Chapter 8

Several days later, back in Caeloria, the doors to the Imperial Chamber opened.

Lord Cedran entered first.

Behind him stood three healers.

They were the only ones he had managed to bring back.

Prince Lucien, who had been standing beside his father's bed, turned toward them.

"These are the healers?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Cedran stepped aside.

"I searched throughout the surrounding provinces and brought back the three who were willing to come."

The first was an elderly physician known for treating illnesses that ordinary doctors could not understand.

The second was a woman who specialized in medicinal herbs and rare remedies.

The third was a young healer who had traveled across several kingdoms studying different forms of medicine.

Lucien looked at each of them.

"And the others?"

Cedran's expression became slightly uncomfortable.

"There was one more."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"But she refused."

The room became quiet.

Lucien looked at Cedran.

Cedran hesitated. "She said she only treated mild illnesses."

Lucien glanced toward the sleeping emperor.

"Who is she?"

"They called her Selene."

Lucien repeated the name quietly.

"Selene…"

"She lives in Asterfell."

Lucien's expression changed slightly.

"Asterfell?"

"Yes."

"And you couldn't persuade her?"

Cedran shook his head.

"I offered the payment authorized by the palace. She refused it."

Lucien was silent for a moment.

Then he looked toward the three healers standing before him.

"Very well."

His gaze hardened. "You three are here now."

The healers bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lucien stepped aside, revealing the sleeping Emperor.

"Then show me what you can do."

The three healers looked at one another.

None of them spoke.

Only the third healer remained beside the Emperor's bed.

The other two had already stepped back after their attempts failed.

The healer stood quietly, watching the sleeping Emperor with tense concentration. A small vial rested between his fingers.

"Give it time," he murmured.

He had prepared the medicine himself—a powerful mixture of rare herbs and concentrated restorative agents. If anything could stir the Emperor's body, he believed this would.

Prince Lucien stood nearby, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"How long?"

"Perhaps a few minutes, Your Highness."

The healer carefully poured the medicine between the Emperor's lips.

Everyone waited.

Five minutes passed.

"His Majesty's pulse is changing."

Lucien immediately stepped forward. "Is he waking?"

The healer opened his mouth to answer.

Suddenly—

The Emperor's body jerked.

A harsh cough tore through the chamber.

"Father!"

Lucien rushed to the bedside.

Another cough followed.

Then blood spilled from the corner of the Emperor's mouth.

The healer's face went pale.

"No…"

The Emperor coughed again, his breathing becoming ragged.

"Your Majesty!"

The healer hurriedly reached for a cloth, but there was nothing he could do.

Lucien stared at the blood.

His expression darkened.

"Your Highness, I—"

"You said it would help him!"

The healer dropped to his knees.

"I apologize, Your Highness. I did not expect—"

"Enough."

Lucien's voice was cold.

He turned toward the guards.

"Take them out."

The healer looked up in panic. "Your Highness, please. Give me another chance—"

"Drag them out."

The guards immediately stepped forward.

The healer struggled against them.

"Your Highness! I can still—"

"Get them out of my sight!"

The doors slammed shut behind them.

Silence returned to the chamber.

Lucien stood beside his father, staring at the blood staining the white sheets.

His hands trembled slightly.

And now, even those who had been brought from across the empire could do nothing.

Lucien slowly clenched his fists.

Lucien looked at the Emperor lying motionless before him.

His father was still breathing. Still alive.

And yet, every day that passed felt like another step toward losing him.

Finally, Lucien turned toward the royal guards.

"Send out the order."

The guards immediately straightened.

"Your Highness?"

"I want every healer brought to Caeloria."

The chamber went silent.

"Every physician. Every apothecary. Every herbalist. Every person known to possess the ability to heal."

Lucien's voice was firm.

"Search every province. Every kingdom. Every territory beyond our borders."

One of the guards hesitated.

"Your Highness… even those who refuse?"

Lucien closed his eyes for a moment.

But his father was running out of time.

"Bring them."

The guard bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I don't care where they are."

Lucien looked back at the Emperor.

"I don't care what they ask for."

His voice became quieter.

"Bring every healer who might have a chance of saving him."

The guards bowed deeply before leaving the chamber.

Lucien remained alone beside his father.

For the first time, the prince allowed his composure to crack.

He reached for the Emperor's hand.

"I'm going to wake you."

His grip tightened.

"I don't care who I have to find."

Then, after a long silence, he whispered,

"Even if I have to search the entire world."

The Imperial Palace had never gathered so many healers under one roof.

