“Strike me if you must.”

At this point, Willow dared not offer any excuses. She could only sob and beg Kelsey for mercy.

Kelsey merely wanted to teach Willow a lesson; she had no real intention of punishing her.

After all, the Osborne family still needed Willow’s resourcefulness to navigate their current predicament.

Seeing Willow finally yield, Kelsey let out a weary sigh. “I wasn’t trying to make things difficult for you, Willow. It’s just that the Osborne family is facing a real crisis right now.”

Kelsey’s sudden shift in tone left Willow utterly perplexed.

She stole a cautious glance at Kelsey, noticing her face clouded with worry and her brows deeply furrowed in distress.

Willow asked in a hushed tone, “May I ask what’s troubling you? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Please get up,” Kelsey said gently. Willow hesitantly took a seat.

Kelsey gave her a long, troubled look before saying solemnly, “Michael has offended the Queen, and now Her Majesty is furious. Willow, do you have any solution to this?”

Willow’s talents were exactly what the Queen valued.

The Queen had gained numerous valuable innovations from Willow. Papermaking, gunpowder, glassmaking, and other innovations—all of these earned the Queen a fortune.

The Queen saw Willow as her personal goldmine, naturally indulging her every whim.

Kelsey was no exception this time. She pinned all her hopes on Willow, desperately counting on her to devise a way to save the Osborne family from ruin.

Those so-called ways were really just ingenious ideas Willow came up with herself.

Willow let out a slow breath of relief. ‘As long as I’m still useful to the Osborne family and the Queen, Kelsey won’t dare cast me aside so easily,’ she thought.

She hesitated, then turned to Kelsey and asked carefully, “May I ask what offense my husband has committed to make Her Majesty the Queen so enraged?”

Willow was no fool; she knew her tricks wouldn’t work forever. Her trump card would only be played as a last resort.

Kelsey caught Willow’s meaning immediately; it was clear Willow already had a solution in mind.

Kelsey said, “Athena has undermined the Queen’s interests; Her Majesty cannot let her live. But Michael…”

At this, Kelsey cast an apologetic glance at Willow. “Michael has been completely bewitched by Athena; he’s actually daring to defy Her Majesty the Queen for her. Isn’t he playing with fire, putting both his own future and the entire Osborne family at stake?”

A bitter ache twisted in Willow’s heart as she listened to Kelsey’s words.

Willow was both shocked and furious. Not only did Michael go to see Athena, but he even dared to defy the Queen for her.

He was really willing to risk the entire Osborne family and even his own life for Athena.

Seeing the disappointment on Willow’s face, Kelsey instead comforted her, “Don’t take it too hard. Michael wouldn’t dare go too far. I called you back because only you can rein him in.

“Just give Michael a child or two, and he’ll naturally stop looking elsewhere.”

Willow now understood the full situation, and a calculated plan took shape in her mind.

With red-rimmed eyes, Willow nodded to Kelsey. “I understand. But to appease Her Majesty the Queen, I’ll need your help to keep Michael from acting recklessly. If this happens again, I’m afraid the Queen won’t be so forgiving.”

For Willow to offer a solution to appease the Queen’s anger, Kelsey would first have to give her a guarantee.

Michael always listened to Kelsey. If she stepped in, he wouldn’t be able to refuse, and Willow could keep herself out of the direct conflict.

‘How dare she try to blackmail me!’ Kelsey thought, a flicker of coldness in her eyes.

Kelsey’s brows furrowed slightly, her gaze turning noticeably colder as she looked at Willow.

However, she kept her true feelings hidden. If saving the Osborne family meant playing the villain, Kelsey was willing to bear that role.

Kelsey gave a faint smile. “Rest assured, Willow. Once Michael is back, I’ll make sure he is properly disciplined.” Then she asked, “So, what’s your plan?”

Willow thought for a moment, then said, “Her Majesty has always been quite particular about her appearance. I know a way to make the wrinkles on Her Majesty’s face disappear.”

Hearing this, Kelsey’s eyes sparkled with hope. “Really?”

Willow nodded firmly. “Absolutely true. This product can be mass-produced, or even exported to neighboring kingdoms. Noblewomen will flock to purchase it; wealth will be the least of our concerns.”

Kelsey sighed in relief, then turned to Willow and asked, “How long will it take to produce this?”

“You’ll need to assign me some cosmetic artisans,” Willow said. “With each step overseen by a dedicated person, production should take about three days.”

Kelsey shook her head firmly. “That’s too long. Her Majesty the Queen won’t tolerate such a delay; make it two days.”

Willow clenched her jaw, hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Two days. I’ll deliver what you need.”

“Good, good. I knew you were a loyal daughter-in-law,” Kelsey said, finally letting out a long sigh of relief now that everything was settled.

Now, she could finally relax at home, awaiting Michael’s return.