Chapter 83

Athena’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Just as I expected," she thought.

Athena crossed her arms in front of her, a mocking smile on her lips as she looked at him. "Lord Nicolas, the person you should be asking is Mrs. McGee, not me."

"You…" Nicolas was so furious, his breath hitched. After suffering repeated setbacks before Athena, he finally realized she responded better to honey than to vinegar.

Nicolas softened his tone and said with feigned concern, "As your brother, I only want what’s best for you. If you settle your marriage soon, Grandma will finally be at ease. Can you really bear to let her worry about you every single day?"

Nicolas knew his words lacked conviction, so he brought up Margaret, hoping her name would add some weight to his argument.

Unfortunately, Athena wasn’t buying it.

Athena didn’t want to prolong this argument. With feigned surprise, she countered, "Are you unaware Mrs. McGee decreed my marriage won’t be discussed until after Willow’s wedding?"

Nicolas froze. "After Willow’s wedding?"

Nicolas’s brow furrowed, clearly troubled by this unexpected obstacle.

Athena couldn’t help but wonder, "What is Nicolas so anxious about? Why on earth is Nicolas so eager to finalize my marriage arrangement with the McGee family as soon as possible?"

"Weddings are no small matter," Athena said pointedly, "Trying to handle two at once would stretch us too thin. You have to take things one at a time. Where would we find the resources for double the preparations?"

Athena’s words carried a probing tone, but Nicolas was so wrapped up in his own affairs that he completely failed to notice.

Nicolas nodded slowly, his brow furrowed into a knot. "You’ve got a point there," he conceded, his tone tinged with reluctance.

Athena studied his expression and thought to herself, "So the Monson family really is running out of money, just as I suspected. But the Monson family is a centuries-old noble house, after all; it wouldn’t fall into ruin so easily. There must have been a major incident. Otherwise, Nicolas wouldn’t be so eager to push through this marriage with the McGee family!"

Athena dismissed Nicolas with a cold glance and strode away.

At the garden entrance, Nicolas‘ guards still blocked the path. Athena’s face was frosty as she snapped, "Get out of the way!"

Although her tone wasn’t harsh, the glacial glint in her eyes made everyone shiver involuntarily.

The attendant turned toward Nicolas, but a sudden pain shot through his shoulder; his body went limp instantly. Before he could react, Athena had already slipped past him like a fleeting breeze.

By the time he came to, Athena had vanished.

The attendant’s eyes widened in terror, for a split second, he had completely lost control of his arm.

He thought, "Was that just my imagination?"

Nicolas had already caught up. Watching Athena’s figure disappear into the distance, he glared daggers at the attendant beside him.

"Useless! Can’t even keep a woman in check," Nicolas snapped.

The attendant lowered his head in terror.

Nicolas’s expression darkened as he strode toward Lady Eloise’s quarters.

Eloise looked up in surprise at his sudden arrival. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Ordinarily, Nicolas would be taking his midday rest at this hour. He showed up at this unusual hour, so there must be something important.

Nicolas’s expression darkened. He waved his hand dismissively. "All of you, leave."

Eloise, observing his solemn demeanor, sensed he had something important to say and promptly dismissed the servants from the room.

Once they were alone, Nicolas spoke, his voice tinged with concern. "Willow’s wedding gifts can’t be embarrassingly meager, but with the estate’s finances stretched so thin, Grandma certainly won’t provide for it. So what are we to do about her wedding gifts?"

Eloise’s brow furrowed in worry; she’d been troubled by this for days. "She has a deep-seated prejudice against Willow," she sighed. "We’ll just have to figure something else out."

She hesitated for a moment, then cast a tentative glance at Nicolas. "Perhaps… we could liquidate a few of the family’s manors…"

Nicolas abruptly looked up at her, clearly displeased. "Mother, the Monson family’s manors are our family legacy. If word got out that we’re selling them just to scrape together a wedding gift, wouldn’t we become the laughingstock of the entire nobility?"

