Chapter 53

Athena arrived within minutes. She was well aware that Nicolas had been punished. She kept her distance, thinking it had nothing to do with her, never expecting that the consequences would fall upon her.

As soon as Athena entered, Willow’s resentful gaze immediately fixed on her. Athena shot her an icy glare, and Willow finched and shrank back like a startled fawn. She hid behind Eloise, her eyes wide with fear.

Eloise let out a soft sigh and gently patted Willow’s hand in comfort. “There, there. Don’t be afraid,” she murmured.

Eloise thought, 'She must have been frightened by Athena. After all, the way she beat Matthew that day was brutal and vicious. Willow has been pampered since childhood; she’s never seen anything like that.'

Willow gave a slight nod, tears welling up in her eyes, too scared to even lift her head.

Nicolas was already fuming, and seeing Willow so terrified only made him angrier. But when he thought of all the suffering Athena had endured over the past three years, his heart softened a little.

Suppressing his temper, Nicolas said, “Though I acted rashly this time, I don’t regret it.” He stared at Athena, wanting her to know that those who had humiliated her had been punished. He hoped Athena could let go of the past, put aside her resentment, and remember that they were still siblings.

But Athena’s face remained cold and unreadable as she looked at him.

“So?” Athena’s lips curled in a cold smile. “What concern is that of mine, Lord Nicolas?”

The room fell silent. Nicolas’s expression froze in disbelief as he looked at Athena.

Willow jumped out to defend him. “Athena, Nicolas did all this for you! How can you be so heartless?”

“Three days being grounded, and you still haven’t learned your lesson.” Athena shot her a frosty glare. “This isn’t your place to speak.”

Athena used to ignore Willow’s antics, but every time, Willow would jump in, fanning the flames and stirring up trouble. It only turned their already fragile relationship from bad to worse. Though Athena no longer held out hope for the Monson family, she couldn’t stand Willow stepping on her to climb higher.

Willow’s eyes instantly reddened. She softly sobbed, not daring to say another word.

Nicolas said in a low, stern voice, “Athena, was Willow wrong? While I was being punished by His Majesty, it was Willow and Mother who went to plead for mercy from the Empress. She was willing to go that far for me. What about you? What have you done?”

“You should know, if it hadn’t been to stand up for you, Michael and I wouldn’t have been punished by the Emperor.”

Athena’s eyes were full of mocking amusement. “You sound so noble that I almost believed you. Was it really for me, or just to ease your own ridiculous guilt? Or maybe you just wanted to make sure I could marry into the McGee family, so you had to silence the witnesses permanently?”

Nicolas’s face turned pale, inch by inch, as if Athena had exposed all his darkest secrets. He stared straight at Athena, lips trembling, but couldn’t utter a single word.

Athena found his reaction almost laughable. 'So much for family bonds; how easily they crumble like paper before the truth,' she thought.

“Let’s be honest, it was never about me; it was always about you, about the Monson family.” Athena’s mind had never been clearer; even the fear on the faces of everyone else in the room now seemed utterly ridiculous to her.

Every step they took was calculated, every move a manipulation. Yet, they could still claim that it was all for her.

She said, “Michael never intended to kill them all. It was you, Lord Nicolas, who gave the order to silence everyone. When it comes to ruthlessness, who can be more ruthless than you?”

She didn’t pity those who bullied her at all. They deserved to die. But what she couldn’t accept was being made the scapegoat for Nicolas’s ambitions.

Athena thought to herself, 'Though I don’t know all the details, I’ve pieced together most of it. The Emperor must have caught wind of something, but with no living witnesses, he could only give a symbolic punishment, making the two kneel before the palace hall to calm the troops.'

“As for Eloise and Willow going to plead with the Empress, they must have promised her some benefit in exchange. Otherwise, the Empress would never get involved in this mess. What I can’t figure out is, what could Willow possibly offer that would sway the Empress?”

Eloise and Willow’s faces paled instantly, and Willow bowed her head even lower. A flicker of guilt flashed in Eloise’s eyes. She seemed to want to say something to Athena, but ultimately swallowed her words.

Seeing this, Athena’s suspicion only grew stronger.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside, breaking the tense silence. A royal servant in blue chief steward’s robes strode into the room.

Henry quickly stood up to greet him. “Mr. Kemp, to what do we owe this honor?”

Fred Kemp offered Henry a polite smile, though his cold, calculating gaze landed squarely on Lady Athena. “I come by order of Her Majesty the Empress. Ms. Athena Monson is to come forth and receive the order.”

Athena let out a quiet sigh and walked forward to kneel before Fred. Two young servants stepped up, gripping her arms and forcibly pulling out one of her hands. Another young servant approached, holding a tray on which a row of silver needles gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Seeing this, Willow clutched her chest, gasping for air. Eloise hurriedly called out, “Help Willow inside!”

But Willow, her face as white as a sheet, shook her head. “Mother, hurry… save Athena…”

Eloise’s eyes were red with tears. “The Empress ordered this punishment. Who would dare intervene?”

They clung to each other, covering their mouths as silent tears streamed down their faces. Henry furrowed his brows and turned away, unable to bear watching.

Nicolas looked at Fred in surprise, “May I ask what Her Majesty intends by this?”

Fred gave a cold laugh. “Just watch, Lord Nicolas. Let this serve as a warning to your family.”

With a wave of his hand, one young servant began reciting the rules, while another took a slender needle and thrust it mercilessly into Athena’s finger.

The brutal torture nearly made Willow faint from terror. Though she couldn’t bear to watch, Willow glanced at Athena, who was clenching her teeth so hard they might shatter. Aside from a single muffled groan, she made no other sound.

When the torture ended, all of Athena’s fingers were a pulpy, bleeding ruin. Her face had gone deathly pale. Fred looked down at her coldly and sneered, “Ms. Monson, remember well Her Majesty’s so-called mercy. Because of your recklessness, both the Marquis’s and Duke’s families were nearly ruined. From now on, you’d better think twice before you speak.”

Athena finally understood, Michael served under the Crown Prince. If he were punished by the Emperor, it would be like crippling the Crown Prince.

Athena thought coldly, 'No wonder the Empress is so furious. She must see me as a troublemaker who brings ruin. But is that really the case?'

Athena, her face deathly pale, knelt on the ground. Her voice trembling, she forced out, “I thank Your Majesty for this… lesson.”

'Could Willow and Eloise be behind the suffering I endured today?' Athena wondered, her eyes rimmed with red.

She fixed her gaze on Willow, only to see that Willow couldn’t meet her eyes and quickly ducked behind Eloise.