Chapter 11 Chapter 11 The next day, Bucky opened his eyes, ...
The next day, when Bucky opened his eyes, he found that he couldn't find a single wound on his body.
Is this the potion the witch made? Its effects are even more miraculous than the rumors say.
At the same time, Bach became even more convinced that Mela would be able to produce the medicine that would restore Mabila to normal.
"You're awake? Perfect timing, let's try Lex's cooking."
Mela sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, and smiled as she beckoned Bucky to sit down in the last empty seat at the table.
Bucky sat down awkwardly, then immediately stood up as if his butt was on fire. He carried the empty bowl to the crucible in the center of the room, trying to take the long spoon from Lex's hand, saying, "I can serve myself."
Although Bucky was Mela's guest, he dared not actually sit in a chair and wait for Lex to serve him.
Lex glanced at Bucky, handed over the long spoon, and carried a full bowl to the table to serve breakfast to Mela, who truly needed his service.
Steaming hot mist rises slowly, carrying the sweet aroma of corn.
Hall, the brown-haired man who delivers a cartload of food to Mela every month, is bringing the first batch of ripe corn this month.
According to Mela, Hall owns a famously fertile land where crops such as corn are not only golden in color but also have very plump kernels, making them naturally delicious when cooked.
Silas couldn't wait to fill a bowl for himself as soon as he smelled the aroma. He nodded his head and dug his beak deep into the bowl, pecking the corn kernels clean before finally picking up the bowl and drinking the soup in one gulp.
Silas let out a comfortable sigh after filling his stomach, slumped onto the table, and rubbed his belly listlessly.
Mela poked Silas's soft belly with the other end of the spoon handle. "If you keep eating like this and not moving, you'll soon become the first crow in history that can't fly."
"Nonsense, how could Silas not be able to fly?" Silas guiltily looked away, not daring to meet Mela's gaze.
It's all because Lex's skills have improved so much that he's taken on a lot of the work that should have been assigned to Sylas, which has caused Sylas to gain a lot of weight and gradually start to develop horizontally.
Lex, who could roughly guess what Silas was thinking from his expression: ...
It was clearly Silas who was being lazy and dumped all the work on him. Sure enough, the crow that Mela raised was just like her, always blaming others instead of helping her.
Bach scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth, finding that it tasted even sweeter than it smelled. It wasn't just the sweetness of the corn itself; it must have also contained cream and a touch of cinnamon.
The thought that such delicious food came from the hands of Lex, who looked so formidable, made Bucky so engrossed in the aroma that he couldn't lift his head from his bowl. At the same time, he felt that even though Mela, who treated Lex like a servant, spoke to him with a smile, she exuded a terrifying aura.
Mela looked at Bucky, who was almost hiding under the table: ?
*
After breakfast, Mela was about to begin concocting the potion that Bucky wanted.
Mela already had an idea of which potion could rouse Mabila. She took several bottles and jars from the cupboard, uncorked them, and poured them into the crucible.
Seeing this, Bucky couldn't help but feel a little curious and took two steps forward, trying to get a closer look at Mela's every move.
What a rare opportunity it is to see a witch make potions herself! I wonder what all those strange-looking ingredients Mela is pouring in are.
Despite his curiosity, Bucky knew very well that the witch's potion recipe was a secret that must never be known to others, so he cautiously refrained from asking.
Actually, if Bach asked, Mela wouldn't mind telling him the names of these materials.
There are several precious herbs inside, which can sell for one gold coin per gram on the market, so Mela felt that charging thirty gold coins for this potion was not unreasonable at all.
Lex watched as Melakuku poured ingredients into the pot without a care in the world, and gave Bucky a slightly sympathetic look, who was still unaware of what was about to happen.
Mela is so willing to spend money because she expects to pay far more than she has to pay. In other words, Bach is definitely going to be ripped off by Mela.
After a while, the water in the crucible boiled, and a unique, indescribable fragrance gradually wafted out.
The fragrance wasn't unpleasant at all; on the contrary, it made Bach look intoxicated, as if he were in some kind of beautiful illusion.
"What's wrong with him?" Lex asked, looking around the room and noticing that only Bucky reacted strangely after smelling the aroma.
“Don’t worry, this is a normal reaction to the scent of hanging irises.” Mela glanced at Bucky. “This flower is most famous for its fragrance. It’s so strong that it can be smelled for kilometers around, and it can even attract prey that come to it for a good meal.”
Normally, ordinary people wouldn't have such a strong reaction to the scent of hanging iris as Bach, since humans aren't part of its diet. At most, the scent might make someone feel dizzy and somewhat drowsy.
But Mela went ahead and added a lot of other ingredients to the pot, amplifying the hallucinogenic effect. Now, even if the house collapses, it might not be able to pull Bucky out of the hallucination.
