Ch. 821..830

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 821-While Frank took Kat out on a joyride in the Maserati, Ned Janko had returned to his old house.

As he rushed toward his father's bedroom, he immediately found his brother's six-year old son, Hal, outside the door.

Hal was playing with his water gun with the servants and promptly trained the gun on Ned's face when he saw him.

"Hahaha!!!" He clapped his thighs as he left Ned's face and clothes soaking wet, even insulting him with a limerick. "What exactly happened to Ned? Well, his stud kicked him right in the head!"

"You little…!" Ned glared at the child furiously even as he pushed his wet bangs off his face.

He certainly could slap the child for his insults, but he could not—if he laid a finger on his nephew, his own brother would just beat him up instead.

"Hmph," he snorted, gritting his teeth and ignoring the child as he strode into his father's bedroom. His father's health was more urgent, after all.

"Haha! Coward!" Hal laughed as he left. - Inside the room filled with traditional decorations, a man with ashen hair and a purple face, his eyes tightly shut as he lay in bed, unconscious.

It was Ned's father and the current head of the Janko family, Ciril Janko.

Yed Janko, Ned's brother, was the tall, scrawny man standing beside Ciril's bed.

"Where have you been?! Father's been poisoned!" Yed's eyes flashed sharply as he wheeled on Ned.

Ned flinched, trembling and sweating bullets as his face turned pale. "I-I was just out on a stroll—"

"Out on a stroll?!" Yed strode up and seized Ned by the collar, growling icily, "Is there really such a perfect coincidence? You stepped out for a moment, and Dad ended up poisoned?!"

"We're right. He's definitely the one who poisoned Ciril… No one else has a motive." The woman sitting by Ciril's bed and holding his hand spoke up just then.

She was Paula Mill, Ciril's second wife whom he had married after the passing of Yed and Ned's mother.

Her tears were gushing even as she glared at Ned. "You're holding a grudge because your father chose Yed as his successor, don't you? How could you be so selfish?!"

"I-I'm not!"

Ned could tell immediately that both Yed and Paula were conspiring against him, and reasoning was pointless.

More frustratingly, his own brother had to poison their father just to hasten his succession!

He was certainly seething and wanted to burn all bridges against Yed right then.

However, his family was a family of martial artists, and Yed was of Birthright rank.

Even if Ned trained in secret and built himself up, he had only just reached Birthright rank himself. He would not win against Yed, and if he started a fight here, he would definitely be getting the blame for poisoning their father.

His spite was ablaze, but he had no choice but to hold back.

"Uncle…"

That was when he felt someone tug on his sleeve.

He turned in reflex to see that Hal had followed him inside and promptly shot his water gun at his face when he turned!

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 822-"Hahaha…"

Hal threw down his water gun and laughed heartily, while Ned touched his own face.

The 'water' that Hal had just sprayed him with was warm and had an indescribable stench.

Glaring at Hal who was giving him a gleeful mocking look, he cracked his knuckles audibly.

Paula snapped at him right then, "What do you think you are doing, Ned?! Are you going to beat up your nephew in your father's presence?! How dare you!"

"I-I'm not." Ned sighed as he eased his knuckle.

Hal laughed even loudly at that, even leaping up, punching Ned repeatedly in the knees while he did, "Get down on your knees! My daddy is right here!"

"Hal."

Yed suddenly spoke, frowning.

Hal paused, asking, "What is it, Daddy?"

Ned thought Yed was going to stop Hal, only for Yed to snort. "Why are you touching him? He's filth."

"Okay." Hal nodded obediently and stamped heavily on Ned's foot before fleeing to Yed's side, repeatedly sticking his tongue out at Ned.

Ned almost snapped right then but ultimately held back—he had been biding his time for years, and this was nothing.

"Ciril!" A thunderous voice that left the house shaking resounded just then.

A group of thirtyish thuggish people suddenly charged inside the room, led by a stout man who was topless and wore gold chains.

It was Lothar Janko, Ciril's younger brother and Ned's uncle. He had completed Birthright rank and was almost unrivaled in Morhen as a local gangster who ruled over the outer reaches of the city.

Most importantly, he was one of the few members in the Janko family who did not scorn Ned.

The ones following him were Janko retainers, and they all stood in formation with their hands clasped behind their back.

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 823-Yed leveled a suspicious glare at Ned just then, snapping sharply and bluntly, "Not everyone can get their hands on such a terrible poison, and we all know how affable my father is—no one has a motive other than Ned. Dad was in a room alone with him for over an hour last night. I'm sure he did it at that time!"

