"Miss, your injuries are still fresh. You can't get out of the recovery pod yet." The medic's orders were clear: keep both Lily and Dahlia under observation until their vitals stabilized. Letting either wander out was out of the question. "Lily, breathe. Slow down." Dahlia caught hold of the shaken Lily. She spoke in a low, gentle voice, coaxing her, "His Highness is probably tied up with work right now. Let's finish our treatment first. Once we're better, we can go see him. "It'll take a few days to reach the Central Planet anyway—we'll have plenty of chances to meet him." Only then did Lily finally relax. Dahlia sent the medic an apologetic smile. "My friend knew His Highness before this, so she got worked up. You can go on with your duties. I'll keep an eye on her. She won't cause trouble." The medic dipped his head in acknowledgment. Their stock of potions was running low, so he needed to head out and restock. Before he left, worried the pair might try something, he locked both recovery pods from the outside. That way, even if they got ideas, they weren't going anywhere. Once the medic left, Lily turned to Dahlia, flustered. "Dahlia, if Lucien won't see me, how am I supposed to get him to drink the medicine?" Dahlia told her, "I remember when you arrived, your mother gave you some ability-restoring fruit, right? Rub the medicine I gave you all over the fruit. "When the medic comes back, tell him this: since Lucien can't meet you right now, you still want to show your gratitude. Ask him to deliver the fruit to His Highness for you." When a female from the Empire offered a gesture of goodwill, most males almost never turned it down. And this particular medic was definitely not going to refuse Lily. "Got it!" Lily followed Dahlia's instructions to the letter. She took out the fruit and carefully coated them with the medicine. When the medic returned, Lily immediately piped up, "Can you unlock my recovery pod for a second? Don't worry, I won't run out. I'll stay put and keep up with the treatment." As she spoke, she produced the fruit covered with medicine. "Please help me pass these ability-restoring fruit to His Highness, to thank him for rescuing me and Dahlia." A female sending a gift to a male was an obvious olive branch; refusing to help was rare. The medic nodded. "Alright." He opened her recovery pod, took the fruit from Lily's hands, then sealed the pod right back up and walked out with the fruit. Lily was rather speechless. Would it kill him to leave the recovery pod unlocked just once? Fruit in hand, the medic ran them through a toxin scan first. Only after confirming there were no poisons did he go to look for Lucien. He didn't manage to find Lucien—but he did bump into Marcus, who just happened to be on a video call with Emma. "Prince Marcus, have you seen His Highness around?" the medic asked. "No." Marcus had been napping in the lounge earlier; if his huntress hadn't called, he'd still be asleep. He had no idea where Lucien was at the moment. On the lightcore screen, Emma noticed the medic appearing. Her gaze dropped to the fruit he was holding, and her heartbeat slammed against her ribs. A wave of panic hit her—sharp and overwhelming, unlike anything she'd felt before. On her chest, Lucien's beast mark flared, burning hotter and hotter. Could those fruits be the thing that would put Lucien at risk? Was that why she'd felt that fierce jolt the instant she saw them? Emma's expression darkened. She barked at Marcus, urgent, "Marcus, take the fruit from him. Seal them up properly. Right now."Marcus heard the fear in Emma's tone. He didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't hesitate; he immediately snatched the fruit from the medic. He pulled out a crystal container and locked them inside. Emma fixed her eyes on the medic. "Where did these come from?" The medic had no idea he'd walked into something serious. Hearing her question, he answered at once, "Lily Yates asked me to bring them to His Highness to thank him for saving her and Ms. Lane. "I scanned them. No toxins." Because they were meant for Lucien, he couldn't just hand them over casually—they had to be tested and cleared before reaching him. But judging from Lucien's huntress' reaction, these fruits were clearly trouble. The medic's stomach tightened; he went rigid on the spot. From Marcus, Emma already knew that Lily Yates and Dahlia Lane of the Enchanter Clan were both injured and currently recuperating on Lucien's warship in high-grade recovery pods.Emma had always felt something off about Dahlia. Now Lily was suddenly sending fruit to Lucien? It screamed bad news—like a fox bringing New Year treats to a chicken coop. No way this was simple gratitude. Emma's gaze chilled. "Go back and tell them this," she ordered crisply. "Lucien has received the fruit and appreciates her gesture. Nothing more." "Yes, ma'am!" The medic accepted the order and hurried off. Watching him leave, Emma said to Marcus, "Find Lucien—now. Tell him to keep both women under watch and stay alert." "And don't touch the fruit. Keep them sealed and bring them straight to me." "Understood, Ms. Tibarn."