Elissa took two hesitant steps forward, but before she could even steady herself, the old woman’s hand came down hard across her face.


    Even after that p, the old matriarch’s fury didn’t wane in the slightest. Sheunched into a tirade, voice trembling with anger. “te was hurt so badly, and you im you had no idea? Elissa, do you have any conscience at all?”


    Spit flew with every word.


    Her digestion was terrible these days.


    Her temper, even worse than before.


    If this kept up, she wouldn’tst a few more years.


    Elissa bowed her head, trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “Grandma, I really don’t know what happened.”


    Under the old woman’s withering re, Elissa had no choice but to put on a show of concern. “What happened to te? How badly is he hurt?”


    The matriarch ground her teeth. “Go upstairs and see for yourself!”


    “Yes, ma’am.”


    Elissa kept her head down and started for the stairs.


    She’d barely reached te’s bedroom door when a pained scream rang out from


    inside.


    The room was crowded with nurses and paramedics working frantically to tend to te’s injuries.


    Elissa’s gaze dropped–and when she saw the blood–soaked mess between te’s legs, she couldn’t help but let out the briefest flicker of a smile.


    te caught it instantly.


    He red at her, face flushed with rage. “Get the hell out! Who the fuck let you in here?!”


    “Grandma asked me toe check on you.”


    Sensing the nurses‘ eyes on her, Elissa shifted back to her obedient mask. She


    <b>1/3 </b>


    11:14


    stepped up to the bedside, stuck a straw in a paper cup, and leaned over <i>to </i>offer it to


    te.


    “te, congrattions. Guess you’re on track to take Butler Murphy’s job <i>now</i>–might even beat him to bing a eunuch.”


    The medical staff were too focused on treating te <i>to </i>notice anything else. Elissa’s face was all gentle concern; no one would have imagined such wordsing from her lips.


    She bent lower, voice barely more than a whisper, but te heard every syble.


    “Elissa, you fucking bitch!”


    Twisting with pain and fury, he smacked her hand away. The cup tumbled from her grasp, sshing its water straight onto his bloody wound.


    The sight was horrific–a fresh wave of blood, more than anyone wanted to see.


    The room erupted into chaos.


    te screamed in agony.


    Elissa pped a hand over her mouth, wide–eyed and trembling, stammering out apologies. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… te, I didn’t think you’d be so upset. I swear, I had no idea you were hurt!”


    Butler Murphy<i>, </i>who’d been standing guard outside, rushed in at themotion. His face was thunderous as he grabbed Elissa by the arm and hustled her downstairs.


    Eyes reddened, Elissa barely reached the old matriarch before dropping to her knees. “Grandma, who could’ve done this? Whoever it was… they went way too-”


    Too far, she wanted to say. But she caught herself, just in time. The old woman’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering across her face.


    “You’re sure you know nothing about this?”


    “I swear I don’t!”


    Truthfully, Elissa had no idea who’d attacked te. A name flickered through her mind–Rowan–but he’d left the hotelst night looking like he never wanted anything to do with her again. Why would he suddenly go after te, his own cousin?


    Then again, in all of Vistapeak City, who else would dare to hurt te this badly?


    She couldn’t think of a second person.


    <b>11:14 </b>


    The old woman studied Elissa’s face for a long, silent moment before finally speaking, voice low and cold. “Take her outside. She can kneel.”


    This was directed at Butler Murphy.


    <b>“</b>At once, ma’am.” Butler Murphy’s expression was unreadable as he <i>looked </i>at Elissa. “Miss Elissa, this way, please.”


    Something wasn’t right. Usually, she’d just be ordered out to kneel on her own. This time, Butler Murphy was to escort her personally.


    It didn’t take long for Elissa to realize what the old woman had nned.


    Butler Murphy led her out to thekeshore behind the house. “If you’d be so kind.”


    The message was clear: she was to kneel on the ice.


    Elissa clenched her fists, then carefully shrugged off her down coat,ying it on the ground so if she fell in, she wouldn’t be dragged under by waterlogged feathers.


    Only then did she step cautiously onto the ice.


    The sky was still pitch–dark, and she couldn’t see which parts of the ice were thin or thick. She had no choice but <i>to </i>feel her way forward, trusting nothing but luck.


    <b>Chapter </b><b>126 </b>