The Rise Of The Unwanted Girl (Athena) novel Chapter 260

Chapter 260

No one else would dare speak to the Queen that way.

*

But Kelsey and the Queen were cousins who had grown up together since childhood, which allowed Kelsey to take far greater liberties around her.

The Queen’s expression darkened at Kelsey’s words. “I’m warning you out of kindness–don’t let this turn your head. Do you really think imperial honors are so easily bestowed?”

The Queen remarked, “If there weren’t someone pulling strings behind the scenes, how could a mere mask be getting so much hype?”

The Queen’s analysis also struck fear into Willow’s heart.

‘But I don’t have any enemies, Willow thought anxiously. ‘Who would want to set me up like this?‘

Willow was too frightened to say a word, while Kelsey also sensed something amiss.

Kelsey was indeed carried away by success. Even though she sensed something was amiss, she stubbornly refused to admit it. “Perhaps it’s just Willow’s sheer luck,” she insisted.

She was desperate to shake off the rumors that the Osborne family had married a jinx. Only if Willow achieved something remarkable would people start to see her in a new light–and the Osborne family could finally bask in reflected glory.

Besides, she couldn’t imagine anyone having nothing better to do than go after Willow.

Kelsey thought, ‘What would anyone gain from going after her?‘

The Queen shook her head slightly at Kelsey’s stubborn refusal to see reason.

‘Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless,‘ the Queen thought.

Even after the Queen had spelled it out so plainly, Kelsey still refused to see the truth.

Some fools were simply beyond saving.

Yet, the Osborne family and the Queen’s maternal family were inextricably linked. If anything happened to the Osbornes, her own family would inevitably be dragged down as well.

If it weren’t for this, the Queen wouldn’t have wasted a moment on the Osborne family’s mess.

It was a critical moment in the struggle for the throne, and the Queen would not allow anyone or anything to interfere with Fermin’s bid

for the crown.

“There’s still a way to fix this,” the Queen said with authority. “Suppress the rumors immediately, and make sure the medicine supply at Saint Jero Clinic is never interrupted–better safe than sorry.” Having ascended to the throne, the Queen had witnessed every trick in the book.

She issued two decisive orders in quick succession, determined to save the Osborne family from disaster.

Kelsey finally grasped the gravity of the situation, her forced smile vanishing instantly. “Yes, Your Majesty,” she replied solemnly. “I’ll return at once and have my people attend to it immediately.”

The Queen sighed in relief when she saw Kelsey finally heed her advice. “The sooner, the better,” she urged.

After a brief pause, the Queen added, “If possible, pin the rumors on someone else.”

Kelsey and Willow exchanged a glance, instantly grasping the Queen’s implication.

She meant to divert the blame.

And there could be only one target, which was Athena.

Without wasting another moment, Kelsey and Willow hurried out of the palace.

On their way back, Willow asked Kelsey anxiously, “Kelsey, is it truly that serious?”

A cold sweat broke out on Kelsey’s forehead. She said nervously, “For even the Queen to be so on guard, there must be some truth to these rumors. Her Majesty must have caught wind of something.”

3 A

12:16

Chapter 260

Willow’s face drained of color. “Wh–what’s the worst–case scenario?”

“Willow, tell me honestly–do the masks you made really work wonders?” Kelsey seized on the crucial point and pressed anxiously.

Willow thought it over carefully, then nodded firmly. “Absolutely,” she declared. “I’d stake my life on it–they work.”

‘We had several virus outbreaks, and masks were the only thing that kept the infection at bay. It makes no sense they’d suddenly stop working now,‘ Willow thought confidently.

Kelsey sighed in relief. “That’s good. Even in the worst–case scenario, His Majesty won’t hold us accountable.”

Kelsey thought, ‘Even if Willow didn’t accomplish anything, at least she hadn’t done anything wrong.

‘At worst, it’s just those lowborn folk stirring up trouble behind our backs–this has nothing to do with the Osborne family!‘

‘If it comes to that, I could easily shift all the blame onto the commoners.

The law doesn’t punish the masses. Even if His Majesty got angry, he wouldn’t dare hold all the commoners accountable.

Now that she’d figured out the key to it all, Kelsey felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders.

Right away, Kelsey dispatched servants to Saint Jero Clinic to resume making the medicine.

However, Kelsey had gravely underestimated both the power of rumors and the resolve of the commoners.

Even the free herbal medicine went untouched because they were utterly convinced that masks were a cure–all.

After all, ever since people started wearing these masks, the spread of the disease had truly been prevented.

Some even scoffed at the idea of herbal medicine. “Why should I drink this bitter stuff when I’m perfectly healthy?”

He then triumphantly brandished the mask in his hand. “This mask is all I need!”

The turn of events caught Kelsey and Willow off guard.

No matter how hard Kelsey and Willow pleaded, the commoners simply refused to listen.

After a day or two without incident, Kelsey and Willow gradually let their guard down.

Seeing the commoners stubbornly refused to drink herbal medicine, Kelsey and Willow gave up trying to persuade them.

The rumors couldn’t be contained. Instead, they spiraled out of control.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that everything took a turn for the worse.

Suddenly, a third of the Osborne family’s servants collapsed with illness, their symptoms identical to the plague: persistent high fever, violent coughing, and debilitating body aches with profound weakness.

Kelsey’s face drained of color with fright. She frantically ordered disinfection with spirits, but it was already too late.

By nightfall, Kelsey had collapsed with illness.

The disease progressed at terrifying speed. She was burning with fever and babbling deliriously, hovering at death’s door.

As the daughter–in–law, Willow dutifully attended to Kelsey’s bedside, serving water and tending to her every need.

Doctors came to the Osborne family wave after wave, yet none could find a remedy for Kelsey’s worsening condition.

Despite being force–fed countless doses of herbal medicine, Kelsey’s condition showed no improvement–instead, it only grew more dire by the hour.

Michael paced anxiously outside the door. The moment he saw the doctor emerge with his medical case, he rushed over and asked urgently, “Doctor, how is my mother’s condition?”

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