Masked In Nobility: Secrets Of Mrs. Chavez

Jeremiah addressed Bonnie who was confused. “What does the poisonous insect king usually eat? Human blood?”

Emmett, Charles, and Andrew immediately grew tense. Although it seemed harmless and even cute, they all knew exactly how it had been raised on human blood.

Bonnie shook her head. “Jeremiah, the poisonous insect king is different from other low–level poisonous insects. It doesn’t need human blood to survive.

“According to ancient records left in Dungo Village, once the poisonous insect king has fully matured, it can feed on ordinary tree leaves or dew.”

She paused for a moment before continuing, “Of course, if the poisonous insect king falls into the wrong hands and is constantly fed human blood, over time, it will turn bad.

“At that point, it will need human blood every day. But since it hasn’t chosen a master yet, what it eats depends entirely on Yvette.”

Everyone relaxed upon hearing this. Yvette tilted her head slightly, behaving quite obediently, and looked at Jeremiah who looked cold

“I want to keep it,” said Yvette.

Jeremiah stepped forward, casually glancing at the poisonous insect king perched on Yvette’s shoulder. The insect seemed to flinch as if startled.

Only Yvette and Jeremiah noticed the small movement. Yvette spoke lightly. “Don’t scare it.”

Now it was Jeremiah’s turn to feel a little wronged. His face remained stern, but his eyes held a touch of accusation. “I didn’t scare it.”

Andrew, Charles, Emmett, and Bonnie fell into an awkward silence. ‘Did we just hear something we weren’t supposed to? Is Jeremiah going to silence us? Was he just acting cute?‘ they wondered.

Yvette lifted her gaze, her delicate fingers gently picking up the poisonous insect king from her shoulder and returning it to its box.

She smiled, her lips curling mischievously. Her bright eyes locked onto Jeremiah as she spoke nonchalantly. “It’s your own. aura that’s too strong.”

Her words made Jeremiah’s heart soar, and his expression softened instantly. “You’re right. I think it’s my fault. I won’t blame it.”

Emmett stood there, stunned. ‘Wait… Is this really the legendary cold–blooded General? First, he gets jealous of a poisonous insect. And now, after just one sentence from Yvette, he’s smiling shyly?‘ he wondered.

Charles found it perfectly normal. In this world, there was nothing Yvette couldn’t handle, and it wasn’t just limited to people. Even a newly awakened poisonous insect king had to obey her, so what was there to be surprised about with Jeremiah?

The group exchanged glances, and after a silent conversation through their eyes, Emmett was pushed forward.

Emmett spoke up. “Jeremiah, what do we do now? Holden is dead, and the villagers are still outside. Samantha and the police are out there. Should we send someone to prevent a riot?

Bonnie immediately stepped forward. “Jeremiah, Yvette, can you give me a chance? I’ll find out why they were feeding the poisonous insects with blood. If the people of Dungo Village really did something terrible, you can handle it however you see fit.”

Yvette nodded, her tone indifferent. “Okay.”

Jeremiah nodded as well. The villagers of Dungo Village knew fill well that men weren’t supposed to raise poisonous insects, yet they were feeding them human blood. That was certainly suspicious.

Bonnie rushed out upon hearing this, and Andrew quickly followed. “Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”

At the entrance of the Jacobs residence, the villagers had gathered. Seeing the black smoke rising from the study above, they were hesitant to enter but didn’t dare leave either.

When Bonnie came out, almost all the villagers had gathered at the door. As soon as they saw Bonnie with a stranger, the crowd became even more restless.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Janice was among the crowd. Upon seeing the man beside Bonnie, her heart skipped a beat. “This man is the same one in the photo Bonnie showed me. He really came to save her. Why? Why does Bonnie get so lucky?‘ she wondered.

Janice suspected something must have happened at the Jacobs residence. ‘Could it be because of this man?‘ Janice thought. Janice concealed the jealousy in her eyes and hid within the crowd, watching the two of them. Bonnie stood at the door, Andrew beside her.

Bonnie raised her voice and called out to the crowd. “Hey, everyone, please be quiet!”

Her voice immediately silenced the crowd, with only a few people still whispering among themselves. Bonnie’s expression turned serious as she addressed them all. “Holden is dead.”

Janice’s words froze everyone in place, too shocked to believe it. After a long pause, someone finally spoke.

“What did you say? Bon, you said Holden’s dead? He’s really dead?”

“Impossible. How could Holden die? He can’t die! What will we do if he’s dead?”

“Yeah, we won’t survive this. It’s over. Everything’s over.”

The villagers‘ overwhelming sense of despair sent chills through the air. Bonnie furrowed her brows, her suspicion confirmed. From the very first day she returned to Dungo Village, she had sensed it.

These villagers hadn’t willingly fed blood to the poisonous insects. They seemed to be coerced into doing so. There had to be a reason behind it.

‘Just as I thought,‘ Bonnie mused. She continued, “Everyone, you know that the poison arts in Dungo Village are passed down to women. So what exactly did Holden do?

“Do you know Holden built a poison chamber in his home, where he raised the poisonous insects using people he trafficked? Human trafficking is a grave crime, and it’s illegal in Clusia.”

Upon hearing Bonnie’s words, the villagers fell silent, too ashamed to speak. This scene struck Bonnie hard. She took a step back, visibly shaken.

Andrew immediately stepped forward to support her, his expression full of concern. The truth was, for Holden to have kept -such a large operation hidden in the basement, there was no way the villagers weren’t aware of it. They were all accomplices.

Finally, an elderly man with a cane stood up. He was a respected figure in Dungo Village. Bonnie’s face lit up with emotion as she saw him.

“Rafferty, you’re here too. What’s going on? Why did the villagers end up like this?” asked Bonnie.

Rafferty sighed and looked at the villagers, who all kept their heads down. “Bon, the villagers never intended to feed blood to the poisonous insects, but Holden made us a deal.

“He promised that if we gave him our blood every month to feed the insects, he’d pay each of us 3,000 dollars.”

Andrew froze for a moment upon hearing this, and then a feeling of bitter irony washed over him.

So, these villagers had been willing to give up their blood to help Holden raise poisonous insects, all for just 3,000 dollars a month? It was incredibly foolish.

Bonnie hadn’t expected it all to boil down to money. She looked at the villagers with disappointment. Each of them would rather sell their blood for that money than go out and find a legitimate job.

Bonnie lowered her head for a long while. It seemed like she had made up her mind. For the first time, she raised her voice firmly in front of the villagers.

She began. “Everyone, Holden committed a crime. He trafficked people, used human blood to raise poisonous insects, and caused the deaths of many people. The police already know about this. You all helped him cover up his crimes, and that makes you all guilty too.”

She paused, then added, “When the police arrive, I hope you’ll all confess and show remorse, so you can receive a lighter sentence.”

Bonnie turned to Andrew and said, “Let Jeremiah’s people in.”

Andrew saw how downcast Bonnie was and knew she was struggling inside. He spoke gently. “Alright.” He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, softly saying, “I will be with you.”