Eloise’s eyes reddened, on the verge of tears. "But now, I truly have no other way out," she said, her voice trembling.

Eloise had already been rebuffed by Margaret. There was no way she would dare bring this up with her again.

Nicolas thought for a moment and said, "For now, we’ll have to use Athena’s share of the wedding gifts for Willow. Besides, when Athena marries, Grandma won’t leave her empty-handed."

"But…" Eloise’s face paled with alarm. "She is still my daughter, after all! We agreed to only take half of her wedding gifts. If we take it all now, won’t she despise us even more?"

A flicker of guilt flashed through Nicolas’s eyes at the mention of Athena.

But that flicker of guilt vanished in an instant.

Nicolas turned to Eloise and said, "Mother, do you really think Athena still cares about us now? Whether we take half of her wedding gifts or all of it, what difference does it make?"

"Besides, once she marries into the McGee family, she’ll still have to rely on us. When she’s in dire straits, that’s when she’ll finally appreciate what we’ve done for her."

Eloise was about to protest further, but Nicolas stood firm; he wouldn’t give an inch on this matter.

Besides, Nicolas always had the final say in household matters, so Eloise fell silent, knowing any further protest would be futile.

Behind Athena’s back, Nicolas and Eloise diverted her entire wedding gifts to Willow, a scheme of which she remained completely unaware.

At Snowdrop Wing, Athena sat at her desk, medical texts spread open before her, with various herbs and pulse-taking instruments neatly arranged at hand, her attention fully absorbed in her work.

Her gaze was fixed on Ferris’s medical records.

Recalling the last time she checked his health, the intricate patterns she had detected were still vividly clear in her mind.

Athena recalled grimly, "All his meridians are severed, and his energy is in utter chaos. This is no ordinary external injury. Instead, he has suffered a vicious and calculated blow, so severe and malicious that it caused complete meridian blockages and left his vital energy critically depleted. Even more alarming is the sinister toxin still lurking in his body. This insidious toxin lurks deep within his bloodstream, slowly gnawing away at his vital organs.

"The poisoner’s methods are utterly ruthless. Not only had they severed his meridians, rendering him incapable of practicing martial arts, worse still, it ravaged his body, condemning him to endure constant agony day after day!"

Athena couldn’t help but wonder, "Just what kind of hell had Ferris endured during those years? Was he being hunted by old enemies, or caught in a web of political intrigue, just another pawn sacrificed in someone’s power struggle? Or was he caught in the crossfire of martial world rivalries, falling victim to some villain’s sinister plot?"

Athena worked late into the night before finally piecing together Ferris’s diagnosis.

To truly heal Ferris, the toxins must first be purged from his body and his severed meridians reconnected. Only then can he regain a new lease on life.

With a plan finally in mind, Athena collapsed into bed, exhausted.

Worrying about Ferris’s injuries kept Athena from sleeping soundly.

She woke before dawn had even broken.

Athena was up unusually early, which completely surprised Trina.

Trina glanced outside at the sky that was just beginning to lighten and asked, puzzled, "Miss, why are you up so early?"

Athena pointed to the herbs and pulse-taking instruments on the table and told Trina, "Pack these up. We’re going out."

"Understood." Without another word, Trina swiftly gathered the bundle and followed closely behind Athena.

The bundle was heavy, as if it contained numerous bottles and jars.

Athena hurried toward the estate’s rear gate with Trina in tow, clutching a satchel packed with medicine she’d prepared for Ferris.

She slipped out at dawn while the estate was quiet, hoping to avoid drawing any attention.

But fate had other plans.

The estate was usually deserted at this hour.

Just as Athena reached the rear gate, Matthew staggered drunkenly into her path.

He reeked of alcohol, his clothes crumpled, and his hair a wild, tangled mess.

Suddenly, Athena and Matthew came face-to-face, both momentarily stunned.