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Faced with such a formidable challenge, Wayne accepted his defeat with grudging respect.
He told Yuvan, “With Grand Princess Lisandra in the picture, Westhaven won’t go to war with Starhaven. After King Edmund ascended the throne, he stirred things up and manipulated public opinion. However, all of this will backfire on him. Plus, he’s never been truly interested in the throne.
“In his mind, the late crown prince is the most important. The kingdom and the people come second. That’s why he was willing to ally with us. But this alliance wasn’t based on his ambitions. It’s like building a tall tower on unstable ground-it will eventually collapse. When it does, it may pull us down with it. So, we can’t place our hopes on King Edmund.”
Yuvan pondered for a moment before responding thoughtfully, “Then, Lisandra will definitely not tolerate Edmund. Among all the princes, the one most likely to ascend the throne now is the fourth prince, Emory.”
“Indeed,” Wayne agreed. “Looking at the strength of the fourth prince’s maternal family, he has the highest chance of becoming king. King Edmund’s rise to power was thanks to Grand Princess Lisandra and Marshal Liam’s support. “But once he ascended, he imprisoned his uncle and started going against his sister’s wishes. It’s likely that Grand Princess Lisandra will hurry back to deal with him. Prince Emory’s faction will use this opportunity to take power.” Yuvan rubbed his temples, a deep frown creasing his forehead. “Then, we’ll stick to the original plan. Contact the fourth prince and form an alliance with him. Once he takes the throne, he’ll need a victorious war to solidify his position.”
Wayne sighed heavily. “Your Highness, looking back now, we can’t deny that we truly missed the best opportunity. When Starhaven was battling against Westhaven at both Victory Pass and the Southern Frontier, that was our moment of greatest advantage.”
Yuvan may have regretted it inside, but outwardly, he stuck to his convictions, saying, “If we go to war and I raise an army in rebellion, I’ll be labeled a traitor for sure. Our only chance is if Victory Pass falls or if the border line is ceded through negotiation. That’s the only time we can stir up public anger. Once that happens, we can portray ourselves as the righteous force.”
Wayne wanted to argue that sometimes, it wasn’t possible to have both reputation and power. Struggling with indecision could lead to losing everything and ending up with nothing to show for it.
But after years of maneuvering, the ship had already set sail. Now, talking of defeat would only weaken their resolve and make success even more elusive.
Did Yuvan not understand the risks?
Of course he did, but who didn’t harbor ambition? Once the first step had been taken, it was natural to want to press forward and make everything legitimate. Without that, he would never truly feel secure on the throne.
His voice cold, Yuvan continued, “Dominic and Rafael are our biggest threats right now. If we don’t deal with them, we can’t take the throne. Even if we do, my hold on the throne will never be stable as long as they’re alive.” Wayne sighed regretfully. “We never did gain Grand Princess Eleanor’s connections, and one mistake led to another. We should never have left the management of the capital entirely in her hands from the start.”
“At the time, we thought that since she was a grand princess, who could possibly suspect her?” Yuvan replied, his frustration evident. “And then there’s the marriage alliance with the Spencer family. They never quite understood my intentions, or perhaps they did but were unwilling to follow me.”
Wayne remained silent. He had opposed the alliance from the start, but Yuvan had been insistent, believing that once they were married, they would either rise or fall together.
But Molly didn’t represent the Spencer family. She wasn’t even the direct daughter of the Spencer family’s head. If Yuvan had married Violet, that would have been a different matter entirely.
As dawn broke the next morning. Yuna went to find Sophie and asked her to bring Sebastian to see Lisandra. At the same time, Garrick headed to the Diplomatic Affairs Department to prepare for the afternoon’s continuation of the negotiations. Sebastian knew Lisandra would request to see him, so he had gotten up early that day and was now waiting for someone to call on him. When Sophie arrived, his carriage was already ready. Without her needing to speak, Sebastian called for Ivy to bring his medicine box.
“Concord Lodge, right?” he said.
Sophie smiled. “You already knew?”
“Grand Princess Lisandra’s headaches are severe. Without me, she won’t be able to handle the upcoming negotiations, let alone return home to deal with pressing matters.”
Sebastian was as confident as ever in his medical skills.
Sophie sat in the carriage with him, asking, “What’s going on with Grand Princess Lisandra’s headaches? Is it just tension?”
