With the children in tow, Jonathan set off from the manor. The three little ones were very obedient along the way and remained silent.
Jonathan hesitated for a while before finally deciding to call Lucian, who answered the phone after just a few rings. “What is it, Jonathan?”
“Lucian, I… I went to pick up Archie, but Benny and Essie insisted on tagging along too, so I brought them all with me…” he said nervously. After all, he had made the call to bring Benny and Estella along without knowing whether it would end up causing more trouble.
He thought Lucian would have a few stern words for him, but to his surprise, the latter was quiet for a few seconds before calmly giving his consent. “Okay, got it. Put the call on speaker so I can talk to them.”
Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately turned on the speakerphone and said to the children, “Your daddy wants to chat with you.”
The trio’s eyes lit up when they heard that. They leaned forward eagerly as though they could see Lucian through the screen and said, “Daddy! How’s Mommy?”
Their question sent a sharp pang shooting through Jonathan’s heart. He clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead, studiously trying not to catch a glimpse of the kids’ innocent faces.
On the other end of the line, Lucian also fell silent for several seconds before answering evasively, “Her condition has gotten a little bit more serious, but she has written out the prescription. We just need Archie’s help to gather the medicinal herbs. You don’t have to be too worried.”
Lucian’s response made Benny and Estella feel slightly more at ease. We’re confident in Mommy’s medical skills. Since she has prepared the prescription, everything will be okay!
“Will we be able to see Mommy when we’re there?” they asked expectantly. Lucian’s eyes darkened. “She’s waiting at the hospital. You need to come straight to the research institute.”
The children were a little disappointed to hear that, but they knew it was not the time to whine. They had no choice but to agree obediently.
“Remember to be good when you arrive so that you don’t cause trouble for Archie,” Lucian reminded them in a deep voice. In their piping voices, Benny and Estella replied, “We will.”
Lucian did not say anything more to them after that. He merely said to Jonathan, “That’s all, then. I’ll wait for you guys at the research institute.”
Jonathan murmured an acknowledgment and ended the call. Lucian put away his phone and strode into the research institute where Peregrine, Madilyn, and Linda were waiting for him.
“You’re here, Mr. Farwell.” Upon seeing him walk in, Madilyn asked anxiously, “How’s Roxanne now? Is someone watching over her?”
Lucian nodded. “I’ve instructed the specialists to watch over her.” Then, he turned to Peregrine and handed him the prescription Roxanne had written. “Old Mr. Lomax, here’s the prescription Roxanne came up with just now. Please have a look at it.”
The older man took it and studied it for a few minutes with a heightening look of interest in his gaze. Roxanne drafted this prescription in such a short span of time and while afflicted by a deadly poison. I was almost at my wit’s end, but this young lady is surprisingly amazing! Although there appear to be a few flaws here and there, this prescription covers the main components. All I need to do is add a few other medicinal herbs to strengthen the body and reduce any risks.
After reading until the end, he exclaimed, “I knew I didn’t make an error in judgment!”
The others looked at him in confusion. Turning to Lucian, Peregrine said in a tone of awe and admiration, “You’ve found yourself a treasure, my boy! That girl is a genius indeed!”
Lucian smiled grimly at the mention of Roxanne. “I’ll just need your help to check that there are no mistakes with the medicinal herbs.”
Peregrine nodded and asked Linda for a pen. Then, he scribbled a few more medicinal herbs at the bottom. As he wrote, he clicked his tongue in admiration. “She’s truly talented. What a genius! I can’t believe she figured out that the antidote from Jack was only a medicine to delay the effects of the poison and even managed to work out an antidote based on that. Impressive!”
His words of praise for Roxanne did nothing to lift Madilyn’s spirits. Even if she’s a genius, she still didn’t manage to escape from experiencing such pain. Soon, Peregrine had finished tweaking the prescription.
Linda was so anxious that she stood up and suggested, “Since Archie isn’t here yet, why don’t I help prep some of the herbs first?”
“These medicinal herbs listed here aren’t very common, so you must be careful. Make sure not to take the wrong ones,” Peregrine cautioned while handing her the prescription.
She hummed in acknowledgment. When she lowered her head and glanced at the prescription, however, she was somewhat dumbfounded.
I assumed Old Mr. Lomax meant that only a few aren’t that common. This prescription contains over twenty medicinal herbs, but I never thought they’d all be rarely used herbs! Although I’ve worked at the research institute for some time, I’ve been handling more administrative matters for the most part. That’s why I’m not very familiar with where each medicinal herb is stored, and the ones I do recall aren’t even listed here.
Afraid that she would only create more of a mess for Roxanne, Linda had no choice but to abandon her good intentions and gloomily return the prescription to Peregrine. “I’m sorry, Old Mr. Lomax. Let’s wait for Archie to get here first.”
Peregrine drew his brows together in confusion. “Our research institute has hundreds of medicinal herbs. We had them sorted and categorized previously, but finding these twenty-old rare medicinal herbs is still a little difficult for me. Only Archie can remember where they are,” Linda explained. The mention of Archie’s name again piqued Peregrine’s curiosity further. “Who’s this Archie?”
Linda’s eyes flitted to Lucian.
“He’s my and Roxanne’s son,” Lucian answered. Peregrine nodded in understanding. “Ah, no wonder! Children of parents with brilliant minds usually turn out to be gifted as well.”
Madilyn’s expression changed slightly, and she glanced at Lucian suspiciously. From his tone, it sounds as though he already knows Archie and Benny are his children. On second thought, that isn’t very likely. Roxanne shouldn’t have had the chance to tell him. He probably only said that because he has genuinely accepted them as his own.
As that thought crossed her mind, she felt a wave of bittersweet sadness wash over her. It’s the day we’ve finally been waiting for! Oh, I do hope nothing happens to Roxanne!
The group continued waiting anxiously for Archie to arrive. Ten minutes later, a flurry of footsteps sounded from the corridor.
Everyone in the laboratory sprang to their feet in unison and rushed to the door. There, they saw Jonathan hurrying toward them with the three children..
Jonathan was walking so fast that the kids had to jog to keep up with him, yet they did not complain about feeling tired.
“Daddy!” Spotting Lucian at the door, Benny and Estella sped up and threw themselves into his arms. Archie, however, restrained himself and hung. back. He looked at Madilyn and said, “Aunt Madilyn, let’s go and gather the medicinal herbs.”
I haven’t forgotten why I’m here, and I understand just how urgent the situation is. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been necessary to send Mr. Queen to get me in the middle of the night.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.