With her eyes downcast, Fiona meekly replied, “Yes, ma'am.”

Seeing that Fiona was no different from before, Eloise dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and quietly took her leave, leaving Fiona to handle the rest.

As soon as Eloise left, Fiona settled into the chair with deliberate poise.

“How is Lord Nicolas?” Fiona asked the servant.

The servant stepped forward and respectfully replied, “The physician just finished dressing His Lordship’s wound, and he is now asleep.”

Fiona nodded thoughtfully. After a brief hesitation, she handed the child to the wet nurse and rose to enter the inner chamber.

Nicolas lay prone on the bed, a light quilt draped over him.

Even in his sleep, cold sweat beaded on Nicolas’s face, and his body trembled faintly.

It seemed the painkillers weren’t working. Though his body slept, his mind remained painfully alert.

Fiona stopped closer and gently called out to him, “My lord.”

Nicolas didn’t stir, so Fiona lifted the quilt to check his wounds.

But just as her hand reached out, Nicolas seized her wrist in a vice-like grip.

“What are you doing?” Nicolas shot her a cold, wary look, his eyes full of suspicion.

Fiona was all too familiar with that cold, indifferent look. She’d endured it more times than she cared to remember.

Every time she met his cold gaze, her heart ached.

Though her face showed alarm, Fiona felt not an ounce of pity in her heart. In fact, a dark, secret satisfaction curled within her.

Fiona squeezed out a single tear, adopting her usual act of weakness and helplessness. “My lord,” she whimpered, “it pains me deeply to see you so gravely injured.”

In others‘ eyes, Fiona had always been obedient, never daring to contradict Nicolas, not even once. Fiona had painted the picture that Nicolas was her whole world.

Nicolas’s male pride was assuaged. He banished the chill from his eyes with a slight, dismissive wave. “Just a superficial wound, nothing to fret over. You needn’t worry.”

Nicolas had been furious because he thought that Fiona had tried to tip someone off and had felt utterly betrayed.

But at the sight of Fiona’s tears, all of Nicolas’s displeasure dissipated like morning mist.

After all, they were husband and wife, a family. Even if Fiona had been momentarily foolish, as long as she turned around, he would give her another chance.

‘Look at her crying so heartbreakingly. There’s no way she could be faking it,’ Nicolas reasoned with himself.

The servant approached with the ointment and said softly, “My Lord, it’s time for your dressing.”

Fiona took the medicine from the servant and said softly, “Allow me, my lord.”

Seeing her like this, Nicolas’s heart instantly melted as he thought, “My wife truly cares for me?”

Chapter 229

The very next instant, a wave of excruciating pain erupted from his buttocks.

The pain in Nicolas’s wound had only just begun to subside, but as Fiona reapplied the medicine, a searing, knife-like agony shot through him, burning as if his flesh were being sliced open all over again.

During the flogging, Nicolas had barely felt any pain, but now, as the medicine was applied, the agony was so excruciating he wished he were dead.

Nicolas bit down hard on the quilt, his fists clenched tight.

Nicolas’s muscles spasmed uncontrollably from the pain. When he turned to look at Fiona, he saw her staring back at him with a look of feigned helplessness.

Still holding the rolled bandage, Fiona’s eyes welled up with feigned fright as Nicolas looked at her. In a trembling voice, she said, “My lord, does it hurt a lot? If it does, just cry out, don’t hold it in.”

Nicolas choked back a scream.

‘A man doesn’t cry out in pain in front of a woman. It would make me a laughingstock to do so,’ Nicolas thought, gritting his teeth.

Even though death felt like a better idea now, Nicolas gritted his teeth and forced out, “It’s fine…just continue.”

Fiona hummed in affirmation, her face expressionless as she ripped off the remaining bandages.

Without so much as a blink, Fiona tore the blood-soaked bandages straight off Nicolas’s raw flesh, utterly unfazed by how they clung to his skin.

Nicolas clenched his teeth so hard he tasted blood, the metallic tang spreading through his mouth.

Darkness swam before his eyes, and he finally couldn’t hold back. Trembling, Nicolas choked out, “G-gentler please…”

From behind him came Fiona’s theatrical sobs, “How could the wounds be this severe? Prince Xander was truly merciless!”

Through theatrical sobs, Fiona mercilessly applied the medicine to Nicolas’s wounds.

By the time the medicine was fully applied, Nicolas was drenched in sweat, on the verge of blacking out from the unbearable pain.

Collapsing weakly onto the bed, Nicolas gasped out to Fiona, “F-Fiona, from now on…you won’t have to change my dressings.”

