Chapter 173 - Truth and Confession

"When they were young, they used to play together. Odessa was such a tomboy with short hair and all. Lewis really thought she was a boy. They were like brothers. When they started attending school, he found out that Odessa was actually a girl."

"So their relationship turned sour?"

"No. They became the best buddies. Lewis did not mind that Odessa was a girl, and they continued to be best of friends. Other guys their age began to tease Lewis that he looked like a girl because Odessa looked more masculine than him. He began to drift away from Odessa, but he was not satisfied with his new male friends."

"Did Odessa cling to him?"

"Of course not! Look at Lewis, would you cling to him if you were Odessa?"

"Yeah, I got your point," Zenia agreed while looking at Lewis from head to foot, "Although he doesn't look bad."

"To continue…when they turned sixteen, their families announced that they were actually engaged to be married. The news reached the public, and Lewis' so-called friends began to mock him. Odessa was so busy with school and all while Lewis was just a normal teenager who did not care about anything but have fun. Neither of them was interested in getting married. Odessa refused the engagement and thought that she was giving Lewis a favor. She left on an expedition right after that and only came back after so many years. Lewis spent his time studying the different herbs under the tutelage of the former Head Pharmacist who happened to be his grandfather."

"He became a shut-in teener?"

"Well, that would be the best way to describe it. He enjoyed the peace and never returned to having a social life."

"Wow, that's pathetic…"

"Says someone who had a social life in her teen years," Vaughn chuckled.

"At least I interact with people."

Zenia saw Odessa jot something down on her record book. She did not wait to be called and went to ask Odessa herself. Vaughn followed his wife.

"How is Doctor Hugo?"

"It's a good thing that the poison has not reached the bones yet, but his body must be nourished properly. We need to nourish his body first to make sure that he can withstand any side effects that the treatment may bring. I can still get rid of the poison in his body, but he has age-related health problems that are making things difficult."

"Thank you, Doctor Odessa."

Odessa wrote the prescription and called Lewis over. She explained everything to everyone so they all knew the things that Doctor Hugo may need. Odessa spoke with Lewis like she used to, and Lewis somehow felt at ease. He ceased talking with Odessa for years, and somehow he wanted to get back to how they were before. Odessa was the only person that he regarded as his best friend.

Lewis' assistant entered his office and informed him that the house where Doctor Hugo and Meredith would stay was ready.  

"Doctor Hugo, do you want to take a rest in your temporary residence?" Lewis offered politely.

Doctor Hugo looked at Lewis and smiled. He turned to Zenia and Vaughn with tears in his eyes.

"Your Highness, I can't thank you enough for everything that you all have done to us. I heard from my granddaughter earlier that we have a common enemy. If you have time, I would like to tell you what I know. I'm afraid that we may never find time to talk again. Let me tell you the story now…"

A colleague who settled in Prazia sent me a letter one day and invited me to go there, and I agreed. That colleague's name was Franco Montero. He told me that he had a wealthy partner who was financing the business. He was developing all sorts of poisons, aphrodisiacs, tonics – anything that can bring in profits. I was an unscrupulous doctor back then, and I admit that, but the offer was too tempting. I was in need of money at the time, and he was offering me a huge sum of money.

I met the Left Minister of Tissuria in Prazia. It was the first time that I met him in person. I heard so many things about the Left Minister, and all of them were not good. The wealthy partner that Franco had mentioned was the Left Minister. I grabbed the opportunity and helped him develop some poisons and their antidotes as well as aphrodisiacs. 

The victims were willing to pay a high price for the antidotes for the poisons or aphrodisiacs. The victims did not know that we were also the ones who created the poisons and aphrodisiacs. We were selling the poisons and aphrodisiacs to the crime perpetrators and selling the antidotes to the victims. It was a win-win situation, and we gained a lot of profit.  

I was involved in the dirtiest business known to men. We gained riches beyond compare. I had a good friend that warned me that I should not go against my oath as a doctor. I promised him that I will stop as soon as I earned enough for my family to have a stable life, from generation to generation.

After some time, the Left Minister told me that the King of Tissuria had bestowed me the title of Baron. My family was elated, and it was the beginning of a prosperous life for me and my family. Franco learned that the Left Minister was the one who told the King of Tissuria to bestow the title of a Baron to me. Franco got jealous, and we became distant from each other, although we still continued working together as a team. 

My friend recommended me to the Anisens who needed some help for their daughter. The Anisens had been searching far and wide to heal the scar on the back of their young daughter. I was experimenting with artificial skin and used it on that young girl. It was a success, but I need to replace it for a number of times to prevent it from peeling off. 

It was a good deal, and I liked that young girl a lot. She was so young and yet she possessed an unwavering spirit. She even regarded the scar as a sort of medal for saving her family. I decided to stop the business deal that I had with Franco, but I was afraid that he might not understand.

I went back to Tissuria and looked for the Left Minister. I thought that it was best to talk to him about my plan to separate from them. The Left Minister made a deal with me that he could only let me go when I find a Mortelium plant, which is still too difficult to obtain even now. He already got the thousand-year-old Iyotus, which was crucial in making the hypnotic powder that he would like to give to the King.

