Willow sniffed, her voice trembling with a hint of tears. “I feel guilty. This marriage was meant for Athena, but now it’s been given to me… I’ve stolen it from her.
“I already owe her so much, and now this marriage too. It’s only right that she resents me.”
Matthew scoffed lightly. “What right does she have to resent anyone? If she hadn’t done those wicked things back then, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
“The Osborne family is a prestigious one—why would they want a woman with a tarnished reputation to be their matriarch? It’s you who’s helped her. If the Osborne family calls off the engagement, she’ll only look worse.”
Willow bit her lip and fell silent, her voice barely above a whisper. “Still, it’s my fault.”
“Don’t worry,” Matthew reassured her. “Both Joseph and I are on your side when it comes to the Osborne family.”
Willow lowered her head, not saying anything, but a small smile tugged at her lips.
“What do you mean 'you owe her'? No one in this household owes her anything.” A bright voice cut through the room.
Joseph walked in, holding a tray.
He flashed a mischievous smile as he set the tray in front of Matthew. “Matthew, you’re quite lucky. Even while injured, there’s still someone thinking of you.”
On the tray was a bowl of restorative soup and a sachet of herbs.
Joseph, clearly used to this, casually placed the items down before pulling up a chair and sitting down.
Willow looked surprised. “Who sent these?”
“The soup is from Siena, and the sachet is from Aliza,” Joseph said with a wink at Matthew.
Matthew shot him a quick glance, then turned away, his expression unreadable. He looked annoyed. “A lowly maid thinks she can climb the social ladder…”
With that, he suddenly kicked Joseph. “How much have you received from them?”
Joseph swiftly got up and dodged the kick, feigning innocence. “It’s just a small gift, Matthew. Why are you getting so upset!”
Matthew glared at him. “These maids have bad intentions. If Mother knew, she’d give you a good beating.”
“Matthew, you’ve only got one concubine now. What’s the harm in taking another?” Joseph said quickly, sending Willow a playful glance.
Willow smiled, playing along with his suggestion. “Of course, it would have to be approved by Mother first.”
Matthew frowned, thinking for a moment. He wasn’t opposed to taking a concubine, especially since the woman had originally promised to Willow but had been taken by Athena instead. If he asked Eloise, she might well agree.
Even the maids seemed to dislike Athena, which said a lot about her character.
He silently made a decision, thinking he’d bring it up with Eloise soon.
Meanwhile, Athena was in the process of preparing medicine for Margaret when she realized a few ingredients were missing. She stood up and headed toward the storeroom.
As she approached a low wall, she overheard voices arguing.
Chapter 30
“You should take a good look at yourself before you speak. How dare you argue with me?”
It was Aliza, her voice lowered deliberately, as if trying to keep the conversation private.
Then came Siena’s mocking laughter. “Being a house bond servant makes you… Why can’t I do what you’re doing? Besides, I’m just as pretty as you.”
“Y-You…” Aliza was furious and reached out to slap Siena, but Siena turned and ran.
“Huh? Didn’t you hear Lady Willow say that everyone is wanted?”
Athena’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. When it came to greed, even the strongest of relationships could crumble.
She shook her head and was about to leave when she saw Gwen entering her courtyard, followed by two people.
Hastily, she turned around and waited for them to enter.
Behind Gwen were a sharp-eyed old maid and a young, plump maid with her head lowered, making it hard to see her face clearly.
Gwen stepped aside, gesturing for the two to come forward. “These two are here at Lady Margaret’s request to assist you, Lady Athena.”
Athena’s heart warmed. She hadn’t expected Margaret to think of this. She had no one in her courtyard who truly understood her, and it seemed Margaret had picked up on some whispers.
“Grandmother…she didn’t hear anything, did she?” Athena asked, concerned.
Gwen forced a smile. “There’s no such thing as a completely soundproof wall. Lady Margaret knows about the incident between you and Lord Matthew last night.”
Her expression darkened, but she quickly added, “Don’t worry, Lady Athena. Lady Margaret is fine. She knows you didn’t suffer, and she even had an extra plate of pasta for lunch today.”
At that, Athena almost smiled.
Seeing her smile, Gwen chuckled too. After leaving the two maids with Athena, she stepped out.
Athena looked at the two maids, who immediately bowed and spoke in unison, “Please, my lady, grant us a name.”
“Since you’re under Margaret’s care, I won’t be giving you names.”
They looked up, expressing their gratitude, and introduced themselves.
“I’m Marquita, and I’m responsible for managing the miscellaneous tasks in Margaret’s courtyard.”
Athena nodded slowly. “From now on, you’ll be in charge of managing the household affairs in my courtyard.”
Marquita was a little surprised, but when she saw the smile on Athena’s face, she understood—Athena was entrusting her with responsibility.
“Thank you, Lady Athena,” Marquita said respectfully.
The plump young maid, looking a bit shy, quickly added, “I’m Trina Pierce, and I'll do my best to serve you, my lady.”
Athena looked at her and found her quite endearing. “Get up.”
Not long after, Siena and Aliza returned. When they saw the two new maids in the courtyard, they immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere.
But when they saw that Athena wasn’t giving them much attention, both Siena and Aliza relaxed.
Athena sat in the room, lost in thought, staring blankly at the table.
She was trying to make sense of Eloise’s strange behavior earlier. Eloise had intentionally dismissed Athena, clearly wanting to have a private
Chapter 30
conversation with Margaret.
Athena thought, “What could she want to say?” She couldn’t figure it out just yet.
While she was lost in thought, Siena entered with a report. “My lady, Lady Eloise is here.”
Athena looked up just as Eloise entered, accompanied by two maids. One of the maids was holding a tray covered with a red cloth.
Eloise approached, smiling brightly, and tried to take Athena’s hand, but Athena subtly pulled her hand away.
Eloise’s hand dropped, and a brief flash of sadness crossed her face. But she quickly recovered, forcing a smile. “I’ve come to bring you some good news.”
Athena remained seated, and Eloise signaled for the maid to bring the tray closer.
The red cloth was lifted, revealing a set of gilded headpieces inlaid with emeralds. There were three hairpins, a pair of hair ornaments, and a necklace.
Despite the grandeur of the gift, Athena wasn’t surprised. Instead, a sarcastic smile curled on her lips. She already knew what Eloise was going to say.
“Why would this be my good news? Shouldn’t it be the duke’s estate’s celebration?”
The sharpness in Athena’s eyes caught Eloise off guard for a moment. But she quickly regained her composure and forced a smile. “You’re Henry’s daughter, so of course, your happiness is the family’s happiness too.”
“Lady Eloise, if you have something to say, just say it. There’s no need for all these roundabout words.” Athena’s eyes darkened with sorrow.
She thought, “Using my marriage for Henry’s future—isn’t that the real “good news”? But it is for their benefit, not mine!”
Eloise ignored the disappointment on Athena’s face, still smiling brightly. “I promised I would treat you well, and of course, your marriage is something I’ve kept in mind. You and Lord Osborne weren’t meant to be, but I won’t neglect you.”
She gently patted Athena’s hand, her face beaming. “Ray McGee has come to propose to you. Your future is secured.”
Athena’s heart skipped a beat. Ray McGee of the McGee family was an extremely powerful figure—he had once carried the late king out of battle and had been granted his title.
She wondered, “How could such a prominent family want to marry someone with a tarnished reputation like mine?”