Chapter 485

Outside the door, several guards rushed in to escort Athena away.

Frieda shouted anxiously, “Father, wait.”

She stepped forward and asked, puzzled, “Father, what are you doing? I invited Elijah. If you arrest him, won’t that make me an accomplice?”

Curtis had always doted on Frieda, but seeing her speak in Athena’s defense, his eyes flashed with anger.

He lowered his voice and scolded, “You are the esteemed eldest daughter of my Blumenfeld family. How can you be entangled with this kind of quack doctor? Listen to me and drive him out of Aeridon. You are not to see him again.”

Athena breathed a sigh of relief; so Curtis was afraid that she would abduct Frieda.

The old lady quickly spoke up, pointing toward the old patriarch lying on the bed. “Right now, only he can identify the cause of the illness. If you take him away, what will happen to your father?”

Curtis’s brows furrowed tightly, the suspicion in his gaze deepening. “A quack doctor of unknown origin—who knows if he is just putting on a show, or worse, colluding with the poisoner?”

Tamzin, standing to the side, lowered her head, but the corners of her lips curled in a barely noticeable smile.

She softly advised, “Your Highness, calm down. Your mother is right; it is important to save your father at the moment. Why not have this doctor write down an antidote, then place her under guard? That way, everyone can feel at ease.”

Athena shot Tamzin a cold glance. This woman appeared to be mediating but was actually trying to cut off her chance to clear her name.

“Please, my lord,” Athena said quickly, kneeling on the ground, fear showing on her face. “Proving my innocence is not difficult. All we need to do is summon the doctor who prescribed the medicine and confront him, then investigate who ordered him to alter the prescription these past days.”

Curtis’s expression shifted, finally letting out a cold snort. “I will spare your life for now. If you cannot find the truth, do not blame me for being merciless!”

He turned to the guards and commanded, “Go and bring Dr. Hickman here. And tighten security around the entire manor. No one is allowed to pass news outside.”

Tamzin’s face turned slightly pale, and even the smile on her lips froze.

Before long, the doctor, Omar, was dragged before Curtis.

Omar’s legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground. “My lord, I don’t know why you summoned me here?”

Athena couldn’t help but look at Omar. Seeing him calm on the surface, she knew that he was so flustered that he was about to pee his pants.

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Tamzin from time to time.

Tamzin winked at him secretly. “Useless fool, what are you looking at me for?”

Omar lowered his head again.

Curtis didn’t miss the subtle change in Omar’s face.

He looked at Tamzin, who forced a smile. “My lord.” But her demeanor was obviously guilty.

“Dr. Hickman, did you write this prescription?” Curtis tossed the sheet in front of him. Omar’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

He glanced at the prescription and nodded guiltily. “Your Highness, it was indeed I who prescribed it, but I had absolutely no intention of harming anyone.”

“No intention to harm?” Athena stepped forward, letting out a cold laugh. “Wolfsbane paired with hydrohalite. You’ve been a doctor for thirty years, and you would claim you don’t know this is a deadly incompatibility?”

Omar’s face instantly turned ashen. His lips trembled, unable to speak.

Tamzin spoke in a low, faint voice, “Dr. Hickman has practiced for many years. Perhaps it was a momentary lapse? After all, the old lady did say hydrohalite can clear heat.”

“A lapse?” Athena sneered. “And what about the almond pastries delivered to the old master’s room every day? Bitter almonds in excess can kill. Why did you not warn anyone when you wrote the prescription?”

She added, “Combined with those ingredients, it becomes lethal. Are we to believe this is all a coincidence?”

Omar was sweating buckets, shaking uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word.

Curtis looked at him with icy eyes and shouted sternly, “Speak, what is going on?”

“I’m innocent!” Omar cried, refusing to confess.

He pointed at Athena, tears streaming down his face. “I have served the royal manor faithfully for over ten years, never harboring ill will. Yet this stranger comes and sows discord between us! My lord, this person is dangerous and cannot be allowed to stay.”

Athena’s face remained calm as she bowed toward Curtis. “If no one had colluded with Dr. Hickman, he would never have dared such a thing. My lord, you would do well to carefully investigate those closest to you.”

Her words made Tamzin’s face change drastically.

Curtis’s eyes moved slowly around the room.

Everyone he looked at lowered their heads in fear.

Everyone except Athena, who stood unmoving.

After a long pause, Curtis spoke coldly. “Guards, take Dr. Hickman away and interrogate him thoroughly. I want the name of whoever ordered this, no matter what it takes.”

Omar panicked and screamed. “My lord, spare me! I’ve been wronged!”

The guards gagged him with a rag and dragged him out.

The people inside the house all slowly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had survived a disaster.

Only Tamzin looked at Athena with sinister eyes.

Athena lowered her gaze to the floor, her expression unreadable.

The old lady let out an irritated sigh. “Enough of this violence in front of me. I am old and cannot bear the sight. Right now, treating your father’s illness is what matters most.”

Curtis reined in his murderous aura, bowed to his mother, and said respectfully, “You’re right. I was too hasty.”

“Alright. Now that you have a clue, continue investigating. I’m tired.” The old lady looked weary. Seeing this, Curtis took his wife and daughter and left.

Athena followed Frieda out of the courtyard, then suddenly stopped and looked back at her.

The young girl suddenly stopped and turned back to look at her. Her innocent face was full of admiration. “Elijah, you are amazing. No one has ever survived under my father’s scrutiny. You are the first.”

Athena smiled faintly. “It was merely luck.”

“No, it’s different. I can tell that my father appreciates you very much.” Frieda suddenly stepped forward and took Athena’s hand, “Stay in the manor and work for my father. With your talent, being my father’s advisor is better than running a pharmacy.”

Then Frieda froze, staring at their joined hands.

Athena’s hands were smooth and delicate. Her skin was even more beautiful than her hands.

Frieda was stunned for a moment, and then she heard Athena’s voice. “I was physically weak since I was a child, and my parents raised me as a girl. They didn’t allow me to do any heavy work. To keep me alive, they even pierced my ears.”

As she spoke, she deliberately moved closer to Frieda.

Frieda peeked and indeed saw the small hole in her earlobe.

Her suspicion melted away, replaced with wide-eyed wonder. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. How strange!”

Athena said, “You grew up in Aeridon, sheltered in wealth and honor. How could you know the hardships of common folk?”

Though her words carried a hint of mockery, Frieda did not take offense. “I cannot choose where I was born. If I could, I would rather be a free person than remain trapped in this gilded cage.”

Hearing the hidden meaning in her words, Athena was about to ask when she saw someone coming from the front.