In the hospital corridor, upon hearing Anna’s declarative words, both James and Harold were momentarily stunned. After taking a moment to process, Harold’s expression darkened before he pointed at Anna and began cursing loudly.
“Where did this crazy brat come from?! How dare you impersonate the daughter of Viscount Field? Mr. James, we should call the doctor immediately and have her locked up again!”
Harold turned to James beside him, but James, after a moment of silence while looking at Anna, responded slowly.
“No need to inform anyone. Miss Anna is telling the truth—she is indeed the adopted daughter publicly acknowledged by Viscount Field. It happened not long ago, during the annual charity event in Igwynt, in front of a large audience.”
“What…?” Harold was stunned by James’s response, his pupils contracting slightly before he shouted in obvious anger.
“Mr. James, weren’t we told that all of Viscount Gary Field’s adopted children had lost their sanity due to excessive fright? That was the whole reason we came to Igwynt. What is going on here?”
Listening to Harold’s words, James remained calm and composed.
He looked at Anna ahead of him and asked gently, “Anna, did something happen to you? The last time I visited, I was still worried about when you would recover.”
“Uh… actually… I’m not entirely sure what happened. I’ve been feeling groggy these past few days, but a few days ago, that foggy sensation started to fade. Then, when I woke up this morning, my head was completely clear, just like before. The doctors were surprised too—they all said it was the grace of the Holy Mother.”
Anna rubbed her temples as she recalled, and seeing this, James nodded.“The grace of the Holy Mother, huh… If that’s the case, then that’s the best outcome. Haha… Anna, your recovery is the best news I’ve received in days.” James spoke with a tone of relief, though there was a flicker of something else in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Harold, standing nearby, had an increasingly grim expression. His breathing grew rapid, his body trembled slightly, as if he wanted to lash out with another outburst. However, after glancing at James, he held back. Taking a deep breath, he barely managed to force a stiff smile before speaking.
“Oh… By the grace of the Father, thank heavens that such a miracle exists in this world. This must be divine reward for the good deeds Viscount Field performed in his lifetime. Haha… Looks like our trip to Igwynt was for nothing…”
“It wasn’t for nothing at all, Sir Harold. At the very least, I got to witness your refined demeanor.” James replied with a hint of humor.
At his words, the corner of Harold’s mouth twitched slightly, but he kept smiling.
“Haha, if Mr. James thinks so highly of me, then my trip wasn’t in vain after all. Well then, I should take my leave now. The people of Igwynt are still mourning the tragic passing of Viscount Field. I believe such good news might help ease their sorrow a little.”
As he spoke, Harold turned and walked away. However, he had barely left when his expression darkened sharply.
“Hmph! A bastard with not a single drop of Field blood thinks she can inherit the title? What a joke! Just you wait—this isn’t over…”
“You little brat—waking up like this means you’ve made a lot of enemies!”
With a gloomy expression, Harold quickened his pace and disappeared into the distance.
…
In the daytime, along a bustling street in Igwynt, a barefoot newsboy ran through the crowd, carrying a large stack of newspapers.
As he ran, he shouted loudly, “Extra! Extra! The merciful and benevolent Viscount Gary Field tragically killed by a wolf attack! Seven adopted children driven mad by fright—only one miraculously recovered! Extra! Extra! The merciful and benevolent…”
The newsboy’s loud cries about the shocking headline attracted a crowd. People rushed forward in shock, surrounding him to buy newspapers. In no time, his stack of papers had completely sold out.
On the street, countless pedestrians gathered in small groups, discussing the news in hushed but animated voices, their faces filled with disbelief.
In the midst of the flowing traffic, a black carriage moved forward. Inside, Dorothy sat with an open newspaper in hand, reading the front-page article about Viscount Field’s death due to a wolf attack.
She muttered to herself, “Heh, so they finally published it… No longer blaming it on bandits this time? Makes sense… If criminals were repeatedly committing murders without being caught, it would cause widespread panic—especially since this time, the victim was a noble inside his own estate.”
After speaking, Dorothy folded the newspaper and began contemplating Anna’s situation.
The reason Field’s adopted children couldn’t inherit his properties was due to mental instability caused by a combination of drugs and cognitive poison conditioning. However, since Anna had only ingested the Song of the Lamb’s cognitive poison, Dorothy was able to remove its effects. Now that Anna had regained her sanity, her legal right to inherit the Field properties was restored.
If Anna successfully inherited Viscount Field’s wealth and became the new Lady Viscount, then with the vast financial resources of Field family, covering the medical expenses for the other children would be effortless. This was how Dorothy planned to solve their treatment issue.
Dorothy had checked the laws of Pritt—adopted children held the same inheritance priority as biological ones. Anna’s adoption was legally registered and complete, making her the sole heir of the Field properties. Her claim was so strong that no distant relatives, no matter how many lawsuits they filed, would stand a chance of winning.
Moreover, Dorothy saw another benefit in this arrangement—if she could guide Anna to secretly follow Akasha like Vania did, then she could, to some extent, utilize the influence of the Field family.
For example, if she ever ran into financial trouble in the future, she could borrow money from time to time.
Dorothy had done her research—Field family was the largest landowner in Igwynt, second only to the royal government. A long-standing noble family. If past Viscounts of Field family had spent a bit more money currying favor with the upper nobility of Tivian, they would’ve long been promoted to Earls.
If Anna fully inherited the Field properties, Dorothy figured she could coast through life as a wealthy noblewoman’s friend.
Of course, considering Anna’s young age, even if she successfully inherited the wealth, it was likely that a third-party institution would manage the major assets until she reached full legal adulthood. Still, even under such conditions, the money Anna could directly access would be considerable.
“So borrowing some money in the future shouldn’t be a problem!”
Dorothy thought to herself, already planning how she would approach Anna for funds when the time came.
“But it’s too soon to say everything is completely secure. With Anna’s sudden recovery, she’s bound to become a target for those who originally had a chance at the inheritance. Her situation is dangerous.”
Dorothy continued mulling it over, though she wasn’t too worried about Anna’s safety. There were people who would protect her.
“The sudden disappearance of Anna’s cognitive poison effects will surely alert the Serenity Bureau. They’ll definitely keep an eye on her under the guise of an observation and protection period.”
Dorothy concluded that by curing Anna’s poisoning, she had inadvertently triggered the hunters’ vigilance, meaning they would likely assign surveillance. But in doing so, they would also be protecting Anna in the process.
With hunters watching over her, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to make a move.
Unless, of course, extraordinary forces got involved…