Chapter 168

Blake rushed straight to the master bedroom. The moment he pushed the door open and peeked inside, a cold longsword was already pressed against his throat.

A chill shot through his neck, then a sharp sting as the blade bit into his skin. Warm blood was trickling from his wound.

To his horror, he saw Athena standing there with a longsword, her eyes fixed on him, a faint, mocking smile playing at her lips.

“You… you…” Blake stammered, his voice trembling with terror, too shocked to get another word out.

‘How the hell did Athena know I’d be here?’ his mind raced, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He felt there was no way she could have predicted this.

Athena leveled her longsword at him, lips curling in a cold sneer. “Long time no see… Blake,” she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm and menace.

Blake blurted out something, but Athena’s sinister smile sent an icy shiver crawling up his spine, leaving his back drenched in cold sweat.

‘How did Athena know it was me?’ Blake’s mind was racing.

“Miss, let’s talk this out, please… What are you doing?” Blake stammered, his voice trembling.

With a flick of her sword, Athena sent Blake’s mask flying off his face. Blake barely had time to react before the blade was at his throat again.

Athena pressed the blade a fraction deeper into Blake’s neck, the razor-sharp edge slicing effortlessly into his flesh. A jolt of searing pain shot through Blake. He was sure his throat was about to be cut open.

Blake screamed hysterically, “Athena, please, please don’t kill me!”

“Who sent you?” Athena barked, her voice icy and commanding.

Though Athena looked like a frail woman, the cold aura she exuded made Blake’s legs go weak. With a miserable face, Blake began to plead for mercy. “No one sent me! If I’d known you lived here, would I have been stupid enough to rob you?”

“Still not telling the truth?” Athena let out a cold chuckle, then with a swift kick, sent Nicolas flying into the courtyard.

At the same moment, the three men who had come with him were all kicked through the doorway like ragdolls, sent flying out in quick succession. With a series of heavy thuds, four figures crashed onto the ground in a heap. All four of them lay curled up in agony, unable to even lift themselves from the ground.

Nicolas, with a miserable face, still stubbornly insisted, “I didn’t do anything! Even if you drag me to the police station, they can’t pin anything on me! I didn’t steal, didn’t rob, and certainly didn’t kill anyone! At worst, it was just trespassing.”

‘At worst, I’d just get a few lashes and spend a couple of days in jail, nothing serious,’ he thought. ‘Dream on if you think I’ll rat out Willow. Willow is going to be the future lady of the Osborne family. When she rises to power, I’ll rise right along with her.’

Athena let out a derisive chuckle. “Oh really? Turn around and see for yourself.”

Nicolas whirled around, and what he saw made his blood run cold. His three accomplices stood there, each clutching money and jewelry.

Jeremy shrieked in panic, throwing the loot bag to the ground, his face twisted in terror. “It’s a setup! This is definitely a setup! The moment we walked in, someone shoved the loot bag right into our hands!” If he still couldn’t see this coming by now, then all those years in the game had been for nothing.

“Spare me, Miss!” Jeremy cried out in panic, instantly throwing Nicolas under the bus. “It was all his doing. He dragged us into this! We were just following his orders!”

Athena watched them turn on each other like rabid dogs, a cold, mocking smile playing on her lips. ‘Pathetic,’ she thought.

Athena sneered, “Still playing tough, Nicolas?”

Blake collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon, all the fight drained out of him.

Trina’s crisp voice rang in his ears. “Breaking and entering with robbery? That’s at least ten years behind bars.” The law was quite strict in this country; thieves would face the harshest penalties.

Cold sweat trickled down Blake’s forehead, and his face turned as white as a sheet. Jail time was the least of it. What truly terrified him was being sent to the mines for forced labor. ‘If I work too slowly, I’ll get lashed,’ Blake thought in terror.

Athena’s icy voice cut through the air right by Nicolas’s ear. “If someone put you up to this, you’re just an accomplice. But if you acted alone… you’re in for a world of pain.”

