Lucas paused. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth, that he had lived another life, in a future where poisons like this had been studied and catalogued. Where elite cultivators had used methods yet to be found in this era. So instead, he offered a believable answer.
"I read a lot," he said simply. "I study old medical scrolls… manuals… I research things others overlook. I don't like to be caught unprepared."
The Queen observed him closely. Whether she believed there was more to the story or not, she didn't press. Instead, she nodded. "Good. Then never stop reading. It may be the reason my son wakes up in the next few days."
Lucas bowed his head slightly. "I won't."
Behind them, Lira quietly adjusted a blanket over Darius's legs, her movements gentle. She knew better than to speak now, but her pride for Lucas shone in the way she smiled softly at his back.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, the atmosphere had changed.
