Fated To The Cursed Lycan Prince

Laura’s POV:

After leaving Rufus’ palace, I went to Ethan’s.

The doctor already knew about the source of the poison. Additionally, thanks to Sylvia, he was able to develop the antidote and had administered it to Ethan.

I sat on the edge of the bed and gently dabbed Ethan’s chapped lips with a wet cloth. He looked much better than before, and there was a little color in his cheeks.

His breathing had also steadied. I guessed that he would wake up soon.

The doctor came in with a clipboard in his hand. He glanced at the people around me hesitantly. Knowing what he meant, I ordered everyone except the doctor to leave the room.

“Well, how is the king? Is it anything serious?” Once we were alone in the room, I motioned the doctor to sit down and took the clipboard from him to read the report. There was a chart on it.

The doctor’s expression darkened. “The health of the lycan king is getting worse and worse. Moreover, Alpha Leonard’s death already crippled his mental state, so the poison was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Hearing this, I frowned anxiously. Ethan was supposed to be in his prime. He should’ve had another fifty or sixty years to live. However, the old wounds caused by the war had slowly eaten away at him. In addition, he carried the burden of running our nation, so he was very tired all the time. Ethan’s energy was constantly being drained every day. The palace doctors had tried their best to take good care of Ethan. It took them so much effort to keep him healthy, and their hard work paid off for a while, because Ethan didn’t have a relapse for a long time. But now, his health was declining exponentially thanks to the poison.

Damn it, Noreen!

Thinking of her, I wanted to rip that woman to shreds.

I took a few deep breaths and then asked, “So is there any way he can get better? He was fine right before being poisoned.”

The doctor averted his gaze hesitantly. “I’m afraid not.”

“What do you mean? The empire has the most advanced medical technology,” I said in disbelief, narrowing my eyes at him coldly.

“Although we were able to administer the antidote, his body had already been damaged beyond repair. I’m afraid his days are now numbered.” The doctor sighed helplessly.

I pulled a long face and asked through gritted teeth, “How long does he have?”

The doctor seemed to want to say something but stopped on a second thought. “At most… Five years or so…”

“Five years?!”

I felt as though all the air was knocked out of my lungs. Although Ethan did disappoint me when we were young, after so many years, my resentment towards him had already dissipated. I wished that he could live the rest of his days happily instead of suffering from a tortuous disease.

Ethan wasn’t only the backbone of the empire, but of my life. Now this strong man was withering away before my very eyes.

“It’ll depend on the treatment…” The doctor tried to comfort me, as though he couldn’t bear to see my pained expression.

But I wasn’t an idiot. The doctor meant that Ethan would live at most five years if the treatment worked. I, on the other hand, was afraid that he might not have five years at all.

“I see. Don’t tell anyone about this, including the lycan king himself. If he asks, tell him only good things.” I locked eyes with the doctor sternly. I knew Ethan well. Once he found out that he only had five years or less to live, he would definitely spend the rest of his time on government affairs. No matter what, the empire and his people came first.

The doctor’s eyes widened in panic. “Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I’m putting you in charge of his treatment. From now on, you will be his attending doctor,” I ordered coldly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You can leave now. I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

I waved my hand and motioned for the doctor to leave. When he was gone, I slowly walked to the side of Ethan’s bed. Looking at his wrinkly, frail face, I felt my facade of toughness collapsing.

I sank on the edge of the bed, silently crying, until a trembling hand slowly wiped away my tears.