A Moment of Impulse and a Kick

"Sigh!" Leon Zane exclaimed. "...What a mess!"

"So, no matter what, we have to detoxify her first." Evan Xiao said.

Leon Zane shot him a sideways glance. "Your Highness, didn't you say Grace could make the antidote? Get her to do it, quick!"

Evan Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid there's not enough time left... Do you guys have a way to delay the onset of the poison, buy Grace a bit more time?"

"Nope," Leon Zane replied flatly.

"Not exactly," Shannon chimed in.

"If even I, a Spirit Medicine Master, can't do anything, what can you possibly come up with?" Leon Zane asked.

"Frostbound Casket," Shannon said.

Leon Zane: "What do you mean?"

"You all know the Frostbound Casket can keep a corpse from rotting," Shannon said. "But you don't know it can be used for the living, too."

"Put her in... for what exactly?" Leon Zane's eyes widened.

"Before the poison takes hold, we can lock her inside the Frostbound Casket. Her life will be suspended in a sort of stasis. If we find the antidote later, we wake her up and cure her." Shannon explained.

"Seriously? You seal someone in a casket for a few years, then take her out and she's still alive?" Leon Zane was skeptical.

Shannon stomped her foot. "It's true! Your Highness, you don't believe me either?"

"The Frostbound Casket is a treasure passed down for ten thousand years in the White family," Evan Xiao said. "I doubt Shannon would make this up."

"Exactly! That's right! Cousin, you should learn from His Highness—learn to trust people!"

"Yeah, yeah! His Highness is good at everything!" Leon Zane grumbled. "Then why don't you ask your father, the emperor, to lend us the casket, huh?"

Bianca Whitefan coughed and fell silent.

Evan Xiao didn't say a word either.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Leon Zane smirked. "With my uncle's stingy nature, I guarantee—unless His Highness goes himself, no one else could borrow that casket!"

"Who are you calling stingy?" Bianca Whitefan asked, enunciating each word.

"Your father, the emperor!" Leon Zane raised an eyebrow. "And your lovely empress mother too!"

Shannon gritted her teeth, but had to admit he was right.

"So, Your Highness? If you go ask for the Frostbound Casket, they'll probably take the opportunity to ask you to marry Bianca Whiteshire. They might even throw the casket in as part of the dowry! Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

"Your family gives out caskets as dowry when marrying off daughters?" Bianca Whitefan shot him a glare.

"Uh... I mean, as long as His Highness marries Bianca Whiteshire—"

"No way!" Evan Xiao cut him off.

Leon Zane hesitated for a moment. "...So, you mean you'll only marry Grace and no one else?"

Evan Xiao: "Finally, the Imperial Advisor and I are on the same page."

Leon Zane: "..."

Shannon looked at Leon Zane's expression and burst out laughing.

Leon Zane shot her a look. "Hey, how about this—when you get married someday, why not bring the Frostbound Casket as your dowry?"

"Then why don't I just marry you?"

"Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding! Who would dare marry a Rune Master? If she gets mad and slaps a spell on you, you'd wish you were dead..."

Just then, a sudden scream came from the inner courtyard.

The three of them rushed over and saw Bianca Whiteshire sprawled on the ground, pointing at Grace and cursing, "You wretched woman! I'll skin you alive and have you executed!"

"What's going on here?" Leon Zane asked.