Chapter 916: There Is No Cure... YET.

"Slow down the effect?" Rowena couldn't believe her ears. She laughed and shook her head. "No, that's not acceptable. Slow down? Can you slow it down forever? It's causing him so much pain and yet you haven't—"

"Wait, I know that guy." Julian coughed and walked slowly over towards her and the doctor, he ignored both the King and Prince Liam who wanted to speak with him. 

He looked at the old man with a frown and shook his head. 

"So the poison I got from the lagoon was used at this party? Shame on you. I turned a blind eye back then because I only needed money... but I didn't think that you would do something like this."

Doctor Gerald looked over at the young man and felt a shame burn across his chest. He bowed down and placed his head on the ground.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. If you wish to punish me, then please do so....but if I could beg you to spare my family—"

"Your Highness?" Julian blinked and looked at Rowena in confusion. 

She also didn't know what to say, but finally, the royal doctor slowly looked up and explained.

"Queen Serena has always been possessed by extreme jealousy and envy—especially when she fell in love with the same man that Queen Gabrielle, your mother, married. It is why she threatened me to kill your mother during childbirth." the royal doctor smiled painfully. 

"What?" Julian stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"I didn't know what to do back then, but when your mother failed to make it—I did my best to save you. I wish I could have saved you again, I hoped that you would leave when I gave you money—but Queen Serena had my family."

The royal doctor bowed again.

"I'm so sorry for taking away the life that was supposed to be yours and once again taking away your time, Your Highness."

Rowena knew it was an important thing for Julian to learn about his past. She was the one who wanted him to pursue it in the first place, she had asked Prince Liam's help... but now that everything had led to this situation, she couldn't help but feel wracked with an enormous amount of guilt.

She still felt responsible.

More than anything, Rowena wanted Julian to live and that was why she chose to interrupt the royal doctor's story.

She looked over at Julian's face and grabbed his hand. "You need to stay here and reunite with your family... I do think they wish to make amends. And I will leave it up to you, okay?"

"Rowena, what are you saying all of a sudden?" Julian looked over at her worriedly. "The doctor says

there's no cure, right? I..."

"He says that there's no cure YET." Rowena corrected him and turned to the old man. "If you really want to absolve yourself from your sins—then it's not enough for you to die. I won't allow it."

The royal doctor looked at the fierce young woman and couldn't say a word. Even the way she looked at him possessed a lion-like quality that rendered him speechless.

"You say that you haven't been able to find a cure, an antidote—so tell me, where did you obtain this poison?" Rowena asked sharply.

Doctor Gerald was someone who had served the royal family for a long time, he had spent a great deal of time in research while he took care of his responsibilities, but there had been no success whatsoever.

Now this young woman wished to interrogate him?

The royal doctor bowed his head. Even though there were some doubts within his chest, he couldn't help but feel compelled to answer.

Especially because she was right—he was not allowed to die for his crimes. It was up to him to pay for it and his death was not enough. It couldn't pay for the royal life that he took away from the true crown prince and also his life.

The debt was too much.

"The Wishing Mermaid Lagoon contains corals and seaweed below that are extremely poisonous to the touch. I've heard some rumors say that it's to act as a barrier between the human and mermaid realm. So if there's anyone who might have—"

"The mermaids might have a cure for Julian." Rowena nodded and quickly stood up. "Alright, I'll go towards the lagoon then."

"Rowena, it's not safe—I've been there before!" Julian quickly stopped her. "Don't risk your life for me."

And the legends about mermaids were only stories passed down to generations. Who said that the mermaids really existed?

"It's not safe for me to go there but it's okay for you to dive down there to get paid?" Rowena looked at him with winced forehead. "I can't accept that."

"Those are only rumors!" Some of the individuals in the royal hall started to say and speak. Everyone had heard the requirement placed on Rowena's shoulders.

Unfortunately, Rowena couldn't be swayed.

She looked over at the royal doctor and looked at him seriously. "I'm going there and will look for a way to find the cure—maybe there's another species even deeper in the waters that might cure it, or I'll see the mermaids themselves, but I'll go."

Doctor Gerald hesitated. "We can't ask you to risk your life too—"

"

I'm going whether anybody likes it or not, nobody will stop me," Rowena said. She immediately took off her shoes and threw them away, and without another word, she sped off the ballroom.

Julian cursed and tried to chase after her, but then staggered and nearly fell to the floor if not for Prince Liam catching him.

"I—please stay here, Julian—uhm... brother," Prince Liam uneasily said as he gazed at Rowena's back as she disappeared.

"You can't ask me to stay here." Julian tried to shake off the crown prince, but he was unfortunately too weak.

Even the fact that he tried to argue was enough to overexert him and sap his energy.