Said No to the Prince and Yes to the King novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253 An Antidote Delivered With a Kiss

himshed

A quiet sigh slipped from her as she watched the precious tonic. “This brew is worth more than thousands of gold coins. Not a single drop can be wasted.”

Off to one side, Darren stood heavy–lidded and drained after two full days of nonstop vigil. “It pains me to see Ms. Campbell unable to swallow the tonic on her own. She would recover far faster if every last sip entered her system.”

A faint crease formed between Theodore’s brows. He lifted the bowl to his own lips, filled his mouth with the strong liquid, then leaned down to press his mouth firmly to Margaret’s. Slow, careful pressure transferred every drop of antidote into her throat in one smooth kiss.

A deep blush flooded Megan’s cheeks. She rose quietly and retreated out of the bedchamber to grant them privacy.

Outside the door, Cyan cleared his throat softly to catch Darren’s attention. “Do you have any idea who left the stalk of Eternal Ganoderma?”

Darren shook his head slowly, weariness weighing down his shoulders. “I cannot fathom its origin. I’d intended to brew a mild preliminary tonic to stabilize Ms. Campbell’s pulse. When I turned away for merely a moment, the ganoderma appeared on the side table as if conjured from thin air. No footsteps, no shadow, no sign of anyone entering the room.”

He paused briefly, mulling over the strange occurrence. “Whoever left it moved without a sound–this must be a member of the household staff.”

Cyan shook his head in immediate disagreement. “If a servant possessed such a valuable herb, they would present it openly to claim a generous reward. There is no sense in sneaking it under the cover of darkness.”

“Yet outsiders cannot slip past the palace gates under normal circumstances,” Darren said.

Cyan nodded in acknowledgment. “Our defenses are normally impenetrable, but these past two days, every guard and servant has been stretched thin with panic. A highly skilled warrior could easily slip through the chaos unseen.”

Darren’s expression softened with relief. “As long as their intentions hold no malice, we need not dwell on their identity.”

୮

“Still, palace security must be tightened drastically. This stranger came bearing aid today–we cannot guarantee the next uninvited intruder will mean us well.” Cyan gestured toward the bedchamber door, ushering the physician toward the exit.

“My lord has arranged a full purse of compensation for your services. You have gone two days without

rest; return home at once and rest.”

Darren accepted the payment without polite refusal and climbed into a waiting carriage to depart the

manor.

Once Darren was gone, Cyan closed the bedchamber door with utmost care.

The crisis has finally passed, and my lord deserves a chance to rest at last.

Chapter 258 An–Antidote Delivered With a Kiss

Fulighed

Little did Cyan know, Theodore had no plans to lie down after administering the antidote. He remained anchored beside the bed silent gaze fixed unblinkingly on Margaret’s pale face.

Bit by bit, the tight furrow between her brows relaxed, and faint pink color seeped back into her ashen lips. Only then did the crushing weight of dread lift slightly from Theodore’s chest

A soft, mumbled whisper drifted from Margaret’s parted lips. “Theodore…” It sounded exactly like words spoken mid–dream.

Theodore instantly laced his fingers through hers, voice lowered to a tender marmur. “I’m here.”

Her fragmented, sleepy murmur continued. “You can’t be hurt, Theodore…”

Confirmed beyond doubt that she dreamed, Theodore brushed the back of his palin against her forehead.

Cold, clammy skin met his touch. Alarm spiked through him; he pressed his palm to the side of her neck, finding her skin slick with cold sweat.

She’s breaking out in cold sweats, just as patients do after a severe fever finally breaks. Theodore sent a maid to fetch fresh linen nightclothes. He’d planned to step aside and let the attendants dress her, yet Margaret’s fingers clamped tight around his wrist, refusing to release her grip.

He glanced down at their intertwined hands, unwilling to tear himself away from her fragile hold, and waved every maid out of the room entirely.

“Your clothes are soaked through with sweat. I need to change you into something dry.”

Margaret’s grasp never loosened. Her other hand curled into a tight fist, and her eyelids fluttered rapidly as if trapped inside a vivid dream.

Theodore stroked the back of her hand in slow, soothing strokes. “I am unharmed. You have no need to fear.”

Though he could not guess the horrors unfolding within her dream, every small twitch of discomfort in her frame pulled an instinctive urge to comfort her.

He waited until her muscles relaxed fully against the mattress before speaking again. “will dress you myself, then. Your silence means you consent.”

His tone stayed calm and steady as he leaned closer to her form beneath the quilt. “I swear to bear full responsibility for everything between us.”

Theodore folded back the thick coverlet and worked gently to undo the laces of her damp gown.

Every movement balanced softness with speed; he was desperate to avoid letting her catch a chill in the cold air.

an replacement garment laid out beside the mattress, Margaret’s brows knit

n without warning.

windows. Dim, gray twilight filtered through the glass panes, casting Margaret’s foggy mind convinced her she remained trapped inside a

Chapter 253 An Antidote Delivered With a Kiss

Finished

dream

She squeezed her lids she once more, exhaustion dragging her consciousness back toward blackness.

The sound of Theodore’s gentle voice pulled her back awake. “Are you awake, Margie? At long last, you’ve woken.”

This voice cannot belong to a dream.

Margaret forced her heavily eyes open a second time. Theodore’s handsome face hovered inches from hers, clearer and more striking than any face she’d ever seen in her sleep.

A sudden chill washed over her skin, jolting her senses sharp.

She dropped her gaze to her own body and realized her gown hung loose and unfastened across her shoulders.

Theodore scrambled to fasten the fresh nightclothes around her shoulders to cover her exposed skin. “Do not misunderstand. Your old clothes were soaked through with sweat–I only meant to change you for your comfort.”

Margaret’s expression stayed blank and unfocused, mind still tangled in half–woken confusion. “I must be dreaming of you again.”

This dream stretches on endlessly…

She felt trapped inside an unending cycle of slumber, with Theodore appearing in every single vision she conjured.

Each new dream grew stranger than the last.

First, she’d dreamed him charging in to rescue her.

Then she’d watched him plummet over a jagged cliff edge to his supposed death.

Now she lay beside him in the same bed.

A nagging thought lingered at the back of her mind. Why am I the only one without proper clothing in this

vision?

Margaret lifted a trembling hand to cup Theodore’s cheek. “Everything feels so real…”

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