The next day was the fifth day of the conference, and as usual, Drayce and Arlan left to attend it. As for Yorian, he left the royal palace grounds, his mission to search for clues as to the whereabouts of the black magic practitioners. He decided to visit the Ancient Citadel of Nefer once again.
Meanwhile, Oriana was sitting quietly in her bed, thinking about the talk between her and Drayce last night. His words made her frown again and again.
’Since you took your sweet time thinking, I would also like to take my time before granting your wish," the young king said, obviously referring to her rejecting his generous offer twice. ’You must first fulfill what I told you before.’
’What do you mean, Your Majesty?’
’Reveal your identity as a woman to Arlan. Only after that will I think about granting your wish."
Oriana clenched her fists. ’So, this king wants to put me into more trouble before he pays his so-called debt of gratitude? Tsk, what royal favor? What reward? I should have known that he would take his friend’s side.’
Eva entered the room. "Miss Oriana, as per your order, your attendant uniform is here."
"Thank you, Eva."
"I shall excuse myself for now then, Miss."
Thanks to the potions and elixirs provided to her, Oriana could not believe how fast her recovery was. A day of rest was enough for her to get back to normal. She quickly wore her uniform, putting her hair back into its usual bun before wrapping it with a scarf.
"Are you leaving, Oriana?" Martha, who just entered the room, asked.
"I cannot stay here idling around. I shall resume my work."
"Are you going back to the guest mansion of Griven?"
Oriana nodded.
"But your situation..."
"I have a separate servant room. I can manage it."
Just then, Eva once again entered the room, and seeing Oriana in a man’s clothes, she changed her way of calling her. "Mister Orian, there is a servant from Thevailes looking for you."
"Thevailes?" Oriana wondered aloud while Martha’s expression changed.
’She cannot go there!’
"What for?" the curious Oriana asked.
"One of their servants got hurt and in bad condition. No royal physician will attend to a mere servant, and it will take time to get a physician from outside the palace. They heard somewhere you are a physician so they are asking for your help."
"Alright, please tell them to wait." Oriana was ready to leave. "Can I borrow basic supplies from your infirmary—"
"Wait!" Martha stopped her. "You cannot go."
Oriana passed her a questioning look only to hear the woman continue, "Thevailes is an enemy kingdom. If something happens to you there..."
’I hope His Majesty or Lord Yorian return as soon as possible. I hope it’s a genuine request to treat a patient, and not a scheme.’
When Oriana entered the mansion, she realized that the structure of the building was similar to the other guest mansions as well, allowing her to relax a bit more compared to earlier. She could see that she was indeed being led towards the servant quarters. Before she entered the room of her patient, she could already hear the pained cries of a woman.
The woman was curled in bed, her face so pale her lips were bloodless.
"I am a physician. Can you tell me what happened to her?" Oriana asked the young servant standing nervously by the bed.
"Ah, Lord Physician, I am not sure. She suddenly collapsed in pain when we were working in the kitchen. We tried to ask her, but she’s in so much pain she couldn’t speak coherently."
"How long has she been like this?"
"An hour now, my lord."
"Alright." Oriana tried to hold the woman’s hand to check her pulse, but that woman was in hysterical pain. She seemed unable to understand anything and she shrugged away Oriana’s hand.
"Calm down. I have to check your pulse first to know what is happening with you."
Yet the woman continued to struggle away from Oriana. Oriana could not help but look at the young servant as well as the servant who brought her in. "Can I ask you to help hold her down—"
Before the two servants could move, a noble-looking man entered the room. It was a man in his thirties, his aristocratic face visibly displeased. From his clothes and the sword by his waist, Oriana guessed he was a high-ranking knight. "
What is going on here?"
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