In the outer room, a group of women sprang to their feet at the sight of Carissa, but she didn''t spare them a nce. She lifted the curtain and strode inside, with Violet close behind.


    When Carissa saw Leona''s condition, she gasped in shock.


    How did Leona injure her forehead?


    "Ivy, how are things?" Carissa grasped Leona''s hand and settled at the edge of the bed, using her sleeve to wipe away the sweat and tears from Leona''s face.


    Ivy was administering acupuncture, the quilt pulled high, revealing a belly covered in needles.


    With a heavy sigh, Ivy said, "It''s more than just a case of disturbedbor. I''m afraid the fetus may have been harmed. We''ve given herbor-inducing medicine, but there are no signs of delivery yet-it''s already been three hours." Leona''s face twisted in agony. "Cari... It hurts so much."


    "Don''t be afraid, okay? I''m here, Leona." Carissa reassured her, turning to Ivy. "Is Sebastian not in the city?"


    "He''s treating someone on the outskirts. na has gone to fetch him. Let''s hope she gets back in time." Ivy tried to maintain a calm demeanor tofort everyone, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her tension and worry.


    Violet turned and stepped outside, where Leah stood watching the group from the Earl of Gracehold''s family, especially Dorothy. That old woman was always causing trouble, and her recentments had crossed the line. Leah needed to keep an eye on her to prevent the older woman from sending anyone inside Leona''s delivery room and speaking unpleasant words.


    "Leah, what happened? How did ite to this?" Violet asked, concern etched on her face.


    Leah''s face was flushed with anger as she pointed at Samuel, still tied to the tree. "He pushed her, but we were also toox in our vignce."


    Leah recounted the events. It turned out that Samuel had finally emerged from his sorrow over losing Ruby, and realized he had neglected Leona. He had beening to Leona''s courtyard daily, trying to win her back with ttery.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Each time he arrived, he wore a smile and brought delicious food and drink. He also repeatedly confessed his past mistakes and promised that he would never treat Leona that way again.


    Leona hadn''t openly confronted Samuel, but she hadn''t paid him much attention either. After na and Leah confirmed that the food he brought was safe, she allowed everyone to eat it. Samuel had been visiting for about a week or so, continuously wearing a shameless smile and showering her with ttery, which had caused na and Leah to let their guard down.


    When he arrived today, Leah was in


    ???


    the kitchen preparing a medicinal dish. With Leona nearing her due date, Sebastian had prescribed a recipe to nourish her strength for childbirth. Since she didn''t fully trust the people from the Earl of


    Gracehold''s family, Leah insisted on cooking it herself.


    Seeing Samuel enter filled Leona with unease. She asked na to take her out for a walk, believing that staying active would help with the delivery.


    The air outside was a bit chilly, prompting na to return for a shawl. But during that time, Samuel said something to Leona in the corridor and suddenly struck her across the face before pushing her down.


    When na heard themotion and rushed out, she discovered Leona had bumped her forehead and was bleeding.


    Leah dashed back from the small


    ???


    kitchen, immediately seizing Samuel and delivering a flurry of punches before binding him to a tree. Themotion was loud enough for everyone in Gracehold Estate to notice, and they began to flock over. However, Leona was in too much pain to care about Samuel.


    Violet seethed with rage. She snatched Leah''s whip, and struck Samuel again. His agonized screams echoed in the air, drawing the attention of Dorothy, who fumed, "Are you trying to kill me with your actions? Who do you think you are, trampling all over my family?" While Abigail felt pity for her son, she knew she couldn''t intervene. She grabbed Dorothy''s arm. "Mother, don''t interfere. The worse he gets beaten now, the less angry the king will be when he sees it."


    "She''s brought this on herself! It''s her own fault," Dorothy repeated in a cold voice. As she nced at her grandson, tears welled up in her eyes.


    Inside, Carissa listened to their


    exchange while watching Leona''s face drain of color. Leona appeared almost lifeless, and the bleeding showed no signs of stopping. With the cervix still closed, it seemed the baby might suffocate inside her, and she herself was in peril.


    Even at this point, Dorothy was still making snidements, and she was more concerned about her grandson than the lives at risk!