Chapter 22 The End of the Treatment Period

 A week later, in the hospital...

 "Congratulations, Emily Luna," Dr. Stephen smiled and said, "According to the data on the examination report, everything is fine with your body. This means that you won't need to come to the hospital for treatment after tomorrow."

 "Are you sure?" Emily asked, both delighted and a little worried.

 "Why can't I speak yet?" Emily wrote her question on a piece of paper with her pen.

 Despite being told by Dr. Stephen that no further treatment was needed, she was still unable to speak.

 "Or you can try pronouncing a syllable," Dr. Stephen instructed Emily. "Just like this, follow me, 'E'..."

 Emily opened her mouth, but she struggled to match Dr. Stephen's ability to pronounce the syllable 'E'. The result made her anxious. Could it be that something had gone wrong with the treatment process?

 "I can't," Emily scribbled the words dejectedly on the paper.

 "It's okay," Dr. Stephen reassured her. "I think it's probably because you had a burn on your throat that prevented you from speaking for a while, and you've fallen into a misunderstanding. Do you think you'll never be able to speak again?"

 Emily nodded, and she truly believed she would be mute for the rest of her life had Dr. Stephen not told her that her throat could be cured.

 "It's actually a psychological effect," Dr. Stephen explained. "It's like a stress response. You're scared to face some bad experiences, so you close your heart. All you have to do now is open your heart and speak boldly."

 How? Emily looked at Dr. Stephen, wanting more definite instructions.

 "Break through yourself and speak boldly to others," Dr. Stephen encouraged her. "You have to believe that you can do it."

 Emily sighed, well, she tried to.

 "In medicine, we also have stimulant therapy," Dr. Stephen added. "If, after a period of effort, you haven't broken through yourself, maybe we can consider stimulant therapy."

 Dr. Stephen's words rekindled Emily's confidence, and she smiled gratefully, giving herself a cheering gesture of encouragement.

 After the meeting, Dr. Stephen escorted Emily out of the office, and when he saw Marx standing outside the door, Dr. Stephen briefed Marx on Emily's treatment.

 "Emily Luna doesn't need to come back anymore, as her body has returned to normal," Dr. Stephen said to Marx. "I've just emailed Emily Luna's inspection report to Klaus."

 "Thank you, Dr. Stephen," Marx said, also happy for Emily. He turned to look at Emily and said, "Congratulations, Luna. I'm sure Alpha will be happy to hear that."

 Emily smiled at him as she thanked Marx for being her personal chauffeur all this time. He took his work very seriously and responsibly.

 After leaving the hospital, Marx doesn't take her back to the hotel. Instead, he informs Emily that since the royal family will be hosting an official wedding reception for Klaus and her in two days, Klaus has instructed him to take Emily to the mall to choose a dress for the banquet.

 Shortly thereafter, Marx brings Emily to a haute couture store in the mall. When Marx reveals Emily's identity to the salesperson, they immediately become exceedingly polite. The salespeople gather around Emily and bring out the finest dresses in the store, one by one, for Emily to choose from.

 Emily is dazzled by the exquisite dresses, and since she has no one to offer suggestions, she decides to try each one on.

 Eventually, Emily grows weary of trying on clothes and offers to go to the bathroom, but Marx attempts to accompany her, which she politely declines.

 Mathieu waits outside the store, but twenty minutes pass, and Emily still hasn't returned.

 "Damn it," Marx mutters, immediately rushing to the bathroom.

........

 Klaus had just finished a video conference with royal representatives when Meiss informed him that the official wedding reception would take place at the palace in two days. Meiss detailed the proceedings and specifics of the feast, which would be attended not only by the chiefs of various tribes but also by the king.

 Meiss also tactfully reminded Klaus to view the wedding banquet as a prime opportunity to mend relations with the king.

 After Krause finished his meeting, he received an email address from Dr. Stephen, who had sent him a report on Emily's physical condition. Without hesitation, he clicked on his email to review it.

 Dr. Stephen provided a thorough overview of Emily's current state and the results of her treatment, along with additional recommendations for stimulation therapy.

 "Stimulation therapy?" Klaus's gaze was fixed on the report sent by Dr. Stephen. "Does she need stimulation to speak?"

 Just as Klaus was about to call Dr. Stephen on his cell phone to inquire about the specifics of the stimulation treatment, he received a call from Marx.

 "Alpha, I have something urgent to report to you," Marx said, his tone anxious. "When I took Luna to the mall to pick out a dress as you instructed, she said she was going to the bathroom alone. But twenty minutes passed, and Luna didn't return."

 "And what did you find?" Klaus asked, struggling to contain his growing anger, knowing full well that his beta would not be so careless.

 "I retrieved the surveillance video from the mall and discovered that Luna was taken into a car," Marx explained.

 "Don't tell me you didn't chase that car?" Klaus demanded.

 "The license plate number shows that it's a car exclusive to the royal family," Marx said, lowering his voice. "It was someone from the royal family who took Luna."

 "What's the trajectory of the car?" Klaus asked urgently.

 "The car drove straight into the palace," Marx replied truthfully. "Please forgive me for not being able to enter the palace, as I wasn't authorized..."

 Before Marx could finish his sentence, Klaus hung up.