Diana had no idea that because of Joshua's vague explanation when he told the servants to bring a bathtub and clothes for her,
everybody jumped to the conclusion that Carlson had slept with her. Due to her obliviousness, Diana casually left after taking a
bath and changing her clothes.
"Why did the girl leave?" Everybody else was confused as they thought that the girl who had slept with Carlson should stay with
him. They couldn't understand why she just left.
"Maybe, it's because Prince Carlson refuses to take responsibility with what he did. She may not have any other choice but to
leave. She must be so upset," someone presumed in a low voice, instantly putting Carlson in a very unforgivable position.
"Oh my god! I didn't expect that such a good-looking man like Prince Carlson would be like this. He has ruined such a decent
girl's reputation. How could he sleep with a virgin and refuse to take responsibility for that?" Immediately, all of the people
became extremely dissatisfied with Carlson's behaviors. They all believed that the prince tricked the girl into doing a momentous
act but refused to marry her. Hence, he needed to have some accountability. Since the girl ran away by herself on horseback at
full speed, she must have been extremely hurt.
The people in the Birch Pass were open-minded. Most of the women in there were strong-willed and assertive. Moreover, they
hated unfaithful men very much. Therefore, they were quite disappointed with what they thought Carlson did.
However, Diana didn't know that the servants in the general's mansion at the Birch Pass had a bad impression on Carlson
because of her. It was a big deal because it would cause a lot of trouble for Carlson in the future.
Meanwhile, after vigorously chasing Harper and Matthew for several hours, Shawn finally caught up with them. Fortunately, he
managed to do so before it got dark. "How can the two of you run so fast? I whipped my horse so hard that I felt pity for the poor
animal. But still, I couldn't catch up with you until now," he sighed.
Lifting the curtain of the carriage, Harper said, "Shawn, you made it just in time. I have something to discuss with you."
Shawn was a little surprised to hear that. He responded, "You have something to discuss with me? I'm surprised. I wonder what
kind of thing is making you this cautious and serious. Even I'm curious about it."
"Come inside the carriage. Let's talk on the way," Harper said while gesturing for him to enter the vehicle.
After hesitating for a moment, Shawn got off his horse and handed the reins to his deputy general. Then, he approached the
carriage and got on it. He sat face to face with the couple. The last time that Harper talked to him in a serious manner, she had
asked him to take in and reorganize the Northern Expeditionary Army in the North Domain. He wondered what she was about to
talk with him this time. Would she want him to take in and reorganize the army in the South Domain as well? Or would she want
him to help in plotting against someone?
"What's the matter? Why are you so serious?" Shawn asked. He was a little nervous. After all, nothing could make Harper this
serious other than very important issues.
"Here's the thing. I acquired a few medicinal herbs from the Labyrinth Swamp which are very rare. I'm aware that you younger
sister's heart disease has been getting worse recently. What I want to say is that I'm eighty percent sure that I can cure her. But
before you get your hopes up, I have to tell you that there are risks. The operation that I need to perform on her is very critical. If
I make a single mistake or if the procedure completely fails, your younger sister will die. So, I'm laying it all out on you—the risks
and the success rate of the operation so you can consider this situation carefully. If you think it's worth a try, I'm willing to cure
her," Harper mindfully and hastily said when she noticed the nervous expression on Shawn's face.
"Eighty percent sure?" Shawn asked in disbelief. His younger sister, Wendy had been born with congenital heart disease. Over
the years, they had taken her to a lot of well-known physicians. All of them said the same thing—it was impossible to
permanently cure her. Even Harper had said those exact words in the past. But now she was telling him that there was a way to
possibly cure his younger sister, but the success rate was only eighty percent.
"Yes, only eighty percent of success rate. Although there's a high probability that I'll completely cure her, there's also a chance of
failure. So, I'm giving you the choice. It's up to you whether or not you're going to let me heal her," Harper said slowly.
Upon hearing that, Shawn became silent for a long time. His family had always regarded Wendy's heart disease as a wound in
their hearts. If she could be cured, it would certainly be the most wonderful news to come into their lives. It was comparable to a
miracle that they had always hoped, but never expected to come into their reality. However, if something were to happen to her
during the operation, like Harper had warned him, she'd disappear from the world forever. If they refused the treatment, she
would just continue her current state—alive, but barely living. Moreover, if they didn't do anything, she would just die in a few
years. It was like waiting for the final chord to be cut, a grim reality that their family had been facing every single day of their
lives.
"Please cure her!" Shawn suddenly exclaimed with so much conviction right about when Harper thought that he had given up. "If
you successfully cure her, we'll be extremely lucky to have her back in our lives, for real this time. If not, we won't blame you. I
guess, if that were to happen, fate had decided it. Your Highness, please cure my sister."
Matthew gave him a sincere and understanding smile. He had expected that Shawn would choose to cure his younger sister. In
fact, Shawn had never been an indecisive man. Since Harper had said that she was eighty percent sure that the treatment would
succeed, it also meant the probability of failure was very low, so Shawn would likely choose to take the risk. That was not only
because of the high success rate, but because he did trust Harper.
"Don't you need to discuss this with your family first? Or, don't you want to discuss it with your younger sister? They might not be
on board with the idea. You don't have to give an answer right away. I'll be staying in the imperial capital for quite a long time.
You can even make your choice until I'm about to leave the imperial capital," Harper suggested.
"Thank you for your concern. But I've already decided. Her disease cannot be allowed to go on any longer. If she refuses to be
treated now, she won't be able to live for many years. Since you're eighty percent sure, why don't we give it a try? You don't need
to be pressured too much. I know it's a very delicate situation since a person's life is at stake but please go ahead and treat her
with confidence. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility," Shawn firmly stated.
"Such being the case, I'll begin to prepare for the treatment as soon as I get back," Harper said with a smile. She breathed a sigh
of relief when she saw how determined Shawn was. Now that he had made those bold declarations, the only thing Harper
needed to focus on was to try her best to cure Wendy.