Chapter 233

At the Minister's Manor, the Beren Residence.

"Who? Who did you say is requesting an audience?" Alfred exclaimed, staring at the gatekeeper in utter shock, his lips trembling with agitation.

The gatekeeper, utterly terrified, stammered, "I–it's... it's Lady Athena requesting an audience, sir."

With a clatter, Alfred dropped the basket in his hands.

Flustered, he hastily wiped his hands on his robe and rushed out.

After two steps, he turned back to the stunned maid and ordered, "Go fetch that jar of freshly ground coffee powder for our guest."

The maid was in shock. That jar of coffee powder was a personal gift from the Emperor. Alfred usually treasured it and never let anyone touch it. Even imperial princes wouldn’t necessarily get to taste it, yet today he deigned to bring it out.

Alfred was utterly consumed by thoughts of Athena, completely oblivious to the maid's astonished expression.

He practically jogged all the way to the entrance.

When he caught sight of that slender figure at the door, he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

"Atheny, it really is you!" Alfred exclaimed, his voice trembling.

Athena saw Alfred and stepped forward to curtsy respectfully as she greeted him, "Uncle Alfred."

Hearing the word "Uncle" immediately brought tears to Alfred’s eyes.

He looked at Athena, nodding repeatedly, his eyes moist. "Good, good. Get up quickly," Alfred said, his voice thick with emotion.

The last time Athena came to deliver medicine, she had simply left it with the gatekeeper. Alfred never even got to see her.

Now that Alfred finally saw Athena in person, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

He couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘I thought this little one must have already forgotten me.’

Once they were seated, a servant brought in the coffee.

The rich aroma of coffee filled the room. It was clearly good–quality coffee beans.

Athena took a sip, savoring the exquisite flavors that blossomed on her palate. She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, "This truly is the finest coffee I’ve ever tasted."

Alfred hung his head in shame, unable to meet Athena’s gaze.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a choked voice, "It's all my fault. I was too powerless to save General Perkins."

The Beren family were just simple farmers back then. If Kurtis hadn’t taken them under his wing, they’d still be toiling in the fields today.

It was only after Alfred's father served under Kurtis that their family’s fortunes gradually turned around. To say that Kurtis was the Beren family's benefactor is no exaggeration.

Athena got straight to the point. "Uncle Alfred, I came today to ask for your help. I need you to tell me every single detail regarding my grandfather's imprisonment."

Even if Athena hadn’t brought it up, Alfred had long been looking for a chance to tell her everything.

He had only hesitated before because he was unsure about Athena’s character. After all, she was raised by the Monson family. There was no knowing if Athena would care if Eloise, who had raised her, did not.

Fortunately, Athena didn’t let him down. All of Kurtis’s doting on Athena had paid off.

A wave of emotion swept through Alfred. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Athena and said, "I’m afraid I don’t know all the details. All I know is that General Perkins was accused of embezzlement, and then a large quantity of silver ingots was discovered in the dried–up well at his home."

Alfred continued, "This case caused an enormous uproar at the time. The military payroll vanished without a trace, and that winter brought unprecedented heavy snowstorms. Countless commoners froze to death or suffered severe frostbite. The Emperor was enraged, and the imperial court ordered a thorough investigation. Eventually, a large quantity of silver ingots was discovered in General Perkins' residence. It was the irrefutable evidence that sealed his fate…"

At this point, Alfred’s voice choked with emotion. "Had it not been for General Perkins and his family’s unwavering loyalty and dedication to the nation, a crime this serious would have meant the extermination of their entire clan. It is good that the sentence in the end was just for him to be exiled."

Just listening, Athena’s heart ached intensely.

'My grandfather devoted his life to the kingdom with unwavering loyalty,' she thought bitterly, 'yet this is how they repaid him.'

Athena’s eyes stung fiercely as she suppressed her grief and asked, "Uncle Alfred, do you have any other leads about the case?"

Alfred pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not..."

Just as Athena was sinking into disappointment, Alfred suddenly spoke up again, "Actually, there is one thing that strikes me as rather suspicious."

"What is it Uncle Alfred?" Athena asked.

"After this case, the former Chief of the Federal Bureau, Erwin Rogers, retired and returned to his hometown. But on his journey back, he was ambushed and killed by bandits," Alfred shared.

Athena arched an eyebrow as she thought, 'This is too much of a coincidence. As far as I know, Erwin was only in his early fifties and was nowhere near the age of retirement. Why would he suddenly resign from office? Could he be connected to Grandfather’s case?'

Athena was so lost in thought that Alfred had to call her three times before she snapped back to attention. "Uncle Alfred," Athena said urgently, "you mustn't breathe a word of this to anyone."

Alfred nodded. "After all these years, I know how to keep my guard up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have waited until today to tell you."

Alfred then looked at Athena with concern and said, "Athena, you're just a young woman. You have limited power and strength. How can you possibly stand up to those people? Promise me you’ll be careful in everything you do."

"I will," Athena assured.

Seeing that it was getting late, Athena rose to take her leave.

After leaving the Minister’s Manor, Athena climbed into her carriage and headed home.

On the road, the carriage suddenly lurched to a stop.

Athena’s gaze sharpened as she looked warily outside. "What happened?" she asked.

"Lady Athena…there's someone…in the middle of the road…" the coachman stammered, his voice trembling with panic.

Athena pulled back the carriage curtain and saw a badly injured girl lying in the middle of the road.

With no one else around, she stepped down from the carriage and approached, gently calling out, "Wake up, wake up…"

The girl was covered in lacerations, her lips were parched and peeling. She was exhibiting clear signs that she had collapsed by the roadside after days without food.

Athena hesitated. She knew nothing about this girl and was unsure if she should help her.

Just then, the girl slowly regained consciousness.

She reached out and clutched Athena’s sleeve, her eyes filled with desperate pleading. "Help…help me…" the girl begged, her voice barely audible.

Seeing the girl’s wretched state, Athena’s heart softened with compassion. She instructed the coachman, "Help her into the carriage."

The coachman stepped forward, carefully supporting the girl by her arms and assisting her inside.

Athena brought the rescued girl back to the manor, leaving Trina and Marquita astonished.

Together, they helped settle the girl in a side room. Athena took her pulse, and just as she had suspected, the girl had fainted from hunger.

As they stepped outside, Marquita fretted, "Lady Athena, we know nothing about this girl’s background. How could you just bring her home like this?"

Marquita looked at the girl. She looked no older than seventeen and was dressed in coarse fabric. It was likely that she was from a poor family.

However, one’s appearance can be easily manipulated. There was no way to know what the girl was truly up to. It was also a huge coincidence that the girl just happened to collapse in front of Athena’s carriage.

Athena smiled nonchalantly and said, "If she really meant me harm, she would have done something by now."

Marquita and Trina were shocked at hearing these words from Athena.

Athena examined the callused web between the girl’s thumb and forefinger.

'She’s a trained fighter,' Athena observed to herself.

But since Athena did not know the purpose of the girl being brought to her, she felt that it made more sense to keep the girl where Athena could see her than to let her lurk in the shadows.

"Prepare some food for her," Athena instructed. "Once she wakes up, let her eat until she's full, give her a hot bath, and get her settled in for the night."

Marquita’s eyes widened in alarm. "Lady Athena," she protested, "We’re not running a charity here. We can’t just take in freeloaders. What if she decides to stay for good?"

Athena pondered for a moment. "There’s no shortage of work in the manor. There are laundry or kitchen chores. There must be something she can do. If she can’t, we’ll simply send her on her way."