“Don’t cry, Sylvia. We have to hurry up. It’s almost dawn, and we need to get going. Otherwise, people might see us,” Yana reminded me in a low voice. She was sad and crying too, though.
I quickly wiped my tears, tucked the ring into my pocket, and quickly pulled myself together to continue packing.
Everything in the bathroom, including the matching toothbrushes, towels, and slippers, had to be thrown out.
When I looked around, I saw my rocking chair in a corner.
“Keep this. He wouldn’t find anything wrong about the rocking chair,” said Yana.
I thought for a while and decided to listen to Yana and leave the rocking chair in the room.
It might be useful to Rufus whenever he was tired. Besides, it would not be a big deal to keep it in the palace. It was just a simple chair and I didn’t think it would remind him of anything about me.
Then I went into the study, opened the cabinet where I usually keep my tools, and took out a black wooden box. The bug in it had fully matured, staring at me with its round and dull eyes.
I poked its head with my finger and whispered, “Let’s see what you can do now.”
I went back to the bedroom and spent a considerable amount of time staring at Rufus. Eventually, I bent down and kissed his icy lips.
“This would be our last kiss, Rufus. I love you.”
Once again, tears streamed down my cheeks. I reached out and touched Rufus’ face, wishing I could freeze this moment in time, but I had to leave now.
I reached into the box, carefully took out the bug, and set it on Rufus’ chest. Then I closed my eyes and began to cast a spell that would implant the bug into his body.
Laura’s POV
After leaving Rufus’ palace, I went to Ethan’s.
The doctor already knew about the source of the poison. Additionally, thanks to Sylvia, he was able to develop the antidote and had administered it to Ethan.
I sat on the edge of the bed and gently dabbed Ethan’s chapped lips with a wet cloth. He looked much better than before, and there was a little color in his cheeks.
His breathing had also steadied. I guessed that he would wake up soon.
The doctor came in with a clipboard in his hand. He glanced at the people around me hesitantly. Knowing what he meant, I ordered everyone except the doctor to leave the room.
“Well, how is the king? Is it anything serious?” Once we were alone in the room, I motioned the doctor to sit down and took the clipboard from him to read the report. There was a chart on it.
The doctor’s expression darkened. “The health of the lycan king is getting worse and worse. Moreover, Alpha Leonard’s death already crippled his mental state, so the poison was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Hearing this, I frowned anxiously. Ethan was supposed to be in his prime. He should’ve had another fifty or sixty years to live. However, the old wounds caused by the war had slowly eaten away at him. In addition, he carried the burden of running our nation, so he was very tired all the time. Ethan’s energy was constantly being drained every day. The palace doctors had tried their best to take good care of Ethan. It took them so much effort to keep him healthy, and their hard work paid off for a while, because Ethan didn’t have a relapse for a long time. But now, his health was declining exponentially thanks to the poison.
Damn it, Noreen!
Thinking of her, I wanted to rip that woman to shreds.
I took a few deep breaths and then asked, “So is there any way he can get better? He was fine right before being poisoned.”
The doctor averted his gaze hesitantly. “I’m afraid not.”
“What do you mean? The empire has the most advanced medical technology,” I said in disbelief, narrowing my eyes at him coldly.
“Although we were able to administer the antidote, his body had already been damaged beyond repair. I’m afraid his days are now numbered.” The doctor sighed helplessly.
I pulled a long face and asked through gritted teeth, “How long does he have?”
The doctor seemed to want to say something but stopped on a second thought. “At most… Five years or so…”
“Five years?!”
I felt as though all the air was knocked out of my lungs. Although Ethan did disappoint me when we were young, after so many years, my resentment towards him had already dissipated. I wished that he could live the rest of his days happily instead of suffering from a tortuous disease.
Ethan wasn’t only the backbone of the empire, but of my life. Now this strong man was withering away before my very eyes.
“It’ll depend on the treatment…” The doctor tried to comfort me, as though he couldn’t bear to see my pained expression.
But I wasn’t an idiot. The doctor meant that Ethan would live at most five years if the treatment worked. I, on the other hand, was afraid that he might not have five years at all.
“I see. Don’t tell anyone about this, including the lycan king himself. If he asks, tell him only good things.” I locked eyes with the doctor sternly. I knew Ethan well. Once he found out that he only had five years or less to live, he would definitely spend the rest of his time on government affairs. No matter what, the empire and his people came first.
The doctor’s eyes widened in panic. “Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I’m putting you in charge of his treatment. From now on, you will be his attending doctor,” I ordered coldly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You can leave now. I’ll call you if anything comes up.”
I waved my hand and motioned for the doctor to leave. When he was gone, I slowly walked to the side of Ethan’s bed. Looking at his wrinkly, frail face, I felt my facade of toughness collapsing.
I sank on the edge of the bed, silently crying, until a trembling hand slowly wiped away my tears.
Laura’s POV
I turned my head in surprise. Ethan was awake.
I felt flustered. “When did you wake up? Did you hear what the doctor said just now?”
Ethan gave me an unguarded smile. “Yes, I heard him, and honestly speaking, I’m not surprised. This day was bound to come sooner or later.”
With a sigh, he continued, “From the moment I heard the news of Leonard’s death, I felt like the end of our era had arrived. I’ve been a strong man all my life. I’ve fought numerous battles. I’ve devoted my entire life to the people of the empire and never lived a single day for myself. I’m tired and it’s time for me to step aside. The only person I feel bad for right now is you, Laura. I know it’s too late to make up for my past neglect, but I do want to spend my remaining time with you.”
As Ethan said this, I got the sense that he felt like one foot was already in the grave. Such sadness was like bowing down to fate.
I felt terrible when I heard his words. I had never seen Ethan bow his head in front of anyone from the time I knew him. He always believed that he had the power to shape his destiny. He never gave up easily. Instead, he struggled and tried hard.
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