Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Vivian Is The Savior

Sylvia moved forward with a slight smile, interposing herself between Hadley and Celia.

‘She can perceive Celia’s extraordinary fortune,’ Sylvia thought, a chill running down her spine. ‘Such a person could be a powerful ally… or a dangerous enemy.’

“You came to check on Simon, Mother Hadley,” Sylvia said, smoothly changing the subject. “We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Hadley held Celia’s gaze a moment longer, and then turned away without another word. Taking a gold needle, she slid it neatly into the crook of Simon’s arm.

Even lost to fever, Simon tensed at the intrusion, a low whimper escaping his throat.

Flora’s heart ached at the sight, but she stayed quiet, leaning on Beatrice for support.

She watched, and tears began to fall silently down her face.

The servants had kept the windows shut for days, worried a draft would make Simon worse. The room was stuffy, filled with the heavy scents of medicine and sweat.

Vivian felt stifled. Without another word, she walked to the doorway for fresh air, her fingers nervously tracing the edge of her pouch.

Vivian asked the System in her mind, “Why is this happening? Last time, Hadley clearly favored Celia enough to make her a student. But now she dismissed her as stubborn and pitiful. It’s like night and day.”

“The answer is straightforward,” the System replied. “Celia’s Fortune Points were once at ninety. When someone’s points pass that mark, they are truly touched by fortune and possess a natural grace.

“A spiritual guide like Hadley is drawn to that quality, so it was only natural for her to accept Celia as a student.

“But after you claimed the silk shop, her Fortune Points fell by two. It may seem like a small amount, but the change was profound.

“Now, she is just lucky, not truly blessed. Her ambition and self-interest are no longer hidden, and a person like Hadley, with her keen insight, cannot fail to see it.”

Vivian ran her fingers over the pigeon’s blood ruby through the cloth of her pouch.

She had meant to give it to Simon to offer him some good fortune, but with the heavy air of doubt in the room, she decided it was wiser not to draw attention.

“So, this time, Celia won’t become Hadley’s student,” Vivian concluded quietly. “And I doubt her marriage to Xavier will go smoothly.”

“That’s not all,” the System replied, its normally flat voice now carrying a distinct note of anticipation. “Hadley is Celia’s destined guide. Without that connection, Celia’s Fortune Points will keep slipping away. Every piece she loses becomes yours. Gather ten, and a Golden Plume is yours again.”

The System was clearly looking forward to it.

Hadley did not take long with the needles. Though her manner was gentle, she worked with the decisive precision of a strategist.

She found a bad heat in Simon’s body and let out the poisoned blood. After that, his fever broke.

Hearing Flora call out happily to Simon, Vivian turned and went back inside.

Simon was awake. He looked tired, but his eyes were clear.

Flora and Beatrice gathered him in their arms, murmuring words of comfort and affection.

Seeing her chance, Vivian approached. She removed the pouch from her waist and offered it to Hadley with both hands. “Mother Hadley, this treasure is too important. It should be returned to you,” she said.

As Celia watched the simple pouch embroidered with an orchid, a cold dread settled in her stomach.

The feeling was so icy and real that it made her shiver.

Sylvia knew her daughter Celia best. Recognizing the look on her face, she immediately stepped over to Vivian. “What treasure are you showing?” she asked with a tight smile. “Let me see.”

Regardless of Sylvia’s true identity, she was Vivian’s mother in name and by law.

Disrespect towards a parent was considered one of the greatest crimes in Veronia.

Vivian could not refuse her, nor did she intend to.

The first time, Celia had lost a silk shop. That was nothing really, a minor loss for a young lady of her station.

But this time was much worse. She had lost the favor of Hadley. The defeat tasted bitter and sharp.

Approval from Hadley would have transformed Celia’s standing in Aurestus, giving her the advantage she needed to reach for the highest status.

Tears of pure frustration welled in Celia’s eyes and spilled over.

Anguished and furious, Matthew raised a hand to strike Vivian.

Beatrice’s voice cut through sharply. “Matthew, stop this. Vivian just saved your brother.”

Matthew’s hand froze mid-air, and then dropped uselessly to his side. Seething, he turned on his heel and left.

Sylvia’s resentment toward Vivian ran deeper than Matthew’s, but she kept silent.

Vivian was now the household’s savior for saving Simon, and she was still Sylvia’s daughter in name. To reprimand her now would only make Sylvia look like a cruel mother in front of everyone.

Yet the sight of Celia’s shattered pride was a knife to her heart.

Relieved that no further scene had unfolded, Beatrice offered her thanks to Hadley, with Flora joining her.

“I was entrusted with a duty and I carried it out. You owe me no thanks,” Hadley replied.

Once the formalities were concluded, the family saw Hadley off together.

On their way home, Celia broke the quiet, her eyes locked on Vivian. “How very capable you are. I waited outside the Moonbay Abbey all day without success, yet you had Mother Hadley at your beck and call. I do wonder where you got that token.”