Chapter 59: Taking Back the Deeds

Matilda's expression darkened with suspicion. “Why would Doug personally intervene for her?”

“Could it be the princess’s doing? Didn’t Isolde save Lord Theodric? And that Vincenzo by her side—he’s the princess’s man,” Ryker speculated.

Matilda scoffed, her anger flaring. “That meddlesome princess! If Doug hadn’t interfered, that wretched girl would be rotting in a dungeon by now.”

Ryker hesitated. “Perhaps we should reconcile with Isolde…”

Matilda’s head snapped toward him, her face contorted with disbelief. “What did you just say?”

Anne was even more outraged. “Ryker, have you forgotten who sliced off your ear? And you’re already cowering?”

Ryker’s face turned ashen. “I won’t lie—I am afraid. She only took my ear this time. If this continues, I fear she’ll take my head next.”

Matilda glared at him, disappointment flashing across her face. “You truly are a coward.”

Ryker met her gaze. “Maybe I am. But tell me, who isn’t afraid to die? Can’t you see? Even Milton couldn’t deal with her. And this time… she won’t let it go.”

Matilda scoffed. “And what exactly can she do? Kill me? Even if I handed her all the courage in the world, she wouldn’t dare.”

Her gaze sharpened. “Or… was she telling the truth? Was it really you who betrayed us at Montlins Manor?”

Ryker’s face turned deathly pale. “That’s absurd! It was Isolde’s trick—you of all people should see through it.”

“It had better be,” Matilda said coldly. “Otherwise, Milton won’t let you live either.”

Just then, Jacqueline burst into the room, her voice frantic. “Isolde is on her way here—now!”

Matilda’s head snapped up, her eyes burning with hatred. “Good. Let’s see what she dares to do.” She flicked her hand. “Open the doors. Let her in.”

Anne hurried outside, yanking the already half-open doors wide. The fresh lacquer gleamed, and the guardian deity posters pasted on them seemed to sneer, their painted expressions fierce and unyielding.

Isolde arrived with Vincenzo. There was no grand entourage, but the air around her carried an undeniable weight—an aura of quiet, lethal intent. The Isolde they had once seen—meek, eager to please—had vanished. What stood before them now was a storm barely held at bay, a specter of vengeance cloaked in human form.

Isolde barely glanced at Jacqueline. “And what are you doing here?”

Jacqueline straightened, feigning righteousness. “I cannot stand by and watch you defy Mrs. Langley. Disrespecting one’s mother is a grave sin.”

Isolde let out a short, cold laugh. “How noble. A dog with a heart of gold.”

Matilda sneered. “Even a servant knows their place better than you.”

Isolde stepped forward, standing at the threshold of the corridor, her robes billowing slightly in the breeze. Shadows played across her face, highlighting the steel in her eyes. “Montlins Manor—I’ll deal with that later. But today, you’re going to hand over the deeds to my mother’s lands, shops, and properties.”

Matilda’s laughter was sharp and scornful. “To you? And on what grounds? Just because you managed to wriggle out of trouble at Montlins Manor, you think you can come back here and do as you please? Your father has not issued any such order. As long as he doesn’t, I will not hand them over.”

“Search the room. Find my mother’s land deeds, shop deeds, house deeds—every single one of them. Bring them to me.”

Matilda’s face drained of color. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Isolde’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. “Wouldn’t I?”

Vincenzo immediately moved to step past her, but Anne rushed forward to block him. “You will not—”

The crack of a whip sliced through the air. Anne barely had time to flinch before the lash struck her arm, sending her staggering back. She clutched at the burning welt, eyes wide with disbelief.

“You’re rebelling!” she gasped. Isolde’s voice was as cold as a steel blade. “Anyone who stands in my way will regret it.”

Vincenzo wasted no time. He disappeared into the room, opening drawers and overturning cabinets in his search.

Matilda’s rage exploded. “Stop them!”

Servants hovered outside the door, but not a single one dared to step forward. They had all felt Isolde’s whip before. No one wanted to feel it again.

Matilda’s fury turned desperate. She stormed inside, shoving at Vincenzo, blocking him with her body. “You work for Princess Bourbon! This is the Duke’s estate! You have no right to be here!”

Vincenzo met her glare with an unflinching expression. “Apologies, Mrs. Langley. I am simply following orders.”

Matilda’s voice wavered. “Whose orders? You have no master here. Leave.”

Vincenzo glanced at Isolde, who stepped into the room and, without hesitation, grabbed a bedsheet from the mattress. In one swift motion, she flung it over Matilda’s head, yanking it down over her arms and torso. Matilda shrieked, but her limbs were tangled in the fabric. Isolde twisted the sheet behind her back, knotting it tight. Matilda kicked and flailed, but she was trapped.

Her muffled screams turned to rage. “You—you dare—”

“Don’t mind her, just focus on what you’re looking for.” As she spoke, Isolde casually grabbed a persimmon from the table and shoved it into Matilda’s mouth. Matilda instantly fell silent, glaring at Isolde with venomous eyes.

Anne instinctively wanted to step forward, but Ryker subtly tugged at her sleeve and gently shook his head. “If you interfere, Mrs. Langley will suffer even more.”

Anne hesitated before deciding not to move. However, Jacqueline, eager to prove her loyalty, thought to herself, Matilda is merely under house arrest, but she’s still the Duchess. How could a motherless girl like Isolde dare to go against her?

She rushed forward, exclaiming, “Isolde, you mustn’t treat Mrs. Langley this way!” Reaching out to remove the persimmon from Matilda’s mouth, she barely had time to react before Isolde’s whip lashed out. It coiled around Jacqueline’s waist, yanking her off the ground before slamming her onto the floor. She lost consciousness on the spot.

The sheer brutality of it left Anne frozen in shock, too terrified to take another step forward.

Meanwhile, Matilda had locked away all important documents—land deeds, property contracts—securely in her room. But Vincenzo made short work of it, retrieving them with little effort.

Since all the land and property deeds were unofficial white contracts and still under Prunella’s name, Isolde reclaiming them meant she had effectively taken back all the assets that Matilda had once seized from her mother.

Matilda’s eyes turned bloodshot. This was everything she had left—if Isolde took it all away, she might as well be dead. Her heart bled at the thought.

Isolde pulled the persimmon out of Matilda’s mouth and waved the stack of deeds in front of her with an icy expression. “This is only the beginning. As for Montlins Manor, I’ll settle that score with you in due time.”

Matilda was so enraged she almost coughed up blood. “Even if you take them now, I will get them back! In this Duke’s estate, you have no real power.”

Isolde chuckled coolly. “You’re right—I hold no power in the Duke’s estate. But these deeds are now in my possession. If I take them to the authorities and have them converted into official red-sealed deeds, even if you manage to steal them back, what use would they be to you then?”