72: Plans To Enter The Palace

Plans To Enter The Palace

2"I do not want to disappoint you, but you might not get the chance to visit him unless Master comes out of the palace. Ordinary people like you are not allowed to enter the palace."

"Even if I ask permission?"

The man felt hesitant but said, "Well, as you are someone who might be a fellow apprentice in the future, let me tell you something. If outside help is being sought by the royal palace, that means an important person needs treatment which cannot be revealed to the outside world. So to keep it a secret, Master won't be allowed to communicate with the outside world and will have to focus on treating that person during his entire stay. It is the price one pays to treat a royal— secrecy.'

"That means there is no chance for me to see him?"

The man shook his head. "But don't lose hope. You've met my master, and you should know his personality. He is both proud of his skills and disdainful of authority. Maybe the treatment will end soon, or maybe he will be allowed to step out of the palace every now and then."

"I can't wait for possibilities. I…I don't have that much time. I need his help."

"I will try what I can do. But do not expect much, at least not so soon."

Oriana sat there helplessly. "Is there no way?"

The black-clothed lad reminded Waye of his younger self. The reason why he began following his master was also to save a loved one's life. Oriana's desperation moved him.

"Maybe you can apply to work in the palace in their royal infirmary as a servant or garden herbalist, but I am not sure if you will be picked. The ones who work there are highly qualified physicians who won't even look at small apothecaries like us. Moreover, they generally pay attention to those with noble backgrounds, especially for novices. 

"For commoners, you need to go through an extensive exam which happens once a year. However, the next exam will be in ten months as the last one finished last autumn."

Waye continued to talk while anxiousness grew inside Oriana, along with the fear of losing her grandpa. She bowed to the man. 

"Thank you for the information, Mister Waye. I will need time to think about your advice. I shall take my leave now."

When Oriana stepped out of Nature's Apothecary, it was as if she was surrounded by murky water. 

'The invitation of the royal palace proves Master Cenric's great skill. That means he is even better than the royal physicians. No wonder he was able to give me that ancient concoction that no one has heard of.'

Oriana did not outright ask about it, but from what she gathered, Waye also had no idea such a miraculous medicine for senility existed.

Her only hope was Cenric.

With her mind in chaos, Oriana walked about the crowded road in a daze. People were circling past her, some almost bumping into her. 

'This strange place,' Oriana stared at the crowd as if everything was going fast forward in front of her eyes while she was frozen in place, 'who can I even ask help from? Won't I be able to save Grandpa just because a commoner like me can't enter the palace to meet that apothecary? So unfair. My grandfather's life is as important as that person's life in the palace. I have to meet Master Cenric. But how?'

"Hey lad, don't just stand in the middle of the road. Move," shouted a man pulling a heavy cart filled with goods.

Oriana got back to her senses and stepped aside. She watched the man pulli that cart. He was sweaty and visibly tired, struggling to carry the heavy load, but he was giving it his all. 

'That man is doing such difficult labor. He must be doing it every day to earn for his family. Why am I afraid of a simple task like entering the palace? I even entered the den of those smugglers. I used herbs which can get me punished with death. Entering the palace couldn't be worse. I only need a chance to talk to an apothecary. It's not like I'm stealing anything.' 

She steeled herself with determination. 

'I cannot give up. Whatever it takes, I will have to find a way to enter the palace. I am smart, I always find a way out of difficult situations, I will do the same this time. Oriana never gives up and never will.'

She continued to walk along the road, her steps this time more steady. 

'I don't have much time. Master Cenric will arrive in a week. Before that, I need to find a way to enter the royal palace, best if it's a role that will allow me to meet him without raising suspicion.'

As she walked past a street, her gaze noticed city guards patrolling on horseback. 

'Another problem is how to smuggle the night blackshade with me. I need to bring it with me so Master Cenric can correct my concoction, but if I am discovered with a banned herb on my body, I will be beheaded right away.'

Oriana began to feel a headache. 'No, let's focus on how to enter the palace first. I do not think I can sneak past the guards, and I also cannot enter as an ordinary servant because it will require people to investigate my background. It will be best if someone can recommend me and guarantee my identity, but the only person I know is Luke… 

'Wait!  Luke and Ken are working in the household of high-ranking nobles. They seem close to the royal family. Maybe I can get work there as well and use them as a breakthrough point to get inside the palace.'

Oriana immediately headed towards the mansion of the Ahrens.

She was allowed entry without trouble as the gatekeepers were now familiar with who this black-clothed boy was. She went to the rear building where Luke was working and saw him talking to the butler. 

Her eyes narrowed at the man in a neat suit. 'Butler Kahlil seems to be the one who has the final say in the general affairs of the household. If he can give me some work here, then people won't question him.'

She walked towards the two. 

"...this will be done by tomorrow."

"You are fast, Luke, and every piecework is so fine," the butler praised. 

Just then Luke's eyes caught a little hamster in loose-fitting black clothes coming towards them. From her expression, he could guess something was going on in her mind. 

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