Edited by: bafflinghaze
Julius was staring at a mirror.
By no means was it an ordinary mirror. It was a small handheld mirror with seven mismatched gemstones embedded into it, and according to Royce Benedick, it was a magic mirror Nazareth was testing for the Magic Tower before he…
Well.
It has been nearly two weeks since Nazareth fell and Julius still hasn’t heard any news of his recovery.
His personal network couldn’t find anything related to the incident, and even after Julius penned several letters to his various connections, there was silence on all ends.
Julius was frustrated.
He knew Ricin Flower was a nasty poison. Not only was it painful, but the effects were bloody and terrible to look at. It wasn’t a life-threatening poison, however, if the antidote was administered in time.
During the tea party, Julius had seen someone shove a leaf into Nazareth’s mouth.
Yet, the lack of news made Julius fear for the worse.
Rationally speaking, poisoning Nazareth with Ricin Flower fell into the realm of “low-budget and low-quality” assassination attempts.
If someone wanted to take him out permanently, Julius could name several other ways that might have been more effective.
But what if it was all a red herring?
Julius knew better than anyone else what an intentional assassination attempt looked like. They first rendered the victims vulnerable before aimingfor the throat.
The Ricin Flower was the first strike.
It was only a matter of time before the second strike—
He froze.
A sudden realization dawned on him.
It was said that the Odum Household has been put under lockdown.
No one was allowed inside the grounds. Likewise, no one was allowed out, either.
The Duke of Odum had been gone from the Imperial Palace for nearly two weeks, and the Duchess had been prowling the Capitol like a woman out for blood and murder.
The second strike had already happened.
“Thomas.”
“You called, Master Julius?”
His personal servant appeared behind him.
Julius pressed a button on the magic mirror.
“Where did you say Mother was going, today?”
—
“Must you go?”
In the Master Wing of the Elysium Manor, there was only the Duke and Duchess and no one else.
This was a private moment between wife and husband.
Eubulous kneeled in front of his wife and held her hand. He looked pleadingly at her, his vermillion eyes wide with hope, like a puppy dog with abandonment issues and separation anxiety.
“You don’t have to go…”
The love of his life smiled placatingly and patted him on the head.
“Euby, you do know I’ll be back by evening, don’t you?” Laurel asked.
She stood up, went around the room, grabbed her tools off the shelves, and packed them into a box.
Eubulous followed her around like a clingy dog.
“But—”
“No buts.” She turned around and placed a finger on his lips. “Don’t forget to give Julius his medicine before dinner if I don’t make it back in time. Augustus took a week off from the Alchemy Institute, so once he arrives at the manor, make sure he’s eating and resting, and not working. Septimus is still on that field trip with the Imperial Magician, so don’t worry about him. Octavie and Novembrie are spending the day in the garden and working on their recital pieces for midsummer. I am requiring you and Julius to go and join them in the afternoon. The two of you need some sun. It’s summer, but both of you are always so pasty.”
She gave him a pat on the cheek and turned back to the box, slamming it shut and giving her husband a patient smile.
Eubulous was thoroughly defeated.
She called me pasty…
He wept internally and was determined to get a tan by autumn.
He was already aware of the list of tasks for the day, but he also hoped to spend some time with his wife.
Ever since Gareth and Vespera stopped coming to the palace—a family emergency of some sort, according to the Platus, who personally delivered the message—he had been working and sleeping in the palace for several days.
Sweet mercies upon him, he and Platus came to a compromise and Eubulous was given freedom for the next forty-eight hours.
Playing a round of rock-paper-scissors with the Emperor, in front of the entire governmental staff, was surprisingly not the lowest point in Eubulous’ life.
He won, and that was all that mattered.
—But dreams shattered like glass being thrown at the speed of Vespera’s horseriding.
Laurel was needed elsewhere and despite her promises, Eubulous knew she couldn’t control how long an emergency would take.
He worried about Gareth and Vespera’s situation and had an inkling of how dire their emergency was if they needed his wife’s expertise, but could the timing be any worse?
Gareth was down for the count at the busiest time of the season and there were so many administrative duties that needed to be done.
Eubulous would be up to his eyeballs in paperwork once he went back to the palace, and Platus was currently drowning in it after he lost against him in rock-paper-scissors.
“Alright, Euby. I’m heading off.”
Laurel stood in front of him with a cheerful smile, her dainty hands curled around the handle of her toolbox.
Eubulous nodded sadly.