"Do you have evidence?" Lothar asked, shooting Yed a look.

He was no fool—Yed was the most ambitious in the family, while Ned was always cowering and never straying out of line.

No matter how Lothar thought about it, he was not convinced that Ned would ever go that far.

Instead, it was Yed who was the most suspicious.

"I-I didn't poison Dad," Ned braced himself and argued his case. "Why would I do something like that? Don't try to slander me, Yed…"

"What, are you talking back to me?!" Yed's eyes flashed dangerously and he strode up toward Ned, ready to beat him up.

"How dare you snap at Daddy, eunuch!" Hal chimed in.

"Enough!" Lothar bellowed, his expression icy. "No infighting until we found out what happened, Yed! If you insist it's Ned, then show some evidence! Coercion won't help your case!"

Yed laughed coolly right then. "But I have evidence, Uncle Lothar!"

Ned looked up, taken aback—Yed had evidence!

At the same time, Yed whipped out his phone to show a security camera recording of Paula walking through the hallway.

She was carrying a tray with a teapot, and Ned came up to her, taking the tray eagerly and saying he would take it to his father.

He then disappeared into a dead angle before reappearing and bringing the tea to Ciril's room.

"This is slander!" Ned cried in agitation after seeing the recording. "I was coming here to speak with Dad about the Sunblazers!"

Yed strode up and seized him by the collar. "Then why did you disappear from the cameras?! What were you doing there?!"

"I-I didn't do anything!" Ned cried. "The cameras missed me, that's all! I'd never poison Dad—what good would that do for me?!" "Hah! What good, you say?!"

Paula snorted as she chimed in. "You're just jealous he chose Yed to be his successor and wanted petty revenge!"

'What…" Ned was frustrated but had no way of arguing back.

In the end, it was Lothar who stood up for him, grabbing Yed by the wrist and growling icily, "Boy, the video might work as evidence, but it's not enough. Yes, the cameras didn't cover every angle, but the duration between Ned appearing and disappearing matches the pace he was walking in. In other words, he never hid there."

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 824-Lothar finished, "Right now, the priority is to get help for Ciril. I've sent for Abel Loggins from the capital —he'll be here soon."

At those words, Yed released Ned's collar while growling, "You're lucky this time!"

Ned stumbled backward, his brows knitted in frustration.

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about," Lothar suddenly said, looking between everyone pointedly.

"Ciril is Ascendant rank—once he regains consciousness, who and how he was poisoned would be revealed. He'd know better than anyone. If any of you are

present, I will not hold back. This is an attempt on my brother's life, and it entails a summary execution!"

Paula's fingers twitched at Lothar's threat, her expression unnatural as she sneaked a look at Yed.

Yed nodded at her in turn, assuring her to stay calm since they would never be exposed.

After all, they knew better than anyone that Ciril had been poisoned with the Taut Snow Tree.

The Taut Snow Tree sounded like a tree, but it was anything but—it was the one of most potent poisons that Hundred Bane Sect had in their disposal. It was meant for use against Ascendant ranks and named for the symptoms the victims exhibited.

If the poison was not cleared in a day, the ice-type poison would permeate their body, disabling their ability to regulate their body temperature.

At that point, they would die frozen stiff, like a tree in the snow.

There was actually a simple cure to it—one just had to cover themselves in the golden sands of the northwest and charge oneself with pure vigor to clear out the poison.

However, two factors worked against that. The first was that the poison acted quickly and confounded the mind.

The second was that even if martial elites recognized the poison, golden sand was not easily available.

In other words, there was just no stopping the Taut Snow Tree in time, and one could only watch as the victim became a 'snow tree' themselves.

Soon, Abel Loggins rushed to the scene, led inside by the men Lothar sent.

Abel's hair and beard was white, and he stood aside as he studied Ciril for a long while.

Eventually, he shook his head and sighed. "It's too late…!"

Lothar hurried to him and asked, "What's the problem, Mr. Loggins? What has my brother been poisoned with? Can't it be treated?"

Abel shook his head helplessly. "This poison is called the Taut Snow Tree. It's a poison that Hundred Bane Sect wields—virtually undetectable, it's almost too late when it's finally discovered. It's ice-type, and only the golden sand of the northwest is needed to treat it in a day… judging the time since the poison took effect, it's been almost a day now. You should arrange for his funeral matters."

