Chapter 582: Thinking of Other Methods

Ivy Sherwood and Ovillette were chatting in the reception room. Quentin Blackwood waited outside, not wanting to disturb them.

It wasn’t long before Zion Landon arrived.

"What’s going on?" Zion asked. "Don’t tell me you kidnapped the King from the hospital and brought him to your house. And what about that doctor? Is he here? If he is, there’s no way I can make my move."

Earlier, when Quentin noted that Ovillette was feeling unwell and offered to call a doctor, Zion was the one he had summoned. The doctor Zion mentioned was Davi; when Quentin had his men abduct the Princess, he took the opportunity to grab the doctor as well.

"He’s not here," Quentin replied. "If Ovillette really has been hypnotized, you need to dig deep into his mind later and unearth everything he’s forgotten."

"I can only try my best. This kind of thing is tricky; it takes more than just gentle guidance. Plus, with such a formidable hypnotist planting suggestions in his mind over the years, it’s going to be incredibly difficult."

"Aren’t you a top-tier psychiatrist? Now is the time to prove it."

"I’m just a psychiatrist, not a miracle worker. I can only assess the situation first." Zion didn’t dare make any promises.

Quentin knocked on the door. Ivy opened it to find him standing outside.

"How’s the chat going?"

Ivy nodded. "Pretty well."

Ovillette had a very serene aura and spoke with remarkable eloquence. There was no arrogance or sense of distance in his manner.

"Mr. Ovillette seemed a bit unwell earlier, so I called a doctor over to take a look," Quentin said.

Zion began by giving Ovillette a physical examination. Since Ovillette had seen Zion at the hospital and had been examined by him before, he didn’t suspect a thing.

"Mr. Ovillette, you look a little tired. Have you been having trouble sleeping lately?" Zion asked, striking up a casual conversation.

"I’ve been sleeping quite well," Ovillette replied.

"Is that so? But right now, you need to relax." Zion tried to guide him, but Ovillette remained on guard.

Furthermore, his gaze kept drifting toward Ivy. Noticing this, Zion simply pulled Ivy over.

"Miss Sherwood, just sit right here. Perhaps it will help Mr. Ovillette relax a bit," Zion instructed, before turning back to his patient. "Mr. Ovillette, have you felt lately as if something is missing in your world? Or perhaps something has been added—something you can’t quite remember no matter how hard you try?"

Ovillette nodded. He did indeed feel that way.

"That is a sign of physical exhaustion. Close your eyes first, and picture the most important thing to you in your mind."

The most important thing. What was the most important thing to him?

This question seemed to stump Ovillette. Suddenly, he didn’t know what he cared about the most. Was it the throne?

No, he had never cared about the throne. In fact, he found the position utterly exhausting. If a better candidate came along to replace him, he would gladly step down without hesitation. He wanted to travel the world. It felt as though he had made a promise with someone to visit every corner of the globe together, to see this beautiful world.

But who was that person? Ovillette couldn’t remember.

What was it...

It was... Ovillette suddenly snapped his eyes open. The very first thing he saw was Ivy.

"Mr. Ovillette, are you alright?" Ivy asked, noticing that his eyes were somewhat bloodshot.

Ovillette gasped for air, his gaze fixated intensely on Ivy’s face.

Just a moment ago, he could be absolutely certain that the second he closed his eyes and couldn’t see Ivy’s face, he would forget what she looked like. There wasn’t even a blurry outline; he simply couldn’t recall her features at all.

It was bizarre, and even he recognized how strange it was.

"Miss Sherwood, perhaps it’s best if you step outside for now," Zion suggested.

Ivy also felt she couldn’t be of much help here, so she complied and left the room.

Ovillette abruptly stood up. As he watched Ivy’s retreating back, something flashed through his mind. It felt like another silhouette, leaving him in that exact same way.

"Don’t go... don’t go!"

Ovillette reached out, trying to grab onto something, but his hand closed on empty air. He collapsed straight down, fainting once more.

Zion hurriedly caught him, preventing Ovillette from hitting the floor.

"His condition is truly severe," Zion said grimly to the others once they were regrouped. "I can now confirm that he has been deeply hypnotized. It might not just be hypnosis; they definitely used drugs. In a worst-case scenario, there could even have been surgical nerve stimulation. And Miss Sherwood seems to be connected to his memories."

"It’s not connected to Ivy. It should be connected to Winter Mercer," Quentin pointed out sharply.

Ivy nodded in agreement. "He definitely knew my mother. It’s just that there’s so little left of her. Even Grandpa doesn’t have any photos of her."

Winter Mercer had vanished completely, as if she only existed in their memories.

Quentin’s gaze darkened. "Actually, we don’t necessarily have to start with Ovillette’s memories."

Something clicked in Ivy’s mind, and she immediately said, "I know what you mean!"

Zion, the only one left in the dark, looked between the two. "Know what? Is there another way?"

Ivy nodded. "As long as something happened and existed, it can’t be completely erased. Even if you can alter a person’s memory, you can’t alter the facts. Besides, it’s only him who doesn’t remember. The Princess doesn’t seem to have that problem. Perhaps we can start with her."

Quentin nodded. Ivy was on the exact same page as him.

"You’re going to target the Princess? If she really did something, she definitely won’t confess." Zion felt this method wouldn’t work; if she were willing to talk, she would have done so already.

"We Calypsians have our own methods," Ivy said.

"What methods?"

"A clean conscience fears no ghosts knocking at the door." Ivy already had a plan in mind. She looked at Quentin and found him looking back at her. She knew then that great minds truly thought alike.

"I’ll make the arrangements." Quentin went to prepare immediately, even asking Zion for two packets of drugs.

Meanwhile, unaware of the current situation and unable to contact the Princess, Jason Summers couldn’t sit still in Lustre.

He only knew that Ovillette hadn’t returned yet. Every extra day he stayed brought an extra day of risk. Quentin’s side was already suspicious, and it was likely only a matter of time before they uncovered the truth.

He had initially hoped the Princess would whisk Ovillette away quickly, allowing him to focus on getting what he wanted from Ivy. He had already searched the Sherwood home but found absolutely nothing useful.

Jason was starting to panic. Because of this, he caught a flight straight to Aethelgard. He needed to keep an eye on everything personally.

Jason also began preparing a backup plan. If he was truly discovered, he would definitely have to flee. He needed to survive first to have any hope for the future.