A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth was scared after Edwin lost his consciousness. She did not understand what went wrong. If it was because of the medicine, then he should have felt the pain immediately.

What if it was indeed because of that medicine?

Ruth sprinkled some water on Edwin's face.

"Edwin, please! Open your eyes, Edwin!" She panicked while tapping his face. She tried everything that she could for the next twenty minutes, but Edwin did not wake up.

Ruth sat beside him helpless and clueless. The fear began crippling her mind slowly as time passed by.

She thought of calling someone for help, but then she was afraid that people might believe Theodora and Eloise's accusations against her.

Ruth was pretty sure that if Mrs Payne had given that medicine, then there was no way something was wrong with it.

She was brought back to reality when she heard the low grunting sounds. She saw Edwin moving, his body still drenched in sweat.

"Edwin... wake up... wake up!" Ruth called his name in desperation.

Edwin's eyelids felt heavy. His eyes burned with irritation as well as his back. He blinked a few times to clear his hazy vision. Before he could gather himself, a strong acidic taste rose in his throat, burning the inner muscles and his chest.

Edwin stumbled out of the bed and ran straight to the bathroom. Ruth ran behind him in worry as she did not understand what was happening.

She heard the weird sounds coming from him before she reached inside. Edwin held the wall of the sink tightly, his head was down.

He made some disgusting sounds before he vomited everything he had taken in all day.

"Edwin... it is okay... it is okay..." Ruth ran her hand on his head and on his shoulders as he emptied his system completely.

By the time he was finished puking everything, he was panting for air. His body shivered, and he felt like he would collapse any moment.

"I will clean everything. Come." Ruth said.

Edwin shook his head and took some water in a vessel to drain down the mess he had created. He rinsed his mouth thoroughly, hating the aftertaste of the acidic bitter bile in his mouth.

After he was done, Ruth helped him get back to the bed.

"Sit. Do you need some water?" Ruth asked, her brows pulled together.

Edwin shook his head before resting it back on the headboard.

Ruth did not dare to say anything as she stood at a hand's distance from him. Edwin had his eyes closed, his breaths were still irregular. He still looked like he was in pain, yet the lines on his face had smoothed down than before.

"Call Mrs Payne."

"E-Edwin-"

"I said call Mrs Payne right NOW!" He raised his voice a bit, not leaving any room for denial.

Ruth bit the inside of her cheek as she fidgeted with her dress. She was afraid of what was going to happen. She did not want Edwin to lash out at Mrs Payne. But she also wanted to know what exactly happened.

"O-okay."

Ruth left to get Mrs Payne. She had many thoughts running in her mind. However, she could not say a word.

When she returned back after fifteen minutes, she called Edwin's name.

"Edwin, she is here."

Edwin opened his eyes that had lost their brightness. He looked at the old lady following Ruth in the chamber.

Edwin observed her keenly. She had no worry on her face, nor she was scared. She did not even look surprised at all.

"Stand outside." Edwin told Ruth with a straight face.

That made Ruth concerned. "But-"

Edwin showed his palm to her telling her that it was not a request but an order.

Ruth glanced to Mrs Payne from the corner of her eyes to see her nodding her head. Not having another choice, Ruth left the chamber with heavy steps.

Now that Edwin and Mrs Payne were alone in the chamber, the silence between them made Edwin more restless. He had many questions, and the old woman seemed like she had a fair idea of his thoughts.

"You knew that I would call you, did not you?" He began.

Mrs Payne smiled at his question. "I am glad that you called me. I hope you are feeling better now."

Edwin nodded his head in affirmation. He indeed felt better now.

"What was that paste? Why did you sent it?"

Mrs Payne raised her white brows in surprise. "You still have not understood?"

Edwin felt like he was not able to understand the obvious. He gulped his saliva down his throat before shaking his head.

"Have you seen the green lumps in your vomit?"

"That is why I called you. What does that mean?"

Edwin saw the green lumps after he puked his guts out. He was confused to see those things as he was sure that he had not eaten anything green in the entire day. He did not want Ruth to see them and panic, so he flushed it down the drainage while she was concentrating on only him.

Mrs Payne's face turned dark instantly. Looking straight into Edwin's eyes, she replied, "It was poison!"

Edwin sat aghast on his place. It took him a minute to wrap his head around what she just said.

"P-poison?!"

Mrs Payne nodded her head. "May I sit? These knees are giving me hard time these days." She asked.

Edwin shook himself from the shock he had just received. "My apologies! Please sit." He said in a hurry.

Mrs Payne sat in a chair that was placed in front of him. She pressed her both knees with her fingers, her face twitched every time she applied force on her knees.

She let Edwin use that time to absorb the shock.

"How did you know?" He finally asked.

"When Ruth told me about your injuries, I thought it must be venom from the wolf's claws. I also thought that the physician would first address the issue of poison spreading in your system, and as expected he did.

But then, what confused me was your slow recovery. You should have healed more than you already have. Ruth told me about your loss of appetite and long hours of sleep."

Edwin listened to her carefully. It was true that he did feel weaker than expected, but he ignored that fact thinking it must be because of his heavy doses of wolfsbane potion.

"I was doubtful. So I sent those medicinal ingredients with Ruth to apply them to your wound. If my doubt was wrong, then the mixture would have only helped you in faster recovery.

But if my doubt was right, then it will rinse all the poison from your body the way it has done. So I had to take the chance. And no... Ruth has no idea about it."

Edwin was surprised that she guessed his next question correctly.

"I could not tell her this without any confirmation. I sent those medicines with her because I knew that you or anyone else would not question much if she bring them to you."

Edwin was stupified by what he heard. The woman who sat in the chair in front of him with curly white hair and wrinkled skin was so smart and brave that he had not even imagined ever.

But then he realised something.

"Does that mean... you... know that I..."

"You are a werewolf. A leader of the werewolf breed. Most of the people around you including Rees, the Welby family and Lord Lester they all are werewolves. Yes I know!"

Mrs Payne did not fake denial. She did not pretend obliviousness. She accepted everything with a calm and composed mind as if she had already foreseen all of it coming her way sooner or later.

Or was she only waiting for these questions from him all this time?

Edwin recalled their one of the previous conversations. He always found her gaze on him peculiar. He was intrigued by her way of giving cryptic answers. Yet he had never imagined she knew his identity.

"Pardon me, Young Master, but no matter how rich and handsome you were, do you think that I would have entrusted Ruth with a womanizer and a selfish man only because he claimed that he liked her?"

Edwin now sat straight, his eyes widened with every revelation coming from her.

"You know that Ruth is my mate?! She is the future Luna of the werewolf breed?" Edwin asked in surprise.

Mrs Payne smiled again. "Of course I know that. That is why I never stopped her from getting closer to you. I can not interfere in the plan of fate, now can I?"

Edwin rubbed his forehead with his fingers. It was too much for him to take. He was still feeling weird because of that medicine given by Mrs Payne. His head also felt heavy.

He questioned himself if it was the right decision to call Mrs Payne. But then, how long he would have prolonged this conversation with her?

At least she was honest and helped him. He felt like calling Ruth again and sleeping in her arms without any care of the world.

But he could not be that selfish when he had a chance of getting to know many things he had no idea of.