Chapter 336
The officers hadn’t been paying attention to Willow at first, but at Nona’s urging, their gazes immediately shifted toward her. Those predatory eyes were brazen and utterly undisguised. Like predators who’d found new prey, they slowly started closing in on Willow.
Terrified, Willow instinctively darted behind Kelsey and shrieked, “I’m not the young mistress of the Osborne family anymore. I swear I’m not. Please, just let me go!”
Kelsey had no intention of saving Willow, but before Michael could even divorce Willow, the Osborne family had already collapsed. Technically, Willow was still Michael’s wife in the eyes of the law. If Willow were humiliated by these men, Michael would lose face as well. Despite her extreme reluctance, Kelsey had no choice but to shield Willow. Forcing a smile at the officers, she pleaded, “Officers, please have mercy, I still have some jewelry here. Why don’t you take it and buy yourselves a drink?”
Kelsey slipped an emerald earring from her sleeve. It was a piece of jewelry she’d hidden in the lining of her clothes during the confiscation of their estate. Now, it finally came in handy.
Willow whispered gratefully, “Thank you, Mother. I know I was out of line just now. Please don’t hold it against me.”
“Silence!” Kelsey snapped.
The officers’ eyes bulged at the sight of the emerald earring in Kelsey’s hand. This emerald earring was of exceptional quality. Even a tiny piece could fetch a small fortune.
Leering at Kelsey, the officers snarled, “How dare you still hide valuables! Spit it out. What else are you stashing?”
Kelsey shook her head pleadingly. “This was part of my wedding gifts. I managed to conceal it during the confiscation. I swear, there’s nothing else left.”
The emerald earrings were a pair, but in the chaos, Kelsey had only managed to hide this one. The other had been confiscated.
But the officers weren’t buying it. They exchanged hungry glances, then immediately pounced on Kelsey, tearing at her clothes. One of them snarled, “You old hag. Do you really think you can fool us? Earrings always come in pairs. The other one’s certainly hidden somewhere on you!”
In a flash, their target shifted to Kelsey. Kelsey paled in shock. She never imagined these officers would treat her like an animal.
In desperation, Kelsey shrieked, “Let go of me, you bastards. I am the Lady of the Osborne family. If you dare treat me like this, when my son restores our family’s power, he’ll have you torn limb from limb!”
Originally, the officers had only been after money, but Kelsey’s words pushed them over the edge, turning their greed into murderous rage. With a violent thud, Kelsey was kicked to the ground. Her clothes were ripped to shreds, leaving her completely exposed. For Kelsey, accustomed to a life of privilege and comfort, this was an unspeakable disgrace. Her shriek echoed through the desolate wilderness, all the more helpless.
Just then, a gruff voice thundered, “Stop!”
The officers looked up to see Fletcher Osborne stride forward and shield Kelsey. He was carrying two bottles of water and a wild hare. During their journey of exile, these convicts were nothing more than the officers’ servants. Tasks like fetching water and preparing meals were forced upon them.
Fletcher clasped his hands and pleaded with the officers, “Officers, why trouble yourselves with my wife?”
“Well, well, look who’s grown a spine,” one of the officers sneered while circling Fletcher and looking him up and down. Suddenly, he spat right in Fletcher’s face. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Back when the Osborne family had lorded it over all, these nobles treated commoners like dirt. Now that they had fallen from grace, not a single soul would help them. Humiliated, Fletcher stood rooted to the spot, fists clenched tight, eyes blazing with furious resentment as he glared at the officers. Yet he could only endure it silently. Their very lives were at the mercy of these officers. Pissing them off wouldn’t do him any good.
Kelsey whimpered, “My lord…” She cowered behind Fletcher, trembling uncontrollably. A wave of bitter despair washed over her.
Fletcher swallowed this ultimate humiliation, his last shred of anger gone. He pleaded, “Though we are convicts, His Majesty has ordered our exile to the northwest. Should anything befall us on the way, you gentlemen would have a hard time explaining it to your superiors. I beg you, please show us mercy and let us go.”
At these words, the officers wavered for a moment. If anything happened to these convicts, they would indeed have trouble answering to their superiors.
The officers snorted indignantly, turned on their heels, and stalked off.
Fletcher let out a sigh of relief while Kelsey sobbed quietly behind him. He paid Kelsey no further attention. The only reason he shielded her was simply because she was his wife. No man would ever want to see his wife humiliated.
Fletcher glared at Willow, and the more he looked, the more he despised her. Fletcher tore a strip of cloth from his robe, pricked his finger until it bled, and began writing with his blood.
Curious, Kelsey craned her neck only to find that he was drafting a divorce paper.
Chapter 336
After finishing, Fletcher slammed it onto Willow’s face and declared, “From this day forward, you shall have no connection whatsoever with the Osborne family.”
When Willow read it, her blood boiled with rage. She said, “You old fool. Do you really think the Osborne family is still a noble and powerful house? This is exactly what I wanted!” Willow tucked the letter into her robe, yet her eyes burned with malice as she glared at Fletcher.
Upon hearing her insults, Fletcher merely cast her a cold, indifferent glance before turning away. In his eyes, arguing with a woman like Willow was beneath him.
As dusk fell, the officers found a sheltered spot on the side and made camp for the night. As usual, the men went out to forage for food and water, while the women stayed behind to prepare the campfire and cook. Willow was sent out to gather firewood, her wrists shackled. The officers didn’t even bother watching her. They were certain she couldn’t escape.
By the time Willow had finished gathering firewood, the men of the Osborne family had returned from their hunt. Tonight’s hunt yielded a decent haul for once. There were pheasants, rabbits, and wild berries. After gorging themselves on the feast, the officers tossed the leftover scraps to the Osbornes.
The Osborne family shared the food amongst themselves, yet not a single one of them spared a glance for Willow. She gnawed on the rock-hard cornbread. Not even a scrap of meat was offered to her.
As night fell, Willow tossed and turned, too angry to sleep. Suddenly, Willow saw Fletcher rise stealthily and slip away toward the woods. Willow’s eyes gleamed with calculation. She tiptoed over to the officers and whispered urgently, “Sir, wake up. Please, wake up!”
The officer jolted awake, snarling, “Got a death wish? What’s all this racket?”
“Sir, I have urgent news. The Osbornes are fleeing!” Willow gasped, her voice laced with feigned distress.
At these words, the officer snapped fully awake. He frantically shook his companion awake, “Wake the hell up. Someone’s making a run for it!”
In an instant, everyone jolted awake.
“Who ran away?” Kelsey asked, her aristocratic features clouded with confusion.
“Who else could it be but your dear husband?” Willow sneered, a wave of vindictive satisfaction washing over her as she finally vented her long-suppressed resentment.
Kelsey cried out vehemently, “No. That’s impossible. My son is still in Pidence City. Why would my lord possibly flee? This must be a false accusation!” With that, Kelsey darted into the woods, desperate to stop the officers from pursuing her husband.
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the wood. Fletcher was suddenly run through by an officer’s blade, his eyes wide with disbelief, utterly bewildered by what was happening.
Chapter 336
“My lord!” Kelsey shrieked, throwing herself toward him.
The officers, mistaking Kelsey’s desperate rush as an attempt to flee, shouted warnings at her. When she paid no heed, one of them coldly set his threat.