Without another word, Athena sheathed her sword and commanded icily, “Take these men to the authorities.”

Blake screamed hysterically, “Athena, you can’t do this to me! I’m your big brother!”

Athena, already turning to leave, shot him a frosty smile over her shoulder. “I don’t have a brother like that.”

From inside the house came Athena’s languid yet commanding voice. “Make it clear to the authorities, these thieves dared to rob the Viscountess’s residence. The Viscountess is deeply displeased.”

Blake’s eyes bulged in shock. “The Viscountess?” ‘Willow never told me Athena was the Viscountess!’ he thought. The penalty for stealing from nobility was one degree harsher.

Blake tried to plead for mercy one last time, but Athena’s guards swiftly cut him short. Without another word, Athena’s guards bound their hands with ropes, gagged them, and dragged all four men away.

Meanwhile, at the Xander Manor.

Xander learned from his shadow guard that Athena had tied up the thieves and sent them to the authorities. He instantly grasped her scheme: she was using Blake as a pawn to lure out Willow.

A look of approval crossed Xander’s face. “What a clever woman!”

Mentor Nelson stood respectfully aside and inquired, “Your Highness, shall we intervene to assist Miss Monson?”

Xander nodded, his long, slender fingers drumming rhythmically on the table. His piercing gaze held an almost imperceptible tenderness as he emphasized, “She’s already cast the bait, how could I not give her a hand? Send word to the police station. Tell them to conduct a thorough interrogation. An exceptionally thorough one.”

He put deliberate weight on those final words, his voice ringing with authority.

Nelson instantly grasped his lord’s intent. If they wanted Nicolas to spill the truth, they would have to rough him up a bit first.

“At your command, my lord,” Nelson replied respectfully, then instructed his most trusted aide to deliver the message.

After the heavy snowfall, the entire capital was blanketed in pristine white. From the crack of dawn, Ivory Grove was already a hive of activity.

Several young maids were busily attending to Willow as they helped her dress and do her hair. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, a demure smile playing on her lips, though her eyes betrayed a hint of smug satisfaction.

“Miss Monson, when Lord Osborne sees you, he’ll be utterly spellbound,” Nona gushed with an ingratiating smile.

Ever since Athena left, Willow felt she could finally hold her head high. Now all the servants naturally treated her as the legitimate daughter of the house. Willow held up the hairpin to her hair, a smug smile playing in her eyes.

‘Why didn’t Athena leave sooner?’ Willow thought smugly. ‘Why would she even dare to compete with me? Now Athena’s ended up in this miserable state. Well, that’s just her own damn fault for being born unlucky.’

Willow studied her reflection in the mirror, then deliberately wiped the lip color from her lips with a handkerchief. Her delicately made-up face instantly took on a sickly pallor.

Nona asked in dismay, “Miss Monson, why wipe it off? We worked so hard on your makeup!”

Willow smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand.”

‘Michael must be coming to see me today,’ Willow thought to herself, a hint of confidence in her eyes. Ever since the engagement fell through, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. She couldn’t possibly appear before him looking all rosy-cheeked and radiant. ‘Only this sickly, pale face of mine could make Michael pity me and feel guilty,’ Willow thought to herself.

Clueless about Willow’s intentions, Nona followed her to the front courtyard. The moment Willow appeared, Eloise immediately noticed her pallid complexion.

Eloise frowned and quickly pulled Willow close, asking with concern, “What’s wrong, Willow? You look so pale, are you feeling unwell again?”

Willow pressed a handkerchief to her lips, coughing delicately as she murmured in a feebly sweet voice, “Mother… I’m quite alright.”

Eloise looked at her. Willow clearly didn’t look fine at all.

Eloise’s heart ached at the sight. She murmured, “My poor darling, don’t worry about your marriage. I’ll do everything I can to secure it for you.” She knew she had no say in Willow’s status, but at the very least, she could still secure her daughter the authority to run the Osborne family. That was precisely why she invited the Osbornes over today to discuss the marriage arrangements.