Chapter 285

Trina quickly brought the medical kit and handed it to Athena. Though Trina had learned some medical skills from Athena, the injuries on Belle were simply too severe. It looked like the woman had been put through a meat grinder. Anyone who saw her would be filled with fear, yet Athena remained calm, her hands moving with practiced efficiency. It took two full hours just to clean and bandage those wounds. Sweat beaded on Athena’s forehead, and Trina quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe it away.

Meanwhile, Belle lay on the bed, her face full of gratitude. “Thank you, Viscountess, for saving my life,” she said weakly. Athena couldn’t stand to turn her back on such a pitiful woman.

But with the Federal Bureau Chief involved, she needed clarity. “Can you tell me how you got these injuries?”

Belle seemed to be holding back something unspeakable. Her eyes, full of sorrowful reproach, lingered on Athena, but she said nothing. Belle shook her head slightly, then murmured, “It was just my own carelessness.”

“Who do you think you’re fooling? Anyone can see these are abuse marks!” Trina blurted out, frustrated by Belle’s unwillingness to stand up for herself.

The truth was already out; they all saw it now. Trina figured that if Belle had any sense, she’d just come clean about what really happened. Even as a concubine, no matter how high her perpetrator’s status, they couldn’t escape public condemnation. Yet Belle wouldn’t even dare name her tormentor. To Trina, that made her seem utterly spineless.

Athena gently stopped Trina. “If she doesn’t want to talk, there must be something she finds hard to say. Why push her?” Athena handed Belle a glass of water and said, “Your injuries are severe, but thankfully no bones were broken. With proper rest, you’ll make a full recovery. I can’t have you stay here. If there’s nothing else, you should go back now.”

With terror in her eyes, Belle suddenly dropped to her knees before Athena. “Viscountess,” she pleaded desperately, “please, have mercy, can you take me in?”

“I can’t take you in. You belong to the Beckham family. If I shelter you, I won’t be able to answer to them,” Athena replied. She felt sorry for Belle, but Athena knew this was a mess she couldn’t get her hands dirty with.

Belle collapsed into sobs, still on her knees. “If I go back, it’s a death sentence. Madam Beckham is mercilessly cruel; she abuses me whenever Lord Beckham isn’t home. I barely escaped with my life this time.”

Athena’s brow furrowed at these words. If a concubine were caught trying to flee, it meant execution. Her indenture contract rested in the matriarch’s hands; she held the power of life and death. Athena’s expression grew stern. “You mustn’t stay here. Go back at once, or it’ll be too late!”

“I won’t go back; that would be signing my own death warrant!” Belle shivered uncontrollably, her voice choked with emotion as she stubbornly refused to budge.

Trina, realizing the gravity of the situation, snapped at Belle, “If you stay, you’ll drag Lady Athena down with you! She’s a noblewoman with a flawless reputation. Do you think they can hide a runaway concubine from the Federal Chief’s estate? If Madam Beckham finds out, they’ll seize the opportunity to disgrace my lady. How can you repay her kindness with betrayal?”

Shame and helplessness filled Belle’s gaze, though fear still rooted her to the spot. After finally finding a place that felt safe, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Trina, seeing Belle wouldn’t budge, stepped forward to pull her up. Marquita also moved to help, but the moment they touched Belle’s hand, she shrieked hysterically, “No! I won’t go! Please, Viscountess, help me!”

Athena felt utterly helpless. She could hardly protect herself, let alone Belle. She said firmly, “I’m not sending you back to die. If you want to survive, you can report the Beckham family to the magistrate’s office. Trina, see her out.”

After saying that, Athena turned to leave. But Belle suddenly shrieked, her voice desperate, “Wait! I know the Beckham family’s secret! Three years ago, Lord Beckham returned home drenched in blood, and he brought back a woman with him!”

Hearing this, Athena stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to Belle, her piercing gaze almost like a blade cutting right through her. “Go on,” Athena demanded.

Belle stood frozen under Athena’s piercing gaze, but the moment she recalled the Beckham family’s atrocities, the words came pouring out in a desperate rush.

Belle, her voice trembling, said, “That woman was locked in a secret chamber by Lord Beckham. I sneaked a peek at her once; she was covered in wounds from torture. It seemed he was trying to extract something from her.”

Athena’s brows furrowed tightly. She strode quickly to Belle, seizing her shoulders, and asked urgently, “What was it?” In her agitation, her grip was tighter than she realized.

Belle winced in pain, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety?”

“As long as you’re telling the truth, I can give you enough silver to leave Pidence City and live comfortably for the rest of your days, so long as you haven’t lied to me,” Athena said.

“I’m not lying to you!” Belle stammered. “I despise Lord Beckham; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a real monster!” She shook as she continued, barely able to breathe. “That woman… she said she was Erwin Rogers’s wife; that Chit Leonard killed him, killed his whole family, child too! He only kept her alive because he needed something from her.”

Athena could almost guess; that very thing had to be the evidence she needed to clear her grandfather’s name. “Was it the pawn ticket?” Athena asked gently, her voice trembling with anticipation.

Belle’s eyes widened in shock, astonished that Athena knew. Belle’s voice wavered as she nodded. “That’s what Lady Rogers said. She told me it was hidden in a dried-up well on Wandral Mountain. That’s…where her husband and child were buried.”

Athena’s eyes flew wide open, reddened and shimmering with unshed tears. Never in a million years did she think the crucial clue she thought was lost would find its way back to her. Maybe it was divine mercy, or fate’s way of saying her grandfather’s name deserved redemption. Athena gazed resolutely out the window. She was determined to make the journey to Wandral Mountain herself.

“Trina, keep an eye on her; I need to head out for a bit,” Athena said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

But Jessa suddenly stepped in front of Athena, blocking her way. “My Lady, have you forgotten the Prince’s warning?” she reminded her urgently.

“I can’t let that stop me now!” Athena’s heart raced with desperate urgency. All her perseverance these past days had been for this very moment, to clear her grandfather’s name. Now that the truth was practically within her grasp, she could not possibly stay idle.

Jessa didn’t budge, eyeing Belle with suspicion. She said, “This woman’s appearance is highly suspicious. Why now, of all times?”

Athena instinctively glanced at Belle, whose face was drawn with terror. She frantically pleaded, “It was Lady Rogers! When I had no hope left, she told me to find you, Viscountess. She said you would protect me… and show me a way out.” Fearing Athena wouldn’t believe her, Belle pulled out an embroidered kerchief and thrust it toward her. “This is Lady Rogers’s, please, look!”

Trina took the handkerchief and passed it to Athena. Athena studied it carefully; the Rogers emblem was there, neatly tucked in the corner. Faint bloodstains still marked the cloth, and the tiny, uneven flowers suggested it had been embroidered by an unpracticed hand. Athena clutched the handkerchief, her silence stretching on. Others might not realize it, but she knew exactly what this was: the birthday gift Madeline had given her mother, Haven Rogers.