Roxanna took Cyrus’s wish to leave very seriously. After all, people at their lowest point often make choices they regret later.

"Don’t worry, we’ll take turns guarding the door," Zeir said. He tried to calm her after hearing about Cyrus. "I’ll ask the others to watch the back door too."

Roxanna bit her lower lip. Every now and then, she turned to glance at their hut behind them. "What if he turns into a little bird and flies away?" she asked, her voice full of worry. "You might not be able to catch him if he escapes."

[And I won’t let anyone shoot him either,] she thought. [What should I do? Why can’t I think of anything to make him stay?]

"He hasn’t run away yet, so how about we just try our best for now?" Zeir reassured her. "And I’ll also do my best to stop him from escaping."

But saying it was easier than doing it. Even though Zeir and the others would try their best to stop Cyrus from leaving, as long as Cyrus wanted to go, he would definitely find another way.

[Host, did you forget? Your hug can reduce your husbands’ negative thoughts by 40%,] the system suddenly said.

[If you hug him every day, the system is sure he won’t dare to run away!]

Roxanna let out a tired sigh. [If his negative thoughts are too strong, I don’t think that alone can stop him completely.]

[There’s no harm in trying, Host!] the system continued. [Besides, the advanced medicinal recipe I gave you also includes knowledge of a mind-soothing remedy!]

Roxanna frowned, thinking for a moment. [You mean... like an anti-depression pill?]

[Ding! Ding! Ding!]

[Full score for you, Host!]

Since she received the reward from her last mission, she hadn’t checked it because of how deeply she felt Aelin’s departure.

And when she finally felt better, she ended up forgetting about the advanced medicinal recipe given by the system.

"Zeir," she said, lifting her head. "Do you mind taking care of Cyrus for a moment? I think I need to go somewhere."

Zeir frowned. "Where are you going? It’s already late. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?"

Roxanna sighed and shook her head. "I feel like Cyrus’s mental health will deteriorate quickly. That’s why I think I need to find some medicinal plants to calm his mind."

Before Zeir could say anything, she added, "Don’t worry! I can go with Luan! You and Calen can focus on taking care of Cyrus here, alright?"

[Actually, I could also bring Azul—wait, no, I think he’s still busy making the rest of the poison with Skiv,] Roxanna thought. [Well, I guess Luan should be enough.]

On the other side, Zeir thought for a moment before finally nodding. "Just be careful, and don’t be gone too long."

Roxanna smiled and nodded quickly. "I’ll try!"

Since Zeir and Calen had to guard the front and back doors, Roxanna decided to head to the lab on her own. On the way, she asked the system to open the recipe for an herbal antidepressant.

[The ingredients are actually quite simple, Host!]

[You only need three medicinal herbs!]

[Ingredients for the Mind-Calming Medicine:

- Blue Thornless Rose

- Water Pouch Plant 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

- Transparent Mushroom.]

Roxanna let out a small hiss when she saw the list. The system was right, there were only three ingredients. But the problem was... she didn’t recognize any of them.

Thornless Rose? Water Pouch Plant? Transparent Mushroom?

If she were still in her own world, she would have thought these plants only existed through genetic experiments.

[Don’t worry, Host! You can find all three in the Cursed Forest!]

[Of course you’d say that,] Roxanna thought, rolling her eyes. [But where exactly am I supposed to look?]

[All of these grow in the wild and can survive anywhere, so there’s no exact location,] the system replied.

Roxanna let out a soft sigh. It seemed like she had to ask Luan to spend the rest of the night with her. At first, she thought he might not want to go back there, but the moment she told him her plan, he didn’t argue at all. Instead, he immediately started packing useful items into the same backpack they had used during their trip to the Golden Mountain.

"Luan, we’re only going to look for some plants," Roxanna said. Her eyes fell on the backpack, which looked like it was filled with so many things. "I don’t think we need a tent."

Luan shrugged. "Oh, my wife, the forest is very unpredictable. It’s better if we bring useful items for emergencies."

Roxanna raised her brows slightly. [Yesterday, he didn’t even bring anything when he stayed in the forest overnight.]

[But still... it’s really sweet how much he cares about me.]

After all, the only reason he packed so many things was to make sure she would be comfortable.

Roxanna didn’t say anything more after that. Instead, she quietly helped him sort a few things, even though she still felt that most of them were unnecessary.

"Do we really need all of this?" she asked again, holding up a bundle of dried meat.

Luan glanced at it and nodded without hesitation. "Food is important."

"We’re only going for a few hours."

"Maybe you’ll get hungry," he replied calmly, still packing as if they were about to stay there for days.

Roxanna could only sigh in defeat. Once everything was ready, Luan slung the backpack over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. Then he turned to her and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"Stay close to me when we’re in the forest," he said softly. "Don’t wander off."

Roxanna nodded. "I won’t."

Even though she had gone into the forest before, this time felt different. Maybe it was because of the reason behind it, or maybe because she was entering the forest now with feelings for Luan.

"I still remember when you all brought me out of the forest for the first time," she said with a smile. With their hands intertwined, she leaned closer to him and whispered, "You were so scary."