Chapter 260

"No one else would dare speak to the Queen that way,"

The Queen's expression darkened as she stared at the two women.

"I'm warning you—don't forget your place," the Queen said sharply. "Is your position as a marquis's wife so easily bestowed?"

"If it weren't for someone pulling strings behind the scenes, how could a mere mask...?" the Queen mused aloud.

The Queen's analysis struck fear into Willow's heart. "But I don't have any enemies," Willow thought anxiously. "Who would want to set me up like this?"

Willow was too frightened to say a word. Kelsey, however, stubbornly refused to see the truth. She was so carried away by success that even though she sensed something was amiss, she insisted, "It's just Willow's sheer luck."

Kelsey was desperate to shake off the rumors that the Osborne family had married a jinx. If Willow could achieve something remarkable, people would see her in a new light, and the Osborne family could finally bask in reflected glory. Besides, Kelsey couldn’t imagine anyone having nothing better to do than go after Willow. "What would anyone gain from going after her?" she thought.

The Queen shook her head at Kelsey's stubborn refusal to see reason. Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless, the Queen thought. Even after she had spelled it out so plainly, Kelsey still refused to see the truth. Some fools were simply beyond saving.

Yet the Osborne family and the Queen’s own family were linked. If anything happened to the Osbornes, her family would be dragged down as well. If it weren't for this, the Queen wouldn’t have wasted a moment on the Osborne family’s mess. It was a critical moment in the struggle for the throne, and the Queen would not allow anyone to interfere with Farmin’s bid for the crown.

"There's still a way to fix this," the Queen said with authority. "Suppress the rumors immediately, and make sure the medicine supply at Saint Jare Clinic is never interrupted—better safe than sorry."

Having ascended to the throne, the Queen had seen every trick in the book. She issued two decisive orders in quick succession, determined to save the Osborne family from disaster.

Kelsey finally grasped the gravity of the situation. Her forced smile vanished instantly. "Yes, Your Majesty," she replied solemnly. "I'll run at once and have my people attend to it immediately."

The Queen sighed in relief when she saw Kelsey finally heed her advice. "The sooner, the better," she urged. After a brief pause, the Queen added, "If possible, pin the rumors on someone else."

Kelsey and Willow exchanged a glance, instantly grasping the Queen's implication: the Queen meant to divert the blame, and there could be only one target: Athena.

Without wasting another moment, Kelsey and Willow rushed out.

On the way back, Willow asked Kelsey anxiously, "Kelsey, is it truly a conspiracy?"

A cold sweat broke out on Kelsey's forehead. She said nervously, "Her Majesty must have caught wind of something." The Queen was so certain, there had to be some truth to the rumors.

Willow's face drained of color. "What should we do?"

Kelsey seized on the crucial point. "Willow, tell me honestly—do the masks you made really work wonders?"

Willow thought it over carefully, then nodded firmly. "Absolutely," she declared. "I'd bet my life on it that they work."

"We had several virus outbreaks, and masks were the only thing that kept the infection at bay. It makes no sense that they would suddenly be ineffective," Willow thought confidently.

Kelsey sighed in relief. "That's good. Even in the worst-case scenario, His Majesty won't hold us accountable," she thought. Even if Willow hadn’t accomplished anything, at least she hadn’t done anything wrong. "At worst, it's just those lowborn folk stirring up trouble behind our backs—this has nothing to do with the Osborne family!"

Kelsey figured she could easily shift all the blame onto the commoners. "The law doesn't punish the masses. Even if His Majesty got angry, he wouldn't dare hold all the commoners accountable!" she thought.

Now that she’d figured out the key to it all, Kelsey felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Right away, she dispatched servants to Saint Jer Clinic to resume making the medicine.

However, Kelsey had gravely underestimated both the power of rumors and the resolve of the commoners. Even the herbal medicine went untouched because they were utterly convinced that masks were a cure-all. After all, ever since people started wearing these masks, the spread of the disease had truly been prevented.

Some even scoffed at the idea of herbal medicine. "Why should I drink this bitter stuff when I'm perfectly healthy?" one man said, triumphantly brandishing the mask in his hand. "This mask is all I need!"

The turn of events caught Kelsey and Willow off guard. No matter how hard they pleaded, the commoners simply refused to listen. After a day or two without incident, Kelsey and Willow gradually let their guard down, and they eventually gave up trying to persuade the commoners to drink the medicine. The rumors couldn't be contained; instead, they spiraled out of control.

It wasn't until the fourth day that everything took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, a third of the Osborne family's servants collapsed with illness. Their symptoms were identical to the plague: persistent high fever, violent coughing, and debilitating body aches with profound weakness.

Kelsey's face drained of color with fright. She frantically ordered disinfection with spirits, but it was already too late. By nightfall, Kelsey herself had collapsed with illness. The disease progressed at a terrifying speed. She was burning with fever and delirious, hovering at death's door.

As the daughter-in-law, Willow dutifully attended to Kelsey's bedside, serving her water and doing what she could. Doctors came to the Osborne family, yet none could find a remedy for Kelsey's worsening condition. Despite being force-fed countless doses of herbal medicine, Kelsey's condition showed no improvement.

Outside the room, Michael paced anxiously. "Doctor, how is my mother’s condition?" he asked.

The elderly doctor looked troubled and bowed deeply. "Your Lordship, please forgive me. It is my incompetence—I am unable to treat her condition."

"How can this be?" Michael asked, his voice rising in urgent desperation. "It's just a minor illness. How could you possibly not be able to treat her?" He fished out banknotes from his sleeve and thrust them into the doctor’s hands. "If money can heal my mother’s illness, I will pay whatever it takes!"

The elderly doctor pushed the banknotes back with a sorrowful expression. "Lord Osborne, you think too highly of me," he said, his voice heavy with worry. "I’m afraid this is no ordinary plague. You’d do better to seek out Viscountess Athena—she’s a miracle healer. Perhaps she has a solution."

The doctor's words were a revelation to Michael. His eyes lit up as a sudden realization struck him. "Oh, that's right!" he thought. "Athena is a miracle healer—if anyone can save Mother, it's her."

But then, Michael thought of his strained relationship with Athena, and he was torn. "She would never give me the time of day," he thought bitterly. "She made it clear—she hates me."

Noticing Michael’s hesitation, Willow stammered, "Michael, please let me go. Even if I have to beg on my knees before Athena, I’ll bring her here to treat Kelsey!"

Michael flatly refused: "Do you really want Athena to hate you even more? If she were the type to accept an olive branch, would your relationship have gotten this bad in the first place?"

Willow froze, recalling Athena's chilling warning: "Stay away from me from now on, or I'll kill you on sight."

"But what about Kelsey?" Willow asked, her voice small.

Michael clenched his jaw, his resolve hardening. "I’ll go plead with her myself. Let her beat me or curse me. I’ll take it all."

Willow's eyes flew open in shock. "That won't do! You're the Marquis of Somers—how could you humble yourself like that?" Willow vowed to herself, "I will never allow Michael to meet Athena privately—not even to catch a glimpse of her from afar.”