Chapter 284
Her grandfather had devoted himself wholeheartedly to paving the way for the Duke’s estate. It was his unwavering support that elevated the Duke of Suffield to power.
Yet, when the old man was wrongfully imprisoned, not a single soul at the Duke’s estate dared to speak on his behalf.
Even Eloise turned a blind eye to his plight.
Athena had once believed that in the face of need, people would simply protect their own. But what she saw was far worse. Those at the Duke's didn’t just turn their backs on her grandfather; they struck him while he was already down.
Her chest burned. It hurt to breathe as she thought about how her grandfather had survived such cruelty, and how she, unwillingly, had too.
Tears streamed down Athena’s face, each drop striking Xander’s heart with equal pain.
He reached out and gently brushed away the tears on Athena’s face, his voice soft as he promised, “I’ve got you covered. You won’t have to worry about anything from now on.”
Xander vowed to be Athena’s shelter from every storm, to keep her safe, and to see her live in peace and happiness.
Athena’s eyes were red and swollen from crying, her utterly broken look wrenching Xander’s heart.
With trembling lips, Athena murmured to Xander, “Please, be careful.”
Athena vaguely sensed that her grandfather’s case would have far-reaching implications.
There was no way Xander could reopen the case without word getting out. He was going to be in danger.
Xander smiled faintly at her anxious words. “I’ll be fine. I might be gone from Pidence City for a while, but if anything happens, don’t act on your own. Just wait for me. We’ll get through it together.”
Athena nodded softly and whispered, “Alright.”
After one last lingering look at Athena, Xander strode away without a backward glance.
With him gone, the grand chamber all at once felt hollow.
Even as sunlight streamed down on Athena, she felt none of its warmth.
When Trina came in with the coffee, she found Athena standing motionless, her gaze vacant, looking like a lost soul.
Startled, Trina hurriedly set the coffee down and rushed to Athena, “My lady, what’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.
Athena slowly snapped out of her daze, her eyes struggling to focus before she managed a trembling, profoundly relieved smile at Trina. Her voice shook with emotion as she said, “Trina, there’s finally news about my grandfather, he’s still alive.”
Trina’s eyes widened in surprise at the news. Then, just like Athena, a joyous smile spread across her face.
Tears mingled with Trina’s smile as she nodded to Athena and said softly, “You’re not alone, you still have family.”
With her voice choked, Athena told Trina, “You mustn’t breathe a word of this, understand?”
Even without Athena’s warning, Trina understood the gravity of the situation.
She nodded emphatically, her eyes filled with determination. “You can rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I won’t breathe a word.”
No sooner had Trina finished speaking than Athena gave her a light tap on the forehead and glared at her with mock annoyance. “Why bring up death for no reason? Don’t jinx it!”
“I was just joking, my lady!” Trina said, rubbing the spot on her forehead where Athena had tapped her. Still, a warmth bloomed in her chest.
Trina thought, "To have such a kindhearted lady in this lifetime, I must have truly done something good in my past lives to deserve such a blessing."
With an ingratiating smile, Trina carefully picked up the cup and offered it to Athena.
Trina hadn’t expected the cup to be so scalding hot. In that instant, her fingers slipped, and the cup crashed to the floor.
It shattered into countless pieces, leaving Trina standing rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss.
Marquita burst in upon hearing the commotion, her eyes sweeping the room in alarm. “What happened? What happened? Lady Athena, are you hurt?”
One look at the scene and Marquita knew Trina had messed up again.
Marquita pointed her feather duster at Trina and scolded, “Trina! How many cups have you broken this month alone? If you keep this up, Lady Athena won’t be able to put up with your butterfingers anymore!”
Though Marquita was scolding harshly, she swiftly knelt down to clean up the mess herself.
Trina knew that despite her sharp tongue, Marquita wasn’t truly harsh at heart. She quickly knelt down to clean up the mess. “Sorry, Marquita,” she said with an apologetic pout. “It was just an accident.”
