A sudden mountain wind arose. An icy chill swept through. Athena's body swayed slightly under the wind, as if she might be blown over at any moment.

Trina, seeing that Athena had no intention of descending the mountain, asked, "Where are we going next?"

Athena glanced at her. Her voice was calm as she said, "Down to the cliffside, to find someone."

"Find who?" Trina asked, her face full of fear. A chill crept into her heart. Aside from Daniel, there was no one else down the cliff.

Trina thought, "Wait… Is she actually going to look for Daniel? But… he's already dead?"

Athena said nothing. She was determined to see for herself whether Daniel was really dead.

The two made their way down the cliffside, where wild grass and rocks littered the ground. The further they went, the colder Athena felt inside.

Even if the stab wounds hadn’t killed him, a fall from that height would have finished the job.

Trina looked dejected and tried to persuade her, "Lady Athena, we should go back." There were dangers all around at the base of the cliff, and dusk was fast approaching. If they ran into wild beasts, they’d be in serious trouble.

They had searched for half the day and still found no sign of Daniel’s body. Perhaps he had long been dragged off by wild animals.

Unwillingness flashed across Athena’s face. Daniel had known all of Willow’s secrets.

Athena wondered, "What exactly does Daniel have on Willow?"

But after searching for so long and still finding nothing, even Athena began to feel discouraged. Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly caught sight of something up ahead. Daniel was lying on a tree branch not far away.

The thick branch had snapped under his weight, and he was sprawled across the broken wood.

"There he is," Athena called softly, quickly rushing forward, Trina right behind her.

Daniel’s limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, clearly broken from the fall. His eyes were shut tight. Whether he was dead or alive was unclear.

Athena walked up to Daniel, placed her hand beneath his nose. To her surprise, he was still breathing, just barely.

She quickly pulled out silver needles and pierced several key acupoints on his body. Before long, he drew in a breath and opened his eyes.

Trina was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out. "My Lady… you know how to heal?"

Athena snapped, "Don't talk. He's barely clinging to life. The moment I pull the needles out, he’ll be gone."

Daniel slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Athena, his expression turned complicated. He tried to lift his hand to ask for help, but couldn’t even move.

"Help me… help me, Athena…" His eyes were full of desperation. But Athena's gaze remained cold and unmoved.

She had grown up under his fists. There were times she had nearly died by his hand. A man like him didn’t deserve to live.

Athena fixed Daniel with a cold stare. "Tell me. What exactly do you have on Willow!"

The light in Daniel’s eyes dimmed. He knew Athena had no intention of saving him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but bloody foam kept bubbling from his lips. He was breathing more out than in, clearly near death.

Still, he struggled to force out a few words, "It’s… with her…"

Before he could finish, his head slumped to the side.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Athena called out anxiously, shaking Daniel, but no matter what she did, Daniel remained unresponsive.

The mountain wind howled like a ghost's wail.

Athena stared at his lifeless body for a long moment, then turned and left without a word. The trail had gone cold. There was no point in staying.

Trina saw how low-spirited Athena looked, thinking she was grieving Daniel’s death. "My lady, don’t be too sad," she tried to comfort.

Athena looked back at her in confusion. When she saw Trina’s furrowed brow, she realized the girl had misunderstood.

Athena said coldly, "Good riddance to scum like him. There’s no way I’d shed a single tear for that bastard."

Trina asked softly, "So, what’s troubling you?"

Athena sighed. "With Daniel dead, Willow’s secrets will remain buried forever."

Trina said dejectedly, "Everyone in the household protects her; I fear your situation will only get harder now."

They both fell silent. Athena’s heart was full of unwillingness. The truth had been so close, and now it was gone.

They made their way down the mountain without another word. As expected, the carriage that had brought them was already gone from the temple gate. Only an old maidservant was left behind, clearly anxious from waiting.

When she saw Athena appear, she couldn’t help but complain, "Lady Athena, you finally came out. Madam’s been looking for you everywhere. Where did you even go? My legs are sore from standing here so long."

A servant daring to question her mistress.

Trina stepped forward, scolding sharply, "How dare you speak to Lady Athena like that with such a tone?"

The old maid was startled by Athena's cold stare and quickly changed her demeanor. She pleaded, "Please forgive me. It’s just… there were so many people today, and I was worried. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to explain to the household." She forced a nervous smile, hastily apologizing.

Athena gave her a cold look. The old woman shrank back in fear. Finally, she said, "Lady Eloise told me to give you a message. She took Lady Willow and went back to the estate ahead of you."

"A servant should know their place. If this happens again, I won't let it slide." Athena’s voice was frosty as she climbed into the carriage with Trina.

Watching them get in, the old maid muttered bitterly to herself, "Just a useless, unloved daughter of the family. What was she acting so high and mighty for?"

If Eloise really cared about Athena, she wouldn’t leave her alone in the mountains. The old maid thought Athena was just overestimating herself.

The old maid also got in and sat down heavily, then shrieked at the driver, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up. Back to the estate!"

The coachman, knowing she was from Eloise’s quarters, didn’t dare offend her. He quickly cracked the whip, and the carriage rolled forward.

But just as they reached the gates of the duke’s estate, they saw Michael pacing anxiously. He frowned, his hands rubbing together. It seemed he had been waiting there a long time.

The moment he saw Athena’s carriage, the tightness in his face melted into relief. Without hesitation, he strode forward and stopped the carriage. Then, disregarding all propriety between men and women, he yanked open the curtain.

Seeing Athena inside, he exhaled deeply. Then his face immediately darkened with anger. "Was the mountain so fun that you forgot to come home?"

He had meant to ask why she came back so late, but the cold look in Athena's eyes twisted his words before they could leave his mouth.

His tone grew harsher, filled with blame. "A woman's reputation is everything. You can’t just wander around like that!"

The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them, but they couldn’t be taken back. He braced himself and stared at Athena, heart in turmoil.

Athena raised her cool gaze and stared at him. She stepped to the front of the carriage and met his eyes for a long moment. Michael felt a chill from her stare. Before he could react, Athena lifted her foot and kicked him square in the chest.

She said, "You really like sticking your nose into things, don't you?"