Madeline lowered her head as she fell deep in thought. She was confused by his actions.
Edward, on the other hand, was in an awful mood. Ethan was used to embarrassing him, and he hated it.
"Your brother seems to be in a bad mood, do you have any idea why he is like that?" Madeline asked as they walked away.
"I am clueless, just as you are, just forget about him, it is one of his normal mood swings," Edward did not want to speak about Ethan, and Madeline was smart enough to remain quiet.
----------------
Mystic Forest>
There was a loud noise above, which caused all the animals in the forest to run into hiding.
Ethan slowly landed as he flapped his wings which disappeared.
Surprised? Ethan has wings, but that is a story for later.
Ethan sighed as he looked at the forest. He took slow steps before he walked in.
He frowned when he walked into the forest. It was dark, and he wondered how he was to get the leaf. Thankfully, he knew what the leaf looked like, and he was also able to detect the smell of the leaf.
As Ethan walked further, the forest became darker. He could hear chirping, and some other noises from the animals which inhabited the forest.
Ethan heightened his senses. The Mystic Forest was home to dangerous animals, and he needed to be careful.
Ethan walked for a while, searching for the Rosemary leaf with his eyes. Finally, he reached a spot where sunlight was, and he let out a sigh of relief.
He would have been forced to use his fire attribute which would gain the attention of the animals, something he would rather not happen.
He walked around, and after a few moments, he finally got to the Rosemary tree, but something was obstructing Ethan's path.
"Damned snake," Ethan cursed under his breath as he noticed the snake which was curled around the tree.
This snake was the guardian of the Rosemary tree which prevented people from plucking out of the tree. Anyone who tried to get close to the tree would end up dying, but Ethan was not a normal person.
He wanted a leaf, and he was going to get the leaf. The snake could not stand in his way. He did not care if he had to kill the guardian, but he needed the leaf, or his soulmate would die, which was not something he wanted to see.
With this thought in mind, Ethan walked slowly towards the snake who sensed someone around it.
The snake finally raised its head, and he noticed Ethan making his way to it.
He opened his mouth to snarl at Ethan. He was warning Ethan to stay back, but who was Ethan? He had dealt with worse things, and a mere snake could not stop him from fulfilling his mission.
The snake realized that Ethan was not scared, and it slithered away from the tree.
Ethan scoffed. It seemed the snake was willing to fight with him. Well, he was more than ready to fight with it.
"Listen, I only want a leaf, my wife is on the verge of death, allow me to take one leaf," Ethan said, he had no idea that the snake understood what he said.
"Your wife is sick?" The snake asked, but it would sound like a hiss to the normal ear.
Ethan paused in his steps as he turned to look at the snake.
"You can understand what I say?" The snake asked again as it noticed Ethan fixed his gaze on him.
"I understand," Ethan replied, finding this discovery to be surprising.
He had never conversed with animals before. This was a first for him, fortunately for Ethan, he could compose himself.
"That's surprising, you are the first human I can speak with, I feel so happy," contrary to Ethan's thoughts, the snake was friendly.
"I would love to speak with you, but my wife is sick, and I have five hours to get this leaf, two hours have passed now, can you allow me to pluck out a leaf?" Ethan asked.
Since the snake looked friendly, Ethan decided to be friendly towards it. It was even better that he did not fight with the snake, he would rather not unveil his powers.
"Sure, you can take it, I would rather not be the reason for your wife's death, but why do I sense that you are strange?" The snake asked curiously as he circled Ethan who raised his brows.
"Strange as how?" Ethan asked as he plucked out the leaf. He decided to take three leaves, for future purposes.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the leaves in his hands. Adelaide would be safe, he thought to himself.
"You don't have the normal human smell," the snake commented after a while.
"What do you mean by that?" Ethan asked with curiosity.
"You smell like the undead, did you have a deal with the devil?" The snake blurted out curiously.
Ethan chuckled.
"You think too much, if I am not a human, then what am I?" Ethan asked with a smile as he looked at the snake who had already taken its place at the base of the tree.
"You smell like him, but anyway, I could be mistaken, you can leave now that you have the leaves, your wife needs you," the snake replied, and he attributed his thoughts to be a mistake.
Ethan stared at the snake for a while, before he walked away.
-----------------
Three hours had passed, and Adelaide was slowly losing her color. Her breathing had turned more faint, and it was clear that she was about to die.
"I hope Prince Ethan returns soon, if Adelaide dies, then it would be just as the rumors say," Marie bit her finger as she paced around the room.
Camden, who was standing beside her, turned to look at her seriously.
"What rumors are you talking about?" Camden questioned, his voice low.
Marie did not sense the change in Camden's voice as she replied, "you know, the rumors which have always been making waves, that all of Prince Ethan's previous wives died."
"Oh, that rumor," Camden chuckled.
"Why are you laughing? You are meant to protect your Master's name," Marie complained, as she stared at him skeptically.
Camden laughed.
"You do not need to worry about me protecting my master's name, Prince Ethan will be back soon, and the Princess will not die, you will find out that those are just unfounded rumors," Camden smiled, and Marie clamped her mouth shut.
A few minutes later, Ethan walked into the room.
"He is back," Marie exclaimed as she looked at Camden who had a proud smile on her face.
"Your Highness," Camden and Marie curtsied as they greeted him.
"Get the Physician, and I hope you have found the culprit," Ethan had a profound look in his eyes as he stared at Adelaide who was still unconscious.
"Yes, Your Highness," Camden bowed, before he exited the room.
Marie, who was left in the room swallowed. She was at a loss, and she wondered what she was to say. She stood close to the wall, to remain inconspicuous.
A few moments later, Camden walked in, accompanied by the Physician.
"Here are the leaves, do all it takes to heal her, she must wake up soon," Ethan instructed as he handed the leaves to the Physician who was surprised to see that he got it at record speed.
The Physician immediately got to work. She dared not ask him how he did it. She could sense that he was in a bad mood, and it was best she focused on her work.
Twenty minutes passed, and the Physician finally left Adelaide who was regaining color on her face.
"This is the poison in her body, Your Highness," The Physician handed a bowl of black liquid to Ethan whose brows creased confused.
"When will she regain consciousness?" This was Ethan's main concern. He could think about the poison later.
"Soon, Your Highness, I will be taking my leave now," The Physician replied with a bow as she exited the room.
"Have you found the culprit?" Ethan placed the bowl on the table before he turned to look at the two who had their heads lowered.