After all the expected visitors have returned, Carissa could finally rest and focus on her recovery. Robert still made asional visits, bringing medicines for healing and scar treatment. Jacob would always be by her side. He would thank Robert each time and ask him to pass on their gratitude. On this particr day, Robert arrived with Derek. Seeing an opportunity, Jacob decided to take Robert aside to discuss the treatment for the scars, giving Carissa the chance to speak privately with Derek. Carissa gestured to a seat across from her, inviting Derek to sit. "Was it His Majesty who sent you?" Derek settled down, and then cast a nce at the guards standing just outside the door. "It was His Majesty who sent me, though I had nned toe anyway. How is your injury, Your Grace? Have you been feeling better?"


    Carissa hesitated before meeting his gaze directly. "Do you think I''m healed, Mr. Walker?"


    He sighed. "Your Grace, you''re quite perceptive. Your injury has improved, but you''re not yet able to walk without assistance."


    Carissa gave a wry smile. "As you said, there''s been improvement, but I''m still not able to walk."


    "Do not rush, Your Grace. Take the time you need to rest," Derek said.


    Carissa sighed. "Of course. I''m impatient, but there''s nothing I can do. Sebastian said bone and muscle injuries take a hundred days to heal, so I''ll have to rest properly for all those days.''


    At that moment, Violet entered the room. She nced at Carissa and Derek, then at the two rigid guards stationed just outside. With a yful smile, she stepped forward. "From a distance, I thought you were Galen. But upon closer inspection, I see I''ve made a mistake."


    The guards, recognizing Violet as Kevin''s teacher, immediately saluted respectfully.


    Violet asked for their names. When they introduced themselves, sheughed heartily. "What a coincidence! My apprentice mentioned you both have some impressive martial skills. Since you''vee at such a perfect time, I''ll have a go at showing you a few moves and give you some pointers."


    The two guards'' eyes lit up at the chance to receive Violet''s guidance. The prospect of learning from her would surely benefit their martial skills. They quickly expressed their gratitude before following her to the training grounds in the outer courtyard.


    Once they were out of earshot, Derek turned to Carissa with urgency in his voice. "There''s something you need to know, Your Grace. The Royal Medical Department has diagnosed that His Majesty might have a lung disease."


    Carissa''s eyes widened in shock, her voice tense. "A lung disease? Is it the ck Veil? Have they confirmed it? I thought they said it was just headaches?"


    Derek''s eyes reddened slightly, his voice heavy with concern. "The Royal Medical Department believes it''s a possibility, but they didn''t confirm it. The head physician and several others have alle to the same conclusion-it''s likely, though not certain."


    Carissa stared at him. "Does His Majesty know?"


    "The diagnosis was only made today," Derek replied softly. "They''d previously thought it was just an abscess but now they suspect it''s more serious. His Majesty knows, but neither the queen dowager nor the queen are aware. Among those in the court, only the prime minister knows about it."


    Carissa''s face drained of color. The ck Veil disease was notoriously difficult to treat, and it was often fatal. When it progressed, it brought excruciating pain-leading some to call it a vicious disease.


    "One year!" Derek''s voice faltered, his eyes glistening with tears. "The head physician said...perhaps a year.


    Carissa''s heart dropped, and she could hardly believe her ears. "A year?"


    She couldn''t fathom it-Salvador still hadn''t dered the crown prince.


    Tears welled up in Derek''s eyes as he tried to speak through the grief. While serving a ruler was often a dangerous and unpredictable affair Salvador had treated him well. Though Derek didn''t always agree with the man''s decisions, he had no right to voice objections. He could only quietly make up for it in his own way.


    Today, he hade to Hell Monarch Estate knowing that if Salvador were to pass, only Rafael could stabilize the situation for the new king.


    The sooner the people in the Hell Monarch household knew, the sooner they could prepare.


    Derek wiped away his tears, his voice hoarse. "Your Grace, you need a hundred days to recover, maybe even more. But whatever the case, you can''t get better right away. His Majesty is anxious, and that worry may lead him to make decisions none of us want to see."


    Carissa''s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, her emotions tangled. She nodded slowly. "Thank you for telling me, Mr. Walker."


    Derek''s expression turned somber. "This must remain a secret. If word gets out, some people may start thinking thoughts they shouldn''t."


    Carissa nodded absently, her mind still reeling. "I know."


    Derek suddenly remembered something and broke into tears again, covering his face as he sobbed for a moment.


    Finally, he said, "His Majesty


    mentioned something in passing a few times, when he dreamt of General Nathan. He joked that with how often the general appeared in his dreams, maybe the general was trying to take him with him think His Majesty might have had a


    feeling about this all along."