Chapter 323: A Duel
Grey Dove came and left quickly.
After muttering something strange and mysterious under her breath, she turned around and disappeared between the narrow gaps of the buildings.
It clearly wasn’t the right time to chase her, and there wasn’t much point in doing so anyway. Evelia, who didn’t really care much about Grey Dove, also turned and left, heading back to the office where she had left Armand earlier.
When she returned to Armand’s side, Rachel was still busy handing him tissues to wipe his nosebleed.
The two of them looked like they were trying hard to cover up the “bloody scene,” but unfortunately, Evelia had come back too quickly. Armand hadn’t even had time to change his clothes.
“Ah—Eve.”
Armand gave Evelia a somewhat embarrassed smile as he held a tissue to stop the blood coming from his nose.
“Mom, you’re back.”
Rachel had the same kind of expression. She smiled guiltily, like a child who had done something wrong.
But Evelia didn’t get angry about something like this. After all, Armand had gotten nosebleeds in front of her more times than she could count.
Still, every time, Evelia would have to explain again, saying she already knew what was going on, so there was no need to cover it up or lie by blaming it on the cold weather or claiming he had bumped into something.
Each time, Armand would give her that same apologetic smile and say something like, “Thanks for your hard work.”
Once Rachel saw that Evelia and Armand had started talking, she found a random excuse and quietly slipped out.
She knew that Armand’s condition was getting worse, but she didn’t expect it to be this bad.
Just moments ago, he had been questioning her seriously, telling her that only she could do certain things. Yet in the next second, with a nosebleed dripping down his face, the first thing he said was, “Why are you here?”
From how panicked he looked while wiping his nose, Rachel could tell, he had already forgotten everything he just said and did. He had only spaced out for a moment, and it was like his memory had been wiped clean.
To put it bluntly, Armand was now in a state of poisoning, and the kind of poison that specifically targets his mind.
You had to admit, it was actually a clever tactic.
Even though Rachel still didn’t know Armand’s true strength, the fact that he was the captain of the Royal Knights and had survived many extremely dangerous battles meant he was definitely a top-tier fighter. If someone couldn’t beat him in a head-on fight, they’d have to resort to shady methods like this.
Whoever did this clearly knew about Armand’s physical condition. That’s why they chose to strike in winter, because if Armand’s mental state started breaking down, people would just assume it was a seasonal illness or something physical. And by the time they realized it was actually poison, it would already be too late.
Now, who would be someone who both knew about Armand’s health and also had a grudge against him?
There was no doubt, the Second Prince fit that description perfectly. And using poison? That kind of cruel method was exactly the sort of thing someone like him would come up with.
As for the person who actually used the poison…
“—Ah.”
Suddenly, Rachel remembered a name that she had heard mentioned often, but the person himself had always remained a mystery…
...White Dove.
If it was that man...
Then this time, they really were going straight for Armand’s life.
It had to be the work of that “pharmacist.” Unless the Second Prince had someone even more skilled under his command, this was definitely something White Dove had done.
This was nothing less than a duel.
A showdown between a genius alchemist and a genius pharmacist, and the stake was Armand’s life.
Rachel had of course heard about that man’s idea of "euthanasia." She knew that White Dove always used the strongest kinds of drugs, and that type of euthanasia drug could make people have dreams so real that they couldn’t tell they were illusions, and then quietly die while still dreaming.
“Phew…”
Thinking about that, cold sweat began to run down Rachel’s forehead.
Because the two of them followed completely different paths (in alchemy or medicine), Rachel wasn’t even sure if she could save Armand from White Dove’s poison…
But in any case… she had to first do what she was good at.
Just like the plan said, the first step was to get some materials. As for the second step...
To prepare for the worst, she needed to get a Soul Stone ready, something that could store Armand’s soul.
Meanwhile, Evelia was helping Armand change out of his blood-stained clothes.
Evelia was slowly learning more and more about Armand. She was getting used to all his small details, his habits, his personality, and all the reactions his body had when the illness acted up.
But for Armand, it was the opposite. As time went on, many things started to feel unfamiliar to him.
Sometimes, he would randomly appear in some corner of the estate and ask what that place used to be, like he didn’t recognize it anymore.
Sometimes, he would go to the back garden alone and stare at the withered branches, imagining the blue roses that once bloomed there.
Sometimes, he would suddenly remember something and ask Evelia, “Did I ever say this or that to you?” And if he got it right, he’d seem just a little bit happier.
Armand’s condition was getting worse by the day.
Just one week after talking to Rachel, the nosebleeds, which used to be a warning sign, became a normal thing. No matter when people saw Armand, he almost always had a tissue on his nose already stained red.
“…Ah, sorry.”
He looked down at Evelia’s white sleeve, now stained with his blood, and apologized without thinking.
He was trying hard to stay cheerful, but it was obvious, he knew he was becoming a burden to others.
“…It wasn’t like this before. Maybe it’s just because the weather is colder.”
He kept trying to comfort both himself and Evelia, pretending that everything was fine.
But maybe, in the very next moment, he’d suddenly freeze up, lost in his thoughts. Those once bright blue eyes of his… were now dull and dim.
His eyes, which used to shine like sapphires, had now turned into a deep, lifeless blue—so still, it was like even the last bit of light was being swallowed by helplessness.
“……”
And all Evelia could do… was hold his hands tightly.
She had to stay by his side, every moment of every day, just to make sure the first person he saw when he woke up… was her, his wife.
“Mr. Armand…”
Just like before, she would still hug him gently while he slept.
But this time, it wasn’t for her own desire. It was to keep Armand warm.
“Tomorrow morning… you have to greet me with a cheerful ‘good morning’ too, okay…”
At the same time, she was also deeply afraid that he would forget her.
Right now, he was her everything. He was her only one.
She couldn’t lose him again.