However, once the medicine has fully formed, the fragrance will disappear, and Bach will naturally regain consciousness.
"Speaking of which, how come you're completely unaffected by this fragrance?"
Mela was somewhat surprised. If she and Silas had a special connection—one a witch, the other a witch's pet—and thus naturally possessed a certain resistance to the effects of potions, then why was Lex's connection different?
Lex stood still, letting Mela look him up and down, but he refused to say a word.
However, sometimes, resistance is also a distinct attitude.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask." Mela shrugged. The fact that Lex was so resistant must be related to his past life in the palace.
If he's willing to talk about it, Mela wouldn't mind listening to the gossip; but since he's unwilling to talk about it, Mela isn't necessarily curious about these court secrets that shouldn't be known to others.
She was still interested in the potion that was about to be completed in the cauldron.
Little did he know that Mela's casual question, coupled with her past experiences similar to Bucky's, seemed to combine into an ancient key, unlocking Lex's long-lost memories.
When Lex was about the same age as Bucky, his closest maidservant personally served him food laced with a sleeping potion.
The drug took effect quickly; Lex's vision blurred, and he felt himself falling backward. Realizing something was wrong, he tried to call for the guards at the door, but a maid rushed forward and covered his mouth.
The maid finally released her grip only after confirming that Lex had stopped struggling and had completely passed out.
If it weren't for the maid's panicked look as she left, which alerted the guards, Lex, who had been submerged to the bottom of the bath, might have actually drowned.
With Lex rescued, the maid was temporarily placed under the guards' custody.
Lex woke up again after having a fever for a full day and night.
Even though the guards rescued him in time, Lex still swallowed a lot of water. Combined with the lingering effects of the sleeping pills in his body, the combined effect caused even the usually strong and healthy Lex to develop a high fever, turning his entire body red. This greatly worried Cherk, who rushed to the palace after receiving the news, and he had no choice but to stay in the palace and guard Lex closely.
After Lex regained consciousness, he ignored Chelge's advice to rest and resolutely ordered the maid to be brought to his bedside for interrogation.
Although only a day and a night had passed, the maid was in a terrible state, with two dark bruises on her head, as if she hadn't rested for a moment.
He was clearly terrified.
After all, murdering the crown prince is a serious crime, and not only her, but all her relatives will have to pay the price for her actions.
The maid never expected to see Lex again. She suddenly struggled like a madwoman, crying uncontrollably, saying that she had initially refused and had never intended to betray Lex.
However, her only brother fell ill, and her father unfortunately became addicted to gambling, losing all their savings in just half a month and breaking her mother's left leg. Forced by this, she had no choice but to accept her mother's pitiful pleas and eventually took the packet of sleeping pills, putting them in the food she was about to serve Lex.
She kept begging Lex for forgiveness, promising it would never happen again, and that if Lex wasn't comfortable with that, he could banish her from the palace.
Chelger, who had been standing guard by the bedside, couldn't help but glance at Lex sitting on the bed upon hearing this, fearing that he might actually soften his heart and agree to make an exception.
If that's the case, he will definitely speak up to stop it, even at the risk of Lex's wrath, he cannot let someone who dares to plot against the crown prince get away with it so easily.
Fortunately, seeing that the maid was only pleading for mercy and could no longer utter anything useful, Lex pressed his pale lips into a cold line and coldly ordered the guards to take her away and throw her into prison, along with her family, to be dealt with according to the laws of the kingdom.
The maid was led away by the guards, weeping bitterly.
The two heavy, carved, gilded doors closed from the outside with a dull thud, leaving only Cherge and Lex in the large room.
After a moment's hesitation, Cherge said, "I thought His Highness would be as soft-hearted towards her as always."
Others wouldn't be so lucky, but this maid was someone Queen Lilyles had specially sent to Lex to take care of him when she was still alive. Thinking of this identity, Cherk was uncertain again.
“When she betrayed me, she also betrayed my mother. How could I let her go for my mother’s sake?” Lex said coldly.
"That's good," Cherk nodded in agreement. It was good that Lex had figured this out himself. Putting everything else aside, only the most severe punishment could deter others who still harbored dissent, preventing them from acting rashly and easily attacking Lex.
Otherwise, like this time, even under his nose, Lex almost got killed.
“I know what you’re trying to say,” Lex glanced at Cherge. “A benevolent monarch is a good thing for his subjects, but too much benevolence is a bad thing.”
Fernanke taught Lex this principle long ago.
If a monarch's rule is cruel and inhumane, his subjects will inevitably live in misery. However, if a monarch is too benevolent, it will encourage certain unwarranted ambitions, challenge his supreme authority, and even threaten his life.
This maid is a good example.
Lex's past kindness no longer made her grateful, but instead gave her the courage to betray him—how ridiculous.
