Chapter 87: My Cousin Has Already Divorced Her

For as long as anyone could remember, Willow Frost had been willful and overbearing, and she had done more than her share of wicked, harmful things. Everyone despised her.

Yet Quinn Everwood had quietly helped everyone all along. He had repeatedly apologized on his cousin’s behalf, and whenever he brought down a wild boar, the meat was always shared by the whole village. So, for his cousin’s misdeeds, people merely turned a blind eye. Some even acted as if she did not exist at all.

“Well now, in this backwater place, who would have thought there’d really be a golden egg and a golden phoenix!” Butler Hart said with a smile in his eyes as he glanced at Willow Frost. He took the bundle of jewelry and weighed it in his hand, looking moderately satisfied.

The day Willow Frost had come to his door, he had taken a fancy to her. Only, since the Seventh Madam had important business, he had restrained himself.

Seeing him accept the money, Willow Frost was very pleased.

But then Butler Hart suddenly frowned. “Miss Frost, this still isn’t enough. Not nearly.”

Willow Frost removed the silver moonhairpin from her head.

“Cousin!” Quinn Everwood tried to stop her, but she gently pushed him aside with a soft smile. “It’s all right, Cousin. Leave everything to me.”

That tenderness was enough to melt one’s bones; one bite of her and the sweetness would be intoxicating.

Such a kindhearted girl.

Everyone could not help but sigh in admiration.

Charlotte Reed at the side was fighting the urge to laugh.

Willow Frost paid no mind to the others. She pressed the silver moonhairpin into Butler Hart’s hand and smiled sweetly. “Brother Hart, let this moonhairpin count as my little gift toward your trouble. Please be generous and let the Everwood family off. Besides, Miss Reed is no longer my cousin’s wife. My cousin divorced her last night, so Brother Hart should go and find her instead.”

Pfft.

Charlotte Reed nearly spat blood.

Ah, one had to hand it to Willow Frost. She was willing to part with real treasure. All for that final line: to throw the Everwood family out of trouble, point the blade straight at Charlotte, and make sure everyone knew that she, Charlotte Reed, had already been cast off by the Everwood family.

“Look, Miss Reed and her father have both run off! Any sensible person can see this is nothing but a swindle between father and daughter. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with the Everwood family. I know it costs a great deal to track Miss Reed down, so please accept these silver coins as a small token from the Everwood family for your trouble. And please explain things properly to Master Reed and spare my innocent cousin’s family. As the saying goes, should not the guilty answer for the guilty?”

“And I know Miss Reed’s character very well. She was harmed by her father; if anyone is to blame, blame that gambling father of hers for losing all the money. Besides, the Reed family is wealthy and powerful. Would they really lack this little bit of silver? As long as Brother Hart helps smooth things over, once some time has passed, won’t the matter be reduced from a great uproar to a minor one? That is far better than living in these war-torn times and risking one’s life over a few taels of silver. It simply is not worth it.”

As Willow Frost spoke, she kept shooting smug glances at Charlotte Reed in the crowd, wanting nothing more than to see how much longer Charlotte could endure.

Heh. So she really did have some cunning after all. She was not only promoting her own kindness, generosity, and propriety, but also showing off her ability to achieve great results with little effort.

And with veiled insinuations, she was warning Butler Hart, determined to drag Charlotte to ruin.

To those who did not know better, of course, she only looked gentle, intelligent, and kind.

If this matter were settled like this, then her entry into the Everwood family would be just around the corner. And Charlotte would become a fraud everyone shouted at, a cowardly fugitive, and a discarded woman.

A truly one-stroke, many-birds-at-once kind of move.

Charlotte thought it over and decided she would see just how far Willow Frost intended to take this performance.

She had grown especially fond of watching people act lately. It was amusing, and entertaining too.

Clap, clap, clap...

Seeing that Willow Frost had fallen silent, it seemed the performance was over. Charlotte Reed stepped forward, clapping her hands. “Wonderful. Truly wonderful. Really, I’m not sure what words could possibly express my gratitude to my cousin. Or rather—she is no longer my cousin. Miss Frost.”