Chapter 298
Michael stared at the incense burner, his brows knitted tightly. The scent from the censer was distinctly off. Unlike the usual light fragrance, it smelled heavy and overpowering.
All incense in the Osborne family was uniformly procured, with meticulous records maintained for every wing and courtyard. If the incense had been changed, he would certainly have known.
Realizing the cause of his erratic state, Michael abruptly turned to Willow, his voice heavy with fury as he demanded, “What did you put in this censer?”
Willow’s heart hammered in her chest, her face turning deathly pale. Michael’s piercing gaze sent chills down Willow’s spine. The Osborne family was no ordinary family. Their power and influence were formidable. The Osborne family utterly abhorred women resorting to such underhanded schemes.
But she was left with no choice. Desperation drove her to play this dangerous game.
Willow thought bitterly, ‘Michael only has eyes for Athena. If I don’t resort to this, when will I ever conceive his heir?’
Willow’s eyes were brimming with tears as she gazed at Michael with feigned vulnerability. She stubbornly refused to admit anything. “My lord, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you truly ignorant, or just pretending to be?” Michael demanded, seeing right through her act.
A suffocating feeling swelled in Michael’s chest. He had trusted Willow so deeply and had always protected her since they were children.
Michael thought, ‘What has she done? She actually laced the room with aphrodisiac incense. Only prostitutes would stoop to such vile tricks. For a woman of her noble birth to resort to this kind of depravity is utterly beneath contempt. What difference is there between her and those prostitutes?’
“Speak!” Michael thundered, his fury escalating at her continued denial. He couldn’t help but tighten his grip around Willow’s wrist.
Willow cried out from the pain, tears streaming down her face. “Honey, I truly don’t know. Please, believe me…”
Michael was already on the verge of collapse, and now, completely at the mercy of the aphrodisiac incense, his body no longer obeyed his will.
With a violent shove, Michael sent Willow flying. She crashed heavily into the corner of the table before curling into a fetal position in agony.
Dizziness washed over Michael in waves. Clutching his head, he staggered toward the door.
However, Willow flung herself at Michael, clinging to him desperately. “Honey, please don’t go. Stay with me, please.” She’d fought so hard for this chance. There was no way she was letting Michael slip away now.
Michael’s entire body burned crimson, his eyes bloodshot. He knew the effects of the aphrodisiac incense were nearly impossible to resist. Walking out like this would be courting disaster.
But deep down, Michael recoiled at the thought of touching Willow. The very idea turned his stomach.
“Get away. Just get away…” Michael rasped, his voice hoarse with strain as he shoved Willow aside once more. With one powerful kick, he sent the door flying open and stormed out.
Behind him, Willow’s desperate cries rang out. “Michael, please come back. Come back!”
The night was pitch-black, and Michael was nowhere to be seen.
Willow knew Michael was in a dangerous, drugged state. If he ran into another woman now, she felt that her scheming would just end up benefiting them.
Ignoring the pain, Willow scrambled to her feet and rushed outside. “Nona!” she called desperately.
Willow called out several times, but there was no sign of Nona outside the chamber door. Only then did she remember that she had strictly ordered Nona to stay away from the door.
Painfully hobbling out, Willow turned to the attendants in the courtyard and snapped, “Go find Lord Osborne and bring him back now!”
The attendants scattered, fanning out to search for Michael.
Willow was frantic with worry while praying desperately, ‘Please, don’t let Michael run into another woman!’ She was sure Michael wouldn’t go far. It was impossible for him to leave the Osborne family in that state.
Knowing how scandalous this was, Willow dared not alert anyone else. She could only search for Michael quietly within the estate.
Not long after Willow left, Nona came over from the kitchen. Just as Nona rounded the corner of the corridor, she caught rustling sounds coming from the rockery.
Nona snapped, “Who’s there?”
The faint moonlight revealed a figure curled up in the shadows. Nona stepped closer with a light in her hand. When the light revealed the man’s face, she drew a sharp breath. “Lord Osborne, is that really you?”
Michael was crouched in the rockery, his face flushed crimson. His body was burning with feverish heat, his mind adrift in a haze.
Seeing Michael like this, Nona’s initial shock melted into a sly delight as realization dawned.
Nona thought with a sneer, ‘That useless Willow. She couldn’t even keep Michael with her. Since heaven has given me this opportunity, I’d be a fool not to take it.’
“Your Lordship, what’s wrong? Let me help you back to your room,” Nona said while slipping Michael’s arm over her shoulder and carefully helping him to his feet.
Michael felt as if he’d been plunged into a fiery cauldron. He ripped at his collar in restless agitation. He was too disoriented to recognize who was next to him. He only knew that someone was supporting him.
Michael slumped heavily against Nona, his full weight bearing down on her as they struggled back to the room.
At that moment, Michael completely lost control. As soon as they entered the room, he grabbed Nona and dragged her onto the bed.
Nona clutched the covers and began trembling with excitement. She could hardly believe she’d landed herself in Michael’s bed with such astonishing ease.
Once this night was through, she would be his woman.
Nona thought, “From now on, I’ll never have to be a servant again, and I’ll never have to put up with that bitch Willow’s abuse. If I’m lucky enough, I will end up bearing Michael a child. Then, I’ll surely rise in status through my child!”
However, just as Nona was lost in her blissful reverie, the cold edge of a dagger pressed against her throat.
The razor-sharp blade pressed flush against her skin, sending a searing pain through her neck.
Nona froze in terror, her eyes filled with dread. “My Lord…”
The lust in Michael’s eyes vanished, leaving only cold clarity.
Through gritted teeth, Michael fixed Nona with a deadly glare and growled, “Tell me everything you know right now. If you hold anything back, I swear I’ll end you.”
Nona was terrified out of her wits. She stammered, “Your Lordship, I have nothing to do with this. I know nothing, I swear…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Michael pressed the dagger forward a fraction. Immediately, blood trickled down Willow’s neck. Terrified out of her wits, Nona abandoned all pretense of loyalty and sold Willow out.
Nona told Michael that Willow had drugged his wine and schemed against him. She even revealed how, back at the duke’s estate, Willow had schemed against Athena and turned everyone against Athena.
Nona even told Michael that Willow was faking being poisoned in the past.
Hearing these revelations, Michael was nearly driven mad. In his blind defense of Willow, Michael chose to send Athena to the military camp, hoping the harsh discipline would force her into submission.
She endured unspeakable torment in the military camp, coming perilously close to death. Yet he still gave her the cold shoulder, demanding to know if she had learned her lesson.
Back then, Athena admitted that she had learned her lesson. However, she wasn’t even at fault. She was so broken by fear of the beatings that, even while swallowing her pride and enduring the injustice, she still admitted to something she hadn’t done.
Michael let out a bitter laugh through his tears. He thought, ‘What a complete fool I’ve been. Willow played me for a fool. If it weren’t for her schemes, Athena would be my wife by now.’
Nona watched Michael’s furious meltdown, her heart pounding with dread. Terrified of incurring Michael’s wrath, Nona hastily produced the antidote. “Your Lordship, here’s the antidote…”
Michael fixed her with an icy glare, his words dripping with venom through gritted teeth. “From this moment on, your life belongs to me. When I say jump, you ask how high. Do I make myself clear?”
Nona had no idea what Michael was going to do. Terrified, all she could do was nod.
She thought, ‘How foolish of me to think I could seduce Michael just because he was drugged? How could I have forgotten that the Osborne family has a resident physician? A mere aphrodisiac could never do anything to Michael. It was all an act!’
Nona scrambled off the bed while trembling. Then Michael yelled at her, “Stop and strip-”