Chapter 62 Rise, Francis
Silence.
Complete silence.
Amelia hung up the phone, and the busy signal echoed from Francis's speakerphone. Everyone in the room stood wide-eyed and speechless.
What just happened?
Francis had called Amelia?
“What’s going on?” Niamh's eyes were wide as saucers, her lips trembling. “Dr. Vasquez called, why did you answer?”
Amelia looked up, a hint of sarcasm in her calm voice. “Maybe he was trying to reach me?”
“What did you say?” Kismet gasped, looking up in disbelief. “Are you saying that Royce’s mysterious final and most important disciple, who has never appeared in public, is you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Amelia looked straight into Kismet's eyes, her voice steady. “Royce is my teacher.”
Her tone was unshakeable.
With those words, the entire room—Niamh, Kismet, Anna, even the Martinez family and Michael—was stunned.
Michael knew Amelia had impressive medical skills. She had helped him stand with just two needles.
But he had never connected her to Royce’s final and most important disciple.
Royce had announced his final and most important disciple over a decade ago, and Amelia was still young. The age difference was fifty or sixty years.
“This is impossible!” Anna suddenly stepped forward and questioned, “Mr. Castillo took his second student twelve years ago. You were just a high schooler—how old were you twelve years ago?”
Anna continued, “A five-year-old from the countryside being taken as the final and most important disciple by the nation’s most renowned chief shaman? How is that possible?”
“Why isn't it possible?” Amelia's face remained expressionless. “Twelve years ago, Mr. Castillo visited my mother in the countryside. He saw my exceptional memory and love for plants and decided I had the talent to learn shamanism. He immediately decided to be my teacher.”
“In the field of shamanism, people often judge a healer's skill by their age and experience. Mr. Castillo didn't want me to be questioned because of my age and hoped I could avoid worldly distractions and focus on studying medicine.”
“So, over the years, he never directly involved me in treating patients or let me appear in public. He never discussed my identity with others. Every month, he would visit me in the countryside, and this has been going on for over a decade.”
“As for the Return Elixir, as Francis mentioned, Mr. Castillo's age has affected his physical strength, so he passed the task on to me.”
“The summer before my sophomore year, I spent two months traveling the world to gather the necessary materials. Under Mr. Castillo's guidance, I made three Return Elixirs.”
“Mr. Castillo tested the first one himself to verify its effectiveness. He kept one for himself and gave me the other for emergencies.”
“I had someone retrieve the medicine from the Martinez family. It should be here soon,” Amelia raised her eyes and looked around the room. “Is that clear enough?”
It was crystal clear.
Amelia had laid it all out—the reason she became Royce’s disciple and the origin of the Return Elixir.
No one dared question her anymore.
Seeing that Amelia was indeed Royce’s final and most important disciple, even the proud and high-ranking Niamh and Anna had complex expressions.
That was Royce.
The only fair thing in this world is that whether you're a homeless beggar or a billionaire, everyone has only one life.
Everyone gets sick, whether sooner or later, seriously or mildly, painfully or fatally.
Why did everyone know so much about Royce? Anna even knew the exact year he took his final and most important disciple.
Because the wealthier and more powerful someone is, the more they fear losing it all, and the more they value their lives.
Countless nobles and elites wanted to connect with Royce, whose medical skills were said to be so advanced that he could bring people back from the brink of death.
This included Niamh and Anna.
Years ago, a woman from the Blackwood family managed to invite Royce to treat her through a distant relative.
Royce not only cured her but also prescribed a regimen to improve her health and appearance.
For years, she followed the regimen, and even at fifty, she looked radiant and youthful, her skin smooth and glowing.
Her condition was far superior to other noblewomen who frequently visited hospitals for beauty treatments, making Niamh and Anna envious.
Although Anna was only in her twenties, she was already worried about aging and had been trying to meet Royce for years.
But the Royce she had tried so hard to meet was the same Royce that Amelia saw every month.
If they could build a good relationship with Amelia, they might connect with Royce.
Moreover, Amelia was Royce’s final and most important disciple, personally trained by him for over a decade. Her medical skills must be impressive.
For these wealthy individuals, anything money can buy isn't valuable; what money can't buy is precious.
But Niamh and Kismet had just insulted and mocked Amelia, with Niamh even attempting to slap her, offending Amelia.
Anna regretted not stopping Kismet earlier. They hadn't clarified the situation.
Everyone had their own thoughts, while Francis, sitting by Vaughn's bedside, finally recovered from the shock.
He never imagined that the revered Sir he had never met was Amelia.
So, twelve years ago, Francis was thirty-five, but Amelia was only five.
This was unbelievable.
Francis took a deep breath, finally made up his mind, and knelt before Amelia, his voice trembling as he addressed her respectfully.
Regardless of age or status, according to Royce's rules, juniors must kneel before elders.
Francis's kneeling stunned everyone present.
A forty or fifty-year-old man kneeling before a teenager?
Amelia remained calm, glancing lightly at Francis. “Stand up, Francis.”
Her words made Francis's shoulders tremble, and he listened as Amelia instructed, “My friend fetching the medicine should be here soon. Go and greet them.”