That wasn't quite what he'd meant, but for a moment he considered saying that yes, he did think Esme had something to do with it. The thought was fleeting, and it disappeared completely when he realized that if the girl went after Esme she would likely end up dead. "Esme? No... as far as I know, she had nothing to do with it. I do not presume to know what 'this' is, but I am not suggesting that it is anything akin to voodoo. All I meant was that modern medicine still has much to learn."
Vlad was slightly surprised by the harshness of her words - he'd never had any siblings, so he wasn't sure how they were supposed to interact, but this didn't seem like the right way. Suddenly he wondered how much this was costing her. "Do you believe she... wants this?"