Chapter 1142

Jacob and Luke leveraged their connections to investigate the old affair, starting with the Earl of Silverstone's extended family. They learned the child had perished in a fire, a loss David and Evelyn had deeply mourned. This information, however, felt superficial, mirroring the incompleteness of Adrian's previous investigation. It merely scratched the surface of the truth.

Meanwhile, Barrett and Viola had finalized their uncontested divorce. The opulent dowry, once paraded through the capital, was quietly returned to Viola. She desired a low-profile resolution, instructing Zoey that only smaller valuables—jewelry, silks, and fine items—should be retrieved from the Warren estate, leaving larger pieces behind given the family's difficulties. She had already dispatched agents to reclaim the properties and farmland. Zoey delegated this task to the estate steward.

Evelyn and Viola pressed Zoey to seek clarification from Riley, offering a thousand gold coins as payment. Zoey and Luna, however, opposed this, deeming it an excessive expense to rehabilitate Viola's reputation.

Following this, Zoey fell gravely ill, stricken by a high fever that induced delirium. A physician attributed her condition to excessive stress and strain, exacerbated by a chill caught in the autumn air while the summer heat still lingered. Her children, both biological and those of her concubines, tended to her, aided by the household concubines. Though the concubines' daughters lacked the opportunity to attend Gracewood Women's Academy, Zoey ensured they received a careful education from a hired nanny, while her sons all attended the family school. Zoey had poured her heart and soul into her marriage, exceeding the efforts of most.

Evelyn, recognizing her role in Zoey's illness, felt remorse and angrily ordered Viola to relocate to the countryside villa, preventing further disruption to her nieces and nephews. Viola's ensuing outburst ignited Evelyn's fury, culminating in a slap across Viola's face. "You wretch!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Hasn't your sister-in-law done enough for you? How long will you drag this family down? Do you think our past kindness obligates us to your care for life?" Only Zoey's illness softened Evelyn's heart. Evelyn's pride also suffered; her daughter's two failed marriages stained her reputation.

Due to Zoey's delirium, Luna kept others away, directing the children to their lessons and studies. The concubines were assigned to the back courtyard, lightening the household burden. In her fever, Zoey repeatedly expressed a desire to leave this "cursed place," a sentiment that, to those unfamiliar with her plight, might seem like a feverish nightmare. However, Luna and Jane understood Zoey’s longing to escape the Earl of Silverstone's family and estate; a place demanding endless worry, household management, accounting, and marital strife. She felt like a pearl, slowly being encrusted with dust, its luster fading. This wasn't merely dust that could be brushed away; it had seeped into her heart, dimming her spirit.

Luna empathized deeply. Unlike Zoey, Luna had faced few hardships since marrying into the family. Initially treated coldly by Evelyn due to her merchant background, Zoey had shielded and guided her, teaching her social graces and etiquette. Zoey had been her advocate and mentor, building connections on her behalf. While Oliver led troops, in Luna’s eyes, Zoey was the true warrior, protecting the entire household. But who, Luna wondered, had ever protected Zoey? Who had recognized the fragility beneath her seemingly invincible armor?

Viola, initially resistant to moving, panicked when Riley and her family arrived to create a scene.