“Oh!” she stopped just as she was about to leave the room. “I forgot about Deci.”
“He’s taking classes until noon and then get’s garden time,” Eubulous instinctively responded.
His youngest child still hadn’t entered the Academy, so his schedule was relatively consistent.
Children of the aristocracy typically went to the Imperial Primary School, but Eubulous felt more comfortable with his children being tutored at home during their primary education.
In exchange for private tutoring, however, the summer holidays did not apply to his youngest. Decius continued learning throughout the year at his own pace until he was old enough for the Academy.
“Yes, you’re right,” his wife agreed to his earlier statement, “but that’s not what I’m talking about. When you take him out to the garden, be mindful that he doesn’t eat anything off the ground. I’m afraid he got a bit too friendly with a child from the Peregrine Family at the weekly playdate.”
Eubulous stared at her in horror. “Oh no…”
She smiled. “Just make sure he’s not eating dirt. Thankfully, the one he befriended has only started to eat leaves.”
“That’s—”
“She has a cousin who drinks chemical fluids.”
Right.
He revised the schedule in his head.
He needed to drag Julius outside to watch Octavie and Novembrie play music, fetch Decius once he was done with the tutors, and watch what he put in his mouth once they were outside.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
While he was disappointed by the fact that he couldn’t spend his day with Laurel, he was still looking forward to spending time with all of his—remaining—children.
He believed Janarius and the others would have liked Laurel.
“Cigluta. P mjc vb atlr.”
“Tbe mjc vb atlr,” Ojegfi gfqfjafv.
Vtf qjaafv tlw bc atf rtbeivfg fcmbegjulcuis.
“Cgf sbe regf sbe mjc’a—”
“Rbk, P gfjiis wera yf ublcu. Nfrqfgj lr fzqfmalcu wf.”
—
Ojegfi kjr rlaalcu lc atf mjggljuf—abbiybz rjofis rabgfv yfrlvf tfg—jcv abbx bea j ifaafg ogbw tfg qbmxfa.
Re-reading its content, she sighed.
“What is it with nobles and tea party assassinations? It’s like they all ran out of ideas…” she muttered.
One would think those in upper society would stop hosting tea parties once they realized there was a direct correlation between these social gatherings and poisoning incidents.
Regardless if there was a one out of sixteen chance a person would be poisoned, the aristocracy would continue risking their lives for something as redundant as networking.
Laurel had mixed feelings when the tea party invitation was sent to Julius.
While she was glad her eldest was making more friends, his health wasn’t the greatest despite all her efforts.
Julius could have died.
Laurel was relieved when he came home unharmed.
The incident of the tea reminded her of when she first met the Elysium Family.
It was Julius’ suffering that resulted in her marriage to Eubulous, and while Laurel didn’t mean to fall in love, it was that very love and determination that made her choose the Elysiums over her greatest wish.
And she would do it again and again if time turned back over a hundred times.
Laurel was a traveling healer. She made a name for herself performing miracles with the skills she learned from her mentor. The Church disapproved of her methods, but she became untouchable after the Lesser Krieg War.
During the war, she worked as a frontline medic. The amount of people she saved was numerous, so to commemorate her skills and heroics, she was granted an Imperial Seal.
That day, she was staying in the Capitol when the entirety of the Elysium Family went into lockdown.
Laurel was one of the healers who rushed to the manor.
Eubulous was a passionate yet man. He had been so vulnerable at the time, resenting his family curse.
Beneath the exterior of the Elysium Duke was a gentle and loving man who cared for his children dearly—and most didn’t bother to see what was beyond the man who had lost so much.
Laurel knew how the world could be. Cruel and cold and merciless.
Yet she still fell, in spite of herself, in love with Eubulous.
And, willing to risk the wrath of the Church, she broke her oath to her mentor’s teachings and saved the man’s son and heir.
It was just her luck Eubulous didn’t rat her out.
If she hadn’t done what she did, Julius would have died an agonizing death. The poison was a bitch to siphon out, and even then, some of it still remained in Julius’ bloodstream.
Laurel could only promise him a full and fulfilling life as long as he took his medications on time and stuck to a proper diet.
As much as it pained her to admit it, there was nothing else she could do. She recognized the poison and its origin, but there was no antidote for a full recovery.
Julius was, unsurprisingly, the most difficult child to win over.
During her courtship with Eubulous, she believed he despised her with all that his tiny body could afford. Hatred was so energy-consuming, and for a child so vulnerable and ill, it said a lot about how much he hated her.
