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Chapter 53
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The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 54
That was when Henry asked icily, "Where's your maid?"Lilian turned as she replied, "She ran off somewhere.""Hmph!" Emma snorted audibly just to show that she did not believe Lilian, even if she was clasping her own mouth.While Lilian ignored her, Henry suddenly said, "There are plenty of people around—it's dangerous. You should stay with us."Evelyn's eyes widened, her tears falling even quicker.Did that mean that Lilian was coming with them for the candlelight festival?!Even Emma lifted her lands from her mouth as she yelled, "Henry!"However, she did not dare to go any further from that after being warned.That was when Winter finally returned, calling out, "Milady!"Lilian turned to see that her maid was carrying a ton of things, ranging from snacks to the puppet that she must have pointed out just now.She sighed in exasperation. "I've been rewarding you too much lately, haven't I?"It had not even been that long, and Winter bought everything she could!Winter smil
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 55
Perhaps the emotion flaring in Henry's eyes was too obvious as he spoke that even Evelyn did not dare look him in the eyes even as she stood beside him.Still, she could tell that he desired Lilian!She panicked as she realized that Henry still desired Lilian!But what about her?What was she to him?!As grief welled up within her, she hung her head, allowing her tears to fall to the ground.To her surprise, she suddenly found herself staring at a handkerchief—Henry's.Her heart skipping a beat, she took it as she heard Henry say quietly, "Let's go."And with that, he strode off, leaving Evelyn standing there.Even as she held onto Henry's handkerchief, she suddenly had another thought.It was normal for men to cheat.And since Henry had been engaged to Lilian for so long, it made sense that she still had a place in his heart.Would he not be a heartless man otherwise?But he and Lilian were a thing of the past now.With the emperor's edict, Henry would never try to steal
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 56
Lilian snorted under her breath, seeing how Evelyn's tears of grief were instantly gone as she grinned in delight instead.Who knew if she had deliberately made that face just so that Lilian would see, or maybe Henry did manage to sweet-talk her in no time at all.Either way, it was none of Lilian's business.Even as the thought crossed her mind, the doors opened.Winter stood behind Lilian as she stood, ready to bow.But they soon paused, as it was not Prince Michael but two burly men instead.They were warriors, given their figure!Scowling right then, Lilian demanded, "Who are you?! I am—""The eldest heiress of the marquis' household!" one of them suddenly exclaimed before she could finish.Lilian's heart sank right then.They were clearly after her and were not drunkards who stumbled into the wrong room.But Prince Michael had definitely told her to meet him here!Still holding out hope, she asked, "Are you Prince Michael's men?"To her shock, both men shared a smile
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 57
Watching as the two men advanced on her, Lilian finally snapped, "Stop!"Her chest was heaving as her fear shot through the roof, but she kept calm.She somehow managed to stop the men too, and she snapped, "Like I said, I'm Prince Michael's fiancee, and our engagement has the emperor's blessing. If you hurt me, it won't only be the marquis' household—the prince and the emperor will come for you too! So you'd better be sure that your client can protect you!"The men traded glances, seemingly agreeing with her, only to bow their heads the next instant.One of them even spoke politely, "We're from the streets and therefore wouldn't understand the grudges between nobles, only money. We're not going to hurt you anyway, so don't worry—we just need you to come with us!"At those words, Lilian could finally breathe normally since they showed up—they at least were trustworthy.Anything was fine as long as she was alive and unharmed!But…"Where are you taking me?" she pressed, hoping f
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 58
"Do you like it?"The stall owner was keen-eyed, immediately noticing and holding out the rabbit lantern to Evelyn. "Just five silvers."As Henry astutely passed him the money, the stall owner smiled.Before he could pass Evelyn the lantern, however, the crowd suddenly grew restless behind them, as if something bad had happened.Henry and Evelyn turned as well, though Henry was taller and could see further past the crowd, immediately noticing the maid whose face was covered in blood, who seemed familiar…It was Lilian's maid!Realizing with a start, Henry suddenly broke into a run toward Winter.Evelyn yelped in surprise, watching as Henry dropped the rabbit lantern, which quickly caught fire and even burned her dress.While she was petrified, the stall owner responded quickly, throwing a bucket of water and extinguishing the flame.Even before Evelyn recovered from her shock, she looked up blankly toward Henry and started to follow, unsure what had gotten into him.Nonethele
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 59
When Lilian woke up, all she saw was still darkness, as her eyes were blindfolded.She raised her hands in reflex, only to realize that she was bound, and abruptly remembered what happened at the private room!So where was she now?Feeling the softness beneath, she deduced that she was on a bed.And hearing the sporadic voices outside, she was still in Springhill Lane!That meant she was in one of the taverns along the street!However, being blindfolded, she had no idea where she was or how long it had been since she had been abducted.Even as she mused, the door opened—the two men had returned.Lilian could hear the footsteps of one of them, coming to her to check if she had awakened.She stayed motionless, and fortunately for her, he did not notice that she was awake either as he chuckled. "You definitely bought the right drug, brother!"He was gone as he finished, while the other man laughed. "You don't say—I got it from the Valley of the Potion Lords!"Lilian soon picked
