Chapter 42: Awaiting Judgment

Milton stared at Tyler for a long moment before slowly raising his hand and issuing orders. "Summon a doctor to the estate immediately. Have Tyler and the generals return to the hall. All witnesses must remain here and await the officers' arrival. And bring Margaret here."

If the Valen family refused to acknowledge the child, Eleanor's future would be ruined. Milton had to force Margaret to take her in, even if only as a concubine. Eleanor was carried away, sobbing in utter devastation.

Michelle, despite the searing pain in her legs, forced herself to walk up to Isolde. Hatred burned in her beautiful yet battered eyes, her face now a horrifying mess. She gritted her teeth viciously, "Isolde, this time, I'll make sure you never rise again."

Isolde glanced at Michelle's bloodied face and suddenly broke into a wide grin. Under the glaring sunlight, her teeth looked strikingly white, and her smile stretched so far it nearly reached her ears. Leaning in close to Michelle's ear, she whispered with chilling ease, "Fine, I'll wait. But I hear your husband has plenty of beauties in his chambers. Now that you're a disfigured hag, do you think he'll still want to look at you?"

Michelle's fury erupted, her lungs nearly bursting. The pain on her face became even more unbearable. This was an outcome she had never anticipated. Her original plan had been simple—make Eleanor fall into the water and have someone rescue her immediately. But because Eleanor was carrying the Valen family's heir, Isolde had intended to kill her, which complicated everything. Now, the Valen family was involved. Margaret had never wanted to marry Eleanor in the first place, but he couldn't defy Pablo. This incident gave him the perfect excuse to sever ties. And as for Isolde—whether it was malicious assault or attempted murder, the charges alone were enough to send her to prison for years. There was no escaping this, not with so many witnesses against her.

But what Michelle hadn't foreseen was that Isolde would deliberately sabotage the rescue effort. Even knowing it was a trap, she had chosen to drag them all down with her. Her ruthlessness far exceeded Michelle's expectations.

As Isolde smirked in satisfaction, she caught sight of Matilda's trembling face, twisted with rage. With a composed air, she turned and walked away.

Matilda rushed to support Michelle, her heart filled with fear and fury. Unable to contain herself, she scolded, "Didn't you say this plan was foolproof? Now Eleanor's child is gone, and your uncle will blame us for this!"

Michelle, already livid that Matilda wasn't concerned about her injuries but only about Milton's anger, snapped, "Why should we take the blame? We've been running around for them all this time! Instead of worrying about them, you should be worrying about whether your son-in-law will still want me after this face of mine is ruined." With that, she shoved Matilda's hand away and limped off.

Matilda stood there, her face pale, seething with hatred. "That little wretch! I'd tear her apart and drink her blood if I could!"

But the so-called "wretch" had already followed the main group back to Montlin's Manor. Until Lord Harmon and Geoffrey arrived, Tyler refused to proceed with the trial.

The hall was crowded with people. Only Isolde, still holding Leonis, sat alone on the veranda, while the others gathered inside, drinking coffee. Eleanor had been taken to her room, but the estate was small—her heart-wrenching cries echoed throughout the courtyard. Helena, unsure of what had transpired, stood silently beside Isolde.

Michelle's wounds had been hastily bandaged. Though not severe, the cuts were deep and numerous, scraped raw by jagged rocks. The doctor would need to carefully extract tiny shards from her flesh, but for now, she was treated with the estate's standard medicinal powders.

The waiting felt endless. Matilda cast cautious glances at Milton, whose face remained a mask of barely contained rage. Growing uneasy, she quietly slipped away to accompany Eleanor.

Inside the room, Samiyah was already there, her expression livid. As soon as she saw Matilda, she snapped, "All these years, have you ever handled anything properly? Eleanor has lost her child—what are you going to do about it?"

Matilda knew she was at fault. She had always feared Samiyah, so she lowered her head and mumbled, "I didn't expect it to turn out this way… Everything was arranged…"

"Arranged? If it was all arranged, then why did it go so horribly wrong?" Samiyah seethed. "Couldn't you have stationed more people around the reservoir? Eleanor was lucky to be saved this time—what if she hadn't been? Do you think Milton would have spared you?"

Samiyah had never held Matilda in high regard. A concubine who had clawed her way up to the position of a legitimate wife—she would always be lowly in her eyes. So when she scolded Matilda, she didn't bother holding back. Matilda sniffled and sat beside Eleanor, who had been crying non-stop. "Eleanor," she said cautiously, "how are you feeling?"

Eleanor's eyes were so swollen, her face contorted with hatred. Her voice was hoarse as she rasped, "Matilda, I don't care how you do it—kill Isolde and avenge my child."

Matilda clenched her fists. The hatred she harbored seeped into her very bones, twisting inside her like a vengeful spirit. "Don't worry," she swore. "This time, the evidence is irrefutable. She won't escape."

No matter what, they had to send that wretched girl to prison. Once she was inside, she would never come out again.

Samiyah shot Matilda a glare. "Of course, she won't escape. Do you think Milton would have called for Tyler otherwise? Just yesterday, he sent gifts worth over hundreds to ensure Tyler handled this properly. I'm not talking about getting that wretched girl convicted—I'm talking about what happens if the Valen family turns their backs on us. How will we fix that?"

Matilda hesitated. "That won't happen. William is deeply in love with Eleanor. Even without the child, he will still take her as his wife. Besides, we've done the Valen family a huge favor here. They needed an excuse to break off the engagement, and this case makes it clear to everyone—Eleanor was carrying William's child. Pablo would never allow his son to abandon her now."

Samiyah's expression finally softened, but when she glanced at her daughter's miserable state, her face darkened again. "This whole mess is your and Michelle's fault. Once this matter settles, we will have a serious discussion."

Matilda was inwardly disgusted. She knew that whenever Samiyah talked about "settling matters," she was really talking about extorting money. Over the years, Samiyah had funneled lots of money to her own family, all because she had been elevated to legal wife thanks to her family's military contributions. Now, she prioritized them in everything. Yes, Eleanor had lost her child, but Michelle's face was ruined, too. And wasn't this whole ordeal for their sake?

Matilda swallowed her resentment and remained silent.

An hour later, the doctor finally arrived from the village clinic below the mountain. Eleanor's child was indeed lost. The doctor administered medicine to clean her womb before moving on to treat Michelle.

Although Michelle had expected disfigurement, when the doctor solemnly told her that the wounds were too deep and numerous, and she would be left with severe scarring, she nearly lost her mind.

Chapter 43: No Partiality