Chapter 136

Chapter 136 – Making Headlines

In the hospital corridor, Anna’s declaration caught both James and Harude off guard. After a brief moment of reaction, Harude’s expression shifted between dark and clear. Finally, he pointed at Anna and shouted angrily.

“Who is this crazy girl trying to impersonate the daughter of His Lordship the Viscount? Mr. James, we need to inform the doctor and get her locked up!”

Harude turned to James beside him. After a moment of silence while he looked at Anna, James slowly replied.

“There’s no need to inform anyone. Miss Anna is correct; she is indeed the adopted daughter of Viscount Field, publicly acknowledged just recently at the annual charity event in Igewent, in front of many witnesses.”

“What…” Harude was taken aback by James’s answer, his pupils constricting slightly before he spoke up loudly and angrily.

“Mr. James, didn’t you say that the children adopted by Viscount Gary Field all went mad from excessive fright? This is why we came to Igewent, so how can this be?”

James maintained his calm demeanor, looking at Anna with a gentle tone as he asked, “Anna, has something happened to you? I remember during my last visit, I was worried about when you would recover.”

“Um… actually… I’m not quite sure what’s been happening either. I’ve felt dizzy for the past few days, but it seems like that dizziness has been fading a bit since a few days ago. When I woke up this morning, my head felt particularly clear, just like it used to. The doctors today were quite surprised; they all said it was the Holy Mother’s grace.” Anna rubbed her temples as she recalled, and James nodded in response.

“The Holy Mother’s grace? If that’s the case, that’s the best news I’ve received in days.” James said, his tone a mix of relief and joy, although there was still a flicker of intrigue in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Harude watched the girl whose complexion was pale, breathing somewhat hurriedly, and her body slightly trembling. It seemed he wanted to curse at her but refrained after glancing at James. Finally, after taking a few deep breaths, he managed to force a stiff smile as he spoke.

“Oh… dear Priest, thank God that such miracles still exist in this world. This must be a return for the good deeds His Lordship did in life. Haha… it seems our trip to Igewent wasn’t wasted…”

“Of course it wasn’t wasted, Lord Harude. At the very least, I have witnessed your grace.” James quipped lightly. Hearing his words, Harude’s mouth twitched slightly, but he maintained a smile in reply.

“Ha ha, being appreciated by Mr. James is worth the trip. Now I must take my leave. The people of Igewent are still grieving the unexpected d*ath of His Lordship, and I believe this good news might help ease their sorrow somewhat.”

As he spoke, Harude turned to walk outside, and not long after stepping out, his expression grew dark.

“Hmph, a b*stard with not a drop of Field bl**d wishes to inherit the title? What a joke! Just wait, this isn’t over yet…

“You little brat, now that you’re awake, you’ve offended many people!”

With a gloomy expression, Harude strode swiftly into the distance.

……

During the daytime, on a bustling street in Igewent, a bare-footed newsboy ran down the street carrying a large stack of newspapers, shouting loudly as he ran.

“Extra! Extra! The merciful and loving Viscount Gary Field met with a wolf pack and tragically perished! Seven of his adopted children went mad from fear, and only one has miraculously improved! Extra! Extra! The merciful and loving…”

The newsboy continued shouting the explosive headline, and the surrounding crowd, upon hearing the news, quickly gathered around to buy newspapers. Before long, his stack of newspapers was sold out.

On the street, countless pedestrians gathered in small clusters, discussing the contents of the papers with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

On the street, a black carriage was moving forward with the flow of traffic. Inside the carriage, Dorothy was seated, reading the front-page headlines about Viscount Field’s d*ath from a wolf attack while muttering to herself.

“Ah, it’s finally made the headlines… This time, it can’t be said to be the act of any rioters, can it? If there really were such rioters striking again and again without getting caught, it would likely cause panic, especially since it reached the Viscount’s home this time.”

Having said this, Dorothy closed the newspaper and began to contemplate Anna’s situation.

The reason the children of Field could not inherit Field’s estate was due to the insanity caused by drug use and poison recognition. Since Anna only ingested the poison recognition from “Lamb’s Song,” Dorothy was able to clear it. Once Anna’s mind returns to normal, her rights as the adopted daughter of Field would take effect.

If Anna could inherit Field’s estate and become the new Viscountess Field, then with the financial power of the Field family, covering the treatment costs of the other children would be easy. This was Dorothy’s solution for the treatment cost issue.

Dorothy had checked; in Prit’s laws, adopted children have the same inheritance priority as biological children. Anna’s adoption paperwork was complete, making her the only inheritor of the Field family, with priority so high that distant relatives couldn’t win a lawsuit against her.

Furthermore, Dorothy’s plan had an additional benefit: if Anna could be developed into a secret follower of Akasha like Vania, then she could, to some extent, leverage the power of the Field family.

For example, during times of financial strain, it would be easy to borrow some money.

Dorothy confirmed that the Field family was the largest landowner in Igewent, second only to the kingdom’s government, an old traditional noble house. If the previous Viscounts had spent a bit more to curry favor with the upper aristocrats in Tivyán, they could have already been elevated to earls.

If Anna could fully accept the Field estate, Dorothy felt she could live comfortably for the rest of her life without needing to strive much; she could live off a rich benefactor.

Of course, given Anna’s age, even if she successfully inherited the estate, she would largely be judged as too young, and the main assets would likely be entrusted to other third-party institutions to manage until Anna attained full legal capacity. But even so, the funds she could control should still be substantial.

“So borrowing some money should be no problem!”

With this thought, Dorothy already began pondering how to broach the subject with her student.

“However, it isn’t guaranteed that everything will go smoothly. With Anna waking up, she will surely become a thorn in the side of those who originally had the opportunity to inherit the estate; her situation may become somewhat perilous.”

Dorothy continued her thoughts but wasn’t overly concerned for Anna’s safety, believing someone would help protect her.

“The sudden disappearance of Anna’s poison recognition will definitely raise suspicions at the An Yin Bureau. There will certainly be some monitoring to observe the protective period.”

Dorothy thought, knowing that clearing Anna’s poison recognition would definitely draw the attention of Hunters, likely leading to surveillance. However, this would paradoxically protect Anna.

Under the watchful eyes of the Hunters, ordinary people would end up being powerless.

Of course, as long as no other extraordinary factors intervened.