Princess May clutched her son in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The child's face was as pale as paper, his tiny mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.
"Son, what do you want to say? Tell your mother!" Princess May hugged her child tightly. His pale skin revealed every vein, his small body curled up in her embrace. He coughed a few times, and soon, only faint breaths remained.
Seeing her son's condition worsen, Princess May broke down in tears.
Charles Hayes had been silently watching. Suddenly, he spoke, his voice calm and unhurried: "He's dying."
"What! What did you say!?" Princess May jerked her head up, staring at the young man whose bearing was as refined as jade.
Charles Hayes met Princess May's gaze and repeated, "Your son—poison has seeped into his bones. There's no saving him now."
Princess May froze for a moment, then suddenly screamed at Charles Hayes, "No, you're lying! How could my son be beyond saving!"
At that moment, Princess May no longer cared about royal dignity or pride. All she could think about was saving her son.
Princess May crawled forward, sobbing as she pleaded with Princess Jade Hayes: "Your Majesty, it was all my fault before! I was horrible, I shouldn't have harmed you and your child. Now my son is gravely ill—please, I beg you, ask the Lin Family of Healers to save him! If you agree, I'll do anything, I swear! I'll repay you even if I have to work myself to the bone, I won't complain!"
Princess Jade Hayes looked at Princess May, shook her head, and then glanced at Charles Hayes.
Charles Hayes kept his gentle yet cold gaze on Princess May and said, "There's no need to call my grandfather or uncle. After years of illness, I've become a skilled physician myself, learning medicine from both of them. My abilities are no less than theirs. The poison in your son—I saw it at a glance—there is no cure left."
Princess May's face instantly drained of color, turning ashen.
Princess May knew better than anyone about Charles Hayes's poor health. This boy, raised among medicine jars, was steeped in the Lin Family's medical tradition. If Charles Hayes claimed his skills were on par with his elders, then it must be true.
Charles Hayes looked at Princess May and sighed, "This poison... was meant for me. If you had shown even a shred of mercy back then, if the poison hadn't been so ruthless, or if you'd stopped a few years earlier, your son wouldn't be dying now. You tried to cut off my future, but you ended up destroying your own child. This is the cycle of karma—retribution."
Charles Hayes's words shattered Princess May's last hope. She stared at her increasingly frail son and murmured, "It was me... I harmed my own child? Did I really destroy my only flesh and blood? If I'd had a single kind thought, if I hadn't tried to wipe out the children of my enemies, my son wouldn't have been poisoned..."
It was as if she suddenly understood everything. Pain and regret crashed over Princess May like endless waves, leaving her trembling uncontrollably.
In the midst of her mental chaos, her son suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body convulsing violently.
"Son! Son!" Princess May screamed in terror.
Her son twitched a few more times, then closed his eyes, his body limp in Princess May's arms, motionless.
Princess May's whole body went rigid. She stared down at her son in her arms, her face blank with confusion.
"He's dead..."