Chapter 228
Matthew was in excruciating pain, gritting his teeth and trying to tough it out. Little did Matthew expect that Henry would betray him without a second thought. Matthew stared at Henry in terror, choking out broken words, “F–Father, Father…”
“Matthew…” Henry could only utter Matthew’s name before words failed him.
With his head bowed, Henry pleaded to Xander, “Now that they’ve confessed, Your Highness, could you please stop the beating?”
Xander subtly raised his hand, and his attendants instantly ceased their actions.
At this point, both Nicolas and Matthew were a bloody mess, their bodies battered beyond recognition. Blood dripped from their mouths as they coughed and spat, leaving them looking utterly wretched.
“If you’d cooperated sooner, it would have spared me all this trouble, and your precious heir Nicolas wouldn’t have had to suffer for it,” Xander remarked, his tone laced with mockery.
Henry, his eyes bloodshot and jaw clenched, admitted his mistake, “It is my failure in guidance that led Matthew to commit such a foolish act. I beg Prince Xander to show mercy and spare his life.”
Xander looked at Athena with a knowing look. “Oh, Duke, you must be joking. This is a family matter in your estate. How could an outsider like me possibly interfere? Now that everything’s been clarified, I shouldn’t impose any longer. Athena, let’s go.”
Athena turned to her attendants and instructed, “Assist Lady Margaret into the carriage.”
Henry was about to protest, but Xander stepped forward, blocking his view. “Lady Margaret is unwell and will be cared for by my Princess. Surely the Duke has no objections?”
“Y–yes, Your Highness,” Henry forced out through gritted teeth.
Right in front of everyone, Athena led Margaret out of the Duke’s estate.
Athena walked ahead, with Xander following closely behind. His protective stance made it clear he was ensuring her safe departure from the Duke’s.
Once they had left, the Aegis Guards also cleared out entirely.
The sprawling Duke’s estate was suddenly left eerily silent.
Henry stared at his two sons, beaten within an inch of their lives, and howled in anguish, “Is there no justice left? Has the law abandoned us!”
For all his howling, he kept his voice low. After all, there was no knowing who was listening in. If Xander overheard anything else, Henry might be the next one getting beaten.
Nicolas had passed out, but Matthew, clinging to a thread of consciousness, desperately clutched at Henry’s robes. “F–Father, how could you be so…”
Matthew wasn’t an idiot. He understood what Henry was up to. He knew that he was just the pawn being sacrificed to protect Nicolas.
Henry’s grip tightened.
“…father?”
In an instant, he slapped Matthew hard across the face. “Look at the foolish things you’ve done! How dare you still question your…”
Powerless against Xander and equally helpless with Athena, Henry had no way out. All that pent-up fury needed an outlet, and Matthew became his punching bag.
His eyes bulging in fury, Matthew bellowed. “Both you and Nicolas approved this plan, so why the hell am I the only one taking the fall?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Matthew was overwhelmed by a wave of self-reproach.
Matthew thought to himself, “Back when I was a kid and got into trouble, didn’t I always drag Athena in to take the fall for me? Now that I’m the scapegoat, I finally know how unfair this feels. Damn, it hurts.”
But Athena had been taking the fall for them for four or five long years. Back then, Matthew had never thought Athena was being treated unfairly. In his eyes, all those things were merely trivial matters. He used to believe that there was no need to be so stingy. They were family anyway.
“We’re family, Matthew. Why would you say something like that?” The next moment, Henry’s voice pierced Matthew’s ears.
With feigned heartache and an air of utter self-assurance, Henry said, “Or would you rather I throw your elder brother Nicolas under the bus instead?”
Matthew’s last shred of spirit finally broke. He knew the reason behind it, but it was difficult for him to accept it. Resentment gnawed at him.
He has no official position and is now just an unemployed drifter, so naturally, he’s the one who gets ignored.
Matthew thought bitterly, “So this is what it feels like to be betrayed by your own family. It hurts like hell.”
Matthew finally blacked out.
Henry barely spared Matthew a glance before coldly instructing the servants to carry him back to his quarters. On the other hand, he ordered the physician to bring a medical kit to Nicolas’s room.