Abel sighed again and started to leave.

"Wait, what?!" Lothar hurried to stop him, pleading, "Please, Mr. Loggins! You have to do something. My brother has led a grand life, and he really doesn't deserve such a horrible death! Just help him. I'll agree to anything you might ask!"

Nearby, Ned could see the sincerity in Lothar's gaze and sighed lengthily.

As biological brothers, the bond between Lothar and Ned's father Ciril was genuinely fire forged.

In contrast, Yed was ready to frame him or even kill him just to succeed their father as head of the family.

Talk about lamentable.

That was when Ned suddenly touched his pocket and found a yellow pill, and he did a double take.

"Ice-type poison. Right!" He abruptly remembered the pill that Frank passed to him at the bar, calling it a Yellow Shrive or something, that would temporarily stop the poison and buy time.

With that in mind, he quickly took the pill out of his pocket.

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 825-However, Yed saw Ned walking toward their father and taking out a yellow pill, and he promptly bellowed, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Before Ned realized what was happening, Yed had leapt up, knocking the pill out of his hand and stamping it into pieces.

Naturally, his overreaction caught Abel and Lothar's attention. "What? What's going on here?"

"Uncle Lothar!" Yed bellowed as he pointed at the remains of the yellow pill.

"That bastard was going to feed father some poisoned pill, but I noticed in time and destroyed it!"

"It's not poison!" Ned retorted loudly to clear the suspicion against him despite his doubts. "It's a pill given to me by Mr. Lawrence! It can stop the poison and keep father alive for another few days!"

"Mr. Lawrence who?!" Paula chimed in, shrieking. "The way I see it, you're worried that Mr. Loggins can save Ciril now that he's here, and you want to poison him dead! You're despicable!"

"I'm not!" Ned bellowed, wheezing.

"The proof is right here, and you're still trying to lie your way out of this?!" Yed bellowed, grabbing him the wrist sand squeezing.

Even as Ned dropped to his knees, sweating buckets in pain, Yed growled, "I guess this Mr. Lawrence who sold you the poison must be from Hundred Bane Sect! Do you really think that you can run after we saw what you did with our eyes?! Die!"

"Stop!" someone shouted before Yed could kill Ned.

Surprisingly, it was not Lothar but Abel.

He had hurried over and dropped to a crouch, brushing his finger over the remains of the pill and tasting it.

"What? Impossible!" he soon exclaimed in shock.

"What? Isn't that poison, Mr. Loggins?" Lothar came over, frowning in worry.

"No… No! Far from it!" Abel shook his head repeatedly, his expression excited.

"It's just… There's hope for Mr. Janko yet!"

"What?!"

While everyone gape in shock, Abel turned eagerly to Ned. "Young man, where did you get this pill?"

"Ah." Ned was still stunned, surprised that a pill that Frank threw him so nonchalantly left a man with Abel's reputation so enthusiastic.

He refrained from telling the whole story, frowning instead as he said, "My friend, Mr. Lawrence, gave it to me. He said it will work against ice-type poisons."

"Exactly!" Abel nodded repeatedly as he pressed keenly, "Do you have more?"

"No, just the one…" Ned muttered blankly.

"Oh…" Abel appeared disappointed but turned towards Lothar urgently since that was not the point.

"Go! Gather what remains of the pill, mix it with water and feed it to your brother!"

"What?!" Lothar did a double take, surprised that the pill Ned took out would send Abel into such a frenzy.

Beside him, Yed asked in disbelief, "Are you sure, Mr. Loggins? That pill. Will it really save my father?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Abel snapped impatiently. "I remember reading it in an old medical text. It's called the yellow something."

"My friend called it the Yellow Shrive," Ned suggested with perfect timing.

"Yes, that's it!" Abel exclaimed

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 826-Abel was clicking his tongue, impressed. "The recipe for the Yellow Shrive should have been lost in time, only for me to encounter one here, today… The sun has yet to set on traditional Draconia medicine!"

"Traditional Draconia medicine?" Yed scoffed in obvious contempt.

Abel snorted in turn. "Boy, don't think that traditional Draconia medicine loses out to foreign medicine. The only issue is that most of our discipline has been lost in time—otherwise, foreign medicine cannot even hope to catch up to our pride!"

"No, Mr. Loggins. I'm just curious," Yed groaned. "From the way you said it before, my father's condition was beyond saving, and now you're saying that a

simple pill can bring him back to life?"