“This is not His Highness’s fault,” Cherge tried to reassure Lex.
Lex wasn't like that with everyone; only those he considered his own people and trusted received his unconditional tolerance.
So the blame should fall on that ungrateful maid who betrayed Lex's trust.
"No, I was wrong. I actually thought everyone could be as loyal as you." Lex curled his lips into a mocking smile.
People like Cherge, who remained loyal to the Queen despite facing numerous difficulties, were few and far between.
"Once I'm fully recovered, give me another drug-induced training session. I don't want to fall for such a trick again."
Seeing that Cherge seemed to want to say something else to comfort himself, Lex changed the subject first. He wasn't a child anymore; he didn't need to be coaxed to cheer up.
"By the way, does Fernando know about this?"
Before Cherge could answer, Lex continued, "Never mind, how could he not know about something this big?"
However, as the crown prince's teacher and the kingdom's prime minister, Fernandez could not, like Cherk, use his status as a knight commander to move around the palace and visit Lex without any legitimate reason.
“Go tell Fernando not to worry about me, I will be fine soon. You don’t need to stay here anymore, go and rest.” Lex waved his hand.
He had been guarding Lex closely for a day and a night. Even though Cherk was still able to stand and speak clearly, the bloodshot in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He needs rest more than Lex.
"At your service." Cherge did not refuse Lex's kindness. He bowed respectfully to Lex and then left the room.
*
Bucky finally got the potion that Mela had made.
A small glass bottle, no bigger than the palm of a hand, held a deep blue liquid quietly inside, carefully and gently wrapped in Bachi's palm.
"I just need to pour it all into the food and let my sister eat it, right?"
“That’s right,” Mela nodded. “As long as you eat the food laced with the potion, even the most intense feelings will fade like an old painting over time. After seven days, when the potion is fully effective, your sister will no longer suffer because of Groot’s deception.”
Ultimately, the reason Mabila was in so much pain was because she deeply loved Groot.
Because of love, she couldn't help but repeatedly dwell on the past, trying to find clues that Groot was lying in the little things they had done together. This not only failed to help Mabila see the truth and wake up, but also made her sink deeper and deeper into regret and remorse.
Why would she be deceived by such a simple lie?
Why did she never see through Groot's true nature?
Pain was like a quagmire, pulling Mabilla into it, and the more she struggled, the more she sank.
The way to get Mabila back on her feet is also quite simple.
In Mela's view, if she simply removed the emotional shackles that Mabila had formed, reason would naturally return, and the instinct for survival would urge her to regain her appetite and get out of bed.
“However…” Mela spread her hands toward Bucky, “the emotions that will be affected are not just romantic love, but also familial love, friendship, or other emotions, of course.”
"Does that mean my sister's feelings for me will also fade?" Bachi's smile vanished. He gripped the small glass bottle tightly, hesitating for a moment. Should he really feed it to his sister?
In exchange for their years of mutual dependence, Mabila was able to stop loving a man who caused her pain.
"Don't worry, you're siblings after all. As long as you keep spending time together like this, your relationship will eventually rebuild." Mela didn't care about Bachi's hesitation. There's no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world.
Each potion the witch produced possessed astonishingly magical effects; naturally, they also had minor side effects.
Compared to the agony of slipping into the arms of death, the side effect of only making Mabila somewhat emotionally detached seems so insignificant.
As the son of a merchant, Bucky was clearly better at weighing things than others. On the scales, the desire to keep his sister alive prevailed. He gritted his teeth, no longer hesitated, and signed his name on the IOU given to him by Mela.
This IOU also serves as a map, guiding Bucky to the tree where Mela usually meets with her guests, where he can leave the promised payment.
Now that the transaction is halfway complete, it's time to send the guests out of the Dark Forest.
Mela was about to call out to Lex when she saw Silas lazily turning over on the windowsill. She narrowed her eyes and changed her mind. "It's not fair to Silas to always leave the work to Lex. This time, I'll give you the opportunity to do the work for me."
“What? No!” Silas refused outright.
"No what?" Mela lifted Silas with one hand, brought him close, and asked in a dangerous tone, "You don't want to?"
“H-how could that be?” Silas chuckled twice, finally realizing that Mela wasn’t going to tolerate his laziness this time, and immediately changed his tune. “It would be my honor to serve the great witch Mela. I mean I won’t give this opportunity to Lex.”
"Then go ahead." Mela released her grip and tossed Silas into the air.
Silas instinctively flapped its wings, but the extra weight it had recently gained made it a little uncomfortable, and it nearly swerved and crashed into a tree.
Hearing Mela's merciless mockery from behind, Silas silently shed tears, obediently leading the way for Bucky while realizing with a start that he really needed to start dieting.
Help! It doesn't want to be the first crow in the world to get so fat it can't fly.
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