The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 198

After tending to Felix's wounds and seeing to his poison, Vivienne skillfully reset his broken bones by touch alone.

She then applied a cooling balm to his exposed injuries. It was a blessing in disguise that his wounds were open, saving her the pain of having to make any further incisions.

Once she'd finished, Vivienne set about splinting Felix's limbs, wrapping them securely.

Although Vivienne hadn't given him any pain relief, Felix felt considerably less pain once his bones had been reset.

The balm she'd applied to his wounds was soothing and cooling. If he weren't immobilized, he'd have believed himself to be well on the road to recovery. He couldn't help but be in awe of the highly revered Specter Healer's medical prowess.

"How long before my injuries are completely healed?" He couldn't resist asking again.

Vivienne gave him a meaningful glance before replying. "Under normal circumstances, you should be back on your feet in a month."

But these were not normal circumstances.

While she'd been setting his bones, she'd surreptitiously planted a tiny needle in his vein.

"Oh, great Specter Healer, can you save my cousin?" Arabella, scared from her previous insolence towards Vivienne, asked timidly. Upon hearing that Felix's injuries could heal in a month, she couldn't help bu think of her paralyzed cousin, Tristan.

Arabella's concern for Tristan wasn't out of deep affection, but rather because he was obedient to her. He was a loyal servant. It would be a waste if he remained paralyzed.

As long as there was hope, she would try to save him.

Putting on her usual pitiful facade, Arabella tearfully pleaded with Vivienne. "My cousin was hurt defending me from villains and is now confined to his bed. All the doctors we've consulted have said they can't help him. You're his only hope. He's a good man, yet he suffers so. It's heart-wrenching to see him in such a state. Please save him!"

Vivienne looked down at Arabella, replaceing the situation rather amusing. If Arabella knew that she was one of the 'villains' responsible for Tristan's current state, her reaction would be priceless.

Unfortunately, Vivienne had no plans to reveal her identity just yet.

"Save him?" Vivienne asked with a smirk. "I can, but for a price."

"Name it! I'll do anything!" Arabella replied earnestly. "Even if it means serving you and fetching your water, I'm willing!"

Arabella's last sentence was purposefully suggestive. She was hoping that the Specter Healer would take her in. If she couldn't become a disciple initially, she was sure she could win her favor eventually.

If only she knew that the woman she was trying to impress, the woman she hoped to call her master, was Vivienne. She would be mortified.

"No need for all that." Vivienne glanced at Felix, who was lying on the bed. "Just kill him, and I'll save your cousin."

"What?!" Arabella was shocked. She looked up and realized that she could now move.

She stood up. Vivienne gestured towards the knife on the table, the one she'd used to treat Felix's wounds. "The knife's right there. He can't move. He won't put up a fight."

"Specter Healer, what is the meaning of this?!" Felix demanded while glaring at Vivienne.

Vivienne remained silent while looking at Arabella. "What's the matter? Can't do it?"

Arabella looked at Vivienne, then at Felix, and finally at the knife still stained with Felix's blood.

After weighing the benefits of having the Specter Healer come back with her to the Brooks family to save Tristan, she clenched her teeth, picked up the knife, and walked towards Felix. "Arabella, you want to kill me?" Felix's face was grim as he warned Arabella. "Think carefully!"

Suddenly, Arabella remembered the compromising photos and videos Felix held over her head. If she killed him now, those would be plastered all over the internet.

The knife dropped from Arabella's hand with a resounding clatter. She covered her face as tears began streaming down her face. "I...I can't do it. I can't kill someone..."

"It seems you don't care much for your cousin." Vivienne scoffed.

Arabella lowered her eyes to conceal the resentment in them.

Tristan was nothing more than a faithful servant to her. How could she risk her reputation and future for him?

Her compromising materials were in Felix's hands. She couldn't kill him now.

For her sake, she had to sacrifice Tristan.

"Get out." Vivienne looked down at Arabella, who was half a head shorter than her. "You're in my way."

"But...but..." Arabella glanced at Felix, hesitating.

"If you don't leave, would you prefer to kneel here forever?" Vivienne asked coldly.

Arabella trembled, not daring to say another word. She turned and fled.

"Specter Healer, what was that all about?!" Felix questioned her once Arabella was out of earshot.

"Omen, you're a bit thick." Vivienne replied with a soft laugh. She picked up a clean piece of cloth from the table and began to delicately clean the blood and residual ointment from her fingers. The dim light in the cabin cast a warm glow on her slender fingers as she cleaned them meticulously.

The sight of her, with her head bowed as she worked diligently, was strangely captivating.

Felix furrowed his brows in confusion, his gaze landing on the unfinished splints on the wooden table. A chill ran through him. "How did you know I was buried in a graveyard?"

Vivienne paused, turning her face towards him with an enigmatic smile.

His heart sank under her gaze.

"And how did you know my limbs were broken? How could you have prepared the splints and medicines in advance?"

"You're not entirely clueless, it seems." Vivienne conceded, discarding the soiled bandage. She slipped one hand into her pocket as the other pulled off the eerie mask she wore, revealing her face to Felix. His pupils constricted. Shock and anger now radiated from his glare at the unmasked woman, whose face was filled with mockery.

"Vivienne! It was you all along!"

He had never suspected that the renowned Specter Healer was none other than Vivienne.

For the first time, Felix felt the cold grip of fear. He had assumed that he held a favor from the Specter Healer, and thus he had remained calm when Percival had him sealed in a coffin and buried underground. He had believed that, with the Specter Healer owing him, he would never die.

But now...

"You... you can't kill me!" Felix tried to move, but his broken limbs wouldn't cooperate. "Don't forget that you owe me a favor! You have to save me! If you break your word, everyone will know you're a fraud!" "I always keep my promises." Vivienne responded. A meaningful smile graced her lips as she looked at Felix. "I've already fulfilled your request."