Chapter 4

Nancy began coughing up blood in the middle of the night.

All of the lights in the courtyard were lit up.

The elders of the Yore family, Edward, and Olivia surrounded Nancy as she lay on the bed.

I saw "Balms for Blindness" open on the table when they summoned me to her room. One of the pages had been circled with red ink.

Edward wiped his forehead and said, "The medicine that Ms. Jennings took didn't match the prescription. She wouldn't have vomited blood if the dosage hadn't been changed."

William's mother, Isabella Wright, looked at me and said, "The book belongs to you, Julia. Please explain yourself."

I walked over to the table and placed my finger next to the circle of red ink, saying, "Three and a half scoops were changed to seven scoops."

I looked up before continuing, "Interrogate Nancy's personal maid."

Nancy pressed a hand to her mouth as she lay on the bed. "I know that you dislike me, Julia, but Holly would never do such a thing."

She gripped the edge of the bed and pushed herself upright before continuing, "Interrogate me if you insist on interrogating someone. I don't mind enduring some hardship if I can prove Julia's innocence."

No one in the room said a word.

Olivia stepped forward and said, "Ms. Jennings is in bad shape, Ms. Julia. Saving her should be the priority."

"Do you also think that there's no need to investigate what happened?" I asked, looking at William.

William stood next to Nancy's bed. His hands curled into tight fists before he said, "Save her first."

"I won't touch the prescription until we get to the bottom of this," I said.

"Don't be stubborn, Julia," William snapped, looking at me.

"The book was tampered with, and yet you're accusing me of being stubborn," I retorted with a smile.

Nancy coughed out blood again.

William tightened his fists and said, "Save her according to the modified prescription."

"You want me to use the prescription that was tampered with to save her?" I asked.

"You know the properties of the medicinal herbs better than anyone else."

"If she lives, I would have saved her out of guilt. If she dies, I would have caused her death."

"I'll take responsibility."

"You can't."

No one in the room tried to change my mind again.

"You can't take responsibility for the Camerson family's reputation," I said while looking at him. "You also can't take responsibility for the past three years that I spent on you."

William looked away.

Nancy dabbed the corners of her eyes and said, "Don't force Julia, Will. If I don't survive the night, I'll accept it as my fate. I'm just worried that Julia will hate herself in the future."

"Nancy's life is on the line, Julia," Isabella said. "You're the lady of the Yore family. You can't be so stubborn."

I looked at the other Yores. None of them were looking at the book.

I reached out to grab "Balm for Blindness", but William pressed his palm to the page and refused to budge.

"Remove your hand," I said.

"Just because I couldn't see for the last three years doesn't mean that I'm clueless. The way you took care of me was to ensure that I would never leave you."

I leaned against the desk.

From William's perspective, I only read his official documents, tested medicine on myself, and tested roads because I didn't want him to leave me.

I pulled out my seal and travel pass and said, "I'm leaving today, William."

"Don't threaten me by leaving," William retorted, staring at the pass.

I circled him and headed outside, but William grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the medicine room.

I crashed against the desk and only regained my footing by bracing myself against it.

"Lock the doors!" he ordered, and the guards immediately blocked the exit.

He then stared at me, his eyes cold and dark. "You can forget about leaving Yore Manor if anything happens to Nancy tonight."

I didn't say a single word for a long time as I leaned against the desk.

Nancy looked down and forced the corners of her lips to stay down.

I let go of the desk and straightened my clothes. I then looked down and placed my seal, half of my emerald hairpin, and a bloodstained ribbon into the medicine box's secret compartment.

…

The medicine room was engulfed by flames in the middle of the night.

Amid the chaos, I grabbed the medicine box and sprinted to the backyard. I was already standing on the edge of the snowy cliff by the time the guards caught up to me.

The freezing waters rushed along the raging river below the cliff.

When dawn finally broke, the guards only managed to find my bloodied clothes and broken hairpin.

"Bad news! Ms. Julia has gone missing!"

The cup slipped from William's fingers.

An old household staff member, James Daniels, was shaking when he offered the medicine box to William.

There was a single sheet of paper in the secret compartment.

The color drained from William's face as he read the words. A metallic taste surged up his throat before he spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.