Stepping into the role of the Duchess of Elysium was also a challenge. Becoming a stepmother was never in her plan.
But Laurel knew happiness when she saw it, and she wouldn’t give it up for the world.
The aristocracy called her a seductress, using underhanded techniques to marry the Duke of Elysium.
Throughout her marriage, she was accused of sending assassins and trying to kill her children. Every close call placed her under scrutiny.
If Laurel could count the number of times she was called to court to defend herself in the earlier days of her marriage, she wouldn’t have enough hands to count them.
It was all so tedious and frustrating, but it was fine if it meant being with Eubulous and their children.
In the words of her beloved mentor, she didn’t give a flying fuck about the rumors because she was living her best life, and those bitches obviously weren’t.
“Madam, we’ve arrived.”
The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the Odum Manor.
Laurel pulled back the curtains and saw a group of blank-faced servants standing guard in front of the gates.
“Ah, fuck,” she cursed. “This shit reeks of tragedy.”
The uncouth language was thus delivered by the gentle Duchess of Elysium, who so happened to be very, very distantly related to the Rickman Family.
—
Vespera raised a hand, signaling for the servants to open the gates.
The carriage with the Elysium emblem made its way to the front entrance of the manor.
A petite woman wearing a plain blue dress stepped out of the carriage. Her hands were curled around the handle of a large box.
She approached Vespera with a soft smile on her face, and Vespera wordlessly took the box out of her hands and held it for her instead.
Laurel made her demeanor appear easy to approach, a habit from when she worked as a healer.
Anyone would be fooled, especially if they didn’t care to notice the calculative sheen in her eyes. They were the eyes of a Rickman—and no one wanted to cross a Rickman.
“You’re here.” Vespera held out an arm for Laurel to take, which the woman did with a spirited grace uncommon to those born into the aristocracy.
Laurel smiled brightly. “I came as soon as I heard.”
“Good.”
It had been a long time since Vespera had last seen the Duchess of Elysium, but it appeared they would get along well.
The servants watched as the Duchess of Odum escorted the Duchess of Elysium to the Western Wing. The two looked oddly good together, walking side-by-side.
“How are you today?” Laurel asked.
“Bad.”
“A pity we are meeting again under these circumstances.”
“Next time.”
“Of course! I heard from Euby that you like to hunt. Would you mind taking me with you next time if you’re thinking about going to the Mountains? There are some herbs that grow where the beast kings live.”
“Okay.”
Laurel was speaking freely while Vespera nodded along but didn’t say many words.
It was perfect. One liked to talk and the other liked to listen.
“You must know, I have a few opinions about tea parties. Did you know most assassinations tend to happen during tea parties?”
The Elysium Duchess ranted about the dangers of tea parties and why poison-testing talismans should always be a must-have to carry on one’s person. After that, she started to hypothesize the many procedures she could think of to cure Nazareth.
Theory after theory sprung up in between Laurel’s chatters, and although Vespera didn’t look like she minded, some of the servants standing around turned pale at the thought of what was basically vivisection being performed on their Young Master.
“Here.”
Vespera cut her off when they came to a door.
She injected her life signature into the locking mechanism of the door before it swung open.
The door slammed shut when both women entered.
Inside the healing ward, Nazareth was lying on the bed.
Beside him was Gareth, who appeared lethargic. He was pale and haggard-looking while he held his son’s hand.
Laurel could make out bloody runic symbols staining the back of his shirt. For whatever reason, he hadn’t stopped bleeding since the Lifeline Support was done.
There was a long thread of gold that grew from the base of his neck, stretching down toward the bed. The other end connected to Nazareth’s wrist. Every once and a while, there would be a pulsing glow throughout the connection, like a heartbeat.
Vespera approached her husband, but he didn’t seem to notice her.
Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Beloved?”
Gareth jolted, and his head snapped up to look at her. His eyes, lined by large dark circles, widened by a fraction in surprise.
“Sorry… I…” he sighed. “Sorry…” He rubbed his face tiredly.
“Okay,” Vespera answered and then turned to Laurel.
“Help my son. Please.”
Laurel’s gaze went over to the boy on the bed who was barely breathing as he slept. Her brows wrinkled.
“I need to change first. I don’t want to contaminate anything.”
Vespera pointed to the bathroom.
Laurel quickly went in with her toolbox.
She came out dressed in a blue, loose cotton gown with her brown hair pulled tightly into a bun and wearing gloves made from rubber, which she pulled to her elbows.
