Chapter 274
Athena could tell from Margaret’s expression that she had truly taken her words to heart. Athena quickly stepped forward to comfort her grandmother, saying, “Grandma, don’t listen to such talk. I won’t be bullied–I have someone’s protection.”
Of course, she was referring to Prince Xander.
However, Margaret still seemed down. Having spent her whole life as a woman, she understood all too well the hardships women endured. There were countless ways for those in the inner courtyard to torment others. Xander couldn’t constantly intervene in women’s affairs. He couldn’t always be by Athena’s side. The road ahead was hers to walk alone.
Margaret understood everything perfectly, though she kept her composure. Looking at Athena, she said gently, “Don’t worry, child. I’m perfectly fine.”
Looking at her grandmother, Athena felt an unspeakable ache in her heart. She had always put Athena’s well-being first, willing to bear any hardship herself rather than let Athena suffer even the slightest harm.
Henry and Eloise left Athena’s residence, both wearing extremely grim expressions. Eloise’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her spirits utterly crushed.
Eloise put three steps between herself and Henry. Henry turned back, his face cold with anger, and roared at her, “This is the fine daughter you’ve raised! If I’d known it would come to this, I never should have brought her back. I should have let her suffer a few more years so she’d know who truly cares for her.”
Eloise was scolded into silence, tears streaming down her cheeks.
After Henry had finished venting his anger, Eloise finally dared to speak up, her tone cautious, “It’s too late to dwell on all this now, my lord. We should focus on Matthew’s marriage instead. His gambling wasn’t entirely his fault–he was led astray by bad influences. Now that he’s learned his lesson, I’m sure he won’t make the same mistake again.”
“I mentioned this to Mrs. Osborne before–her cousin, Viola, the daughter of the Federal Bureau Vice Minister, is also of marriageable age. I think they would be a good match. But the Maynard family have high standards, and if I were to propose the match myself, they might not agree. That’s why I thought of asking Margaret for help.”
At this point, Eloise’s voice trailed off. Inwardly, she thought bitterly, All my well-laid plans, ruined by Athena!
Henry’s face darkened with rage as he growled, “It’s all because that son of yours can’t accomplish anything! If only he had even a minor official post now, arranging his marriage wouldn’t be this difficult.”
Henry clenched his jaw and sighed heavily. “We still have to find him something to do. Otherwise, if he keeps mixing with all sorts of shady characters every day, he’s bound to go astray sooner or later.”
“My lord, what do you expect him to do?” Eloise asked, her voice laced with despair. “His official career is already ruined–even if we wanted to pull some strings for him, it simply wouldn’t work.”
Eloise's face was etched with sorrow. After all, Matthew had been publicly reprimanded by the Emperor. No one would dare offer him any favors.
“If all else fails, let him go into the family business," Henry had already mapped out a path for Matthew. "Someone has to take over the family business. Let him start by learning the ropes.”
At this moment, Henry turned and looked at Eloise, “Isn’t Viola quite close with Willow? Have Willow reach out to her and find out what she thinks about Matthew; if she’s interested, things will be much easier.”
Eloise wiped away her tears, paused thoughtfully, and said softly, “Willow was reprimanded by the Queen–I wonder how badly she’s hurt. I should go and see her.”
“You should go. In fact, you should have gone earlier," Henry sighed with resignation, "If it weren’t for the Queen, we would have visited her long ago. That poor child has suffered enough.”
Eloise nodded obediently. “You’re quite right, my lord.”
Without delay, Eloise returned to her residence, changed into fresh attire, gathered several gifts, and headed to the Osborne residence.
Willow had been recuperating from her injuries all this time. Although Michael had come to visit her since she was hurt, his demeanor always felt distant and perfunctory. Even when he inquired about her well-being, Willow sensed there was an invisible barrier between them. No matter what she did, Michael just didn’t like her.
What infuriated Willow even more was that Michael hadn’t shared her bed since their wedding night. Now that she was injured, he was simply using it as another excuse to avoid intimacy, she thought bitterly.
When Eloise arrived, Willow threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mother…!” She wept so hard she could barely breathe, tears streaming down her cheeks. Seeing her daughter like this, Eloise felt her heart shatter. “My dear child, what’s troubling you? Come, tell me everything.”
“Mother, I’ve suffered so much…” Willow sobbed, her voice catching with sobs as she poured out her entire story to Eloise.
Eloise gasped sharply. “You mean all this time, you two haven’t been intimate?”
Willow shook her head tearfully, her sobs growing even heavier.
Eloise let out a sigh. “Men are all the same–the harder something is to get, the more they crave it. When you were still living at home, he went out of his way to win your affection, but now that he has you, he just takes you for granted.”
Willow clutched Eloise’s arm in desperation and pleaded, “Mother, please help me! What should I do?”
Looking at her tearful beauty, Eloise thought for a moment and said, “If you want to win a man’s heart back, you have to make him miss you. Stay quietly at home for a few days, and then I’ll have someone send word that I’ve fallen ill and need you to come nurse me. Once you’re not by his side, he’ll surely start to miss you.”
Willow’s eyes lit up as she nodded eagerly. “Well, I can’t go out in public like this anyway. Might as well recover at home.”
Seeing Willow agree, Eloise smiled and seized the moment to ask about the Maynard family. “So, how are you getting along with Viola?”
“Mother, why are you asking about Viola?" Willow asked, puzzled.
“It’s all about your brother Matthew. Now that he’s of marriageable age, I’ve looked around and only the Maynard family seems a good match. But since he doesn’t have a job right now, I’m worried that if we go and propose directly, they might turn us down. That’s why I wanted you to sound out the Maynards for me first.”
Willow thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Viola is actually quite decent–just a bit nitpicky. She’s quite attractive, and otherwise, there’s nothing to fault.”
Viola was the legitimate daughter of the Maynard family. Under Mrs. Maynard’s harsh rule, her concubine-born half-sisters were firmly suppressed, with no hope of ever rising above their station. If Matthew were to marry Viola, that’d be a real bargain. After all, the entire Maynard family was in Viola’s mother’s hands. If Viola married into the Monson family, her dowry would surely be substantial. Eloise had also considered this, which was precisely why she had chosen Viola. After hearing Willow’s assessment, her confidence in the match grew considerably.
Eloise, knowing she’d need Kelsey to act as a go-between, was already thinking about arranging a meeting with Mrs. Maynard. She turned to Willow and asked, “Is your mother-in-law feeling better?”
“She’s almost recovered, but she still has no energy and just lies in bed all day," Willow complained, her face darkening at the mention of Kelsey. Even though Kelsey was ill, Willow still had to pay her morning and evening courtesies right on time. Whenever she went, she had to serve tea and water, and if Kelsey was in a bad mood, she’d have to endure an hour of scolding. Willow knew all too well–Kelsey was just using her illness as an excuse to make her life miserable.
“But I was only trying to help Michael with the mask incident,” Willow thought bitterly. “How could I have known it would blow up like this?” What stung Willow most was Michael’s indifference. He knows perfectly well that Kelsey is harassing me, yet he won’t even speak up for me, she thought bitterly.
Eloise could tell from Willow’s expression that her life with the Osbornes was far from easy. Thinking she still needed Kelsey to act as a go-between, Eloise said gently, “I recently got some bird’s nest soup--a rare delicacy. I’ll give you a portion, and another for your mother-in-law. I should pay her a visit.”
Eloise and Kelsey had always been on good terms. The Monson and Osborne families were old family friends who often visited each other. It was only natural for Eloise to visit Kelsey; Willow, though she would have much rather stayed away, had no choice but to tag along.