Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 26

”

Chapter 26

Sylving by the beduille, pervonally feeding Flora the medicine. Getting an unconscious person to swallow was never easy, bat Sylvia ons gentle and patient, carefully coaxing Flora’s lips apart. The thick, dark concoction was precious and not a single drop was watted

The Introily doctor, who had treated Flora for years, stroked his beard. “Lady Flora’s condition this time isn’t as severe as it was six years ago. Once she’s taken the medicine, she should wake within half an hour

Relief washed over Beatrice and Quentin’s faces. Celia squeezed Simon’s hand, tears of joy already streaming down her Werks

Vivian sat stiffly in a wooden chair, her expression unreadable. She asked the System, “What do you think Celia would do if I Just ripped tits bandage off right now

“Most, that’s pretty hardcore, the System replied. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Let’s wait for the time to run out.”

Vivian remembered six years ago when Sylvia had drugged her. Every day was a haze, her mind foggy, her body just a shell. She couldn’t feel pain, cold, or heat. She had no sense of joy or sorrow,

wylvia had reduced her to livestock, kept alive for one purpose: to bleed for Celia’s benefit.

Honestly, Vivian didn’t remember much from that time. But that amnesia only made her more determined to never, ever be used like that again. She had to crush any hope Sylvia and Celia had for her, once and for all.

So when she figured out Celia’s plan, she decided to flip the script. She had Judith, who was veiled and wearing the distinctive pearl bracelet that marked her as “Vivian“, leave the manor.

The coachman didn’t know Vivian’s face; he only knew to look for a fingernail–sized scar on the left cheek. When he lifted Judah’s veil and saw the scar, he was convinced. He took the blood and delivered it straight to Celia.

Fir never suspected the woman he’d roughly handled and discarded was not Vivian at all, but Judith, a trained deathsworn.

It was a gamble. But if it paid off, the fallout would be spectacular. That was why Vivian decided to roll the dice. And sure Cough, Celia walked right into the trap.

Thankfully, Judith wasn’t badly hurt. With the right medicine, she’d be fine in no time. If things had gone wrong, Vivian wouldnt have had a leg to stand on.

Half an hour passed in a blink.

Quent stared at Flora, but she didn’t stir. “Why isn’t she waking up?” he muttered, confusion lacing his voice.

Sylvia, sull holding the empty medicine bowl, looked just as bewildered.

The doctor stepped forward. Let me check her pulse again.” He pressed his fingers to Flora’s wrist, his brow furrowing deeper with each passing second. “This isn’t right.”

“What’s wrong?” Sylvia asked, her heart pounding.

The medicine Lady Flora just took mixes the blood of a close relative. It’s meant to replenish her energy and vitality. But her pulse is exactly the same as before.

“Could there be an issue with the medicine itself?” The doctor paced, clearly at a loss.

Lady Celia gave so much blood. How could it possibly be ineffective?” Sylvia’s face drained of color,

Slowly and deliberately, Celia stepped forward. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the bandage already stained with fresh

11:20 Wed, Jan 14 M.

1. Chapter 26

blood

I vouchers

Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, Celia bit her lower lip and began to unwrap the bandage layer by layer. With each layer peeled back, the blood–soaked area grew,

By the time the last strip fell away, her wrist was a mess. It was a raw, bloody, twisted sight, the wound itself looking almost

vicious.

Beatrice had to turn away, unable to bear the gruesome sight.

Even Quentin, who rarely spent time in the women’s quarters, felt a sting behind his eyes. Celia had always been the family’s pride, she was smart, beautiful, and poised.

Now, to save her mother, she’d traded all that for a wrist scarred with marks like twisted centipedes. For a young woman, that was too high a price.

Sylvia’s fingers trembled so violently that she nearly dropped the porcelain bowl. Inside, resentment boiled over.

So what if we grew up together?‘ Sylvia thought bitterly. ‘When it comes to family and power, even the deepest bonds don’t

maller.

Quentin might love me, might spoil me, but it never stops him from keeping me outside the manor walls. I’m a nameless mistress with no status.

If I haven’t been clever enough to seize my chance right after giving birth, showing up with my baby just in time to “run into Beatrice returning from prayers, I’d have likely lived my whole life in the shadows.

If I were the lady of Aurea Manor, Celia wouldn’t have to suffer like this‘

177

“Doctor, I’m her daughter. My blood is real. Could the problem be with the herbs?” Celia’s voice quivered.

As she finished, she shot a quick, uneasy glance at Vivian, who sat watching the scene like it was a theater. Her heart skipped a beat. She thought, ‘Maybe the real issue isn’t the medicine at all.

5

55

“This shouldn’t be happening,” the doctor muttered, racking his brain. Suddenly, he looked up. “Fetch the remain medicine.”

Celia wanted to stop him, but with Quentin and Beatrice right there, any objection would only raise suspicion.

A nervous maid hurried to the kitchen and returned with the remnants,

C

The doctor checked and sniffed the medicine carefully. There was nothing unusual about it.

£87

4

45723

T

Beatrice couldn’t help but ask, “Could it be the herbs weren’t properly prepared? Maybe they still have some toxicity?”

The doctor shook his head and said, “These herbs are fine. Maybe the blood is the problem.”

“Doctor, are you certain you’re not mistaken?” Sylvia clutched her collar, tears streaming. Anyone watching would think Celia was her daughter, since only a real mother would grieve so deeply.

Beatrice found the display odd and gave Sylvia a curious look.

Vivian saw her moment. She stood and walked forward, calm and unhurried. “Maybe it’s not a mistake,” she said coolly. “Maybe the blood simply didn’t work.”

Celia’s mind went blank. Her gaze snapped to Vivian, her heart hammering. She wondered, ‘What does she mean? Did she figure out the coachman who took her today was one of mine?‘

She tried to calm herself. Even if Vivian knew about the coachman, she could never guess the real truth.

11:20 Wed, Jan 14 MM

Chapter 25

65 vouchers

Celia had been the acknowledged daughter of the Snyder family since infancy. That was an unchanging fact. Vivian would never suspect.

“Vivian.” Sylvia said, her voice thick with feigned devastation, “Lady Flora went out of her way to recognize you as her daughter. How can you cause trouble here?”

“I’m not causing trouble, Mom,” Vivian replied. “Celia truly injured herself for the cure. But who’s to say someone didn’t switch it?”

As she spoke, Vivian hooked a fingernail under her bandage and peeled it back several inches, revealing her wrist. Her wrist was completely unmarked, without a single scar or drop of blood.

Sylvia’s eyes widened in shock, utterly stunned. Celia’s face went even paler than Sylvia’s, as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Y–You’re not injured?” Sylvia blurted out, her voice shaking.

“Mom, what are you saying?” Vivian’s eyes welled with tears, her sobs softer and more heart–wrenching than Sylvia’s performance. “Even if Lady Flora acknowledged me, I’m still your daughter. Why would you say such a thing about your daughter?”

“I–I didn’t mean that,” Sylvia stammered, flustered. “I only saw the bandage and assumed you were hurt too.”

Vivian placed a hand over her heart, her tone gentle yet laced with irony. “Mom, my wrist was just a little sore. I wrapped it with some ointment for the ache. I never imagined you’d misunderstand.”

n

པས ་