Carissa stayed awake the entire time to watch over Leona, while Violet pulled up a chair to sit outside the room. No one dared enter.


    Abigail sent meals for them, but Carissa couldn''t eat a thing. Violet managed a few bites, but the image of Leona''s body contorted in pain haunted her and made it hard to swallow.


    In the middle of the night, Leona woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze and called out for Carissa, who had been holding her hand the whole time. When she heard Leona''s voice, she squeezed her hand tightly. "I''m here. It''s okay."


    Ivy took the chance to feed the duchess some medicine. Leona took it obediently, but her eyelids grew heavy after a while and she drifted back to sleep. Yet, tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Carissa gently wiped them away. "It''s okay. You''ve made it through the worst of it. It''ll be fine now."


    Leona''s exhaustion was obvious from herplexion. It would take three doses of medicine for her to regain even a bit of strength. She woke up briefly to take the second dose, but quickly fell back asleep. Ivy rested for a while, then approached Carissa and whispered, "Lady Carissa, why don''t you take a break? I can keep watch."


    "No need. I''m not sleepy," Carissa replied, shaking her head. "You worked hard during the day, so you should get some rest. You''ll still need to administer the medicine one more time before dawn."


    "Yes. Prince Harvey has left, but Lady Heather is staying in the estate. She''s just in the next room. She probably wants to stop you from taking Lady Leona away," Ivy replied.


    "She won''t be able to stop me. I''m determined to take her with me," Carissa firmly said.


    After Rafael left, he went to see Jeremiah and exined everything.


    The following morning, after the court session, Jeremiah spoke to Salvador in his study. Whatever he said caused the king to erupt in anger. Samuel''s status as a top schr was revoked, and his name was struck from the National Examination Register. Salvador also ordered the Supreme Court to handle the case.


    Once the case was underway, Leona wouldn''t have any problems divorcing Samuel.


    The following day, Harvey arrived just as Carissa was prepared to leave with Leona on her back. He, Heather, and some people from the Earl of Gracehold''s family tried to stop her, but they didn''t dare use force. They could only resort to trying to persuade her with words.


    It was only when Rafael arrived with the royal edict that the atmosphere shifted. Everyone from the Earl of Gracehold''s family knelt in fear, anxious that the king might strip them of the title in a fit of rage.


    When they heard that only Samuel was being arrested, many breathed a sigh of relief. Samuel was now the disgrace of their family, and they didn''t care that he would be taken away, as long as Noah''s title was retained.


    Only Dorothy fainted upon hearing


    the news. She had spent the previous night devising a n to help Samuel escape, only to be


    thwarted by na and Leah, when et


    were keeping a watchful eye on him.


    Dorothy''s n had failed, and now, she couldn''t do anything else as the Supreme Court officials were here to arrest her grandson today.


    Samuel trembled in fear as shackles were ced on him, suddenly realizing how powerless he truly was. The once proud and arrogant man who used to rely on his talent was no more. Now, humbled and stripped of all dignity, he was left begging his family for help.


    Leona watched the scene unfold from Carissa''s back.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    When Samuel turned to her to plead, Leona shut her eyes and whispered, "Let''s go, Cari."


    No one dared to obstruct them any longer. Carissa carried her cousin while Violet, na, and Leah cleared the way ahead. Leona''s dowry had been meticulously ounted for the previous night, and she asked for it to be returned to her parents.


    "I don''t need it. I''m a county duchess and I have my own fief. I can take care of myself."


    Heather chased them to the doorway and cried out, "Leona, I only want what''s best for you! You and your cousin are not the same! You have no skills! How will you survive?"


    Carissa ignored Heather. She marched straight to the carriage and took Leona to another residence.


    Meanwhile, Rafael ordered Samuel to be taken away.


    Harvey stepped forward and pleaded, "Rafael, please show some consideration for me. Don''t make things difficult for him."


    Harvey''s voice wasn''t loud, but it was audible enough to catch the attention of those from the Earl of Gracehold''s family. Rafael cast them a fleeting nce, noticing that many were looking at Harvey with gratitude. The man certainly had a way of hiding his true intentions.


    Without saying a word, Rafael simply walked away.


    With the incident at Gracehold Estate causing such a stir, it was only a matter of time before the news spread throughout the entire capital.