The veins on Lucian’s arms bulged, and he vented his rage by swinging a fist at the wall. There’s nothing much to be done. I have to let her go even if she will hate me for it. I’ll do anything to save her life, including submitting to Jack.
After an exhausting day in the ward, Madilyn emerged and was surprised to see Lucian standing at the door. “Have you been standing here this whole time?”
Lucian nodded. “How is she?” Madilyn sighed. “It’s too early to tell. We’ve softened up her arteries a little and will continue doing so tomorrow. You should go in and keep her company.”
Lucian gazed at the figure inside but somehow could not move his feet. “Roxanne would want you by her side,” Madilyn said. It was only then that Lucian’s gaze softened.
A moment’s hesitation later, he walked in. After standing guard outside the ward through the night and seeing no change in Roxanne’s condition, Lucian did not feel his anxiety alleviated in the slightest. Peregrine’s words weighed heavily on his heart.
He knew a change was taking place within her body that was invisible to the naked eye. At the first light of dawn, Madilyn and the team of experts entered the ward to pick up where they had left off the day before.
Lucian rose to leave. This time, he no longer stood guard at the door. Peregrine had not returned, but it was time for his appointment with Colby. He was anxious to see if Colby had come up with anything.
Lucian sped all the way until he arrived at the prison entrance. Having been too hasty in his arrival, he had forgotten to inform his friend ahead of time.
Fortunately, the guard who had greeted him the day before hurried over at once, having just started his shift. “Are you here to see Colby Galloway again, Mr. Farwell?”
Lucian nodded expressionlessly. With a tactful nod, the guard relayed an order to have Colby brought out. The pair met once again in the visiting room.
Still bounded by shackles, Colby remained under the guards’ watchful eyes but regarded Lucian with less hostility this time. The pair sat across from one another in silence.
As the minutes passed, Lucian’s heart sank. If Colby had thought of something, he would not waste any time by telling me the second he saw me. He also wouldn’t have that look on his face. The pair did not speak. Lucian nodded. “I got it. It’s all right. I’ll think of something else.”
Just as he was about to leave, Colby piped up, “Surely you’ve made some progress over the past two days. Any other clues? Tell me. Perhaps I could think of something.”
Lucian paused at those words. He returned to his seat and relayed Peregrine’s diagnosis once more. “Her arteries have hardened, and the constriction in her circulation is causing them to contract further.”
Colby repeated Lucian’s words with bewilderment in his eyes. Lucian inclined his head as an affirmation of his summary. After several minutes of silence, Colby looked up gravely. “Who discovered this?”
He was not convinced of the severity of whatever poison that was. “Mr. Peregrine Lomax. He is said to be the King of Medicine of Merania. You might have heard of him.”
Despite not knowing much about the medical. world, Lucian was aware of the old man’s prestige from the experts’ reverence for him.
