Chapter 23
Upon hearing those words, many in the crowd immediately nodded in agreement
“Must be true. Eliza was just publicly rejected by Lord Caleb yesterday, and now she’s here at Mount Westin making a scene, someone said.
Another chimed in. “She probably found out we were c
out we were coming here today.
y and stageil this whole act to get our attention.
As luck would have it, the ones talking were young nobles closely associated with Caleb,
They had originally planned to lake Mount Westih with him, but Caleb had been grounded by his father after humiliating the Duke’s family during yesterday’s public breakup. Now only his friends remained.
Eliza noticed them laut chose to ignore them. Even if Caleb himself had shown up, it wouldn’t have stopped her.
Fueled by loyalty to Caleb, the nobles abandoned their hike and stood by the path, watching Eliza crawl and pray her way up
p the mountain
At first, they sherred and mocked her. But as time dragged on–fifteen minutes, an hour, then most of the day–Eliza still didn’t stop.
From morning to afternoon, her knees grew numb, her once–smooth forehead now bruised and bloodied
The worst part was the wounds on her back. At first, they were line, but each prostration slowly split the injuries open. Blood seeped through bandages, staining her clothes crimson.
By the time she reached the mountaintop, she was drenched in red, pale as death, staggering with every step
The crowd gradually fell silent, following her all the way to Saint Grace Nunnery’s gates. Confusion etched their faces.
They thought, What kind of sympathy play is this? Where did those injuries come from? Why would this scheming, hated woman go to such
One of the young men who had mocked Eliza earlier suddenly hesitated. His initial scom wavered, replaced by something more complicated.
To go this far for Caleb…” he muttered. “Eliza may be calculating, but she’s certainly devoted”
For the first time, he fel a twinge of jealousy, If a woman loved him this fiercely, he’d never break her heart.
Yet Caleb had not only pulilicly dumped Eliza but immediately proposed to her sister. What a scoundrel, they all silently agreed.
Eliza remained oblivious to the twisted interpretations of her actions. Half–conscious and swaying on her feet, she barely registered the figures rushing from Saint Grace Nunnery’s gates until Mary caught her collapsing body.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” she snapped, her hands gripping Eli’s bleeding shoulders.
Through blurred vision. Eliza thought she glimpsed genuine concern and fear In Mary’s usually stern face
“Was that sincere enough)?” she murmured, the ghost of a smile touching her cracked lip before darkness swallowed her.
Mary’s breath hitched as she pressed a palm to Eliza’s forehead, and her expression darkened. Eliza was burning up–she’d had a fever this whole time and hadn’t said a word.
Without hesitation, Mary lifted her up and turned to carry her inside.
But before she could take a step, James suddenly blocked her path. He had been watching everything unfald,
“Well, you haven’t answered Lady Eliza’s question yet,” he said calmly, “Why not give her a clear answer now? That way, I can report back to the
Mary shot him a cold look
Jarnes didn’t back down. “She’s gone through all thin–surely she deserves to hear the final answer.
A heavy sdence stretched between them before Mary finally said, “If she’s this determined, I have nothing more to say. If the king has chosen ber
At the very least, within the walls of Saint
Nunnery, no one would be able to
to hurt her.
James smiled, satisfied. Then I’ll leave her in your care and report back to His Majesty”
Chapter 23
Eliza slept for an entire day and night. When she finally woke up, it was already the next afternoon. She looked around. She was still in Saint Grace Nunnery
Just as she tried to sit up, a sharp voice snapped from the doorway. “What do you think you’re doing! Lie back down”
Eliza immediately recognized Mary’s voice. She obediently lay still not daring to move again.
Mary walked in and began changing the bandages on Eliza’s back. Her tone was sey. “Did your father do this to you?”
Eliza tensed. The look on Mary’s face was terrifying. She hesitated, then admitted, I asked for it. I made my father angry, so he ordered Benedict to panish me
“Are you out of your mind?” Mary’s expression darkened even more when she heard that Eliza had asked for the punishment
She snapped, “You got dumped -so what? It’s not the end of the world. It wasn’t your fault. Why ask to be punished? That spoiled brat from the Marquis’s estate humiliated you in public–he’s the one who deserved to be beaten.
“Slapping him once was letting him off easy. You should’ve slapped him ten times and left him black and blue. You should teach him never to mess with you again”
from the pain
Mary was so worked up that she accidentally pressed too hard while applying the medicine. Eliza winced, nearly tearing up
Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.” she hurriedly agreed. “Next time 1 see him, Ill make sure to slap him nine more
more times.”
Mary shot her a glafe. “Oh, please. Look at you. Do you think you can actually do that? You’d be lucky if he doesn’t turn around and bully you
Eliza immediately shut her mouth. But even her silence seemed to irritate
Mary.
“Now you’re quiet, huh?” she said. “Weren’t you all stubborn yesterday! To become à nun, you’re willing to throw everything away, ignoning your injuries. Do you even realize what you’ve done! Your knees, your forehead, your back–you’re covered in wounds! You’re just—”
Her voice was sharp, full of frustration. But then, suddenly, she fell silent.
Something seemed to cross her mind, and all her agitation faded into a heavy sigh
Hearing that sigh, Eliza cautiously looked up just in time to see a single tear slide down Mary’s face.
Staring at Eliza lying there, she murmured almost to herself, “You’re just as stubborn as your mother.”
Eliza stayed at Saint Grace Nunnery for another night. People from the Duke’s estate had come looking for her, but Mary had turned them away.
It wasn’t until the morning of the third day—when word arrived from the king that she could return home to await further instructions–that Eliza finally left, riding in a carriage borrowed from the palace.
She had braced herself for her father’s fury or her brothers‘ usual provocations the moment she stepped through the gates.
But to her surprise, before she could even set foot inside, an angry voice rang out behind her. “Eliza, stop right there!”
She turned around–and saw Caleb