Chapter 171 - Precious Mortelium

"Help! Help me catch that brat, he got the Mortelium plant." The Head Pharmacist looked at Vaughn and Zenia who just got off the carriage.

"My Mortelium plant?!" Zenia asked and suddenly dashed to the direction of the thief.

The Head Pharmacist suddenly stopped running when he saw Zenia ran past him and left a strong gust of wind. Vaughn only shook his head.

'This little devil…'

Lewis, the Head Pharmacist, gave Vaughn a puzzled look. Vaughn replied by shrugging his shoulders. Lewis looked at the direction that the thief and Zenia disappeared to.

The thief was fast, but Zenia was faster. It was a good thing that the chase happened inside the premises of the Royal Apothecary, and no one else was around. Zenia finally caught the little thief. It was a little lady around eleven or twelve years old.

She lifted the child and said, "You're a girl! Why did you do that?"

"Put me down, rude madam!" The little lady tried to shook herself free from Zenia's grasp.

Zenia held the little lady with both hands and stopped her from struggling too much.

"You're the rude one, you little twerp. You stole my Mortelium plant and now that you have been caught, you still act like what you did is right."

"It is just right! It was my grandfather who found the Mortelium plant. Instead of getting rewarded for it, the Left Minister punished him severely."

"Who found it? Your grandfather? HA! You make me laugh little lady. I found, picked, and brought that plant over here. Don't slander me! And what is this about the Left Minister?"

"My grandfather, he…uh…he…" The little lady tried her best to hold back the tears that eventually escaped from her eyes.

Zenia raised an eyebrow. The little lady was really good at pretending. But, she would not be able to escape the discerning eyes of Ishelon's number one schemer.

"Stop that! It won't work on me. I've seen better acting than yours."

The little lady wiped her tears away, "Fine! You've won my admiration. You're the first person in Tissuria who did not fall to that trick."

"Well, I'm not from Tissuria. So, your trick can still be considered flawless."

Zenia brought the little lady down and sat underneath the tree. "So tell me, why do you need the Mortelium plant? If your reasons are nobler than mine, I will give it to you."

The little lady looked surprised at Zenia's words.

"Really?!"

"Hey kid, I am someone who honors my words."

The little lady looked at Zenia, who was sitting comfortably on the lush, verdant grass. She sat beside her. The little lady felt that Zenia was someone she could trust.

"My name is Meredith Mion. It is true that my grandfather really found a Mortelium plant and showed it to the Left Minister. I think that was six or seven years ago - I can't remember the exact time. I heard they were going to use it to make a hynot…hypno… argh," the little lady shuffled her hair as she tried to recall the name and added, "It was a hypno something and powder."

Zenia thought for a while and said, "Hypnotic powder."

"Yes, that's it! I think the King needed it at that time."

Zenia was startled, "The King? What for?"

"Duh, it was the King who would be using it."

Zenia looked at the little lady who had no idea that she had just imparted an important piece of information to Zenia.

'I can ask her for the details later, right now…'

"Why does your grandfather need the Mortelium plant?"

"Oh, it is to concoct a better medicine for his illness. My grandfather was once a famous doctor in Tissuria. If you're not from here, you probably did not hear his name. He is Baron Gerard Mion. The Left Minister forced him to look for the Mortelium plant because no one in Tissuria, except my grandfather, knew what it looks like. My grandfather handed them the plant, but the Left Minister's group must've done something and made grandfather lose his family and title."

"But you're his granddaughter, aren't you? You're with him now."

Meredith shook her head, "Grandfather and I are not blood-related. He adopted me when my mother passed away, but his children refused. I worked as a helper so I could stay in the Mion Manor. When grandfather was stripped off of his title as Baron, his children were given an option by the Left Minister to side with him or lose their lavish lifestyle – they chose the former. They forcefully fed something to grandfather before he left the manor. I decided to accompany him."

"How did the two of you survive to this day?"

Meredith bowed her head, "I did a lot of menial jobs and I sometimes…"

"Steal?" Zenia asked the little lady.

Meredith nodded her head, "I had no other choice. It was hard to land a job. My grandfather may never get to live another day when I didn't do that."

"I understand," Zenia stood up and straightened her dress.

"Really? Can you give me the Mortelium plant now?" Meredith extended both of her hands to receive the plant.

"No."

Meredith became fl.u.s.tered, "Why not?! You already know that my grandfather needs it."

"I can do something much better for you," Zenia lightly tapped the nose of the little lady.

"Something even better?"

"Yes! Come, follow me."

Both of them went back to where Lewis and Vaughn were waiting. Lewis saw that Zenia was holding the Mortelium plant and smiled. He was about to take it from her when she hid it behind her back. Lewis' hand was left hanging on the air.

"Let's go inside, shall we? There are things we need to discuss with the young miss here." Zenia lightly pushed Meredith forward, and both men nodded their heads.

When they reached the office of the Head Pharmacist, Meredith told them everything that she told Zenia about what happened to Baron Mion.

"Right now, my grandfather is very sick. I heard that Mortelium can be an effective cure or poison. I already lost my mother and father, and I owe my grandfather so much." The little lady turned to Vaughn and continued, "Your Highness, my grandfather once mentioned that the Left Minister had been trying to transfer the title of Crown Prince to his grandson. If you can nourish my grandfather back to the peak of health, he may be able to help you bring down your common enemy – the Left Minister."

Zenia smiled while looking at Meredith, 'Not bad little lady. I can turn you into one of my deputies.'

