170: Chapter 170 A Deception! Portia's Advice! Heading to the Church!

Portia pushed the door open and entered.

The furnishings inside were slightly disheveled.

In the center of the living room, Helena was standing in front of an old sofa, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

Sitting on the sofa was a middle-aged man with a haggard face and shifty eyes.

He appeared to be Helena's father, Mr. Payne.

Standing beside him were a worried-looking middle-aged woman and a frail boy sitting in a simple wooden wheelchair.

The boy was about sixteen or seventeen years old with delicate features, resembling Helena by about fifty or sixty percent, but his legs rested limply on the wheelchair's footrests.

He must be Helena's younger brother, Aidan.

Portia's gaze swept across the room.

She quickly guessed what had happened from the unpleasant expressions of the people there and Helena's tightly pressed lips.

She did not speak, simply standing quietly to the side, waiting for Helena to calm down.

Helena took several deep breaths before barely managing to suppress her surging emotions.

Only then did Mr. Payne, with a hint of trepidation, recount the detailed sequence of events.

The gold coins that Helena had sent home had indeed arrived on time.

He was very happy after receiving that huge sum of money.

That same day, he took his son, Aidan, and headed to the Church of Dawn in the city, intending to ask an official priest to treat Aidan's legs.

However, right on the way to the Church of Dawn.

They happened to run into the youngest son of the local Baron Harper, Anthony Harper.

This young master Anthony was known for being eloquent and having a wide circle of friends.

When he heard that Aidan was going to the church to have his legs treated, he approached them on his own initiative and boasted that he knew a high-level healer who had traveled from the south, whose fees were less than half of the church's clerics while being more effective, but who disliked dealing with people and required an introduction from an acquaintance to provide treatment.

Mr. Payne had lived in Frostwind City his whole life and naturally trusted the words of locals; coupled with his desire to save the gold coins his daughter had sent back, thinking that every little bit saved helped, he followed Anthony Harper.

The result—

They were taken to a remote courtyard.

There, they were cornered in a room by several burly men who, under various pretexts such as "introduction fees," "prepaid consultation fees," and "medicine deposits," swindled away every last bit of the gold coins Helena had sent back.

By the time Mr. Payne realized something was wrong, Anthony Harper had long since disappeared, and those burly men had also scattered, leaving the father and son in the empty, dilapidated room, unable to even cry.

And Aidan's legs—

Naturally, they did not receive any treatment.

After listening to this detailed account, Helena's brows furrowed tightly, and her chest heaved.

She was angry, but even more so, she felt disappointed and helpless.

She was angry at Anthony Harper's despicable behavior, and disappointed by her father's overly naive nature that made him easily trust others.

But matters had reached this point; blaming her father would be of no use. The top priority was how to recover that money and ensure her younger brother received the treatment he deserved.

Portia, having listened from the side, understood the sequence of events: Helena's father had been scammed, and the perpetrator was a nobleman's son.

She pondered for a moment, then said:

"Miss Helena, do we need to pay a visit to Baron Harper?"

Her tone was flat, yet it carried the coldness peculiar to someone from the military.

Helena thought for a moment, bit her lip, and nodded:

"Let's go and ask first. Perhaps... perhaps there is some misunderstanding..."

However, when Helena and Portia arrived at the Harper family manor, they couldn't even get through the front gate.

After the gatekeeper reported their arrival, the message brought back was:

"The Baron is feeling unwell and is not receiving visitors."

"As for the matter regarding young master Anthony that you inquired about, the Baron said it was just a joke between children and is not worth making a fuss over."

"If you have any questions, you can let the people at City Hall make a ruling."

The gatekeeper was expressionless when conveying this, and then slammed the iron gate of the manor shut with a clang.

Helena stood before that tightly shut iron gate, her little face flushed with anger.

Portia stood by her side, her own expression not looking good either, but she was experienced after all and knew that arguing with people in such a place was meaningless.

