Chapter 4
Victor took the bowl and stirred the dark brown liquid with a spoon. Suddenly, he asked, "What's this medicine called?"
"My lord," Elena replied, her head bowed, her voice calm as if she were talking about someone else. "It's called the Life-Sustaining Soup."
"Life-Sustaining Soup..." Victor rolled the words around in his mouth, something flickering in his mind.
Life-Sustaining... Life-Sustaining...
That year, when he woke up, apart from the pendant, he found a crumpled piece of paper pressed to his chest. On it, the words "Life-Sustaining Pill Formula" were scrawled in blood, elegant, yet forceful.
He'd asked Yvonne about it, but she'd only stammered, saying, "It was too chaotic back then. I can't remember."
He'd assumed she was still shaken and hadn't pressed further.
But now...
He looked at Elena, kneeling on the floor. In the candlelight, her profile was as still as a statue, devoid of life. But on her neck, there was a faint red mark.
It was a virgin seal.
It was vivid and unbroken, like a drop of blood frozen in time.
Victor's heart suddenly sank.
Three days later, Yvonne threw a lavish banquet, inviting all the noble ladies of the capital.
The celebration took place in the prince's manor garden, where peonies bloomed in dazzling colors, each competing to outshine the others. Elena, forced to play the role of the "medicine girl," was made to serve the entire time. Yvonne wanted her to see with her own eyes just how much the man she'd nearly died for could cherish another woman.
"Elena," Yvonne said as her maid arranged her hair at the dressing table, "Today's guests are all nobles. Make sure you don't bring shame to the manor."
Elena kept her head bowed, carefully holding the ginseng soup. "I understand."
"Good," Yvonne replied with a gentle smile. "Oh, and the prince wants today's medicine stronger. Draw five measures of blood."
Five measures.
Elena's body wavered. Her vitality was already dangerously depleted. Taking another five measures of blood could very well be the end of her.
"What? You're hesitating?" Yvonne met her gaze through the mirror, her tone icy. "You dare defy the prince's command?"
Elena didn't say a word. She just rolled up her sleeve in silence.
The blade cut coldly across her skin, and a thin line of blood began to seep out.
She gritted her teeth, counting each drop. One, two, three... forty, forty-one, forty-two...
The trickle of blood grew weaker, and her world started to fade into darkness.
"That's enough."
Victor's voice suddenly rang out.
No one knew when he'd appeared at the doorway, his expression stormy and frightening. He looked at Elena's bloodless face, then at the half-bowl of crimson blood. It was as if a knife had been driven straight into his heart.
"Your Highness?" Yvonne quickly stood up, her voice tinged with panic. "Why are you here?"
Victor didn't even glance at her. He walked over to Elena, standing above her and looking down. "I said three measures a day. Who told you to take more?"
Elena was stunned, her mind blank for a moment.
Yvonne's expression shifted. "Your Highness, I just thought the medicine wasn't effective enough..."
"Enough!" Victor snapped, cutting her off. "If she dies, who's going to keep you supplied with your precious medicine?"
As soon as Victor said that, the whole room went dead silent.
Yvonne's face turned ghostly pale, and Elena kept her head down. No one could see her expression.
After a long pause, Elena finally spoke, her voice so soft it was like a feather drifting through the air. "Your Highness is right. My life isn't worth much. If I die, it's no big deal. The princess’s health is what truly matters."
She stood up, carefully holding the half-bowl of blood, and staggered toward the herbal stove.
Victor watched her from behind. She was so thin, like a reed that could snap at any moment, and the pain in his chest twisted even deeper.
He remembered that night at the burial grounds, when someone just as frail had carried him on their back, step by step, out of hell.
"Wait," Victor said instinctively.
Elena stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.
"Answer me," Victor demanded, his voice carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed. "Has this Life-Sustaining Soup ever saved anyone else?"
Elena was silent for a few seconds.
"Yes," she finally said. "A cat."
"Anyone else?"
"No one else."
Her answer came so fast and flat.
Victor's heart sank.
The banquet kicked off, and the garden came alive with the sound of strings and flutes.
Yvonne was the star of the show, all the noble ladies fawning over her as she sat in the center. She cradled the tonic Elena had brewed for her, sipping it in tiny, graceful mouthfuls like it was some precious drink. The noble ladies all praised her good fortune, saying the princess was deeply loved by the prince.
"That herbalist girl really has some skill," a noble lady said with a smile. "I heard she draws blood for the medicine every day. Truly loyal."
"Loyalty, sure," another lady chimed in, "But isn't it a bit filthy? Won't using a commoner's blood taint your noble body?"
Yvonne smiled softly. "Elena may be lowborn, but her blood is clean. The prince says her blood works better than anything the imperial doctors can offer."
As soon as Yvonne said that, everyone's eyes shifted to Elena, who stood off to the side, barely noticeable in the shadows.
She wore a plain blue dress, the white bandage on her wrist already soaked through with blood. Her face was drained of color, making her look like a lifeless doll.
Victor sat at the head of the table, his gaze fixed on her. His chest tightened painfully, making it hard to breathe.
He picked up his glass and knocked it back in one go.
The liquor scorched his throat, but it couldn't calm the storm raging inside him.
"Elena," Victor called out suddenly. His voice wasn't loud, but the whole garden went quiet in an instant.
Elena stepped forward and knelt down. "Your Highness, at your service."
"Answer me," Victor said, his eyes locked on her, each word deliberate and heavy. "Have you ever stolen anything from the princess?"
Elena was stunned, her mind blank for a moment.
Yvonne's face changed, just a hint of surprise. "Your Highness, what brings this up?"