Chapter 345: Must He Rely on That Woman?

Agnes snapped, “Murderer? Did I kill you? Did you suffer any real harm? The dosage was carefully measured.”

“Shut your mouth!” Pablo roared, slamming his palm onto the table. He stormed forward and struck Agnes across the face. “You shameless disgrace! Do you even hear yourself? Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve dragged the Valen family’s name through the mud!”

Agnes clutched her cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. “I know I was wrong. Please, Father, don’t be angry.” She had already thoroughly offended her in-laws, but if her own father abandoned her as well, she wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving in her husband’s household. As much as she despised admitting fault, she had no other choice.

“Don’t apologize to me! Apologize to your in-laws. It was their daughter you harmed.” Pablo’s fury remained unabated.

Agnes turned to Arthur’s parents, Madilyn and August, dropping to her knees. “I was wrong. I only wanted what was best for Cristina, but I acted recklessly and nearly caused her grave harm. Please forgive me.”

Madilyn was furious and humiliated. They had marched into the Valen estate demanding justice, only to discover the culprit was their own daughter-in-law. If they weren’t standing in the Valen family’s hall, she would have slapped Agnes herself.

Cristina sneered. “Mother, why bother keeping this viper? Just have Arthur divorce her.”

Arthur’s head jerked up. “Shut up!” Looking at Agnes now, Arthur felt nothing but disdain. Divorce was certainly on his mind. However, Pablo had ordered her to apologize, which meant he still cared for his daughter despite everything. Arthur wasn’t foolish—he owed his position as Baron to Pablo’s support. Without him, his future would be uncertain.

Cristina had always been headstrong, and Arthur had indulged her whims for years. Now, after suffering such humiliation and nearly losing her life, she demanded her sister-in-law’s dismissal. But instead of siding with her, he had reprimanded her in front of everyone. That was the final straw.

Furious, she declared, “Fine. If you won’t divorce her, then I’ll report her to the authorities. Let’s see how she fares against a formal charge of attempted murder.”

Arthur’s face darkened. “You—”

Oliver, having seen enough, stepped forward. “Grandfather, Father, Isolde and I have other matters to attend to. We’ll take our leave.”

Allan waved them off, glancing at Isolde with a softened expression. Earlier, they had wrongly accused her, yet she had not gloated or acted smug in the aftermath. That showed admirable restraint.

“Go ahead,” Allan said.

Isolde gave a respectful bow before walking out with Oliver. Agnes was too consumed with her own plight to glare at her, but Cristina cast a complex glance her way.

“Need to rinse your eyes and ears afterward,” Oliver replied flatly.

Isolde chuckled. Men always claimed to detest household drama, yet women’s struggles were almost always sparked by men in the first place.

“Come on, let’s have breakfast. We have things to do today,” Oliver’s voice was gentle as he held her close.

Isolde blushed and scoffed. “Shameless! In broad daylight?”

“What’s shameless?” Oliver looked at her, perplexed by the accusation.

“You just are!” Isolde teased.

Seeing her laugh, Oliver smiled as well. “Fine, fine. I’m shameless. Whatever you say.”

Hattie, Hazel, and Esme trailed behind them. Watching the couple, Hattie whispered, “The General and the Lady have become much closer since their wedding.”

“They’re married now. Of course, they’re close,” Hazel replied.

“Does marriage automatically make people close?” Hattie asked curiously.

“Of course. They’ll spend their lives together, sharing both hardships and blessings. When you understand that, closeness comes naturally,” Hazel said, her tone full of wisdom.

Esme chuckled behind them. Ah, youth—so naive, so endearing.

Breakfast was lavish, and after finishing, Oliver instructed Hattie and Hazel to prepare for their outing.

“Where are we going?” Isolde asked, puzzled.

“North Camp,” Oliver retrieved her cloak. “We promised to hand out wedding sweets to the soldiers, remember?”

“Oh.” Isolde had completely forgotten. She felt a little embarrassed. “So…when you said we had things to do, you meant North Camp?”

“Of course. What did you think I meant?” Oliver draped the cloak over her shoulders and adjusted her hairpin.

“I thought you were heading back to the Southern Watch.” Isolde gave an awkward laugh.

Oliver chuckled. “The Southern Watch? No. I don’t have to report back for the next seven days. I’m all yours.”

A soft warmth filled Isolde’s heart. “Good. Let’s go out and enjoy ourselves.”

“Where would you like to go?” Oliver asked.

“I haven’t decided yet. Let’s visit North Camp first,” she replied.

Together, they set off for North Camp, sharing their joy with the soldiers.

Agnes remained on her knees, begging for Madilyn’s forgiveness. Her father-in-law, a passive man, merely sighed, while Cristina was relentless in her demands for Agnes’ punishment—even going so far as to insist on reporting her to the authorities.

Allan, unwilling to involve himself further, simply walked away. Heidi, however, didn’t want the scandal to escalate. She called Cristina into a private chamber.

“Agnes was wrong, no doubt. But tell me who was she trying to help? It was you. You have every right to be angry, but reporting her? That’s too much. She never intended to truly harm you.”

Cristina’s expression hardened. “Lady Heidi, have you considered that if she had miscalculated the dosage, I’d already be dead? You say she did it for me, but I never asked her to! I never wanted to fake a suicide. She forced me, using my pride and reputation against me. The first time, I agreed reluctantly. But I would never have done it again—she knew that! That’s why she poisoned me. Since it wasn’t my choice, how can this be for my own good? If I don’t seek justice, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Heidi sighed. Cristina had a point, and she couldn’t argue against it. “Still, if you take this to the authorities, it will be disastrous for everyone. Attempted murder is a serious charge.”

“I don’t need to go to the authorities—I just need Arthur to divorce her.” Cristina’s voice was cold and resolute.

“Divorce?” Heidi studied her carefully. “You’re still thinking too simply. You only care about yourself, but have you considered your brother? If he divorces her, he’ll lose Pablo’s backing. Do you think a man so young could have risen to the rank of Baron purely on merit? Think about it. If he divorces her, within a year, he’ll be investigated.”

Cristina scoffed. “Lady Heidi, that’s absurd. Are you saying Arthur’s position depends on that woman?”