Chapter 3
Before Tessa could finish speaking, tears welled up in her eyes and quickly slid down her cheeks, only to be hastily. concealed.
As he saw this, Raul’s heart softened, filled with warmth and a pang of pain.
“You’re such a sensible child.”
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He sighed, his voice catching in his throat, then reached out to ruffle Tessa’s hair before turning a stern gaze on Margaery.
“Look at Tessa, and then look at you! It’s one thing for you to push her aside in the past, but now you’ve actually gone so far as to push her down from the mountain!
“I won’t let you off without teaching you a lesson! I’ll let you out of the firewood shed, but tomorrow, at the recognition party, you’ll publicly apologize to Tessa and promise never to bully her again!”
Publicly apologizing would ruin her reputation,
Tomorrow, all the families of high–level officials would be attending. If Margaery apologized and admitted to pushing Tessa down the mountain, she would be seen as nothing more than a troublemaker. No one would ever marry her after that
She was already to happen.
at the age when marriage talks were su
Her future would be destroyed.
If this was meant to be a lesson, the cost was far too high.
This was her father.
Margaery stared at him for a long while before finally replying, “Fine.“”
Perfect. Tomorrow’s recognition party would also mark the moment she left the Chancellor’s estate and started a new Chapter in her life.
The more people there, the better. It would serve as a witness to her decision.
“Then you can go now. Tessa still needs to recover. You being here will only make her uncomfortable,” Raul said, thinking of how submissive Tessa had been in front of Margaery, He waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
It was already dark..
Margaery returned to Gracewind Garden.
Before Tessa came, she had lived in Twilight Retreat. Later, she had planned to move into Blissom Hall, so Twilight Retreat
was demolished.
But in the end, Tessa moved into Blissom Hall, and it was renamed Sunbeam Court. Her own Twilight Retreat was gone. Finally, Raul had sent her to the abandoned Gracewind Garden.
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Chapter 3
Aug
This winter, no one even bothered to send charcoal to her room.
The maids, bribed by Tessa, didn’t even care that she had returned. No one came to look after her.
This was no place for her to stay.
After the kneeling and being locked in the firewood shed, she had developed severe rheumatism in her joints. It needed treatment as soon as possible. She couldn’t afford to delay.
The only doctor in the household was Avery.
But now, Avery’s attention was completely on Tessa, and the family was no help.
She had only one choice: to leave the Wallen family and seek out Craig Eastwick for treatment.
Craig was a reclusive healer, and he could certainly cure her rheumatism.
In her previous life, Craig had wanted to take her on as an apprentice and had given her many prescriptions, but at that time, she was too focused on trying to repair her relationship with the Chancellor’s estate. She even used the prescriptions Craig had given her to please Avery,
This time, she had made up her mind to become Craig’s apprentice, leave the Wallen family, and build her own future.
With that thought, Margaery lay down fully clothed and fell asleep.
The next morning, she heard Avery’s excited voice from outside.
“Margaery, hurry up and change into something presentable for Tessa’s recognition party. Don’t show up looking like a beggar and make a fool of yourself!”
As he spoke, he entered and placed a set of new clothes on the table.
They were the kind of silk and satin a lady of the Chancellor’s estate should wear.
In her previous life, Margaery had fought with Tessa over this very thing, and it had greatly annoyed Avery.
Now, it seemed like nothing more than a superficial trinket.
Only real skills would allow her to make her mark in this cruel world.
“Thank you, Avery”
Margaery got up, washed her face, and changed into the new clothes.
Avery couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
The last time he visited her in the firewood shed, she had cried and clung to his legs, refusing to admit her mistakes, tears and snot mixing together.
Now, she seemed distant, almost detached.
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Chapter 3
And suddenly, she had acknowledged all her wrongs–it felt too sudden and suspicious.
But Avery didn’t overthink it. After all, Margaery had been pampered her whole life. She’d been treated like glass, always protected from harm.
It made sense that she’d be emotionally shaken after being locked in the firewood shed for days.
He figured she’d come around in a few days.
Once she accepted Tessa and things settled down, he’d buy her some gifts to smooth things over.
With
that in mind, Avery couldn’t resist giving some last–minute advice.
“Remember, when you get there, speak properly. All the families of high–level officials will be there today. First, it’s to Introduce Tessa to everyone and ensure she’s well looked after. Second, it’s to consider her marriage prospects.
“If you mess this up, Father will never forgive you.”
Margaery looked up at him, a chill settling in her heart.
Tessa’s marriage prospects had been bought at the cost of her own shattered reputation.
This was her father, and this was
is was her family.
