"Thank you for coming despite how busy you are, everyone. I'm very thankful."Lorelia walked down the stairs, clad in a black evening gown. She raised her head and looked at the people in the hall, her bearing intimidating. Malcolm took a deep breath abruptly. "It's been a long time since I'd last seen her, but she's as formidable as always."Aria raised a brow. "You know her?""She's the eldest daughter of the York family. She joined the army before, but I think she's managing a business now," Malcolm added, "You'd better not let loose in front of her. She can send you flying with just a punch."Aria heeded his advice. She lowered her head and chewed on another piece of candy, looking innocuous. Lorelia was a beautiful woman with sharp and deep-set features. It was obvious that she'd been taught well despite her fierce appearance. "My family has prepared a small gift for everyone." She clapped her hands, and a gift box rose beside everyone's seats. The box's contents were
"Yes, it's elvenroot," Aria said, "When you store elvenroot, you should avoid exposing it to strong sunlight, and the temperature shouldn't be higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It's 75 degrees outdoors now. This is also when the UV radiation is the most intense."I'm storing the herb inside my bag so as to preserve its medicinal value. Does a member of the Gunther family not even possess such basic medical knowledge?"The room erupted in chatter the moment she said that. Constantine was still sneering at her. "As if I'd buy any of that bull—""Be quiet, Constantine!" Salome barked.Constantine was stunned. He turned sideways to look at the expression on Salome's face and also at everyone's gazes that were focused on him. Panic showed on his face. Had Aria really hit the nail on the head?Someone laughed, saying, "I expected nothing less from Georgina's student. She has a good intuition when it comes to identifying herbs." The speaker was Wendell Claude, the head of the Clau
"Please enter, everyone!" Lorelia gestured with a flourish. The walls of the hall seemed to ripple for a moment, then receded to reveal several ornately decorated consultation rooms.The doctors would have to form groups and treat those patients. Salome was the first to make a move. She was eager to show everyone what the Gunther family was capable of, especially to Aria. All the patients the York family had found were difficult to treat. Every group of doctors who had entered the consultation rooms stayed a long time in there and came out looking solemn. The doctors from the Gunther and Short families were the only exceptions; they came out with smiles on their faces. Even Zephyr found it somewhat difficult. Fortunately, he also managed to issue a prescription. Many doctors couldn't even figure out what illnesses those patients were afflicted with. They came out muttering under their breaths like students who'd just been done with their exams."What illness is the third pa
"We're done here." Aria grabbed her bag. The patient sounded skeptical. "That's all? You haven't even asked me what other symptoms I have aside from a headache and if I'm suffering from any pre-existing conditions. "You didn't even look at the scans on the table before making such a hasty conclusion. That's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"Aria returned the pen to the pen holder on the table and smiled. "You're fine. I don't need to ask any more questions."Shiloh pulled her back, though. "Wait, we've only been here for five minutes. You should inspect him for a while longer. Look at the other groups! They spent 20 minutes treating the first patient alone!""That's not important." Aria pressed the bell decisively, confirming that they were done. The people outside the consultation rooms were still discussing the patients' illnesses. They laughed uproariously when they saw Aria's group emerge so soon. "They were in there for such a short time! Did they fail to identify the answer
"Heartbound Hall!" Lorelia announced, looking at Aria with a smile. Upon hearing the results, everyone in the hall fell silent, their eyes wide in disbelief. "Heartbound Hall's in the first place? That's impossible!"Norman's face darkened. Salome couldn't help but lunge forward for the sheet of paper, which she opened only to see the two words "Heartbound Hall" on it.Lily's smile disappeared from her face. She couldn't believe it. Was Aria really a skilled doctor?Everyone's gazes fell on Aria, Malcolm, and Shiloh instantly. As someone decidedly unskilled in medicine, Shiloh had never been the subject of such attention. Startled, he stopped in the middle of yawning.Malcolm was dumbfounded. They placed first? Really?Aria was the only one who remained calm throughout. Salome couldn't handle losing to a nobody under the gazes of everyone else. She crumpled the sheet of paper in her fist and steadied her breathing before asking, "As a doctor, it's probably not appropriate for
"Grandpa." Lorelia stepped forward.A group of black-clad bodyguards stepped forward, forming an orderly line beside the old man. The old man had wrapped bandages around his head as part of his act. He yanked them off, giving Aria a meaningful look before turning to everyone. As expected of a noble family, Titus was sharply intimidating. His gaze made everyone's heart sink."I heard all your discussions," Titus said, his gaze sharp. "Heartbound Hall unquestionably deserves first place."No one dared to voice objections when Titus spoke. Norman, who had initiated the discussion of treatment approaches, wilted under the weight of Titus's statement.Salome forced a smile. "We didn't know it was you…""None of you guessed that it was me inside, except for those three young people," Titus remarked blandly.Salome felt embarrassed, and everyone else was equally uncomfortable; they wished they could disappear. Who would have imagined that the third patient was actually Titus York, p
Lily shook her head, biting her lip. "It's not her fault. There was a massive upheaval in my family, and she couldn't come to terms with it."Her words seemed innocuous, but she'd actually pinned the blame on Aria. Christian frowned. "Just say it, Lily. We're here, so there's nothing to fear. She can't do anything to you!""She didn't do anything to me!" Lily's head was bowed. "She just had a slight misunderstanding concerning us. The Gunther and Kent families have a close relationship. My father gave the Gunther family the Whisperwind Herb as a sign of gratitude after Dr. Gunther took me in as her student, and then…"Christian sneered. "And here she is, making something out of nothing!""Christian, calm down." Salome put on a show of being the bigger person here. "It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared, or anyone not in the know would think that the Whisperwind Herb was acquired from unlawful sources."A smile bloomed slowly on Aria's face as she watched the borin
Aria remained silent, her eyes focused on the grandfather clock in the hall as she idly chewed on her candy.Salome took her silence as a sign of cowardice. She covered Lily's hand with hers and sat down confidently.Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Lily's heart raced. Perhaps it was the anticipation of meeting Landon soon. She glanced down, her eyes resting on the wooden box. As anticipated, only the Whisperwind Herb could act as a conduit to the York family.Titus picked up the box under everyone's jealous gazes. The masses were about to congratulate Salome when Titus said, "My family isn't known to be righteous. Regardless, we cannot, in good conscience, take away what belongs to someone else. "Landon's fate lies in the hands of higher powers. The Whisperwind Herb is very rare, certainly, but we cannot take this."What?Everyone turned to Titus, including Aria, who lifted a brow in surprise. Titus set the box down and lifted his right arm. Suddenly, four words appeared on