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 60
Even so, Lilian's limbs were numb, and the slightest movement left her with crippling pain and groaning softly.She stiffened as she realized she made a sound, but fortunately, the thugs' snores could still be heard.Positive that they were sound asleep, Lilian did not hesitate to struggle as hard as she could.However, the thugs were clearly veterans at this work, as the knot was so tight that Lilian could not loosen it at all despite trying for a while.But she was not about to give up—she had heard them clearly say they just needed to ruin her reputation and have her engagement with Prince Michael annulled.While Lilian did not care about her reputation or marrying Prince Michael, she did care that Madam Lestrade would be devastated if she were to find out!Lilian's heart was ablaze even as she remembered how her grandmother would hug her and comfort her tenderly, and she was determined not to let things end here!She was not about to let a rope destroy her future, even poten
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 61
Lilian spaced out for a moment, until she finally recognized who it was. "L-Liutenant Joyce…""It's Ms. Kerr!" Adam exclaimed as he came to his senses and instinctively looked past her into the building.Still, as he frowned and reached out to pull Lilian behind himself, she quickly whispered, "No. No one must know I was abducted." Adam nodded, clearly understanding the subtext. "We'll go through the back door."He reached out to pull her along and turned in shock when Lilian suddenly gasped in pain.It was only then he saw that she was pale and sweating all over her brow."What's wrong?" Adam pressed, concerned that the thugs had hurt her.Lilian raised her left hand which was suspiciously limp, asking feebly, "Can you do something about this, lieutenant?"How horrible!Even Adam's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lilian's hand, and he had fought in the battlefield!So that was why he heard her scream earlier—she must have dislocated her arm trying to pull herself out of th
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The marquise promptly reasoned as well, "Eve meant well, even if she made a mistake. And don't you see what Lily did to her? Are you still going to punish her on top of that?'The marquis stared at Evelyn's swollen face and remembered how skinny she had been when she came back to them.She was the daughter they had lost for fifteen years, and she had suffered for fifteen years!How could he bear to punish her?Taking a deep breath, the marquis eventually turned his sights on Rupert."It's all your fault!" he bellowed, lunging at his son with a kick.However, Rupert dodged to the side, clearly prepared.Missing his mark, the marquis chased after Rupert, only for Rupert to hide behind the marquise. "Please! My chest still hurts after the kick last night! I'm going to die!"With the marquise effectively a shield, the marquis had no choice but to stop.Then, seeing that the marquise was about to speak, he knew right away that she would defend their son.He was at once hysterical.
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 69
Rupert's remark really struck a nerve, as the marquise was suddenly gaping and tearing up, pointing at Rupert as she hollered, "I-I didn't try to kill Lily! I raised her myself!"And with that, she started bawling, leaving Rupert in a panic and quickly apologizing, "Sorry, Mother! Just calm down… I misspoke, and it's all my fault!"However, the marquise turned away as if refusing to accept his apology, leaving him frowning.He then turned toward Evelyn and growled coolly, "In the end, it's Lily's own fault. How could she be so ruthless, hurting Eve like that!"Doing that to Evelyn's face!Still, he flinched as a voice spoke from the next room. "Madam Lestrade wouldn't have been taken ill if Ms. Lestrade hadn't run her mouth. Ms. Kerr is merely disciplining Ms. Lestrade on Madam Lestrade's behalf, and I'm sure she'll praise Ms. Kerr when she wakes up."It was Mrs. Sully who spoke as she appeared before the marquis' household, only bowing her head at the marquis.She could be cons
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 68
As Mrs. Sully looked on coolly, she suddenly noticed the marquise running off.Getting the cavalry?Even as the thought crossed her mind, the marquise was already back, but holding a large rock this time!Mrs. Sully was stunned, while the marquis barked even before she could react, "Stop!"However, he was too late as the marquise struck Lilian forcefully on the head.Lilian felt her mind going blank and could not hear anything, save for a shrill ringing in her ears. It was only when drops of blood trickled down her eyes that she realized what had happened, and she slowly looked up at the marquise.The marquise panicked even as she met Lilian's blood-filled eyes and dropped the rock as if finally coming to her senses, stammering, "N-No… I didn't mean it… I just wanted you to stop… I didn't want to hurt—"Thud.Lilian blacked out and dropped heavily on the ground.It was once again the marquis who came to his senses first. "What are you spacing out for?! Carry her inside, and
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 67
