Chapter 44: Ch 44. Treating Jhon 2

Not far from where they were, Sovel winced at what Selena said. Meanwhile, Vee could only purse her lips, not daring to speak even though she knew Selena was quite harsh toward all the kings who were currently her husbands.

Vee felt relieved and not particularly afraid because, after all, Selena’s husbands were now completely at her mercy. It was just that Vee didn’t yet know what would happen if these men recovered later on.

She feared they might seek revenge and destroy Selena all over again, since she had treated them so badly when they needed her most.

No one knows the future, and Vee wasn’t hoping for the worst—it’s just that in the current world of royalty and wild beasts, things can change quite quickly and don’t really care about what happened before.

Selena could sense that the illness within Jhon Nix’s chest was beginning to surface. She could feel it from the aura radiating from his body, as well as the anxiety he was experiencing.

This caused Selena to focus her gaze on the Ember Root, which was beginning to glow, as if it were being resisted by the aura emanating from Jhon’s body.

"Hold yourself together—don’t fight the pain, but don’t let anxiety overwhelm you either. Calm yourself, and have faith in your heart that you can overcome the pain of the fire burning within your heart," Selena said earnestly, causing John to nod and close his eyes.

The man clenched his fists, trying to calm himself and not get too anxious. Meanwhile, Selena stared at the Ember Root, which seemed to be growing larger, its light becoming increasingly blinding.

Vee and Sovel even closed their eyes, enduring the intense heat that stung their skin. Afterward, Selena raised the knife in her hand and stared at the tree with a determined expression.

"Be the healing force and the lifeline for the Phoenix people! You were created to be the bridge between life and death; I command you to heal King Phoenix, Jhon Nix, to fight the fire within his heart, and to subdue it until it is no longer a threat!" she shouted, then swiftly cut through the tree trunk.

As it snapped in two, the burst of light emanating from the broken trunk seemed to grow even stronger. But this time, the light coalesced into a single beam and focused on Jhon Nix, who was still sitting with his eyes closed.

The man’s entire body appeared to be engulfed in flames; the light from the Ember Root seemed to be burning him, causing Sovel, who witnessed this, to jump to his feet in alarm.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, the King is on fire!" he exclaimed in a panic, even trying to approach Jhon.

However, Selena calmly raised her hand, causing Sovel to stop in his tracks.

"Your Majesty, the King seems to be on fire," he said again, his face growing even more anxious, but Selena shook her head.

"No, that’s the effect of the Ember Root’s light. The fire inside his body is fighting against that light, which is why he looks like he’s on fire, but he actually isn’t. In fact, Jhon doesn’t seem to be in any pain at all—that’s because it’s fire against fire." Selena’s explanation made Sovel swallow hard.

"Then what should we do now? How long will this last?" he asked, still anxious, sweat even streaming down his face and neck.

Selena shook her head slowly. "Just wait; there’s no need to worry. Let the treatment run its course. Now, help me pull out this Ember Root—it’s the last herb we need to boil," Selena said as she approached the tree.

Sovel moved toward the tree, occasionally glancing at Jhon in the midst of the light that blazed like fire. The man’s body was barely visible; the light enveloping him was so bright it was blinding, and it felt slightly hot whenever they got even a little close to him.

"Vee, put the pot on the stove," Selena ordered as she watched Sovel pull out the Ember Root.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The root looked like a burning ember, and Sovel was too afraid to touch it. This made Selena look down on him, thinking he was rather weak.

"You’re supposed to be guarding a Phoenix with the power of fire. Why are you afraid to touch fire?" Selena teased, then carefully cut the Ember Root.

"Your Majesty, not all fire can be touched. I’m just being cautious so I don’t get hurt—in case this fire isn’t friendly toward me," he replied, glancing at Jhon from time to time.

Selena smiled cynically, then casually touched the root—which resembled a burning ember—and cut it before placing it in the basket.

"It’s not too hot; if you don’t hold it too long, it just feels warm." Selena looked at Vee, who was already helping her hold the basket.

Sovel could only swallow hard, holding the Ember Root stem he’d pulled out while Selena cut the root. The man looked anxious from time to time as he glanced toward Jhon, afraid his king might suddenly die or something similar if he didn’t pay close attention.

"All right, put it in the pot once the water comes to a boil," Selena said, prompting Vee to nod. "Lay the root on the floor; take over for me—cut it up and put it in this basket. I need to take them to prepare a remedy—these roots will be mixed with other medicinal ingredients later."

Sovel had no choice but to nod; he couldn’t disobey Selena’s orders. He set down the Ember Root stalk, then mustered the courage to cut the roots and finally felt a little relieved because it wasn’t as hot as he’d expected.

Selena herself approached Jhon, blocking his blood flow so that the treatment would work better. Selena placed her hand on the man’s back, reading his condition with her eyes closed, and found that the fire within Jhon’s heart was still quite fierce, but was slowly beginning to weaken due to the constant pressure from the Ember Root’s flame.

"Good, so far so good." Selena exhaled softly.

Removing her hand, Selena was about to walk over to the pot when she sensed a strange vibration coming from outside. It made her turn toward the window, sharpen her gaze, and immediately lock eyes with Sovel.

"There are intruders—some uninvited guests have arrived, and it seems they’re targeting this room. Go stop them; it looks like a group trying to disrupt the Phoenix King’s treatment," Selena said firmly, causing Sovel to immediately set down the scissors in his hand and sharpen his hearing.

"Damn it, those are the Black Phoenix’s emissaries! Your Majesty, please watch over the King for a moment; I’ll handle this."

Selena nodded, while Sovel had already transformed into a Phoenix and flew out the window as fast as lightning. Soon after, the window closed, and Selena could hear the sounds of a battle from outside.

"That Phoenix King you’re protecting is on the verge of death! He’s no longer fit to be King, Sovel! Stop being a sycophant—if you’ll listen to me, you’ll get a good position once I succeed him!" said a man’s voice that sounded quite arrogant and harsh.

Selena could still hear him even after all the doors were tightly shut. This made her snort softly, realizing that the royal drama she’d been watching was exactly the same as what she was witnessing now.

There’s always someone who thinks they’re worthy of power and is willing to stage a coup.

"Don’t even dream of it!" Sovel shouted harshly, his voice sounding like a general on the battlefield.

This made Selena blink slowly, then smile at the irony when she remembered that this was the voice of the man who had been afraid to touch the Ember Root earlier.

"You’ve never even been able to defeat me—stop dreaming of replacing His Majesty the King! Today I’ll capture you, then present your head to the King tomorrow!"