Chapter 252

“Don’t look for her,” Percival said, pulling Callum’s arm back. “The medicine she gave me…it’s probably reached its limit.”

Callum stood trembling, unable to meet Percival’s eyes. His heart ached as he saw the man who once commanded everything, whose brilliance and power had bent the world to his will, now helpless in the face of his own illness. It was too much for Callum to bear, and for a moment, he thought he might collapse.

“Remember my previous instructions,” Percival’s voice was hoarse. “If I die, take care of Grandpa. Seal off all information. The moment they know I’m dead, they’ll come after his life.”

He paused, gathering strength. “Grandpa’s old. He’s given everything for the Stewart family. He doesn’t deserve to die in shame. And about Odalys…when I’m gone, erase any trace of her having married me. Make sure no one links her to the Stewart family. No matter what happens, if she needs it, the Stewart family must protect her, no questions asked.”

His words felt like a death sentence. He knew his body was breaking down. After so many years of abuse, it had reached its limits. Even the strongest bodies couldn’t withstand that kind of destruction forever.

“Mr. Stewart, don’t say that!” Callum’s voice cracked in panic. “Odalys…didn’t she say she could keep you from dying?” He wanted to support Percival, to do something, but there was nothing he could do.

In the face of death, helplessness swallowed them both. Desperation mixed with uncertainty as Callum struggled to understand how to fix this.

“She said she could keep me alive for another month,” Percival managed, his voice barely above a whisper. “Well, half of that month is already gone. So, I have less than two weeks to live. And tonight, with the poison flaring up again, I think this is the night fate seals my end.”

Percival’s body was betraying him. “If I make it through tonight, I’ll be bedridden, unconscious, or worse, until the end.”

He spoke with finality, but beneath it all was the sorrow of a man who wasn’t ready to leave the world behind. Barely in his twenties, he had so much left undone: people to protect, things to achieve. He had dreamed of a life with Odalys, but now it was impossible. She was like the moon—beautiful, distant, and untouchable. He had no right to pull her into his world of pain.

His only hope now was to protect her by erasing all ties to the Stewart family once he was gone. To make it as though she had never existed in his life. He had prepared everything for her, every possible escape. But he had never prepared for his own departure. For him, once he was gone, nothing would matter.

“Percival,” Callum’s voice broke, hoarse with grief. He had never called him by his first name before; it felt like an acknowledgment that everything was falling apart.

Hearing his cry, Percival’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Orson will be here soon.”

Callum turned away, unable to face Percival any longer. He dashed downstairs, his mind racing. When he reached the dining room, he found it empty, no sign of Odalys. Panic clawed at him as he bolted upstairs, hammering on Odalys’s door.

“Odalys! Are you there? Something’s happened!” he called, his voice trembling. But there was no answer. After a brief silence, he pushed the door open, his heart racing. The room was eerily empty. He stepped toward the bathroom, but the steam wasn’t thick, meaning Odalys hadn’t showered. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

“Odalys…where are you?” His voice cracked, desperation overtaking him.

He scanned the rooms frantically before rushing downstairs. As he passed servants carrying coffee upstairs, he grabbed one by the arm. “Did you see Mrs. Stewart?”

Callum’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately grabbed his phone and pulled up the villa’s surveillance footage. He saw Odalys walking upstairs right after Percival, taking something from her room, and leaving in a hurry.

Chapter 232

“That bottle…it looks like it might contain some kind of medicine,” Orson’s voice came from behind him, startling him.

Turning, Callum saw Orson standing there, his expression grim. He paused the video and whispered, “Venomroot?”

“Could be, but it’s too unclear to tell. Have you seen Percival?” Orson’s voice was soft, almost as if he was afraid of the answer.

Callum shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since…he was in his room when I came up here.” Orson’s face drained of color as he processed what Callum said. He gripped the railing with white knuckles.

“It seems…he won’t make it through tonight,” Orson muttered, the weight of the truth settling in. Percival’s body had endured too much. If the illness struck again, there would be no coming back.

Callum stared at the screen, his mind reeling. He couldn’t bring himself to knock on Percival’s door. It felt like a line had been crossed—one that neither of them could return from.

“Odalys left in such a rush…where did she go? Can we find her? You said she knows a lot about traditional medicine. Maybe she has a way to save him,” Callum said, nearly begging.

Orson looked at the footage, his gaze darkening. “If she wanted to save him, she wouldn’t have left. Don’t forget who Odalys is—she’s no fool. She knows exactly what’s going on. If she’s gone, then it’s clear she doesn’t intend to come back. Think about it, Callum. If she wanted to help, she wouldn’t have walked away. And now, we can’t even find her.”

Callum’s fingers trembled as he pulled out his phone to dial Odalys’s number. But then, the sound of a ringing phone from Odalys’s room stopped him in his tracks. He turned quickly and pushed the door open. Her phone was on the bed, charging.

“Odalys didn’t take her phone,” Callum muttered, his hand tightening around his own phone. Without it, they had no way to reach her.

“I have to go find her,” Callum said, determined to act.

Orson grabbed his arm, holding him back. “We need to stabilize Percival’s condition first. If we can keep him calm, there might still be a chance.” Callum paused, then nodded reluctantly.

Silence filled the air as both men grappled with the crushing reality. Odalys had disappeared without a trace, and now…they were powerless to change what was happening. In the face of death, all they could do was watch as everything slowly crumbled.