After the few of them sat down, Giles skillfully asked the attendant to bring the medicine. After Gareth finished drinking it, he gently wiped his pale lips with a handkerchief and apologized to Elara and Leif,
"Sorry, Your Majesty, Lord Leif, for letting you witness this."
Leif shook his head. "I am no longer a young lord. Lord Gareth, you're being too polite. But about your health... is there still no news on the Soul Lotus Root?"
Gareth shook his head. His tone, like his expression, was calm and smiling, as if already used to it. "The Soul Lotus Root is after all a sacred medicine. Your Zhaiyun Pavilion and the Giles family have been searching for it for many years. Maybe I just lack the fortune."
Leif pressed his lips together. His snow-white fingers lifted slightly, and the attendant behind him carefully carried out several stacked boxes of coronation gifts prepared early for Prince Yu.
Leif also stood up and took a delicate jade bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Gareth.
"This is a Yuanling Pill. Though it cannot cure your illness, among pills that nourish the body and replenish energy and blood, it's quite effective. It can help strengthen a weak constitution.
Lord Gareth has asked Zhaiyun Pavilion to search for medicine for many years without result, so I feel ashamed. Consider this bottle of Yuanling Pill as my apology."
"Yuanling Pill is a rare and treasured medicine. Lord Leif, this is too generous."
Leif had known Gareth for as long as he had known Prince Yu. Though they had always treated each other with courtesy due to their positions, in essence, they were longtime acquaintances.
So Gareth didn't refuse too much, and after thanking him, accepted the Yuanling Pill.
After Leif gave the coronation gifts and the medicine, Elara also had the Uno family carry in her coronation gift. She herself took out a medicine bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Gareth.
"That Soul Lotus Root you mentioned, I had Oswyn look for it in the Valley of Divine Healers after I returned. But unfortunately, even there, such a sacred medicine couldn't be found quickly.
Only one bottle of a pill made with half a Soul Lotus Root remained in the medicine storage."
"I had Oswyn modify it according to your condition. He personally adjusted this Soul Lotus Root Pill. Try it first and see how it works. If anything feels wrong, send a message with Black Hawk to let me know."
"Also, though the Valley of Divine Healers has no matured Soul Lotus Root, they do have seeds. Take this pill first. Based on Oswyn's estimate, it should help maintain your current state until the Soul Lotus Root seeds mature.
Once they do, come to the Plumera Kingdom and let Oswyn treat you personally."
Leif and Gareth had just been saying how hard the Soul Lotus Root was to find. The Giles family and Zhaiyun Pavilion had searched everywhere for years without success.
Gareth had long gotten used to disappointment.
They didn't expect that the next moment, Elara would take out a Soul Lotus Root Pill, and it was even personally modified by Oswyn, the young master of the Valley of Divine Healers.
Both Leif and Gareth were shocked and immediately looked at her.
Behind Gareth, Giles also turned to look quickly, his gaze slowly moving from Elara's face to the medicine bottle in her hand.
Leif looked at Elara standing in front of Gareth. His gaze suddenly flicked between their matching appearances and figures.
Then his expression dimmed slightly, and he looked down without speaking.
Gareth looked at the medicine bottle Elara handed over.
Besides being surprised she had the Soul Lotus Root, what shocked him more was that only a few months ago, he had just met Elara.
They had gone to the Banquet of Nations with Prince Yu, and because he had been busy with the events, he and Prince Yu hadn't explained his illness to her in detail, only mentioned it briefly in passing.
Yet she remembered, and even had the young master of the Valley of Divine Healers, Oswyn, modify the medicine for him.
"Your Majesty..."
Gareth looked at the porcelain-white medicine bottle in front of him. The usually warm smile on his face froze for a second.
Elara saw he didn't take it, so she placed the bottle beside his hand. "Try it first. If it doesn't work, we'll talk then."
To Elara, this bottle of medicine was no big deal. It was just a small gesture. After all, the Dahlia Kingdom was currently her biggest ally. She had a good impression of Prince Yu, Gareth, and Giles. After returning to the Plumera Kingdom, she told Oswyn about Gareth's condition and asked him to help with the medicine if he had time.
Before her departure, Oswyn gave her this bottle. His original words were the same as what she had just said — try it first, and if it doesn't work, then look for another way.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! You are the benefactor of the Gyu family! If you ever need anything in the future, the Gyu family will serve without hesitation!"
While Gareth was still staring in mild shock at the precious medicine now placed so simply beside his arm, Giles had already knelt before Elara on one knee. As Gareth's younger brother, he expressed his deep gratitude with a respectful bow.
To the Gyu family, the Soul Lotus Root was nearly equal to Gareth's life.
After searching for so many years, disappointment had become a habit for the Gyu family and both Gareth and Giles. Over time, this disappointment silently turned into despair, hidden within Gareth's increasingly weak body.
No one expected that today, the life-saving medicine they had searched for over a decade would be handed to them so easily and directly by Elara.
The Soul Lotus Root was the foundation for treating Gareth's illness. Without it, even the finest medicines would be like a drop in the ocean and would not help at all.
After barely holding on for so many years, Gareth's body was on the verge of collapse. On the day they returned from the Banquet of the Hundred Kingdoms, the imperial doctor told the Gyu family in a heavy tone that if they still couldn't find the Soul Lotus Root, Gareth probably had less than two years left to live.
The Gyu family had been running around for years because of Gareth's health. Hearing this news was heartbreaking, but after being soaked in despair for so long, the words of the doctor felt like a final blow they had long anticipated. Although the family was full of grief, they silently accepted this truth.
Just when everyone had given up hope, even Gareth himself had accepted that he would not live past two more years, today suddenly brought a complete turnaround.
Elara didn't know Gareth had only two years left. She could see that his body was very weak, but when they traveled to the Banquet of the Hundred Kingdoms, neither he nor Prince Yu mentioned it. She had only sensed that he was in poor health.
Now, hearing Giles say this, she simply waved her hand and returned to her seat. "Try it first. When the Soul Lotus Root matures, come to Plumera Kingdom and have Oswyn check on you."
As she spoke, she had already returned to her seat and picked up her teacup to take a sip. She didn't notice the two brothers, Gareth and Giles, behind her silently staring at her with unwavering eyes.