“How would that do? You are my husband, and attending to you is my duty,” Fiona said softly. “Mother-in-law specifically instructed me to attend to your well.”

Nicolas’s vision swam with darkness. He couldn’t tell if it was the medicine kicking in or the pain overwhelming him. Then everything went black.

“Rest well, my lord.” With feigned tenderness, Fiona carefully tucked the quilt around Nicolas, then quietly rose and left the room, her every movement deliberately gentle.

Once outside, Sirena brought a basin of warm water for Fiona to wash her hands.

Though Fiona’s face feigned sorrow, a glint of secret delight flashed in her eyes.

Come dinner that night, Fiona even helped herself to an extra bowl.

Eloise also sent someone to discreetly inquire about the situation. Fiona dutifully answered every question and, in the end, told the messenger to reassure her mother-in-law that there was nothing to worry about.

The servant returned to report to Eloise, who nodded repeatedly. “It can’t be easy for her to take care of him herself. That really puts my mind at ease,” the servant said.

Eloise believed that nothing compares to a spouse’s attentive care. With Fiona by his side, Eloise knew she had no need to worry about Nicolas.

Chapter 229

The only ones left for Eloise to worry about were Willow and Matthew.

Willow’s wedding was in two days.

Tomorrow, well-wishers will start arriving at the mansion to offer their congratulations, and the whole household will be hustling with wedding preparations.

But to Eloise’s dismay, both brothers had been punished and were now bedridden.

Eloise murmured in distress, “What should we do about this?”

Before retiring for the night, Eloise checked on Willow, who had been taking aconite powder these past few days.

Though still confined to bed, Willow appeared in good spirits. Her cheeks glowed with health, and her eyes sparkled with life. Had it not been for the splint on her leg, Eloise would have sworn Willow was not injured at all.

“Mother, you’re here,” Willow called out sweetly as Eloise approached.

Eloise sat by Willow’s bedside. She reached out to gently stroke her cheek as she managed a bitter smile. “I am. I just wanted to check on you before bed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to rest easy.”

The affairs of the mansion had been deliberately kept from Willow, so she remained unaware that both Nicolas and Matthew had been punished.

But Willow, ever so perceptive, immediately sensed something amiss and asked gently, “Mother, is something troubling you?”

At the thought of her two sons, Eloise’s tightly held composure finally shattered as she burst into tears.

Eloise managed a weak smile. “N-no, nothing.”

“No, you’re lying to me! I can tell something’s happened. Just look at you!” Willow anxiously shook Eloise’s hand and pressed her, “What happened? Please, tell me now!”

‘Don’t tell me something’s wrong with my wedding again!’ Willow thought anxiously.

Seeing Willow’s eyes filling with anxious tears and sensing her growing distress, Eloise finally relented and told her the truth.

Willow’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Prince Xander actually punished both Nicolas and Matthew? What about my wedding?”

Willow was supposed to be carried out of the mansion on her brothers‘ backs on her wedding day. Now that both Nicolas and Matthew are injured, the only thing on Willow’s mind is who will be carrying her on that day.

Tears welled up in Willow’s eyes as she cried out, “Mother, you must think of something! Under no circumstances can my wedding be affected. I won’t become a laughingstock!”

Willow was so consumed by her own distress that she failed to notice the astonishment in Eloise’s eyes. Eloise said, her voice tinged with disappointment, “Willow, you’ve always doted on your brothers: Now that they’re both injured, how could you only think of yourself?”

“Mother, that’s not what I meant at all!” Willow quickly backtracked, belatedly realizing her misstep. “I simply misspoke in my haste. Truly, my heart aches for both Nicolas and Matthew!” She rushed to explain herself, hoping to make up for her earlier slip.

Willow dragged her injured leg toward the edge of the bed. “I need to go see Nicolas and Matthew,” she insisted, her voice laced with feigned urgency.

Eloise quickly reached out to stop her, exclaiming “Your leg is still injured! You can’t possibly—"

“But I don’t even know how badly Nicolas is injured—"

“Out of bed. Stay put and rest properly!”

“I’m just so terribly worried,” Willow choked out, tears welling in her eyes.

Willow spoke through her tears, her face the very picture of heartfelt concern. Anyone who saw her would believe she was the most devoted little sister, aching for her brothers’ suffering.

Chapter 229

Eloise breathed a sigh of relief as she said, “Fiona is looking after Nicolas, so you can rest easy!

‘As I thought, Eloise thought. Willow is so close with her brothers, of course, she’d care about them. I really was just overthinking it.”