“I’ll apologize to Tessa, don’t worry, Avery.” Margaery averted her gaze and walked out the door.
She wasn’t going to make the same mistake as in her previous life–crying and making a scene in front of all the noble families in the Sinderin City, just to make Tessa look more composed and virtuous.
This time, she was going to set the record straight and bring the truth back to the beginning.
By the time she arrived at the party, it was already packed with guests.
Tessa stood at Raul’s side, basking in the spotlight, her small face glowing with a sweet, bashful smile that was hard not to love.
When she saw Margaery, she let out a soft, timid cheer, “Margaery, you’re here!”
Instantly, all eyes turned to Margaery.
“So, this is the Wallen family’s daughter Lady Margaery? jealous she can’t even tolerate Lady Tessa?”
he looks proper enough, but who would’ve guessed she’s so
“She’s got a heart as venomous as a serpent’s. She probably wants to kill Tessa.
“Such a woman should be avoided, Whoever marries her will regret it!”
Tessa quickly stepped forward to speak on Margaery’s behalf. “Ladies and gentlemon, please be kind.”
She turned toward Margaery with a concerned look, “Margaery, I see you have a rash. Is your allergy acting up again? Should we have Avery take a look at it?”
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Margaery almost wanted to clap for her.
With acting like that, it was a shame she wasn’t a stage performer.
Avery, who had just noticed the rash on Margaery’s skin, was instantly furious. “Margaery, why didn’t you tell me about this allergy? How could you be so careless?”
He felt guilty for not noticing sooner.
I
Frustrated, he quickly ordered the servants to fetch medicine for Margaery, wondering, ‘How could I be so absent–minded to miss something like this?
Tessa’s heart tightened at the sight.
Originally, she had hoped to spread the word about Margaery’s allergy, knowing no one would want to marry a sickly
woman.
But it had backfired–Avery was now overly concerned about Margaery.
Still, that was fine. Since things were already going in this direction, she might as well stoke the flames.
Margaery had seen through her act before, and she wasn’t going to fall for it this time.
“Thank you for your concern, Tessa. The rash isn’t serious. It’s just that after kneeling for an entire day and night in the snowstorm and then spending a few days in the cold wind of the firewood shed, it flared up again.”
She cast a glance at Raul, who was seated higher up, and continued, “I should actually thank Father. If he hadn’t punished me so severely, I wouldn’t have realized so many things. Father was right–1, as the elder sister, shouldn’t have made you kneel for half an hour, causing you to catch a cold.
“I ask for your forgiveness, Tessa. Please, forgive me.”
Avery nodded, looking satisfied.
He thought as long as she admitted her mistakes, she was still his good sister.
“Margaery really seems to have reflected on her actions and is ready to change?”
The guests exchanged uneasy glances. “Wait, is she talking about that snowstorm day? Kneeling for an entire day and night in that cold? And then being locked in the firewood shed?”
“Good grief, Lord Chancellor is cruel.”
“No, it’s not cruelty. It’s more like bias, don’t you think? He has Lady Margaery kneel for a whole day and night and she doesn’t even catch a cold, while Lady Tessa one kneels for half an hour and is already sick and on medication.”
“No wonder Margaery would be jealous.”
The atmosphere shifted, and the expressions of the guests became awkward.
Tessa, hearing the murmurs, turned pale.
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She glanced behind her, her eyes welling up with tears.
Russell, sitting inside, sneered at the sight. “Everyone, don’t listen to Margaery’s nonsense!”
He stood up “Margaery, if you’ve really learned your lesson, you’ll apologize to Tessa now, not try to play the victim!”
apologize to Tward
her, eyes narrowing as he called ”
A smug smile crept across Russell’s handsome face.
The Wallen family was a prestigious one, and their reputation was carefully guarded.
If no one had intentionally spread the rumors, things wouldn’t have gotten out so quickly, becoming common knowledge.
It was Russell who had spread the word about Margaery pushing Tessa down the artificial mountain, doing so to get back at her and make her lose face in front of everyone. He wanted to remove her from the list of eligible young ladies in the Sinderin City.
He wanted Margaery to feel the same pain Tessa had endured.
Russell stared at Margaery, determined and unyielding.
Behind him, a few of his classmates from Inkwell Academy piped up. “Lord Russell is right! You still haven’t apologized for the incident at the mountain!”
“Yeah, you came here to apologize, didn’t you?”
“Then go ahead and apologize!”
Behind Margaery, Avery gave her a shove. “Margaery, hurry up and speak! You came here to apologize to Tessa, didn’t you?”
Russell leaned in close to her ear and shouted, “Say something!”
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