Chapter 214 Hand Over The Thorne Household To Me

Chapter 214 Hand Over The Thorne Household To Me

~Aveline~

Daisy was already waiting outside my room when I arrived.

"Good morning, my lady," she greeted with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Daisy."

She held the door open, and I walked inside with her following closely behind.

"I've had your bath water prepared," she informed me. "But before you step in for a bath, my lady, please take a look at this."

She held out a rolled-up newspaper. My gaze dropped to the morning edition, and I already knew exactly what it would contain.

With a faint smile, I took it from her and unfolded it.

The first thing that greeted me in bold letters was the headline.

~THE FALL OF THE THORNE HOUSEHOLD~

My eyes lingered on the words.

I didn't need to read any further. Everything that had happened yesterday had undoubtedly made its way into both the morning and evening editions of the newspaper. By now, the story would be circulating throughout the capital and, eventually, far beyond it.

But I must say, they sure moved fast.

I folded the newspaper and handed it back to Daisy.

"Congratulations, my lady," she said brightly.

I blinked at her.

Did she even know what she was congratulating me for?

Well, I suppose if she'd witnessed the way I'd been treated in that house, she would be just as pleased to see its downfall.

"Thank you, Daisy."

I reached forward and gently patted her head. It was a small gesture, but one I was beginning to realize I was becoming rather fond of.

After a short while, I withdrew my hand.

"Please prepare a carriage."

Daisy's expression shifted immediately.

"You're heading out, my lady?" she questioned. "You won't take a day of rest? You looked rather exhausted yesterday,” she said, genuine worry dancing in her tone.

"Thank you for your concern, Daisy," I said, offering her a small smile. "But I still have things to handle."

She didn't argue, but the slight pout forming on her lips told me she didn't support my words.

I couldn't help myself—reaching forward, I gently pinched her nose.

"Don't sulk."

"But, my lady—"

She stopped herself, exhaled softly, and lowered her gaze.

"I'm fine, Daisy," I assured her, thTheadded, more firmly, "I promise."

She held my gaze for a second before finally nodding.

"If you insist, my lady," she said, stepping back. "I'll go prepare the carriage. Please enjoy your bath."

With that, she bowed and excused herself. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Serena's voice sounded in my mind.

“She's a precious one, Aveline. You have to protect her.”

I frowned at Serena's words.

“Protect her from what?”

“Fate.” Serena replied. “You can only try so hard to change the order of death, Aveline.”

My gaze lingered on the closed door.

If I followed the timeline of my previous life, then two days from now would mark exactly two months since Daisy's death.

My fingers curled slightly.

But that incident was already behind us. There was no way anything could happen to her.

“Don't worry,” I told Serena, determination settling into my chest. “Nothing is going to happen to her.”

I wouldn't fail her the way I'd failed Lucious.

~☆~

The journey to the Thorne household took a little under an hour.

Along the way, we passed a gathering of protesters, their voices carrying through the streets as they held banners above their heads.

My gaze lingered on them for a moment.

The sad truth was that no matter how loudly they protested, their chances of winning against a society built to suppress the less privileged were next to nothing.

It was almost pitiful, but I had my own problems to worry about.

A short while later, we arrived at the Thorne estate and I stepped down from the carriage. Immediately, the first thing I noticed were the royal guards stationed throughout the grounds.

The moment they saw me, they bowed.

I offered them a simple smile in return before making my way inside, Daisy and Rowan trailing behind me.

Several servants of the household glanced in my direction as I passed, whispers following in my wake, but I paid them no mind, my steps carrying me straight toward the lady's chamber where Lilith was being confined.

Upon getting there, the guards stationed outside immediately bowed when I approached.

"Greetings to Her Royal Highness."

I returned their greeting with a faint smile before turning toward Rowan.

"Wait out here."

He immediately nodded and I turned back toward the door. The guards immediately pulled it open and stepped aside as I walked in.

The room was dark, with only thin streams of sunlight slipping through the barely opened curtains.

At first, I didn't see her, then I noticed the lump beneath the covers shifting as slowly, Lilith emerged at the sound of my footsteps—looking nothing like her usual pristine self.

I stopped in front of one of the couches directly facing her bed and let my eyes settle solely on her.

"Hello, Madam Briar," I greeted, a smile resting on my lips. "I hope I didn't come too early. After everything that happened yesterday, you must be awfully exhausted."

Silence lingered for a moment, then her lips parted.

"You blight," she rasped.

Her voice was rough, but the hatred behind it was unmistakable.

"You've taken away everything. You've ruined everything." Her fingers curled tightly into the sheets. "What more do you want from me?"

Her voice gained strength with every word spoken, rising until the last words practically tore from her throat.

I nodded slowly in approval.

"It's good to see you're still in your right mind, Madam Briar. It will make this meeting progress far more smoothly than I'd anticipated."

"W-what..." She began, but the rest of her words died when I rounded the couch.

I lowered myself gracefully into the seat.

I could feel her curious gaze following every movement, but I didn't hurry to speak. Once I'd settled comfortably, I crossed one leg over the other and met her gaze.

"I'll make this quick for both of us," I said.

Daisy stepped forward and placed the document I'd prepared on the table between us.

"Your daughter, Maribel Thorne, owes the Ashkaar Dominion a sum of five hundred thousand shillings, plus an interest of fifty thousand shillings, and as of yesterday, she defaulted on the payment and is no longer capable of repaying it,” I paused and smiled. “Now, as her guarantor, the responsibility for repayment falls to you."

"A-are you crazy?" Lilith's voice cracked with disbelief. "Half a million shillings? There's no such amount of money lying anywhere in the Thorne household!"

She gestured wildly, her composure beginning to crumble.

"Even if we sell off all the businesses..."

Her words abruptly died as reality had finally caught up with her.

There was no way of getting such money financially.

"How..." she whispered, before her expression twisted into fury. "How do you expect me to come up with that sum, you crazy bitch?"

My smile deepened.

That was the exact question I'd been waiting for.

"Easy,” I started, leaning back into the chair comfortably before I delivered the answer without hesitation. "Hand over the Thorne household to me."