Chapter 355 - Three Hundred And Fifty Four

Chapter 355: Chapter Three Hundred And Fifty Four

Camilla stood by the bedside for a few moments, watching the quiet rise and fall of Damon’s chest. She bent down, righted the stool, and wiped the spilled water off the floorboards with a dry cloth.

She sat back down on the cushioned chair right beside Damon’s pillow. She took his left hand back into her own, dipping her cloth into the warm water once more.

She began to clean gently between his fingers. Her eyes softened as she looked down at his peaceful face.

"One of them is down," Camilla spoke softly into the air, her tone intimate and gentle, as if she were having a normal conversation with him.

She carefully wiped the back of his hand, moving her thumb over his knuckles.

"They will start coming out one by one now," Camilla continued, her voice dropping into a low, steady whisper. "When the main tree begins to shake, the snakes hiding in the grass always reveal themselves. Don’t worry, Damon. I will watch over everything until you open your eyes."

She finished cleaning his fingers and rested her own cheek against his palm.

Meanwhile, miles away in the district of the capital, a heavy silence hung over the vast Benson estate.

Inside the grand master bedroom of the mansion’s main wing, there was tension. Dark curtains were drawn tight across the tall windows, blocking out the morning sun and plunging the spacious room into deep shadows.

On a massive canopy bed, Duke Carson lay still. His face was pale, thin, and lined with deep wrinkles. His gray hair was scattered across the white pillows, and his breathing was shallow and weak.

Standing near the side of the bed was the family doctor, a elderly man with spectacles and a gray coat. He finished with the examination, placed his tools into a small leather bag, and let out a tired sigh.

The door opened, and a woman stepped out into the quiet corridor outside the bedroom.

It was Lady Adeline, the daughter-in-law to the old duke and the wife of Duke Collin. She was dressed in an elegant dark purple gown made of expensive silk, her hair styled neatly atop her head with silver pins. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide, appearing frantic and full of worry.

As soon as the doctor stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind him, Lady Adeline rushed up to him. She grabbed her embroidered handkerchief with both hands, clutching it tightly against her chest as if she were on the verge of tears.

"How is he, doctor?" Adeline asked, her voice trembling with panic and distress. "Please tell me! Will my dear father be all right?"

The doctor looked at her anxious face and offered a sympathetic, sad expression. He took off his spectacles and wiped them with a small cloth.

"He is already very frail, Lady Adeline," the doctor explained quietly, his voice low and solemn. "At his advanced age, such intense emotional stress and sudden shock are extremely dangerous for his heart. His body simply could not handle the dark news about the general and the attack."

Adeline brought her handkerchief up to her mouth, letting out a small gasp. Her eyes darted toward the closed bedroom door before returning to the doctor’s face.

"When will he wake up?" Adeline asked, sounding deeply concerned and terrified for the old man’s life. "Is there no medicine? No treatment that can bring him back to us quickly?"

The doctor shook his head slowly, a grave look in his eyes. "Even I don’t know, my lady. It all depends on him now. His pulse is very weak, and his mind is resting. We can only wait and pray that his strength returns."

The doctor reached into his dark coat pocket and pulled out a small, sealed glass vial. The vial contained a clear, pale liquid that glinted faintly under the hallway sunlight.

He held the small glass bottle out to her. "This is a concentrated heart tonic made from rare herbs. Add just a single drop to his drinking water every day and give it to him for a week. It will gently strengthen his heart and help his body recover, increasing his chances of getting better."

Lady Adeline reached out her hands and took the vial from the doctor’s fingers. She held it carefully, bowing her head with a look of deep gratitude.

"Thank you, doctor," Adeline said softly, her voice filled with emotion. "I will personally make sure he receives every single drop."

She turned her head toward the end of the hallway, where a butler stood waiting near the grand staircase.

"Butler," Adeline called out, her tone smooth and polite. "Please see the doctor off to his carriage."

The butler stepped forward immediately, bowed low, and gestured toward the stairs. "This way, sir."

"Thank you, my lady. Please call for me if his condition changes," the doctor said. He bowed to Adeline, picked up his leather bag, and followed the butler down the long, carpeted hallway.

Lady Adeline stood alone near the bedroom entrance. She watched the doctor and the butler walk down the stairs until their figures disappeared completely around the corner.

The moment they were gone, all the worry, panic, and sadness vanished from Adeline’s face like water wiped from a stone.

Her worried expression turned cold, flat, and full of bitter hatred. Her lips twisted into a cruel, disgusted sneer.

She turned around slowly and stepped up to the door of Duke Carson’s bedroom. She reached out her hand, turned the brass handle, and opened the door just a tiny crack.

Through the small opening, she stared into the dark room at the old man lying motionless on the large bed. She looked at his pale, wrinkled face and his weak, shallow breathing.

"Just die quickly, you insufferable old man," Adeline murmured softly to herself, her voice dripping with malice.

She pulled the door shut, locking it with a soft click.