Chapter 359

The talisman on his abdomen was ignored, and a faint smell of burning emerged. After the talisman burned out, the wound on Finnian's abdomen was red, but the earlier cut appeared as only a shallow scar with some blood.

"Odalys, what happened? How did you do that? There was clearly a cut here just now," Orson said, stepping forward. He stared at Finnian's abdomen, then touched and rubbed the area. To his surprise, the wound had already healed. "It's healed? It's amazing!" Orson exclaimed.

Orson had visited the Stewart Villa with his grandfather yesterday. Although they only had breakfast, Evander praised Odalys endlessly, and Orson saw appreciation in Evander's eyes. Afterward, his grandfather repeatedly urged him to seek opportunities to interact with Odalys and learn from her, warning him not to be arrogant or displease her. If his grandfather saw this, he would likely beg Odalys to take Orson as a disciple immediately.

"I applied a healing ointment to my finger earlier," Odalys explained. "After the talisman burned, it sterilized the wound. The fire quickly sealed the wound, merging with the balm. But the wound must not touch water for a while. If it does, it will become infected and won't heal, even with stitches. This method is only for emergency rescue; it has severe aftereffects and should never be used normally. But since you were confined"

"However, if he doesn't fear death and lets the wound touch water, then it will be his punishment," Odalys said coldly. Her disdain for Finnian was evident.

"Amazing," Orson responded, his voice tinged with bitterness and envy. "I'll send you two boxes when I get the chance. You can use it for emergencies, but the aftereffects are severe. If the wound touches water, he will die," Odalys added.

Orson was so excited he almost jumped. "Okay, okay! Thank you," he said, his voice trembling.

Odalys ignored him and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, holding the talisman she had retrieved from Finnian's abdomen. The dazzling sunlight streamed in and illuminated the talisman. As she held it, the talisman caught fire. She flicked her fingertips, releasing it. It fell to the ground and burned completely.

"It turned to ash," Percival uttered, forming a sentence. He wanted to shield her from the flames, but Odalys stopped him, shaking her head slightly. "This type of dark magic" she began.

"was used during ancient times," Odalys explained. "When people died in foreign lands and couldn't be brought back, this talisman allowed their souls to return home. But this kind of talisman is long lost! It was often transformed into a love spell and used on humans. After the talisman burns, it merges with the liquid. It invades the body, causing a large amount of energy that disrupts normal thought processes. The person appears clear-headed but acts completely unexpectedly, losing their mind, although afterward they seem normal. In reality, the situation is far worse. If I hadn't removed the talisman just now, he would have died, his body possessed by the spell, becoming a living dead!" Odalys said in a low voice.

"Now that it's burned, can it still be restored?" Percival asked, expressing his confusion.

Odalys shook her head. "Once it catches fire in sunlight, it's completely ruined. But if it's ignited with a match, like Sophia did, the fire and ashes are an illusion; it will restore itself afterward."

Odalys then turned to Finnian, who was lying pale on the bed, having wet his pants. He trembled, looking at her with fear and apprehension.

"But he had a relationship with Sophia, which caused Sophia to absorb his aura. He volunteered, so as long as Sophia needs it, he will be absorbed," Odalys continued.

Finnian's face paled further. He felt his end had come.

"I I didn't do it on purpose!" Finnian panicked. He struggled, but remained immobile, stiffly lying on the bed, utterly embarrassed.

Odalys retorted, "Only you know whether you did this willingly or not. You and she made a deal involving my marriage into the Stewart family. Then, after I die, you two planned to divide my inheritance."

She continued, "Finnian, you're too scheming! You made a dirty deal with Sophia to climb higher. Unfortunately, I'm not going to die."

"Stop having these thoughts. Your bond with the Lark family is weak, so don't think about taking the Lark family's heir position," Odalys said coldly. Finnian's heart sank.

"His bond with the Lark family is weak?" Orson was surprised. His family had consulted someone who said Finnian and the Lark family were destined to be one.

Odalys put her hands behind her back and turned to Orson. "Didn't your family also consult a fortune-teller?" she asked with a smile.

Orson nodded. The atmosphere immediately became tense. Even Finnian held his breath, seemingly losing his voice.

Odalys explained, "They were deceived. Finnian's mother eloped with your father. After becoming pregnant, she left, gave birth, and returned with the child to force your family to acknowledge him. This return was clearly purposeful. If he truly had a destined connection with the Lark family, why would he make deals with Sophia? On the surface, he says he likes me, but he seeks ways to marry into the Stewart family. His goal isn't just the Lark family; he targets the Stewart family."

Odalys continued, "Essentially, the Bennett family wants a marriage alliance, and the Stewart family is their target." Orson's mouth gaped in shock.