.”