Chapter 157

Fiona felt an unbearable ache in her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks, dropping one by one onto the back of her hand.

One look at Fiona, and Sirena understood everything.

Sirena had come with Fiona after she married Nicolas, having been by her side since childhood and remaining utterly devoted to her. With Fiona falling out of favor, her position in the estate would become precarious.

Sirena gently advised, "My Lady, there’s still time. Lord Nicolas will come around eventually."

Fiona just kept sobbing quietly, completely shutting out Sirena’s words.

"My Lady, you mustn’t forget, you still have Cedric. He’s your true reliance. With a son by your side, why worry so much about Lord Nicolas?" Sirena gently reminded Fiona.

The ways of love were the hardest to fathom, not to mention a noble young man from a prominent family like Nicolas. Even if Nicolas was fond of Fiona now, no one could guarantee that he would still care when she was old and her youthful beauty was gone.

She thought it would be wiser to secure your wealth and prepare a safety net for yourself.

"But Finis is still so young. She just couldn’t understand these things yet!"

Nicolas’s disdain weighed on Fiona like a mountain, nearly crushing her.

Fiona wept uncontrollably, her heart full of grievance and resentment. Through her tears, she choked out, "Sirena, I gave Nicolas my whole heart and soul, why can’t I earn even a shred of his love in return?"

"My Lady, Lord Nicolas is destined for greater things. How could a man of his standing make romance his chief concern? One day, the entire Monson family will rest in his hands."

Seeing Fiona remain silent, Sirena gently advised, "My Lady, it’s common for noblemen to keep multiple women. There will be more joining the family in the future. You must learn to value yourself more."

Fiona sobbed even harder, her heart screaming, 'I can’t bear to share my husband with other women!"

But there was nothing she could do about it.

Sirena sighed softly. "My Lady, perhaps you should think more of your son."

Fiona stopped sobbing and slowly lay down on the bed.

But her mind kept involuntarily replaying the way Nicolas had looked at her.

His gaze cut like a knife, stabbing into her heart until it bled.

Fiona tentatively touched her lower abdomen, where purplish, vine-like streaks crept across her skin.

Fiona thought in despair, Men would be disgusted at the sight. Honestly, even I find it horrifying.

“The miracle healer has a medicine that has glowing stars. I wonder if it would work on these stretch marks.”

Exhaustion crept over Fiona, and she drifted off to sleep.

But no matter what she did, Fiona just couldn’t stop thinking. I have to find that miracle healer and get the medicine.

That morning, chaos erupted within the Monson family.

Willow was suddenly struck by a mysterious illness.

The illness struck with sudden severity, leaving Willow confined to bed, unable to even keep food down.

Eloise was sick with worry, calling in doctor after doctor to examine Willow, but each one said it was a recurrence of her chronic condition.

They forced the medicine down her throat, yet she showed no signs of improvement whatsoever.

Eloise thought, The wedding is tomorrow. What are we to do if Willow remains in such critical condition!

"Willow, what’s happened to you?" Eloise wailed, tears streaming down her face as her heart shattered at the sight of Willow’s deathly pale complexion.

Willow opened her eyes and looked weakly at Eloise. With trembling lips, she whispered, "Mother… I can’t get up… I swear… I can’t get up…"

Despite her words, Willow struggled several times, but her body simply wouldn’t cooperate; she couldn’t so much as lift herself from the bed.

"What should I do? What am I going to do!" Eloise paced frantically, wringing her hands in distress. The Osborne family’s wedding procession was coming to fetch the bride tomorrow, but Willow was in such a critical state.

Just as panic was reaching its peak, the steward rushed in and announced, "My Lady, Prince Miller has arrived."

Eloise’s heart leaped. She urged, "Show His Highness in at once!"

Eloise gathered her skirts and hurried toward the front courtyard, Nicolas close behind her.

As they reached the front courtyard, they were met with Fermin Miller’s thunderous bellow. "What utter incompetents! She’s been living right under your noses all this time. How could none of you have the slightest clue about her true identity?"