Finna remained confined to her courtyard, forbidden from stepping outside.
With all the uproar outside today, Fiona was bound to have caught wind of things.
Fiona was worried sick about Athena, but with her own hands tied, there was nothing she could do to help.
Just as Fiona was growing more and more anxious, Nicolas…
…was carried back, battered and unconscious.
“Lady Fiona, Lord Nicolas is injured!” Serena scurried into the room, her voice reaching them before she did.
Fiona hurriedly tucked the blanket around her child and rushed out of the room. “What happened?” she asked anxiously.
Serena quickly gave Fiona a rundown of the whole situation.
After hearing everything, Fiona asked, “How badly is he hurt?”
“They’re just superficial wounds. It looks worse than it is with all that blood, but it’s nothing serious,” Sirena said.
Fiona inexplicably felt a wave of relief wash over her. “So that means Athena is unharmed.”
Sirena had accompanied Fiona to the Monson estate when Fiona got married. Ever since, she’d kept a close eye on how Nicolas treated Fiona.
Hearing Fiona’s question, Sirena felt an unexpected surge of delight. She replied, “Don’t worry, Lady Athena is perfectly safe. With Prince Xander protecting her, who would dare lay a finger on her?”
Fiona’s face broke into a relieved smile. “Thank goodness, thank goodness,” she murmured.
Seeing that Fiona had no intention of visiting Nicolas, Sirena gently reminded her, “He is the Lord, after all, Lady Fiona. It would be best for you to go and see him even if it’s just for show.”
Fiona returned to her child’s side and said in an even tone that barely concealed her resentment, “I’m confined to my quarters. Without my husband’s direct order, who would dare let me out?”
“That’s right,” Sirena said gently. “You’ve grown… quite thin these days, Lady Fiona. Let me fix you some chicken soup to nourish you.”
Fiona responded absently, though a wave of restlessness churned within her.
Chapter 228
Fiona used to love Nicolas, but after seeing how cold and heartless he could be, that love slowly faded away. Even now, just being near him filled her with a bone-chilling dread.
When Nicolas had looked at Fiona that day, his eyes had been savage and ruthless, brimming with murderous intent.
Sometimes, Fiona wondered if Nicolas would have killed her if she had not yielded that day.
For the past few nights, she has been haunted by nightmares. In her nightmare, Nicolas plunged a dagger into her chest, his face twisted with murderous rage. It was a truly terrifying sight.
Eloise rushed over the moment she heard the news.
Only a few attending servants were present in Nicolas’s chamber. Fiona was conspicuously absent.
Eloise’s face clouded with displeasure as she demanded sharply, “Outrageous! My son Nicolas is so badly injured. How dare Lady Fiona not come at once?”
Eloise believed strongly that a woman’s husband was her sovereign lord and that a woman was expected to obey her husband in a marriage.
In Eloise’s eyes, Nicolas should be Fiona’s entire world. Fiona ought to practice wifely submission and serve him with unwavering dedication.
It was no wonder Eloise was so furious when Fiona did not even show her face when Nicolas was so gravely injured.
An elderly servant stepped forward and whispered to Eloise, “Lady Fiona has been confined to her quarters on Lord Nicolas’s order and is not permitted to leave.”
Eloise’s brows knitted. “Since when has she been confined? Why wasn’t I informed?”
“Lady Fiona has been going…
…out too often lately, which displeased Lord Nicolas, so he had her confined to her quarters.”
Eloise murmured, “Is that so? Go and summon her. Make it clear it’s my command.”
The servant acknowledged and hurried off.
Before long, Fiona arrived. But she did not come alone. She was holding Cedric in her arms.
Fiona entered, followed by her maids and elderly servants. As soon as Fiona stepped inside, she curtsied and respectfully greeted, “Mother-in-law.”
Before Fiona arrived, she had deliberately removed all her hair ornaments. She also changed into a plain dress and wiped away her makeup, presenting a stark contrast to her usual glamorous self.
Eloise took one look at Fiona’s haggard face and couldn’t bring herself to scold her. Instead, she said in a gentler tone, “Nicolas is injured now. Those clumsy servants can’t tend to him as well as you can. You’ll need to take over for a while. Focus on nursing him back to health first.”