Divorced, But Queen - Chapter 398: Chapter 398

Owen had already checked—Maverick was no longer in the Kanit City rehab center.
The Todd family had taken him away, but to where, no one knew.
Whenever anyone tried to ask about Maverick, the Todds shut them down cold.
Maverick had a former apprentice, too—a falling out over the handover of Todd School left him on his own, running a small traditional medicine clinic in some quiet little town, completely removed from the world.
Aria had spent years with that old doctor, and he always saw through people—there was no way he wouldn't notice Culver's true motives.
Aria herself had dug into Culver's past: he'd studied modern medicine in Masmubia, picked up traditional medicine as a second degree, stayed to work in Masmubia after his PhD, then came home five years later to take up a local post.
Eventually, he became Maverick Todd's disciple.
Thanks to his time abroad, Culver had stayed in close touch with his old hospital in Masmubia.
Ramon sighed, "It's a pity—he found the National Doctor's Seal but not the ancient medical books. The Todds are pretty disappointed."
Aria suddenly asked, "Is Culver really going to resign?"
"He is," Ramon nodded, using Culver's name directly. "He's not really a Todd, you know. The only reason he's allowed to take over is because they value the line of succession—there are strict rules. Culver has to leave the Provincial Traditional Medicine Association before he can take over Todd School."
Aria nodded, weighing her next move. "Thank you for telling me all this."
Ramon smiled gently. "You don't need to thank me."
The Todds must've examined that seal closely. They'd never mistake a fake.
Publicly announcing Culver's succession might be part of another plan. Maybe they were still waiting for the real seal to show up, and those three lost medical books, too.
Either way, Aria was content to wait until they made their next move.
She glanced at Owen, then, right in front of Liam, asked directly, "Any news on Hannah's case?"
The air instantly changed—especially for Liam, who looked like he'd been slapped.
They'd just been discussing Culver, and suddenly the topic had twisted back to Hannah.
Aria did it on purpose.
She claimed not to care, but obviously she did.
After the flash of anger, Liam couldn't help but feel a strange flicker of hope. Maybe Aria still cared about him.
Owen paused a second, then replied, "The Gibson family is just buying time, but it's only a matter of time before she's convicted. She's not getting away."
Aria nodded, almost thoughtful. "Let them stall. The longer this drags out, the more charges there'll be."
Ramon was a little lost, but Owen understood right away.
After all, he'd engraved that seal himself.
"I still need to get my things back," Aria added quietly.
Owen's lips curled into a faint smile—she'd called it "my things."
Now Ramon was really starting to catch on.
The topic had gone from Culver taking over Todd School, to Hannah, to extra charges, to Aria saying she needed her property back.
Ht thought, 'Wait. Could Hannah have taken something from Aria? The seal? Was that seal actually Aria's?'
His eyes went wide as the realization hit.
Liam, thoroughly confused, finally blurted, "What do you mean, more charges? What did Hannah do?"
Aria looked at him coolly. "It's none of your business."
Owen's smile deepened. "We should go."
"Yeah." Aria turned to Ramon, "See you, Ramon."
Ramon was still reeling, but managed a wave. "Take care."
The group split up.
Liam looked back as they walked away, sunlight tracing a perfect outline around Aria and Owen.
He couldn't help but think, 'They really do look good together. Whatever he'd been hoping for quietly dissolved.'
Aria wasn't the type to take back what she'd left behind.
She had her own life now, and so did he.
Liam forced himself to move on, but Hannah's strange behavior that night lingered in his mind.
A whip cracked through the air, landing hard across Russell's back, leaving bloody stripes.
He knelt, every muscle rigid, lips pressed tight, eyes blazing with suppressed rage.
"Russell." Olivia tried to rush forward, but the man next to her caught her arm, smirking, "Olivia, the more you beg, the worse it gets for him."
She ignored him, shouting toward the front, "Father, that's enough!"
But the whipping continued. Russell never made a sound.
After ten lashes, the punishment was over.
Tyree Remar coiled up the whip and said coldly, "Do you admit your mistake?"
Russell released a breath. "I do."
Olivia immediately hurried to his side, crouching to hug him—her hands pressing the fresh welts, making the pain worse.
"Dad, you went way too far," she snapped, though her face showed no trace of real concern for Russell.
Truth was, after their trip to Huthailia, Olivia was pissed at Russell.
She wanted him to realize—only she could truly help him.
Russell pushed her away and turned to Tyree. "I found my sister. But... she was murdered."
He stared straight at Tyree as he spoke.
Tyree frowned, then went silent, finally saying, "It's been years—the chances she survived were always slim. If you get caught screwing up again, don't bother coming back."
With that, Tyree strode away. The man who'd held Olivia back gave Russell a sneering look and followed Tyree out, not even glancing at Olivia.
Olivia helped Russell up, all concern. "Russell, what's going on?"
He coughed, face blank. "I don't know."
She tested, "Could it be Aria?"
"Don't know," Russell replied flatly.
A hard glint flashed in Olivia's eyes—here, even in her own territory, he still refused to tell her anything.
Russell met her gaze. "You've traveled a long way. Go rest."
She pouted, "Let me at least help with your bandages."
"No need. They'll handle it. I've neglected you lately. I need time to sort out what happened to my sister."
Olivia tried to hide her unease. "If you need anything, Russell, promise you'll tell me."
He nodded. "Yeah."
Back in his rooms, Russell finally had a moment to text Orlando: [Aria's keeping quiet for now.]
Orlando: [But you got punished because of her.]
Russell: [Aria knows a hell of a lot more than any of us realize. Cross her and we'll all pay for it.]
In his car, Orlando slammed the wheel in frustration, setting off the horn and scaring Rachel in the passenger seat.
He quickly apologized, "Sorry."
Rachel shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's okay."
"They could come back any time. Only ten days left till break. Want to come stay at my place? Anywhere you want to go?"
"Can... can I stay at Mayen Garden?"
"Of course. Don't want to go out?"
"I'd rather study."
The light turned green. Orlando started the car, and a few minutes later stopped at the school gates.
Rachel got out, heading inside.
Lily, arms full of study guides, spotted her and called, "Rachel?"
Rachel turned, her eyes brightening, and they walked in together.
Watching from the car, Orlando frowned. He recognized that girl—Lily.
Orlando thought, 'Two girls from different grades. How do they know each other? Did Aria send Lily to get close to Rachel? Has she discovered who Rachel really is? But if so, why is Aria so calm?'
Orlando decided to ask Rachel more next time.