Fermin pointed his finger right at Henry’s nose and started hurling insults.

Henry remained bowed low, his face etched with terror, not daring to utter a single word.

Fermin’s face turned livid with rage as he slammed the table. "I should have realized it sooner. How could a mere girl possess the miracle healer’s silver bell? To think she was the miracle healer all along!"

With that, Fermin brought his fist crashing down on the table, the force echoing through the hall.

Eloise and Nicolas both stared in disbelief, eyes widening. "This… how could this be?" they gasped in unison.

The two burned into the main hall. When Fermin saw Nicolas, his fury only intensified. "If you hadn’t landed me in such a disastrous mess, I wouldn’t have had to exhaust himself running around and squandering money to clean up after you!"

Fermin glared at Nicolas and snapped, "Are you a complete imbecile? How could you let yourself be framed for embezzlement, with hard evidence against you, and make me lose so much money because of your stupidity?"

At these words, Nicolas jolted, his face burning with shame.

As the Minister of Justice, Nicolas was constantly surrounded by people seeking favors or looking for backdoor dealings through him.

To mitigate their punishments, some of those people tried to bribe Nicolas with money, but he steadfastly refused every offer.

But then, someone Nicolas considered trustworthy sent over a box of pastries, so he accepted it without suspicion.

To his shock, the pastries had hidden gold.

To make matters worse, the very same person turned informant and got Nicolas caught red-handed.

He was accused of embezzlement and bribery.

To suppress this scandal, Fermin had to both grease palms and call in political favors.

Otherwise, Nicolas would’ve been rotting in jail by now, living on nothing but gruel.

Nicolas stood respectfully to the side, head bowed in shame as he addressed Fermin. "This is entirely my fault, Your Highness. If punishment is due, let it fall upon me."

"I will punish you." Fermin glared at Nicolas, his eyes dark and menacing. Through gritted teeth, he demanded, "I searched everywhere for the miracle healer, only to find she was right under your nose all along. How could you be so incompetent?"

Nicolas and Henry both dropped to their knees in fearful submission.

Henry pleaded anxiously, "Your Highness, please calm down! Your Highness, we beg for your mercy!"

Fermin was seething with murderous rage. He roared, "Three years ago, had I found the miracle healer, my son would still be alive! But you fools sent Athena to the military camp instead!"

At this point, Fermin’s chest heaved violently with rage, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Three years ago, when Pamela Miller was six months pregnant, she suddenly began showing signs of miscarriage.

Fermin had spent a fortune searching across the realm for the miracle healer, but found nothing.

In the end, Pamela couldn’t carry the pregnancy to term and delivered the baby prematurely.

It was a boy. He survived for just four short hours before his tiny life slipped away.

Fermin’s firstborn was gone just like that.

He was utterly devastated, while Pamela was even more deeply traumatized by the loss of their child.

Nicolas bowed heavily, with panic written all over his face. "Your Highness, this is entirely my fault. I am willing to bear all responsibility. Please, I beg you, grant me another chance."

Nicolas thought bitterly, If only I’d known Athena was the miracle healer, I would never have treated her that way.

It’s all Athena’s fault; she deliberately hid her identity.

So much for being family, she was still keeping secrets.

Eloise also lamented in regret, "No wonder Margaret recovered so quickly after she returned; who would have thought she was the miracle healer all along?"

Eloise berated herself, I should have noticed the signs much earlier!

But back then, Athena had maintained that Margaret’s recovery was due to a remedy she’d obtained from a servant in the military camp.

Eloise thought bitterly, This child actually distrusted even me. It really breaks my heart.

Fermin gnashed his teeth, his voice thick with barely contained rage. Fortunately, we’ve discovered this in time. Everything can still be salvaged. As long as we get her back on the proper course, I’m sure she can be persuaded to change her mind.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by that?" Henry asked, looking slightly puzzled.

Fermin said, "Athena is deeply in love with Michael, utterly devoted to him. Once Michael marries her, she will be completely under my control."