The grand hall was filled with physicians, apothecaries, herbalists, priests, wandering healers, and practitioners from distant lands.

Some wore elaborate robes.

Others carried wooden cases filled with herbs and bottles.

A few stood quietly in corners, studying everyone around them.

They had all been summoned to Caeloria.

Some had come willingly.

Others had not.

Among them stood a lady with her white lace blindfold covered her eyes, and her hands rested calmly over the simple satchel hanging at her side.

Selene

She kept herself toward the back of the hall.

Quiet. Unnoticed.

She had been brought here against her wishes.

There had been no negotiation this time.

The Imperial order had reached Asterfell, and refusing it had not been an option.

Selene had said nothing during the journey.

And now that she was finally inside the Imperial Palace, she had only one intention.

Stay out of trouble.

She listened as the other healers spoke among themselves.

"Have you examined the Emperor?"

"Not yet."

"They say he has been unconscious for two years."

"I heard even the saintesses couldn't wake him."

"What kind of illness could last that long?"

Selene remained silent.

If someone asked her to examine the Emperor, she would simply say that she was not capable.

After all, that was what she had told them in Asterfell.

She only treated mild illnesses.

That was the lie she intended to keep.

Selene lowered her head slightly as footsteps echoed through the hall.

The doors opened.

The healers immediately fell silent.

A group of royal guards entered.

And behind them came Prince Lucien.

His expression was cold and exhausted.

His eyes swept across the gathered healers.

Fifties of people had come from different corners of the world.

One by one, the healers were called into the Emperor's chamber.

Each was given a chance to examine the sleeping king.

Some stayed for only a few minutes.

Others remained longer, studying his pulse, breathing, and complexion, trying different medicines and methods.

But one by one, they returned to the hall without an answer.

Selene waited quietly among the remaining healers.

When her name was finally called, a royal attendant approached her.

"Selene of Asterfell."

She slowly stood.

The attendant came to her side and guided her through the palace corridors.

Selene kept her head slightly bowed as they walked.

She could hear the footsteps of guards around her, the quiet murmurs of servants, and the heavy doors opening ahead.

Then they entered the Emperor's chamber.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

It was quieter here.

Heavier.

Selene could sense the presence of several people in the room.

And then there was one gaze she could feel more clearly than all the others.

Prince Lucien.

He stood beside his father's bed, watching her closely.

Selene remained still, her head bowed.

Lucien's eyes lingered on the white lace covering her eyes.

A blind healer.

His expression remained unreadable.

How is someone who cannot even see supposed to heal my father?

Lucien looked at the attendant.

"She is the apothecary from Asterfell?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

His gaze returned to Selene.

"Selene."

She lowered her head slightly.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You know why you are here."

"Yes."

"Then examine my father."

Selene's fingers tightened around the strap of her satchel.

She had no intention of doing so.

"I am afraid, Your Highness, that I may not be of much help."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

Selene remained composed.

"Because I am only an apothecary who treats ordinary illnesses."

Another lie.

And this time, she could feel the prince watching her even more closely.

Then, after a moment, he spoke.

"Try."

Selene raised her head slightly.

"Your Highness?"

"Try," Lucien repeated. "I will decide what to do with you afterward."

There was no anger in his voice.

Only exhaustion.

Selene hesitated.

She had no intention of healing the Emperor. She only needed to appear as though she had tried.

Slowly, she stepped toward the bed.

The attendant guided her until she stood beside the Emperor.

Selene reached out.

Her fingertips gently touched the Emperor's wrist.

She only wanted to feel his pulse.

Nothing more.

But the moment she touched him—

Pain struck her head.

Selene's breath caught.

A sharp, burning sensation spread behind her temples, so sudden that she nearly pulled her hand away.

What is this?

She steadied herself.

Her fingers remained against his wrist.

Then she felt it.

Something beneath his skin.

Something that did not belong to an ordinary illness.

A curse.

Selene's expression changed beneath her blindfold.

It was faintly familiar. Not exactly Blackrot. But close.

The same unnatural feeling she had sensed before.

Only this was different.

This isn't Blackrot.

Her mind raced.

She quickly removed her hand.

"I see," she murmured.

Lucien immediately noticed. "What is it?"

Selene lowered her head.

She opened her mouth—

Then suddenly—

Thump.

The Emperor's heartbeat stopped.

Selene froze.

"Father?"

Lucien stepped forward.

The Emperor's chest no longer moved.

"Your Majesty!"

The attendant rushed to the bedside.

"His pulse!"

Lucien's face drained of color.