Lilian was too quick, as she lunged at Evelyn the way she lunged at the washhouse maids who used to bully her.All the marquise saw was a blur shooting past her, and by the time she realized what had happened, Lilian had already knocked Evelyn down, pinning her down."Argh!!!" Evelyn screamed, but Lilian clasped a hand over her mouth the next instant.Madam Lestrade was still resting inside, and Lilian would not let Evelyn bother Madam Lestrade any further.But her rage still needed to burn!Hence, as she subdued Evelyn and stopped her from struggling, she swung her other hand mercilessly.She had wanted to hit Evelyn for a while now but bore with it for a long while.She thought that while Evelyn was despicable, it was simply her personality.And because she shared the blood of the marquis' household, they all doted on her, which was why she was protective of them in turn. As such, even if everything they did had hurt Lilian grievously, she had always perished the thought of
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 66
"Right! Make way!"As the maids bickered noisily, Lilian somehow found warmth.After all, the marquis' residence had felt as cold as an ice house for a while now—only Madam Lestrade afforded her some reprieve of warmth.But she was ill, so Lilian could not tell Madam Lestrade about her troubles.She thought she would have to deal with her grievances tonight in silence, so she was surprised that her heart was relieved as soon as she returned to Floret Garden.It was only her hand that was hurt, but Winter insisted on offering a helping arm.As soon as she sat, another maid arrived with a cup of warm tea. "You must have suffered a fright—here's some tea to calm your nerves. You'd definitely sleep well with this, and everything would be fine come tomorrow!" "I'll get some water for you to wash up, milady.""The bed has been warmed, milady—you should get some rest once you've cleaned up."Those were all Winter's tasks, but since Winter was hurt too, the maids volunteered to take
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 65
As she finished, Lilian could clearly see the panic on Rupert's face.How laughable!He had been so righteous when he defended himself for trying to destroy her, but he was now panicking when his own life was on the line?And it was not just Rupert—the marquis' household was panicking.That was when the sobbing Evelyn strode up, shouting at Lilian, "You should get some rest after that ordeal! It's late now—anything can wait until tomorrow!"Hearing that, the marquise promptly echoed, "Yes, yes, exactly. It's extremely late, Lily—even General Stark has yet to return. Why don't we discuss this again tomorrow?"It was only then that Lilian remembered Henry was still there and turned toward him.He was staring at her, the candlelight flickering over his visage that appeared colder than usual.It was an impassive expression to Lilian, but her chest somehow stung.She took a deep breath—she actually was exhausted after that ordeal, and she might collapse first if she kept arguing wi
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 64
Lilian continued, "You targeted me because it's easy—because I can be bullied, and it only takes a thousand silvers to destroy my reputation and my future. Honestly, aren't you laughing when you say it out loud yourself?"So shut that disgusting mouth of yours, Rupert Lestrade. You never cared about me—you just refuse to let me rise above you! You don't have my best interests at heart, not when you can't abide with things going well for me!"Though she easily exposed Rupert's hideous nature, he stubbornly refused to give in. "How so? Is marrying Prince Michael that much better?! So what if your reputation was ruined?! Do you think that no one would marry you, with the support of the marquis' household?!"Silence ensued, everyone's breath seemingly pausing aside from Evelyn, who continued to sob.Lilian looked around at the marquis and the marquise and finally chuckled as she turned to Rupert. "I finally understand why the marquis and the marquise are in such a hurry to marry me o
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 63
As Rupert stayed silent, the marquise was trembling as she walked up to him, reaching out to tug on his sleeve. "It's alright, Rupert—just tell your sister it's a misunderstanding."Even so, Rupert merely scowled in silence, which only left the marquise's heart clenching.She started shoving instead of tugging, as she cried tearfully, "Say something!"Seeing how agitated the marquise was, Evelyn ran up, hugging her as she exclaimed, "It's alright, Mother! Just sit down and talk it out with Rupert. I'm sure he has his reasons!"Lilian wheeled on Evelyn in disbelief right then—Rupert hired thugs to have her reputation destroyed, but Evelyn would still say he had his reasons?!Were these people for real?! Especially Evelyn—did she really say something like that as a woman, with a clear conscience?Worst of all, Rupert seemed to jerk to his senses at Evelyn's senses, even glancing at her gratefully."Yes, it was me!" he bellowed as he turned to Lilian, his words bold and righteous.
The Return of the Disgraced Daughter Chapter 62
In the end, a lady's reputation was a priority, even if everyone in the room knew that it was a lie.Henry bowed his head in return and turned to Lilian. "Prince Michael mentioned that the meeting place was Swindon Teahouse. When did you go to Swiftlet Teahouse instead?"Lilian was seated, her hand bandaged, but it would hurt even if she moved it slightly.The family doctor said that it was not serious, but she must rest it and not exert strength for another two months.Still, she was on her feet at Henry's question and replied, "The letter I received said it was Swiftlet Teahouse. It's on my dressing table—check it if you don't believe me."As she finished, she turned toward Rupert, who stood in a nearby corner quietly, as if worried that he would be noticed.Even so, Lilian did notice when he entered and slowly walked toward him. "You seem especially quiet today, Mr. Lestrade. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"The marquise was confused as to why Lilian would suddenly care ab