No one commented on her strange appearance.
Those in the healing ward were aware of Laurel Elysium’s eccentric methods.
Some of the healers noticed the strange device on her neck, a “stethoscope”, she had called it, and watched as she placed two of the short ends into her ear and the long round end on Nazareth’s chest.
There was a moment of silence.
Everyone waited with bated breath.
Laurel’s face grew darker with every second.
She ripped the stethoscope from her ears with a look of resentment on her face. She brought out a tiny night pearl from her pocket and gently lifted one of Nazareth’s eyelids. She shined the pearl into the unseeing eye and then did the same for the other.
Finally, she turned to the group.
“Healer Waldorf?”
“A-ah, yes?” The healer answered.
“Can you bring over the metal box I have in my pack? It’s about the size of a book.”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
The healer went to get the box.
Laurel looked at Vespera and Gareth.
“You said there was a second poison in his body?”
“Yes. Here.” Vespera brought out a piece of cloth with a purple stain on it.
Laurel took it gently and began to observe it.
She hummed. “This isn’t a large sample, but if I can replicate its basic components, there is a likely chance we can find a cure.”
“We found out that one of the ingredients is Yellow Trileaves.”
“That should make things easier. Yellow Trileaves tend to cause bleeding problems.”
“Will he be fine?” Vespera asked.
Laurel met her gaze slowly.
“I will be honest. His pulse is erratic. Typically, this would be normal after being poisoned, but if you’ve already flushed out a majority of it, the toxicity level in his body would have lowered and the rest of his bodily functions would have gone back to working order after a week or two.”
Vespera frowned in displeasure. “This is not typical.”
Laurel nodded. “Yes, you are correct. There is an obstruction in his breathing and his heart rate is off. It’s too fast and is sending the remaining toxins in his bloodstream all over his body. Have you noticed how quickly his symptoms came about?”
“Within minutes.”
“The damage from the Ricin Flower has already caused massive tissue death and internal bleeding, and the secondary poison could be keeping the injury from healing.”
“We used Green Camelia to treat the Ricin Poisoning.”
What?
Laurel paused. She set the cloth down.
“Green Camelia?”
“The antidote for Ricin Flower.”
“Yes, but you said you found Yellow Trileaves in the second poison.”
“I did.” Vespera wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“… Are the healers still administering the antidote?” Laurel asked.
Healer Waldorf brought over the box she had requested. “We decided to continue treatment for the Ricin Flower.”
“… Are you stupid?”
The room went quiet.
Laurel narrowed her eyes at the healer.
“Yellow Trileaves is a blood thinner that can rupture blood vessels,” she said, slowly, as if she was speaking to a child younger than five.
“Um…”
“Green Camelias clot blood.”
“Y-Yes.”
Laurel stared at him.
She couldn’t believe this. Did no one understand the issue of using Green Camelias when the patient has been poisoned with Yellow Trileaves?! And who knew what else was in the second poison besides Yellow Trileaves? They were adding fuel to the fire!
“You’re turning the patient’s body into a battleground!” Laurel shouted.
The healer backed away.
“What’s wrong with my son?” Gareth asked, his glassy eyes focused on Laurel, who had lost her temper.
She swallowed back the hundreds of curses she wanted to let out and turned to him.
“Your son is no longer allowed to take Green Camelia. Each dosage is killing him—”
“—What—”
“—Not only is it ineffective with the second poison, but the antidote is not being directed where it’s needed. If we don’t remove the second poison, he will die of Ricin poisoning.”
As Vespera and Gareth allowed those words to sink in, Healer Waldorf retreated with the other healers to the back of the room.
They all looked at each other in dismay.
They have made a grave mistake and nearly killed the eldest son of the Duke.
There would be no mercy for them if the child died.
Laurel opened the box that Healer Waldorf brought over. Inside were needles of different sizes and lengths, glass vials, and strange plunger-like tools
She selected one of the needles and attached it to the end of a vial. Then she connected the vial to the plunger-like device.
“Grab me the liquor and a cotton cloth,” she ordered.
One of the healers went to her toolbox and grabbed a bottle of distilled liquor and a small cotton cloth the size of a child’s palm.
They handed it over without a word.
Laurel rubbed the alcohol on the small area between Nazareth’s forearm and bicep.
And then, before anyone could stop her, she inserted the needle into his arm and began drawing blood.
“What are you doing?!” Gareth yelled, his voice pitched with panic as he tried to stand up.