"No."

He grabbed his father's shoulder.

"Father!"

No response.

"Everyone out!" Prince Lucien's voice thundered through the chamber.

The healers froze.

For a moment, no one dared to move. The emperor lay motionless upon the bed, his face pale, his chest completely still.

Lucien stared at his father.

Then his eyes shifted toward Selene.

She stood beside the bed, her hand still resting lightly against the emperor's wrist.

She had done nothing but check his pulse.

She had not given him medicine. She had not cast a spell. She had barely even touched him.

Lucien clenched his fists. He was furious. Terrified.

But even in his anger, he could not blame her.

The guards immediately stepped forward.

"Everyone out," Lucien repeated, louder this time. "Now."

The healers hurried from the chamber, some whispering anxiously among themselves. The attendants followed, closing the heavy doors behind them.

Selene remained where she was.

Her fingers slowly left the emperor's wrist.

Lucien stood beside the bed, staring at his father as though refusing to accept what had happened.

"Father…"

His voice broke.

The anger that had filled his voice only moments ago was gone. What remained was the broken sound of a son mourning the man who had raised him.

Selene lowered her head.

She took a slow, deep breath.

For the first time in a very long while, she didn't know what to do.

She had treated countless people before.

Some illnesses had been difficult. Some wounds had taken days, even weeks, to heal. There had been patients she could not completely cure.

But even then, there had always been something.

A little improvement.

But this time…

This is the first time.

The first time she had completely failed to save a patient.

She hated the feeling.

Not because anyone had blamed her.

No one had.

Prince Lucien knew she had only checked his father's pulse. He knew she hadn't caused this.

Yet somehow, that made it worse.

Because there was no one to blame.

Not even herself.

She turned her face slightly toward the emperor.

Behind her blindfold, her golden eyes remained hidden.

"There is only one thing I need from you, Your Highness," she said boldly.

Prince Lucien stared at her through tear-filled eyes.

For a moment, he seemed unable to understand what he had just heard.

"You… can save my father?"

Selene nodded. "I can."

The prince's breath caught.

He had believed his father was gone. The man who had been unconscious for two years had finally taken his last breath, and there had been nothing anyone could do.

Yet this blind apothecary stood beside his father's bed with a confidence that made Lucien's fading hope return.

"What do you need?" he asked immediately.

Selene remained silent.

For several long seconds, she said nothing.

Then she slowly reached for the emperor's hand.

It was cold.

Far too cold.

She gently lifted it from the bed and held it between both of her hands.

Lucien watched her carefully.

Selene lowered her head.

Then, with unexpected gentleness, she pressed her lips against the back of the emperor's cold hand.

A quiet kiss.

Lucien's brows furrowed.

But before he could ask what she was doing, Selene began to chant.

Her voice was soft at first.

Barely more than a whisper.

The words were unfamiliar, flowing in a language Lucien had never heard before.

The air inside the chamber slowly changed.

The flames of the nearby candles flickered.

The curtains stirred despite the windows being closed.

Lucien's eyes widened.

Selene's fingers tightened gently around the emperor's hand.

Selene continued to chant.

Her voice remained steady, each unfamiliar word flowing into the next like an ancient prayer.

Then—

A bluish-white light suddenly appeared around her.

It was faint at first.

A small glow gathered around her fingers before spreading outward, curling around the emperor's body like mist.

Lucien stepped back.

The light grew brighter.

It swiftly twirled across the chamber, circling the bed, the walls, and even the ceiling. It moved too quickly for the eye to follow, leaving trails of bluish-white light behind it.

"What…"

Lucien raised an arm to shield his eyes.

The brightness was almost unbearable.

He could barely see Selene through it.

The chanting continued.

Then, after several minutes—

Silence. The light vanished.

Just like that.

The chamber returned to normal.

Lucien slowly lowered his arm.

His eyes immediately fell upon his father.

The emperor's face no longer looked deathly pale.

Color had returned to his skin.

Lucien froze.

Then he heard faint breath, his father's chest rose and fell.

Another breath followed.

Lucien's eyes widened. "Father…"

He stepped closer to the bed.

The emperor's fingers twitched.

Then his eyelids trembled. He was alive.

Lucien could hardly believe what he was seeing.

But then Lucien noticed something else.

Selene was lying on the floor beside the bed.

Completely unconscious.

Her blindfold remained in place, but a thin stream of blood had begun to run from her nose.

Lucien's expression changed.

"Lady…"

He rushed toward her and dropped to his knees.

"Lady! Can you hear me?"

No response.