So, she gently patted Helena's shoulder and whispered: "Miss Helena, let's go back first and plan for the long term."

Helena bit her lip, nodded, turned around, boarded the carriage, and left.

Behind them.

Behind the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the Harper manor.

The Baron Harper family was looking through the glass at the carriage as it gradually moved away.

Baron Harper was a corpulent middle-aged man, currently holding a glass of red wine, with a disdainful smile on his face.

His wife, a noblewoman with a beautiful face but a hint of melancholy between her brows, was rubbing her handkerchief uneasily and whispered:

"My lord, that woman... the carriage she is riding in bears the emblem of Count Golden Flame."

"Could she really be from the Golden Flame Earl Manor? If we do this, will it..."

"What is there to fear?" Baron Harper waved his hand impatiently, interrupting her:

"I asked Anthony, and that woman is just a servant chosen at the Beauty Pageant."

"With so many women in the Golden Flame Earl Manor, how would The Count have the time to deal with the trivial matters of a servant?"

"Besides, this is Frostwind City, our territory in the Frostrock Province. No matter how long Count Golden Flame's reach is, he cannot extend it here to manage our Harper family's affairs!"

His youngest son, Anthony Harper, a young man with shifty, darting eyes, also chimed in from the side:

"Exactly! Mother, don't worry blindly! That old man was greedy for a bargain himself; what does that have to do with me?"

"I didn't hold a knife to his neck and force him to pay! Even if they report it to City Hall, I'm not afraid!"

Baroness Harper listened to the indifferent tone of her husband and son; although she still felt uneasy in her heart, it was not appropriate for her to say anything more.

On the other side, inside the carriage.

Helena lowered her head, thoughts racing through her mind.

She knew that Baron Harper had an intricate network of relationships within the Frostwind City City Hall.

And she, although she had initially established a foothold in Gino City, had no roots in this Frostwind City.

She also did not want to constantly flaunt the name of Count Golden Flame to stir up trouble.

She thought for a while and finally decided to swallow this insult for now.

Taking her younger brother back to Gino City first and finding someone to heal his legs was the top priority.

As for the gold coins that were swindled... she would just have to find a way later.

Just at this moment.

Portia looked toward the church spire in the center of the city and said thoughtfully:

"Miss Helena, perhaps we can go to the local Church of Dawn for help."

Helena was slightly taken aback upon hearing this: "The church?"

Portia looked at her blank expression and suddenly remembered—

Helena had only joined the Golden Flame Earl Manor for a short time and had been busy dealing with affairs; she likely did not know about the relationship between The Count and the church.

Back when Rowan was able to successfully ascend to the position of Count Golden Flame, the endorsement of the church and the full support of the Windsor Family were indispensable key factors.

That priest from the Windsor Family who had once stayed in Gino City had an especially close relationship with The Count.

However, she did not explain these details, simply adding a sentence:

"The Count has a very good relationship with the church."

Helena thought about it; although she still had doubts in her heart, she trusted Portia's judgment.

So, she nodded.

The carriage turned and headed in the direction of the church.

A moment later, they arrived.

The Church of Dawn in Frostwind City was quite large, its main structure built with the local unique grayish-white granite, and the holy emblem of the Lord of Dawn was carved above the main entrance.

It was currently the time for evening prayers, and the melodious sound of hymns could be vaguely heard from inside the church.

Helena and Portia stepped into the side hall of the church and explained their purpose to a nun on duty.

They wanted to report a local nobleman for suspected fraud involving the property of the Golden Flame Earl Manor.

When Portia produced the badge that represented the authority of Count Golden Flame, the nun, who had originally worn a gentle smile, immediately became solemn.

Involving a territorial count, even if not a local noble, was definitely not a small matter.

The nun dared not delay, immediately ushering the two into a quiet reception room and quickly sending someone to the rear hall of the church to report the matter to the Chief Priest, Lord Ezra.