Vespera kept him in place, fearing that the Lifeline might be disrupted if he attempted to move.
Laurel was calm as she responded, “I need a sample to determine the effects of the second poison.”
The atmosphere became taut with anxiety.
Once she was finished filling the vial, she moved the blood into a glass dish.
She cast a light talisman beneath the glass and placed it under an awkward-looking device called the “microscope” that was brought over by another healer.
It took a few minutes of looking at the blood sample before she reacted.
“Oh! This is good! This is very, very good!”
No one had time to react as she marched over to her toolbox and grabbed a bright red elixir out of it.
“Can someone get a bucket?”
“What—”
A healer appeared with a bucket.
Laurel took the bucket and placed it by the bedside. “Something in his body is attempting to flush out the poisons,” she explained. “I’m not sure why, but we need to siphon it out as soon as possible.”
Vespera looked pointedly at the red elixir in her hand. “What’s that?”
Laurel suddenly grinned. “This is the elixir I made a few years back to remove the poison inside my son’s body. It just so happens that I keep a few around in case anyone tries to make another attempt at his life.”
Vespera eyed her with growing interest.
The elixir was uncorked and brought to Nazareth’s lips.
“Nobody panic. This is going to get messy…”
—
Neo found himself at the edge of the cliff.
The roaring waves were taunting him.
The sky rained blood.
He heard the sound of pen on paper.
The being with the cloak made from the cosmos appeared once more. They were writing something and whispering in a language he had never heard before.
There was a noise, like a tear, and Neo grew empty—only for the emptiness to be filled by more written words.
The world shifted—
The familiar scent of jasmine and sandalwood lingered from the incense burning nearby.
The bed was covered in brocade and silk, but he seemed to be lying beneath the bed. The ground was carpeted with rugs made from the finest of furs, soft to the touch.
Yellow flower, gold and bright…
The lullaby was ringing in his head. A gentle hand touched his cheek.
He heard more tearing, more screaming, and the fire and the ash and the rain.
The rewritten words burned to the surface.
Neo woke up.
—
Nazareth was barely conscious.
Laurel supported him as best as she could while he coughed into the bucket.
He had vomited out a mixture of blood and some type of gooey black substance. There was blood trickling from his nose.
It continued like this for some time.
Gareth and Vespera watched worriedly as the flow of the black substance continued to leave their son.
But it eventually stopped and Nazareth was falling back into unconsciousness once more, his eyes opening slightly in a futile attempt to stay awake before darkness dragged him off.
Laurel dipped a handkerchief into a pail of clean water and used the damp cloth to wipe up the blood on his face.
“We’ve purged the majority of the poison, but there are still some left. If we had left it in there, there would be unimaginable consequences,” she explained, examining the black substance inside the bucket with furrowed brows.
Laurel felt a sense of deja vu.
“There is only one treatment I can think of to fully remove the poison, but the Church will not approve of my methods.”
Vespera frowned. “We have never cared about the Church’s opinions. If you have the method, please tell us.”
There was a clear sign of conflict on the other Duchess’ face. It seemed that she was debating with herself. Finally, one side won out.
She asked a strange question.
“Do you mind any unorthodox practices?”
“No.”
The Elysium Duchess wordlessly brought her hand to Nazareth’s chest.
The palm of her gloves began to glow.
Vespera’s keen eyes took notice of the emblem stitched into it.
When the light died down, she couldn’t help but ask, “What is that?”
Laurel looked haggard as she explained, “I have suspended the poison in his stomach. We need to bring Saintess Auria here. She can perform the surgery.”
The other healers who witnessed her actions were speechless. Utilizing invasive magic within the patient was not only taboo but nearly impossible.
It was no wonder the Church despised her. She did not give a single fuck.
Gareth lethargically lifted his head from his wife’s shoulder. It was obvious to see that he was very much out of it, but his sister’s name had managed to startle him.
How did Laurel know about Auria?
—
Step 45. Be prepared for more treatments on the way. Thankfully, due to your family’s wealth and connections, your treatment team is one of a kind.
Sometimes you someone with no F..ks to give to help out.
FRRRRRR limiting urself sometimes isn’t good
I wonder what Neo will think about a healer who very much resembles a proper medic from the other worlds. Will they end up exchanging notes?! Maybe together they could find a way to heal Julius properly!!
I was thinking about that too. Excited! 🤩
Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for the chapter 💕
Ahhhh I’m so worried and i excited….
Oooh interesting!!!