"Yes!" Abel exclaimed confidently.

With that, they watched as a servant picked up the powdered remains of the Yellow Shrive carefully.

However, just as he mixed it with water and was about to feed it to Ciril, Hal whipped out a pebble out of nowhere and threw it squarely at his face!

The servant fell with the bowl he was holding, its contents spilling everywhere— there was no recovering anything this time!

As everyone stared in shock and the air in the room turned stiff, Hal was laughing loudly and pointing at the servant. "Dad, just look at his face! Hahaha.

It's killing me."

Abel, fuming and bristling, bellowed, "It seems that the boy is too spoiled, and there's no chance of saving Mr. Janko now. In that case, I have no reason to stay. Farewell!"

As Abel turned to leave, Hal was laughing even more loudly. "Oh, geezer! Why are you leaving? Aren't you going to save Grandpa?"

"Bastard!" Lothar could kill Hal right then, but he had priorities and rushed to Abel, pleading, "Please, just wait. Mr. Loggins."

Their voices faded into the distance, but Lothar eventually returned, scowling.

"Lothar? What did he say?" Paula asked tentatively Lothar merely shook his head, too frustrated to speak.

Meanwhile, the servant earlier was bawling in fear and slapping himself endlessly. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Janko! I-I deserve to die."

"You mook! You can't even hold a bowl steady!" Yed bellowed furiously. "What do I even keep you around for?! Someone get in here, and cut him into tiny pieces!"

"Hold it!"

Ned suddenly bellowed as he strode up, bracing himself against Yed's glare.

He was suddenly no longer his usual stammering, cowering self as he demanded coolly, "What did he do wrong? Shouldn't we be punishing a certain brat instead?!"

"What?!" Yed's brow furrowed at his words, bellowing, "What the fuck did you just say, Ned?! I'll kill you!"

"Funny, that's what I was going to say!" Ned bellowed, pointing at Yed's nose and scolding him back.

"Y-You… How dare you!"

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 827-Yed never expected Ned to fight back, and a death aura spilled out of him right there.

Paula joined in right then. "Watch your tongue, Ned! That's your brother you're talking to!"

"Eunuch!" Hal snapped too. "How dare you snap at my daddy! Die!"

The boy leapt forward, ready to hit Ned, when he suddenly bellowed, "Enough!"

Then, seizing Hal by the collar, Ned slapped Hal so heavily the boy was bleeding from the mouth, and immediately bawling in terror. "Daddy! Help me^"

Yed's eyes went red as he bellowed, "Let him go! That's an order, or I'm killing you right now!"

"Are you showing your true colors now?!" Paula shrieked as well.

"Fuck off! I've had enough of either of you!" Ned bellowed and turned toward Lothar. "You saw what happened, Uncle Lothar! You can see who's not so keen to save, don't you?!"

Lothar's eyes flashed darkly in turn.

In a split second, he snatched Hal out of Ned's grasp, and…

Smack!

Smack!

With two resounding slaps, the spoiled brat was knocked out.

"Uncle Lothar?!" Yed's heart could break at the sight of Lothar's violent punishment. "He's just a child. He doesn't know anything! How could you do this?!"

"It's all your fault!" Ned bellowed in rage. "You spoiled him to no end, and now he ended up killing Father! If the worst happens, I swear you'll be buried too!"

"Insolence! It seems I've been playing nice for too long!" Yed bellowed, his pure vigor bursting as he leapt up, ready to kill Ned.

However, Ned had been seething too—not longer holding back, he charged his vigor and met Yed's oncoming blow!

Pow!

Knuckles collided, and Ned was sent stumbling backward and hitting a wall.

However, Yed was stunned too. "What."

"Surprised, brother?!" Ned coolly spat out a mouthful of bloody spit as he straightened himself. "I'm Birthright rank too!"

"Enough!" Lothar strode up just then, standing between the brothers and snapping coolly, "How unseemly—your father is dying, and you boys are still bickering?!"

Once he ensured that both men were keeping a distance, Lothar turned to Ned.

"Where did your friend get that pill? Maybe you can contact him—ask if he has more. You can have a blank check as long as it saves your father."

That was when Paula chimed in, "Did you forget, Lothar? The boy is still being suspected of poisoning Ciril. We should think about this."

"Shut up!" Lothar wheeled on Paula right then, bellowing icily, "Do you have any ideas other than this? Or maybe you're just not keen to save Ciril?!"

