Chapter 578: Already Close to the Truth

Following Quentin Blackwood’s instructions, Zion Landon arrived at the King’s hospital room.

Dressed in a white coat and trailed by a group of nurses, he certainly looked the part.

The Princess refused to leave the King’s side for even a moment, terrified that another incident might occur—what if Ivy Sherwood came back?

She eyed Zion warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello. We are the doctors here. My name is Zion Landon."

Zion was a renowned physician in his own right; he was the one who had conducted the DNA testing on the ashes of Ivy’s mother.

He spoke in the local tongue, which the Princess didn’t understand as she wasn’t fluent. Zion, however, knew foreign languages and could perfectly understand what she was saying.

"I don’t understand a word you’re saying! Get out!" the Princess snapped, unwilling to even try to comprehend.

Ignoring her outburst, Zion continued in the local tongue, "As per hospital protocol, we are here for ward rounds to check on the patient’s condition."

The King, however, was fluent in the local language. He directly translated their identities for the Princess and asked them to come in.

"But we have a private doctor," the Princess protested. "Davi is here too. Why let these people in? Are their medical skills even as good as Davi’s?"

"This is their goodwill and their protocol," the King said. "Let them in."

The Princess was reluctant, but since the King had spoken, she had no choice but to comply, though she remained glued to his side.

However, the questions these doctors asked were all in the local language, leaving the Princess completely in the dark and extremely anxious.

Zion had minored in psychology; he had even counseled the award-winning actor Landon Jacobs through some of his psychological issues. While supposedly examining the King, he asked a slew of questions. These inquiries carried subtle suggestions, probing for something just beneath the surface.

Fortunately, the woman couldn’t understand much of it, which saved Zion a lot of trouble. When Quentin had asked for his help, he had advised Zion to be wary of her.

Quentin felt that something was off about Ovillette. The King seemed to have a visceral reaction to Winter Mercer’s face. Since Quentin wasn’t an expert in this field, he had brought in a professional.

Sensing that something was amiss, the Princess quickly went to fetch Davi.

Davi, who spoke the local language, heard Zion ask two questions and immediately intervened in his own way. He declared himself the King’s private doctor and insisted that any questions be directed to him.

Zion exchanged a few words with him before leaving with his team.

Once outside, Zion called Quentin.

"How did it go?" Quentin asked directly.

"You really don’t stand on ceremony, do you? You didn’t even ask if I had a hard time."

"Get to the point!" Quentin demanded.

Zion finally said, "I probed him, but it didn’t yield much. He genuinely seems to have no memory of Winter Mercer. However, his private doctor seems well-versed in psychology. I only asked two indirect questions, and he immediately shut it down. I suggest you start with him and look into his background.

"Also, based on my instincts as a psychologist, there is definitely something wrong with the Princess. She seems terrified of the King interacting with anyone else and overreacts to everything. It’s as if she’s dreading something happening; she’s in a constant state of panic."

There was no doubt about it—something was severely amiss.

Quentin was now certain that these people definitely knew Winter Mercer.

How had Winter died back then? She had resolutely left Elandra and her family, traveling all alone to Lustre. She had married a complete stranger, changed her name, and made Ivy wear makeup since childhood to hide her true face. All of these actions proved that Winter hadn’t wanted to be found.

Something terrifying must have happened to her. Only someone consumed by fear would go to such lengths to hide.

"Ovillette can’t remember Winter at all. Could he have been brainwashed or hypnotized?" Quentin speculated.

"It’s not impossible," Zion replied, "but forcefully erasing someone’s memory is incredibly difficult unless there’s someone constantly providing suggestive cues... Wait, the doctor!"

If he truly was a doctor skilled in hypnosis, everything made sense.

"Quentin, I think your theory is highly plausible. If you’re right, his memories have likely been tampered with. Even with natural amnesia caused by an accident—let alone artificially induced memory loss—seeing familiar sights or objects from the past can trigger a recall. You could try to stimulate his memories.

"The Princess is a bit of an obstacle, though. It would be best if you could get rid of her."

"Got it. I know what to do."

Getting rid of a mere princess was child’s play for Quentin. After all, this was his territory.

Quentin quickly shared this information and his theories with Xavier Mercer.

"I had no idea my aunt might have known the King. If Jason Summers is in contact with the Princess, does that mean they’re in cahoots?" Xavier asked.

Although the Mercer family had some ties to the Summers family, Xavier wasn’t particularly close to Jason and didn’t know much about his true nature. Jason still claimed to be Ivy’s father. If he was truly the one who had caused his aunt’s death...

He would risk everything to make Jason pay the price!

"Keep a close eye on Jason’s movements," Quentin said. "I suspect his ’doting father’ act is just a facade. If he’s planning to make a move, we need to be prepared."

After hanging up with Xavier, Quentin’s frown didn’t fade.

It seemed like a massive mystery. He had a feeling that once the truth was unearthed, it would implicate far too many things.

Jason claimed to be Ivy’s father, but Quentin no longer believed it. In fact, he had another theory. Could Ivy’s biological father actually be...

Speculating now was pointless. A simple investigation would reveal the truth; after all, bloodlines could always be proven with hard evidence.

Quentin gave Ivy a task: invite Ayre out tomorrow.

That was no problem at all. Even though she didn’t know what Quentin was planning, Ivy cooperated willingly.

The next day, Ivy invited Ayre out for coffee. Ayre agreed to meet her. So much had happened over the past few days that he hadn’t been sleeping well, and a cup of coffee was exactly what he needed to wake himself up.

"Ivy, we might be returning to Elandra in the next couple of days," Ayre said. "My sister isn’t doing too well. To use a local phrase, she seems to be suffering from severe culture shock. She’s completely paranoid and extremely irritable.

"Don’t worry, though. We will always remember the kindness you and Quentin have shown us. Once we’re back in Elandra, I will definitely find a way to repay you."

"We’re friends, there’s no need to be so polite," Ivy said. "When exactly are you leaving?"

"My sister thinks the sooner the better, and I agree. My brother-in-law is physically fine, and the private jet has already been arranged. We might leave tonight, or possibly tomorrow."