Chapter 484

Athena’s attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and her expression was calm.

The old lady could not help but study her for a moment longer. Though Athena looked like a wandering doctor, she carried herself with an unusual poise, even more noble than the sons of officials.

“You, are you really just a traveling doctor?” The old lady’s shrewd eyes scanned Athena up and down. A trace of vigilance appeared in her eyes.

Frieda hurriedly defended her, “Grandmother, Elijah has traveled all over the country and naturally knows a lot. Let him take a look at Grandfather. What if he finds a way to help?”

Her words eased the old lady’s doubts.

The Blumenfeld family patriarch had been a formidable man in his prime, but now age had left him frail, and a heart ailment had rendered him bedridden for over half a month. He could barely eat.

The doctors had already declared that if things continued this way, the family should prepare for his final days.

“Very well,” the old lady said with a stern face. “You may take a look. If you can cure him, there will be a heavy reward. If you cannot, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

She continued, “The Blumenfeld household is not a place where just anyone may walk in. Being allowed through our gates is already an immense honor for someone of humble birth. Frieda is young and naive, but I am not. You will not deceive her under my watch.”

Frieda pouted and whined, “Grandmother…”

The old lady raised her hand to silence her and turned to the senior maid at her side. “Take the boy inside.”

The maid stepped forward and said arrogantly to Athena, “You, come in with me.”

Athena nodded slightly and followed the maid into the room.

Inside the room, a strong medicinal odor permeated the air.

The Blumenfeld patriarch lay upon a carved rosewood bed, covered with heavy brocade quilts.

His face was sallow, his eyes were tightly closed, and his lips were cyanotic. His cheeks were deeply sunken.

Perhaps due to not eating for a long time, he was as thin as a skull with only skin, which was very scary to look at.

Athena stepped forward and placed her fingertip on the old man’s pulse.

The pulse beneath her fingertips was faint as a thread, sometimes breaking off entirely. It was a sign of severe heart illness.

What puzzled Athena was that even heart disease would not be so serious.

Even with heart disease, such a patient could live another seven or eight years if properly cared for and kept free of agitation.

But right now, the patriarch was already on the verge of death, which was really suspicious.

Her gaze swept over the bedside spittoon. At the bottom were traces of dark–red residue, carrying the faint smell of bitter almonds.

“Has the old master been constantly complaining about a heavy feeling in his chest and breaking out in cold sweats at night these past two weeks?” Athena retracted her hand, her gaze falling on the dregs.

The maid nodded. “Yes. The doctors all say it’s a deficiency of the pulse, but the prescriptions they’ve given haven’t worked.”

Athena picked up a piece of dreg from the medicine bowl and brought it close to her nose.

Her brows slowly furrowed. “Ordinary prescriptions for treating heart disease wouldn’t have this bitter taste. Was hydrohalite added to this medicine?”

The old lady’s expression changed slightly. “Hydrohalite can cure heat. What’s wrong with that?”

Athena said, “Hydrohalite is cold in nature. The old master is already weak, and using such cooling medicinal materials will worsen the sickness.”

She turned to look at the old lady. “Could you let me see the prescriptions from the past few days?”

Others looked uneasy. They originally thought Athena was a charlatan, but unexpectedly, she really had some skills.

The old lady looked at the nanny and said, “Bring the prescription over and let him take a look.”

At that moment, the maid looked at Athena with a little more respect. She took the prescription and handed it to Athena.

Athena unfolded the yellowed hemp paper and looked at it carefully.

“Licorice root, Hawthorn berry…” She stopped at the wolfsbane and frowned.

“Who prescribed this?” She suddenly looked up at everyone present.

Mikayla subconsciously clenched her handkerchief. “It was Omar Hickman, the most famous doctor in the city. Grandfather has always trusted his medical skills.”

“Omar Hickman?” Athena sneered. “Wolfsbane is used together with hydrotalcite? This is to put the old man to death! The two medicinal materials are incompatible. Day after day, they wear down the heart. And paired with the daily almond pastries, it’s no different from slow poison.”

Before she could finish, the old lady clutched her chest and staggered back half a step.

She steadied herself by grabbing the edge of the table. “Almond pastry? Frieda said her grandfather had poor appetite and asked for the snack to be made!”

Frieda’s face was pale, and she waved her hand in a fluster. “I didn’t know. I just thought almonds were good for the appetite.”

“Well, Frieda. Grandfather treats you so well. Why would you want to hurt him?” Mikayla suddenly attacked, throwing the blame on Frieda.

Frieda looked at a loss, “That’s a lie. Grandfather treats me so well. Why would I want to hurt him?”

Mikayla pressed, “The evidence is irrefutable. Do you still want to deny it?”

Frieda retorted, “I didn’t know that almond pastry was incompatible with those two medicinal herbs. It’s you, Mikayla. You’re so eager to blame me. Are you the one who tampered with the medicine?”

Frieda deserved to be the eldest daughter of the Blumenfeld family. Her words struck like a whip, cutting off Mikayla’s momentum.

The old lady realized how grave it was. She commanded the maid, “Bring me the boy who has been delivering the medicine these past two weeks – and the one who brings the pastries. Interrogate them at once.”

The maid was flustered. She bowed and then hurried away.

Soon, footsteps came from outside.

Athena subconsciously looked outside and saw a burly middle–aged man and a beautiful woman walking in.

The people in the house all bent their knees to salute them.

“Your Highness. My lady.”

Athena understood that this man was the King of Sinitia, Curtis Blumenfeld. Then the woman beside him was his concubine.

Curtis’s lawful wife had passed away ten years ago. His concubine, Tamzin, was Mikayla’s mother.

Tamzin had been hoping for years to be elevated, but the patriarch’s opposition had kept her in place.

In fact, the patriarch’s biggest concern was Frieda’s two older brothers. They were legitimate sons.

If Tamzin were to be made the official wife, the two young masters‘ statuses would be awkward.

Curtis dared not disobey his father, so over the years, Tamzin was not made the official wife.

“Mother.” Curtis respectfully greeted his mother with a bow.

Tamzin Liu knelt and gave a full formal greeting.

The old lady’s gaze softened at her son but remained cold toward Tamzin.

She said, “Thanks to this young doctor. If he hadn’t found the cause of the illness, I would still be in the dark...”

The old lady was both angry and distressed, beating her chest as she cried to Curtis, “Who is so cruel as to try to harm your father in such a way?”

Curtis’s eyes were full of anger, and he comforted his mother, “Mother, don’t worry. Now that the son has found out, he will not let it go easily.”

He looked at Athena, his voice cold and hard. “You are the doctor who treated my father?”

Curtis was worthy of being someone who had been in a high position for a long time.

His gaze was full of deterrence and murderous intent.

The atmosphere in the house also became tense because of his arrival.

Athena stepped forward and replied in a calm voice, “It is indeed so.”

Curtis stared at Athena and suddenly raised his voice. “Take this person down…”