"I."

Paula kept quiet right then, knowing that she should not press her luck.

Ned whipped out his phone in turn. "I'll call Mr. Lawrence now, Uncle Lothar, but I'm unsure if he has more Yellow Shrives with him."

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 828-Frank was taking Kat out on a joyride in his Maserati.

They had covered a lap around the outer reaches of Morhen and were returning to the cottage when he received Ned's call.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lawrence, but I would like to ask for a favor…" Ned asked right away.

He certainly understood the true depth of Frank's abilities, now that even a famed healer like Abel Loggins was swooning over some traditional pill Frank took out so nonchalantly.

Knowing that Frank was far more than what he seemed, Ned kept his tone as humble as possible.

"Ah, Mr. Ned Janko." Frank nodded on the other end. "What's the issue?

Perhaps something unexpected happened, and my pill didn't work?"

Beside Frank, Kat exclaimed in surprise, "Ned Janko? As in the second son of Ciril Janko, who's rumored to be gay?!"

Smiling, she leaned away from Frank, as if deliberately keeping her distance.

"So that's how it is," she muttered under her breath. "That's why you're not interested in me. You're gay!"

"Shove it." Frank scowled at her.

At the same time, Ned said from the other end, "No, Mr. Lawrence. It's not the pill. It's just that things are a little complicated here. Do you have more of those pills?"

"Oh, uh." Frank was about to say that he did but soon had an idea. "That was the last one."

"What?!" Ned was taken aback and groaned despondently. "Well, I guess it's just not meant to be. I'm hanging up now, Mr. Lawrence."

"Wait!" Lothar cried anxiously before Ned could hang up. "Are you stupid, Ned?

If that gentleman could make such a pill, he just might be able to save your father!"

Snatching Ned's phone, Lothar then asked urgently but politely, "Sir. Mr.

Lawrence, I'm Lothar Janko. Would you mind coming over to our residence to treat my brother? Don't worry—I will pay you whether you succeed, as long as you come over. How about that?"

"Oh, just give it a rest." Paula rolled her eyes nearby, muttering under her breath. "You expect a piece of shit like Ned could actually make friends with anyone important? Sounds more like a conman to me."

"Exactly," Yed agreed. "Do you really think he can save Father, Uncle Lothar?

That'd make him better than Abel Loggins, and I've never heard of such a person in Morhen. Stepmother is right—it has to be a conman."

Shut up, both of you!" Lothar barked, his eyes flashing murderously and silencing both men.

That was when Frank chuckled from the other end. "Heh. It sounds really lively on your end… Did someone just call me a conman?"

Embarrassed, Lothar replied humbly, "Oh, it's just some impudent whippersnappers running their mouths. Don't worry—we will pay you ten million dollars as long as you come, whatever happens!"

"What?! Ten million?!" Paula exclaimed in clear discontent.

She then wheeled on Ned, still doubtful the brat would know anyone important.

On the other end, Frank was grinning in amusement. "Actually, I don't mind helping, and I'm confident I can succeed—but my fee is one hundred million.

Also, it has to be the person who called me a conman who pays me. How about that?"

"Wha… a hundred million?!" Kat gaped beside Frank, even scratching her ears and wondering if she was hearing things.

"Who is this conman?" Yed glowered in turn. "He has the audacity to demand a hundred million?!"

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 829-Lothar turned toward Yed, asking coolly, "What's the problem, Yed? Is your father's life not worth a hundred million? Or maybe you never wanted him to be saved?!"

"W-What are you saying?!" Yed was sweating from his uncle's icy glare and chuckling awkwardly. "Of course I want my dad to get better. I'm just worried that the conman would mess up and make things worse…"

"Hmm?" Frank murmured over the line just then. "It seems you're not keen for my help. In that case, there's nothing to discuss."

"Wait!" Lothar cried before Frank could hang up. "Alright, a hundred million is it.

Yed agrees to it."

Then, turning toward Yed with a murderous glare, he barked, "Say it!"

"Fine. a hundred million it is," Yed replied, cursing Lothar inwardly.

If not for his uncle's interference, he would have eliminated Ned by now and become the Jankos' sole heir.

"Tut, tut. You sound so reluctant." Frank chuckled, steering the car even as Kat gaped at him. "I've changed my mind now—I want 200 million."

"What?!" Yed flew into a rage, grabbing the phone from Lothar and bellowing at Frank, "How dare you raise the price?! I'll kill you! No one gets to mess with us Jankos in Morhen and live to tell the tale!"