He wanted me to develop a more potent hypnotic powder by adding the Mortelium plant, but I refused. He made my family choose, and they decided to abandon me. The Left Minister also took away my title and transferred it to my eldest son, who mercilessly kicked me out of the family. 

Meredith came with me, and we went to Prazia to find Franco. When I got there, Franco was already dead, and his place was ransacked. They must be looking for the formula of the hypnotic powder, but it was something that we were just beginning to develop along with the antidote for Lotharia. The doc.u.ment was incomplete. It would be of no use to them.

They must've known that I might go to Franco and wanted to frame me for his death. They could also be looking for me to complete the formula. I went into hiding in Prazia, but they could easily trace my whereabouts. I was also putting Meredith's life in danger.

I was treating people for free, and they were the ones who offered to shelter us. But, who would think that the Left Minister's men could still trace us within the poor regions of Prazia? It was like there was something or someone watching my every move. 

I changed my appearance, and I made Meredith disguise as a boy. No one would be able to recognize us. But then, Prazia's soldiers suddenly came and began killing everyone. The King must've ordered it, but why? He was killing his own people just to get rid of me! 

I hid Meredith under a box and put a dead body of a child on top of it. No one would check it anymore. Meredith could easily lift it when the coast is clear. I told her to go to the pier and wait for me. But, if I fail to come at the designated hour, she must board the ship without me. That ship would take her back to Tissuria. 

I joined the dead bodies and pretended I was one of them. The soldiers did not recognize me, but someone picked up a body that looked like my original self. The soldier showed it to the man in the carriage, and I took a quick glance. I recognized the man – it was the Left Minister of Tissuria. When he saw my "dead body", he laughed maniacally and ordered the soldiers to burn the dead bodies.

The soldiers looked for shovels and started digging a big hole. When no one was looking, I hid under a pile of rubbish and waited. I watched as the soldiers drag the bodies and threw them into the hole. They poured oil all over the bodies and burned them. They waited until the bodies turned to ashes. The left Minister was no longer there when they started burning the bodies.

It was already past midnight when everything was finished. Meredith must be on her way to Tissuria. I hoped that the girl was sensible enough to know how dangerous our situation was. But, I was wrong. What could I expect from such a young girl? Luckily, when she returned to look for me, the soldiers just left.

We stayed in the village and looked for something to eat. We found a decent house and stayed there for the night. I decided that we should go to the pier at daybreak and catch the early ship for Tissuria. But in the middle of the night, the soldiers returned. I heard them say that the village was a good place for a military camp for the Left Minister's army. I'm sure they were referring to the Left Minister of Tissuria since Prazia did not have a Left Minister back then.

We managed to board the ship for Tissuria and had been living in the forest for almost four years now. My eldest son is currently managing the Left Minister's pharmacy in Prazia. None of my children inherited my skills, and they had no interest in learning them. Fortunately, I have my granddaughter Meredith who did not abandon me.

The doctor drank some water when he finished narrating the story.

"What do you plan to do now, doctor?"

"I'll be a hypocrite if I say that I'm not interested in getting my revenge."

Vaughn leered, "That's good, doctor. From now on, we are on the same boat. The army that you said before must be the Left Minister's private army. But, why is it in Prazia? What's the deal between him and the current King of Prazia?"

"I heard a rumor in Prazia that the Left Minister knows the deep, dark secret of the King of Prazia. There was a rumor that he had a daughter outside of marriage when he was still the Crown Prince. His reign is unstable, and he could be replaced at any time when his people find out that the rumor is true."

"Do you think it's true?"

"Most citizens of Prazia believe that it's true. The woman must be the one he often visited when he was in Tissuria."

"You mean his daughter could be in Tissuria?" Zenia asked directly.

"Yes, why else can the Left Minister demand something from him? I also heard that the Left Minister found some new blood to replace us, but none of them can make a better version of the hypnotic powder or the antidote for Lotharia."

"Do you know the antidote for Lotharia?" Lewis asked without hesitation.

"I still need to improve it. I lack the materials I need to do the experiment."

Lewis gave Doctor Hugo a wide grin and declared, "The garden in the Royal Apothecary is at your disposal. You can experiment all you want, and please help me develop the poison for the needles that the Crown Princess will use for her weapon."

Vaughn and Zenia glared at Lewis, who shrugged his shoulders and said, "Don't give me that look. We are pressing for time. We need all the help we can get."

"I can visit here from time to time to check on Doctor Hugo. I will just say that there's a new elixir that I want Lewis to develop."

Odessa looked at Lewis, but he still refused to meet her gaze. Odessa just shook her head.

"I can help concoct anything that you need. This is my way of repaying you all for everything. We have the same goal after all."

Meredith just looked on to the group of people who were discussing an ingenious plan. It was the first time that she saw her grandfather participated happily in a conversation. She couldn't help but smile.

'Today is the beginning of a new day for us. I wonder what will happen next?'