Chapter 202: Tide of favor shifts.

Suppressing her panic, Lita walked forward, bowed respectfully, and offered a soft greeting. "Greetings_ my dearest husband."

She peeked up through her eyelashes. Up close, Elliot was breathtakingly handsome_ even sharper and taller than he looked in those portraits plastered all over the house or his pictures in the newspapers. It so happened that most of those pictures captured one side of his face or he happened to be wearing a mask.

Who could have known that beneath the mask was a charmer. He did not look cold like the rumors played him out to be. There was no ugly scar or one eye! Where had the rumors about his ghastly appearance come from? This was clearly a prince! He was hotter than Hans!

She tried to hide it, but Lita could not control her smile. The stench of lust was practically seeping out of her skin.

Elliot did not answer, he was looking back at her, but his expression was far from romantic. He stared at Lita with wide, bewildered eyes, as if she were some kind of bizarre, escaped feral beast that had just broken out of the imperial zoo. And that look quickly turned into a mixture of disgust and disdain.

The Old Patriarch looked at his grandson with interest. "Well? Are you just going to stand there staring at her like a fool? Greet your wife."

Elliot snapped out of his daze. He awkwardly twitched his neck downward into something that barely resembled a polite bow. "Greetings, wife." he muttered stiffly. The word wife was said with a sneer.

Everyone could easily tell that he did not like his wife one bit. Some of the cousins and aunts sneered. Many had expected Sabrina’s precious son to marry a Soul maiden. The best of the best. If not, then a first-class daughter of a wealthy, privileged clan. Instead, he was saddled with a low-born, ordinary woman. Elliot’s chances for being the heir of the next generation had been cut off surely. He lacked support from his wife’s family. For some members of the family, this was already considered a victory.

"Hmph!" The Old Patriarch waved his sleeve dismissively. "Since you’re back, go down to the family vault and pick out a suitable gift for your wife to make up for your foolishness. Off you go!"

Elliot gave a quick nod of relief. "Yes, Grand Patriarch."

He turned on his heel and made a swift retreat toward the vault, with Sabrina practically trotting right behind him to make sure he picked the cheapest trinket in the room.

The grand patriarch sipped his lavender tea. He had drunk such tea for many years and could tell with a single drop that this was top-tier, high-grade stuff. It was certainly not something a low-born person like Lita could ever get her hands on. He set the porcelain cup down, his eyes narrowing in thought. There is no way she got this from that greedy father of hers, he mused. The Divine Maiden must have given it to her.

His gray eyebrows shot up like two wild caterpillars as he suddenly remembered the persimmons Lita had presented earlier. Ah! She must have gotten those from the Divine Maiden as well. A slow, knowing smile spread across his wrinkled face, and he let out a satisfied "Hmph."

"Lita, this is very nice," the Grand patriarch said, stroking his long beard. He turned a sharp look toward his grand daughter in law. "Loveline, you should learn to be creative like her. It is not every day that I want to drink plain old lemon balm tea!"

Loveline pinched her lips together so tightly they practically vanished. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. Plain Lemon balm tea?! You loved lemon balm tea yesterday, Grandfather! she screamed internally. She absolutely hated that Lita_ a nobody, a dirt-born leech_ was scoring points with the old man, she had tried for years but the old man kept his distance from her. Her husband Zayne nodded at her as if encouraging her not to take it to heart.

Standing nearby, Apofia kept her face completely blank, but her eyes were darting back and forth like a pair of scheming mice. Look at that, sixth aunt Maude thought, recalculating her life choices in real-time. The wind is changing direction. Lita is actually picking up favor in this house. I should start leaning toward her_ just in case. It doesn’t hurt to throw her a bone every now and then.

"Anyway," the grand patriarch suddenly boomed, clapping his hands together and shattering the silent tension in the room. "Pack your bags! Tomorrow morning, we all head to Neemchester!"

"Neemchester? Is that necessary." Matilda gasped, "I don’t not know if my husband is set to travel, you all saw what that ruthless crazy woman did to him."

Derek rubbed her fingers, "I am fine." Derek answered. Weakness was not something the grand patriarch wanted to see.

"The National Geographic Center just released an urgent decree. Their astrologers predict that the upcoming floods will be catastrophic. And to make matters worse, it’s going to mix with a terrible earthquake_ not like those little baby tremors we’ve been having lately. We need to get to safety as soon as possible. Now off with you all! Go prepare your things!"

The hall instantly erupted into chaos as everyone scrambled toward the exits.

Out in the courtyard, Loveline stomped up to Lita, her silk robes swishing violently against the dirt.

"Don’t get cocky just because Grandfather liked your purple weed tea!" Loveline hissed, crossing her arms. "You think you’re special now?"

Lita blinked, holding an empty basket. "Sister-in-law, it’s lavender. And it’s good for the nerves too. You look like you could use three cups right now, to be honest."

"You_!" Loveline choked on her own rage. "Don’t get too big for your britches. You are still new here." She turned on her heel and marched away, nearly tripping over her own long skirt in the process.

Apofia lingered behind, watching Loveline leave before sneaking up next to Lita like a ghost. She let out a loud, fake sigh and patted Lita’s shoulder with unnecessary affection.

"Ah, Miss Lita!" Apofia purred, her smile far too sweet. "I and the others will do the dishes, go be with your husband. Your things are being transferred to his room as we speak."

Lita looked at Apofia. "I knew I could count on you; there is more from where that jewelry came from."

Apofia smiled, after years of loyalty to Loveline all she repaid her with was ungratefulness. Lita walked the talk by matching her promises with rewards. Still, as a maid that had served here for a long time, she knew better than to openly take sides when the masters were fighting.

Later that night, the incense burners filled Sabrina’s private courtyard with thick, sweet smoke. Lita stood respectfully by the doorway, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She had been summoned before she could even join Elliot in the bedroom.

"Report." Sabrina commanded.

"Mother," Lita whispered, leaning in closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I heard something very interesting today at the mystic Sanctum."