“That’s part of it. From what I can tell, it’s clear she’s had this condition for a long time, and it’s very severe. The second issue is years of sitting at a desk, which has caused her neck to misalign, restricting blood flow to her head. The diagnosis from Mr. Glover last night was actually correct-there is indeed blood stagnation. The incense helped a little, but it only eased the pain for a short while. Once the effect wears off, the headache comes back just as strong,” Sebastian explained.
“Couldn’t Mr. Glover see the problem? After years of treatment, how can there be no improvement?”
“Needle treatment can help, and Mr. Glover’s efforts have been valuable, but the underlying issue remains unresolved. Plus, her constant overwork means the condition will keep recurring and likely worsen. Eventually, it could even become life-threatening.” Sebastian patted the medicine box. “I had Ivy pack enough medicine for a year. If Grand Princess Lisandra trusts me, she can still be saved.”
Sophie nodded slightly, her thoughts turning to the current situation between the two kingdoms. If Lisandra couldn’t manage things, it would be disastrous for Starhaven.
When they reached Concord Lodge, Sebastian and Ivy went inside, while Sophie waited outside. She planned to accompany Sebastian when he left, and Michael would come in to take over for her. What she thought would be a brief consultation turned into an hour. Sebastian still hadn’t come out, while Michael had already arrived and had been waiting for two hours.
Worried something had gone wrong, Sophie went to inquire with the Westhaven guards.
They led her straight inside, saying, “Grand Princess Lisandra has given orders. If you come to ask, we are to bring you in.”
This gesture of kindness made Sophie realize that the upcoming negotiations would likely be more manageable. Entering Lisandra’s room, she found the grand princess lying down for needle treatment, with over a dozen silver needles inserted into her neck and head.
Sebastian and Javier were both attending to her. While Javier knew
Venet how to perform needle treatment, inserting needles in the head and neck required extreme caution. He had been meticulous with his previous treatments, which had caused Lisandra’s condition to fluctuate between better and worse.
Now, Sebastian was personally demonstrating the needle placements to ensure Javier understood the right pressure points, explaining which needles needed to be inserted simultaneously. Meanwhile, Ivy was teaching the maids how to use massage techniques to help alleviate Lisandra’s headaches.
Sophie sat quietly to the side and waited. While she trusted Sebastian wouldn’t do anything dangerous, it gave her peace of mind to be there watching over the situation.
After about 15 minutes, the needles were finally removed.
Aria helped Lisandra sit up and asked, “Your Highness, how do you feel?”
Lisandra slowly rotated her head, first to the left, then to the right. A smile of relief spread across her face.
“It’s not hurting much anymore, though I feel a little dizzy.”
They all respected Sebastian deeply, so they spoke in Stellish in his presence.
Sebastian understood and responded, “The dizziness is normal right after the needles are removed. It will pass soon. Besides needle treatment, you must also take medicine to promote blood circulation and strengthen yo constitution. I’ve prepared everything. If you trust me, you can take it back with you, but if you’re hesitant, that’s fine too.”
“I trust you,” Lisandra replied.
Her headache had now greatly reduced, so how could she not trust him?
She gazed at Sebastian with gratitude. “Your skills are remarkable. Being treated by you during this trip to Starhaven has been one of the greatest rewards of my journey.”
Sebastian’s expression softened.
“Your Highness, you must take better care of yourself. In addition to needle treatment and medicine, you should also practice massage to promote circulation. And if possible, try doing some exercises that are beneficial for the muscles and joints.”
He paused as he opened his medicine box, then added, “To accomplish great things, you must have a healthy body. Otherwise, long-term stability will be out of reach.” Lisandra paused for a moment, then gave both Sebastian and Sophie a meaningful glance.
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Sophie was momentarily stunned. Sebastian’s words seemed to carry an underlying message, one that was not immediately clear. When Lisandra’s gaze met hers, Sophie calmly looked at the grand princess, her expression unreadable, as though she didn’t understand.
Sebastian was observant, and he was always able to read people deeply. His words must have been a reflection of his insight into the grand princess’ thoughts. After leaving the medicine, Sebastian made to leave, and Lisandra stood to see him off. She bowed deeply. “Thank you, Mr. Dalton. If you ever come to Westhaven, I will certainly show my gratitude properly.”
For some reason, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Sophie helped Sebastian while Ivy carried the medicine box, and the three of them left together.
Lisandra sat back down, watching as Javier opened the medicine bottle and checked the contents, though her focus seemed to wander.