Chapter 429
Not long after Willow was carried to the bridal chamber, she cautiously opened her eyes. ‘It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, but Athena just had to ruin everything at the worst possible moment. And the worst part? There was nothing I could do to stop her.’
Willow’s stomach churned with anxiety. Athena had dirt on her, leaving her completely at her mercy.
“Nona,” Willow clutched Nona’s hand desperately, her voice trembling with despair. “What should I do? Oh God, what should I do?”
Willow thought, ‘My father’s dead. I can’t just keep hiding in my room, pretending to be unconscious. As his daughter, I should follow Athena’s example and seek justice for him. But if I do that, wouldn’t I just be digging my own grave?‘
Willow’s conscience was eating at her. She thought anxiously, ‘I can’t keep this hidden forever. Sooner or later, the truth will
come out.‘
Nona was just a maid. She couldn’t possibly know how to help Willow out of this mess. But seeing Willow’s piteous sobbing, she racked her brains, desperately trying to find a solution for her.
Nona said softly, “Why don’t we go to Madam Eloise? She dotes on you so much. I think she knows a way to help you.”
Nona’s words gave Willow a glimmer of hope. She nodded eagerly and urged, “Then hurry and call her!”
“All right, Miss, just wait patiently. I’ll be right back.”
Nona turned and left, but Willow still wore a worried look. ‘Athena ruined my wedding, and now my wedding night too,‘ Willow thought bitterly. ‘After all this, how can I possibly enjoy my first night with Michael?‘
The more Willow stewed, the angrier she got. ‘Fine,‘ she thought, ‘I’ll just keep everything to myself and refuse to come out.‘
Meanwhile, Michael shared her sentiment. He felt so utterly miserable to have such a wedding party. Overwhelmed by either grief or rage, he drank himself into a stupor. He never even entered the bridal chamber. Instead, he went straight to his studies.
Willow waited until dawn, but Michael never showed up. She couldn’t believe this. Her heart was heavy with hurt and mounting frustration as she lay awake, tears silently streaming until morning.
Chapter 429
As the Vice Minister of the Justice Ministry, Nicolas possessed a razor–sharp instinct for criminal investigations.
Nicolas scrutinized Matthew, who kept his head down in silence, then turned to Eloise, her face pale with fear. He demanded, “What exactly happened here?”
Those two had been acting strangely since they entered the hall. Eloise, usually prone to tears, was deathly pale and utterly silent. Matthew, who was always so lively, looked completely subdued, like a withered plant.
With both of them behaving so out of character, he knew there was something fishy going on. “Speak up!” Nicolas roared, slamming his hand down on the table when neither of them uttered a word.
The resounding thud shattered the oppressive silence in the hall. Eloise shuddered in fright, and even the Duke of Suffield was baffled by Nicolas’s sudden outburst of anger.
“What’s gotten into you? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?” the Duke demanded.

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