Frank did not bother to threaten Frank in turn, instead saying slowly and nonchalantly, "400 million."

"Son of a—"

"Eight hundred million."

"Stop!" Yed was huffing even as he braced himself against Lothar's murderous glare, crying, "Fine! Eight hundred million, that's the deal! I'll pay you if you save my father, alright?!"

Frank laughed. "Now that's a good boy. Send me the address."

Yed certainly felt humiliated, though he was also celebrating inwardly.

Eight hundred million? So what? He would never get paid once he came within Janko Gardens.

At that point, he was the one who called the shot!

Yed's mind steeled with savagery at the very thought!

Woah." Kat was gasping as Frank's Maserati sterned inside Janko Gardens soon enough.

She had never seen anything like this. The gardens seemed to stretch on forever, and it was in Morhen where every acre of land was worth its weight in gold!

In fact, Frank had to drive for another ten minutes after passing the front gates before reaching an actual building.

"So this is how Morhen's upper class live? It's just… Urgh." Kat was left at a loss for words, looking everywhere in curiosity.

She appeared even more of a bumpkin than Frank, even though Frank was the one who came from elsewhere.

Eventually, they arrived at a white mansion, where Ned and his family were on hand to receive him.

Frank could guess the relationship implied almost in an instant.

"Hmph. I knew he was a conman. He looks so young." Paula was sneering nearby.

Yed certainly agreed, and even Lothar could not help frowning.

The Girlboss Begs for Remarriage Chapter 830-Everyone was scowling harder especially when they saw Kat—a brat looking around, curious about everything around her.

On the other hand, Ned did not hesitate and approached Frank right away.

"Welcome, Mr. Lawrence," Ned greeted Frank, while adding under his breath, "My answer to your proposal before… Please, you have to save my father."

"Yeah." Frank flashed an assuring smile at him and clapped him on the shoulder.

Kat smiled awkwardly when she saw that, and Frank shot her a sideways glare, knowing what was on her mind.

Lothar chuckled heartily and greeted Frank as well. "So you must be the Mr.

Lawrence that Ned has been talking about? May I have the honor of your name?"

Frank nodded and replied neutrally, "Frank Lawrence."

"Frank Lawrence.?" Lothar was disappointed inwardly since he had never heard of the name, but he hid it well.

After Frank entered the mansion with both men, Abel returned.

Yed had sent for him—he was keen to see if Ned's friend would actually walk his talk.

And if the brat was lying, Yed knew that Abel would be able to tell immediately.

With that, he would be able blame Ned and the brat for everything and send the family returns to take them down!

On the other hand, Abel was not plotting.

As soon as he arrived, he approached Frank, greeting him politely and asking, "Mr. Lawrence, may I ask if you were the one who refined that Yellow Shrive pill?"

"Yes." Frank nodded.

"Oh." Abel nodded but was already skeptical.

He had presumed that it was Frank's mentor or someone senior who cooked the Yellow Shrive, and he was now dead sure that Frank was just bluffing.

"If I may be frank, wasn't the Yellow Shrive a lost recipe in traditional Draconia medicine?" he asked vaguely. "You're so young—"

"Oh, so you're doubting me, sir?" Frank turned toward him with an enigmatic smile.

"No, of course not. I'm just curious." Abel smiled and sighed. "I can see that the pill was refined masterfully, and not the work of youth—"

"Nothing's impossible." Frank waved him off impatiently. "I was asked here to treat a patient, not to be doubted. And since none of you trust me, I shall make myself scarce."

Nodding, he started to leave, but Ned quickly stopped him with an apologetic smile. "Please calm down, Mr. Lawrence. They're just wary since you're very young—it's only normal."

Lothar agreed. "Ned's right. Don't worry, Mr. Lawrence—I have no intention of doubting you. Come this way."

On the other hand, Yed waited and as Frank and the others headed to Ciril's bedroom before catching Abel by the arm and asking under his breath, "What do you think about the boy, Mr. Loggins?"

"I can't say…" Abel frowned, shaking his head. "The way I see it, he's most likely not a proper healer since he didn't bring a single medical tool. There's a good chance he wasn't the one who refined that Yellow Shrive too."

"So, you're saying." Yed trailed off, delight already showing on his face.

"Yeah." Abel nodded. "He's most likely a conman. He must have gotten that pill from elsewhere and is hoping to cozy up to your brother."