“Don’t you give me that,” Marquita replied. "It’s only because Lady Athena is so generous that she puts up with you. If it were me, I’d have kicked you out long ago!”
While the two chattered and bickered away, Athena found their lively noise anything but annoying.
Athena rested her chin in her hand, watching them with a fond smile as their banter echoed through the room. It was in these small, noisy moments that she felt the warmth of home most clearly.
Suddenly, Trina yelped and clutched her finger.
As soon as she saw the bright red blood welling up, Trina burst into frightened sobs, her voice trembling as she cried, “Oh Marquita, I’m bleeding!”
Marquita immediately stopped scolding and quickly pulled Trina’s hand over, frowning as she saw the wound. “Ouch, that’s quite deep! Go tend to it right away, I’ll clean up this mess here.”
Athena grabbed the ointment. “Come here, Trina,” she called gently. “Let me take a look.”
With tears still glistening on her cheeks, Trina approached Athena. As Athena gently applied the ointment and noticed her red, puffy nose from crying, a small, fond smile tugged at her lips.
Trina might act all carefree and thick-skinned most of the time, but when it came to pain, she was the biggest softie around.
Moments like this, with her sobbing like that, made it clear as day.
Once the ointment was applied, Athena gave Trina three days off. The woman’s tears instantly turned into a beaming smile.
Just then, Lance walked in from outside and said to Athena, “Viscountess, someone is here seeking your medical help.”
Athena looked surprised and asked, “Who is it?”
Lance hesitated, looking troubled. “She’s the Chief of the Federal Bureau’s concubine.”
Athena paused for a moment upon hearing who it was. Then her eyes lit up with interest. “Have her wait in the reception hall,” she said.
Chapter 285
Marquita and Trina exchanged puzzled glances.
Marquita said with evident distaste, “Lady Athena, we absolutely cannot allow someone like that into our household. How could she possibly want your medical treatment?”
“Exactly! If she comes into our household, who knows what kind of gossip might start,” Trina chimed in.
Athena, however, had made up her mind. “We must act with kindness. If she came to me, then she must be at the end of her rope.”
“You’re too softhearted, Lady,” Trina sighed, albeit reluctantly trailing after her.
When they entered the reception hall, they saw a woman standing there alone in a peach pink gown, the color reserved for concubines.
Just by standing there in that gown, she was a walking disgrace.
Athena had imagined a seductress. Instead, she saw grief behind striking beauty.
Moreover, her face also bore wounds. Faint bloodstains seeped through her sleeves, suggesting she was injured.
Upon seeing Athena, Bee’s face turned pale with terror. She unexpectedly dropped to her knees before her and said in a trembling voice, “Greetings, Viscountess.”
The scowl on Trina’s face faded instantly when she saw Belle in such a pitiful condition.
Even as a concubine, no one deserved to be beaten like that. Seeing the wounds, Trina could only imagine how cruel the Chief’s wife must have been.
“Please rise,” Athena said quickly, reaching out to help her.
Belle gazed intently at Athena, her eyes filled with desperate gratitude: “My Lady Viscountess, please, you must save me?”
As she spoke, with trembling hands, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing the wounds on her body.
Her fair arm was marred by countless knife slashes.
Some had already healed; others gaped open, raw flesh exposed, while still others were red, swollen, and oozing with pus.
This was only the tip of the iceberg. With tears streaming down her face, Belle, her hands trembling, slowly unfastened her collar.
Her body was a horrifying sight, covered in countless burns, lash marks, and needle pricks. Her flesh a raw, bloody mess.
What was worse, her chest was even caved in, leaving a horrifying hollow.
Her wounds were festering and inflamed, and a faint but unmistakable stench of decay began to waft through the air.
Trina, who had never witnessed such a gruesome sight before, gasped in shock and instinctively covered her mouth.
Then, she immediately ran outside, retching violently.
Athena looked at the frail, battered woman before her, and a look of sympathy involuntarily crossed her face.
She was also momentarily appalled by the horrific wounds before her. Once she collected herself, she ordered one of the maids, “Fetch the medical kit immediately!”