Chapter 389
To prevent Avis from becoming agitated again, Ivy administered acupuncture to calm her nerves and instructed her to get a good night's sleep. She also prescribed sedative medicine to be taken for the next couple of days.
Upon reading the divorce agreement, Violet became so enraged that she smashed a table.
The nuns from Verdant Monastery came to offer a simple meal. Ivy had them bring it over, and they dined in the side courtyard. According to Ivy, the head of Verdant Monastery was a kind-hearted person who had a lot of sympathy for Avis. The other nuns did not intrude and provided plenty of food and drink, though they could not offer meat due to their dietary restrictions.
“Given Aunt Avis’s current condition, she can’t even drink a bit of broth with meat. How can she manage?” Carissa expressed her concern.
“If she were to drink it, she wouldn’t be able to keep it down,” Ivy, who was dressed in coarse cloth and thick cotton garments, replied, shaking her head. “She’s been unable to drink broth for a while now, even back when she was living in Horizon Estate. Even the smell of meat makes her uncomfortable. She’s been vegetarian for some time due to various reasons.”
The information Ivy shared was consistent with what Violet had told Carissa.
Avis had one son and two daughters. The son was not her biological child, though she had raised him. He was grateful to her, but he had yet to achieve anything significant.
The two daughters, Sabrina and Stephanie, were her biological children, but they proved to be of little help. Resenting Avis for not being favored by Yuvan, they turned their allegiance to Fiona, who provided them with fine clothing, luxurious food, and promised them favorable marriages. Both daughters were granted titles of nobility, but not the higher rank of duchess.
In Valken, Fiona’s family was prominent, surpassing Avis’s now-diminished family. Avis had always been kind-hearted, which might have appeared as weakness to others, even to her daughters.
Ivy provided further details: “Lady Sabrina rarely pays any attention to Lady Avis. Even when Lady Avis was in the residence, she seldom came to see her.
“On the other hand, Lady Stephanie still held some respect and devotion for her mother. She occasionally helped with Lady Avis’s medicine. Still, she speaks unpleasantly and shows great disdain if Lady Avis’s medicine stains her clothes.
“Also, all the maids and servants who used to attend to Lady Avis have been reassigned by Lady Fiona. They’ve all been replaced with her own people. The maid who came to the monastery with Lady Avis is also one of Lady Fiona’s people. That’s why I needed to speak with you here.”
Carissa observed that while the maids were attentive in their care of Avis, their expressions were devoid of any concern, indicating that their efforts were merely superficial.
“What about Prince Yuvan?” Carissa asked, her eyes flashing with a cold glint.
Ivy snorted derisively. “Since Jasmine and I arrived at Horizon Estate, we haven’t seen him step into Lady Avis’s quarters more than a few times. Even when he does come, his words are cold. He looks at her with utter disdain, as if he wishes she would die sooner. I’ve seen cruelty before, but this is beyond anything I’ve witnessed.”
Carissa was puzzled. “Given how my aunt is now, why does he still want a divorce? And getting a divorce is not so simple for a prince. Has he submitted the divorce agreement? Even if he has, the king might not approve.”
The claim of not giving birth to sons and jealousy didn’t seem like valid grounds for a divorce. The supposed lack of a son didn’t make sense. Since Avis had taken in a son from a concubine, that should count as her own. As for jealousy, it was even less likely. With Fiona’s constant bullying, it was questionable whether Avis even had the chance to be jealous.
Ivy shook her head. “We don’t know that.”
A prince’s divorce wasn’t straightforward. Carissa feared that this wasn’t a genuine divorce but rather a death warrant. Yuvan wanted Avis dead to make way for a new princess consort.