Chapter 72: Don’t use your power

"Liliana!" Silver shouted.

Liliana did not respond to Silver’s call. Blood trickled from her now-pale lips.

The Emperor said nothing and continued enjoying the food in front of him without the slightest disturbance.

Liliana struggled to look at the Emperor from beneath his table, hoping he would help her and put an end to this test.

But it was all in vain, until the door finally opened from the outside.

Leonhardt walked in calmly and stood before the Emperor without looking at Liliana first.

"This son has come to see you, Imperial Father," Leonhardt said.

"Do you want to take her away?" the Emperor asked.

Leonhardt nodded. "Yes, Father."

"You dare defy me and defend the daughter of Pack Draven?"

The pressure in the room increased rapidly as the Emperor stared at his own son.

"This son would never dare," Leonhardt replied. "However, as Father already knows, the Luna marked by the imperial family cannot simply die. She is the source of this son’s life," Leonhardt answered, a thin sheen of sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

Not long afterward, the door opened again. A palace guard rushed in and approached the Emperor. He whispered something into the Emperor’s ear in a low voice.

The Emperor finally raised his head and looked at Leonhardt. "Did you deliberately create this disturbance?"

"Imperial Father, you jest. This son is the successor you personally chose, raised, and blessed. This son would never dare defy you in the slightest."

The Emperor snorted and waved his hand, dismissing Leonhardt from his presence.

Leonhardt bowed slightly before walking toward Liliana, whose eyes were tightly shut and whose bloodied lips had begun to dry.

He lifted Liliana into his arms and carried her out of the Emperor’s palace. However, as he approached the door, the Emperor’s voice sounded again. It was quiet, but Leonhardt heard it clearly. Every word, every meaning, and even every hint of emphasis in his voice.

"I hope you truly had nothing to do with this, Leonhardt. Remember what the Draven Family did to your grandmother in the past."

Leonhardt stopped walking and nodded before continuing toward his own palace.

Liliana’s eyes remained closed, and her forehead was furrowed. It was clear that the poison the Emperor had given her in her food was no ordinary poison.

"Don’t use your power," Leonhardt said, reminding Silver when he sensed the wolf’s power about to heal its master. "Your master will die faster if you use your power to heal her," he added quietly through Liliana’s mind.

Silver growled at Leonhardt’s command, but eventually obeyed when he sensed the Emperor’s powerful aura surrounding the imperial palace.

Once they arrived at his palace, Leonhardt laid Liliana down on the bed.

"Summon the imperial physician," Leonhardt ordered his hidden subordinate.

The subordinate obediently nodded and hurried away to carry out the order without asking a single question.

Leonhardt sat right beside her and immediately placed a golden pill into Liliana’s mouth.

The medicine melted incredibly quickly and vanished at once, as if it had never been there.

"Your Highness, the physician has arrived," Leonhardt’s subordinate reported.

Leonhardt nodded. "Examine her," he ordered as the Emperor’s imperial physician entered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The physician approached and stood beside Liliana.

His hands moved, creating waves of light above the girl’s body.

A reddish-black light slowly emerged in response to his movements, seeping out little by little.

The physician’s eyes flashed briefly before the glimmer disappeared again.

Leonhardt noticed the flash but did not say a word, as though he had not noticed anything.

After nearly half an hour, the physician knelt before Leonhardt.

"Your Highness... please forgive this humble servant, but Miss Liliana’s condition is far too difficult to treat. I could only remove a small amount of the poison from her body."

"Is there a way?" Leonhardt interrupted.

"Your Highness..."

"Speak."

The physician cautiously raised his head. "The poison in Miss Liliana’s body is no ordinary poison. It acts extremely quickly and has already merged with her bloodstream. There are only two ways to save Miss Liliana in her current condition. Find the healing wolf that disappeared thousands of years ago, or seek treatment in the human world."

Leonhardt sat in his chair. He crossed his legs elegantly before looking at the physician again.

"However, given Your Highness’s noble status and the fact that Miss Liliana’s body has already reacted to the poison within her, this will be extremely difficult."

Leonhardt smiled. The aura of his imperial bloodline radiated from him without restraint, causing the physician to immediately prostrate himself.

"H-Humble servant..." he stammered.

"Is there no other way?" Leonhardt asked.

"Your Highness..."

"You know the consequences of lying to me, don’t you? Even if you serve the Emperor, I have never been willing to spare anyone who dares to lie to me."

The physician’s body trembled uncontrollably. Even the guard standing behind Leonhardt could smell the stench of urine coming from the physician.

"Isn’t your daughter still at the academy?" Leonhardt finally asked.

"Your... Your Highness... please don’t harm my daughter. I was only following the Emperor’s orders... I..."

Leonhardt waved his hand. The subordinate behind him stepped forward and stood beside him.

"Send my letter to Lucien. I want him to take care of this physician’s daughter without making a single mistake."

The subordinate nodded quickly. "Yes, Your Highness."

The physician stammered as he watched Leonhardt’s subordinate prepare to leave. He hurriedly crawled forward and grabbed Leonhardt’s leg.

"There is a way. There is still a way... Your Highness... please don’t touch my daughter. Let her continue living at the academy."

Leonhardt raised his hand, allowing his subordinate to return to his position behind him. He lowered his head, his golden eyes gazing at the physician pleading at his feet.

"Your Highness... the only way is..."

"Shh..." Leonhardt interrupted.

The physician cautiously raised his head and looked at Leonhardt in horror.

"Take your filthy hands off my leg first."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness..." the physician replied.

Leonhardt leaned down and whispered beside the physician’s ear, speaking so quietly that only the two of them could hear.

The physician swallowed several times but nodded rapidly.

"Just tell the Imperial Father what you were about to tell me. Tell him that the Crown Prince is using the last resort you prepared."

Leonhardt rose from his chair. "You can tell the Emperor that the Crown Prince threatened you with your daughter. Tell him everything. Understood?" he said in a low voice.