Vaughn's expression became serious. He already knew the story behind Baron Mion's demise. He was uncertain at the time whether the Baron was the Left Minister's supporter. Based on what the little lady had told them, Baron Mion was not the Left Minister's supporter. He was targeted by the Left Minister because he refused to help him.

No one knew where the Baron had disappeared to after being thrown out of his own manor. His children accepted the offer of the Left Minister, and he decided to leave without fighting. It was Meredith who accompanied him.

"All right, let's see Baron Mion first."

Meredith's expression turned gloomy. Baron Mion could barely get out of bed. She bowed her head and put her hands on her knees while trying her best to sound calm.

"M-May I bother Your Highness to accompany me to where my grandfather is. He can barely move and talk."

Vaughn understood what the little lady wanted him to do, and he could give a bit more than expected. He had decided that helping Baron Mion could be a beneficial deal after all.

"Head Pharmacist, I believe that there's an unused courtyard somewhere in the huge garden of the apothecary. Why don't we let the Baron and his granddaughter stay there for a while?"

Lewis understood what Vaughn wanted him to do. He already pledged his allegiance to Vaughn and would do everything in his power to help the Crown Prince.

"I will make sure that no one will know that Baron Mion is under the protection of the Royal Apothecary."

Meredith was teary-eyed when she heard the statements of the two men.

"See? I told you it will be better," Zenia ruffled the little lady's hair.

The little lady looked at Zenia and hugged her tightly, "Thank you, Crown Princess. I will never believe another rumor again. You're not as bad as what I've heard – just a little rude."

"Hey!"

Meredith chuckled lightly and continued hugging Zenia who whispered in her ear, "You're welcome."

Back in the Palace of the Crown Prince, Verone's maids learned that the Crown Prince and Princess went out. They reported it immediately to Verone.

"Your Highness, we heard that the Crown Prince and Princess boarded their carriage and left the palace."

"Do you know where they went?"

The two maids, Tilda and Helena, shook their heads and turned pale. They were expecting a slap from Verone and braced themselves. However, nothing of the sort happened.

"Find out where they went," Verone gritted her teeth.

She was the Crown Prince's Second Wife, but he never showed her some importance or even respect. In Verone's view, the Crown Prince seemed to be smitten by the Crown Princess who looked so ordinary.

'What kind of love potion did she use to make the Crown Prince follow her? Perhaps the Crown Prince looks so hideous that he thinks Zenia is his best match so he won't feel insecure.'

Verone began to panic. What if the Crown Prince was so hideous? Would she be able to accept him as her husband? She thought about the man she met in Solaria. That man was the kind of husband that she wanted to marry. He was so caring toward his wife who looked below average. That woman was just slightly better looking than Zenia.

"Prepare my bathwater. I want to soak for a little while."

The maids followed the command of their mistress. They knew that she was depressed.

* * * * *

Lewis prepared two simple carriages. Vaughn and Zenia left their carriage inside the Royal Apothecary to avoid attracting attention. Meredith was feeling anxious when they left the Royal Apothecary to fetch Baron Mion and hoped that nothing bad happened while she was away. Lewis brought his medical box with him.

The ride became a little bumpy when they reached the road that led to the forest. Lewis and Meredith shared a carriage.

"How did you know that I was carrying a Mortelium plant in the box?" Lewis did not beat around the bush and asked Meredith directly.

"Oh, I can smell it."

"Smell it?"

"Yes, I can even smell the ingredients that go in each potion or elixir."

Lewis was skeptical and decided to test the little lady. He chose a potion from his medical box and asked the little lady to tell him the ingredients.

Meredith opened the bottle and sniffed it. "Water Gutweed, Mossycup Eytelia, Spice Thimbleweed, and Yellowbark Morel."

"Quite impressive."

Lewis rummaged through his medical box once more and chose something with complicated ingredients. He smiled when he saw it.

"How about this one?"

Meredith sniffed the content once more. "Chrysanthemum Juniper, Horsetail Thousand-Leaf, Fernleaf Feverbush, Honey Stickweed, Leatherleaf Yarrow, Cutleaf Olive, Speckled Fellenwort, Fernleaf Bush, Winter Lemon, Whiskey Bearberry, Tassel Cuc.u.mber, and Hay Lilac."

"You really are something. You know so many herbs and plants, and you're still so young. Where did you learn it?"

"Grandfather taught me. Among the people in the Mion Manor, I was the only one who was willing to assist him with his work. I was still a very young girl then."

Lewis patted Meredith's head, "You will be someone as great as Doctor Mion someday."

"I hope so too. I want to restore grandfather's title and let him enjoy a comfortable life."

Lewis did not utter another word again. He knew that the little lady wanted to be left alone for a while.

They finally entered the forest. Zenia kept looking outside. It was different from the usual places that she had been to in Tissuria. The air was clean and fresh. The calming scent of the different herbs and plants assaulted her nostrils. No one would suspect that people were living in the area.

When they reached their destination, an old man was sitting outside a dilapidated house. Meredith ran toward the old man when she saw him.

"Grandpa! Why did you go out?" She helped the old man up when he tried to stand.

"Where have you been? I told you not to leave the house."

"I brought people who can help us."

The old man's voice became stern, "I told you time and again not to trust anyone. What if they find us?"

Zenia felt that something was off and walked hurriedly to where Meredith and Baron Mion were standing.

"Hello, Baron Mion we are here to help you," Zenia said politely.

The Baron looked at the direction of the voice and looked intently at Zenia.

He gasped, "It's you!"