Heavy rain pounding against the roof and windows created a gloomy atmosphere.
The space was dimly lit despite the curtains being drawn back to the sides. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, casting a fragrant aroma throughout the dium-sized treatnt room with several furniture and beds.
A fireplace sat unlit on one side of the wall, waiting to provide warmth in the chilly and damp weather. Noah carefully laid the weakened Clara onto a bed with a clean white sheet.
"I’ll help start the fire," Emily offered, noticing that the knightess was now settled on the bed.
She moved to the fireplace, checking for any debris or leftover firewood before crumpling so used papers and placing them at the base. She then added small sticks and twigs, followed by larger sticks and ignited the fire with so matches.
As the fire grew, Emily grabbed the bellows and pumped air into it, intensifying the flas. She added more logs as needed, ensuring the fire would provide ample warmth for Clara’s recovery.
A maid with a slender figure, long black hair tied up neatly in a bun, piercing blue eyes, and fair skin rushed in. Despite her striking appearance, the maid’s expression was solemn.
Upon seeing Noah, the new maid hesitated briefly. However, she quickly regained her composure and looked down, doing her best to avoid his gaze. She then placed the basin and towels on the table.
She approached Emily, who was crouching before the fireplace, bellowing the fire and said, "My lady, please take a seat. Let do this for you."
Emily turned to the maid and said softly, "Oh, don’t mind ! I’m not a lady. I was just a maid."
The young woman’s face fell slightly. "But the steward said you are an important guest."
"It’s all right. Why don’t you help dampen Da Clara’s face with the towel? She’s having a fever. My hands are a bit dirty now," Emily suggested, gesturing to the basin of water and towels.
"Da?" the maid turned to Clara and asked them hesitantly. "A knightess?" she asked in confusion.
"Yes, she is. Please help," insisted Noah, his tone leaving no room for argunt.
The maid approached the bed and asured Clara’s temperature by placing her palm on her forehead as the knightess closed her eyes. Her forehead creased montarily before she moved to the table and soaked a small towel in the water basin.
She wrung it out and gently wiped the knightess’s face. Then, folding the damp towel, she placed it on Clara’s forehead, hoping to alleviate her fever, and tucked her in.
She inford them, "I’m going to brew so dicinal tea. It’ll help reduce the fever quickly. "
Emily, who had just finished tending to the fire, approached her in amazent. "You know about redies?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes, a little bit," the maid replied modestly.
"That would be great. Please prepare so while we wait for the healer," ordered Noah, grateful for the maid’s knowledge.
The maid nodded without even looking at the knight.
"Wait! Let co with you! I want to wash my hands," Emily requested.
"Of course, ma’am. Please follow . I’ll lead the way," the maid replied politely.
"It’s Emily... Emily Baker," the young woman corrected.
"Forgive . Then, Miss Baker, please co along," the maid invited.
Gladly, Emily tagged along with the maid to the kitchen, leaving Noah and Clara alone in the treatnt room.
***
Noah and Garin stood in the corridor, a safe distance from the treatnt room, where the healer attended to Clara, whom Emily and the young maid accompanied.
"Can you explain the details now?" Garin asked Noah, eager for more information.
The knight paused for a mont before responding. "This is a mission given to by His Highness," he revealed.
"I had a feeling. All of us noticed you disappeared suddenly, as usual," Garin responded with a knowing smile. "Who are they?" he asked, gesturing towards the treatnt room.
"The sick woman is a knightess. She’s acquainted with Lady Raychard, and the other young woman is her companion," Noah explained.
"A knightess? This is intriguing! Were you investigating Lady Raychard all this ti?" Garin guessed with interest.
"I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose the details of the mission to you. Everything must be reported to His Highness first, and he will decide whether the matter shall be made known to others," replied Noah, keeping his tone firm.
Garin nodded his understanding. "I trust your loyalty to His Highness and the importance of this mission. However... Seeing you with the won worries ," he said.
Noah’s face twisted in anger. "Don’t start! I’m only carrying out my duty," he snapped, his obsidian eyes glaring at Garin.
"I’m just saying... the last ti sothing happened was when you were on duty too. That r*pe and murder case... rember?" Garin reminded him, keeping his voice calm and level-headed.
"I swear! If you’re going to talk about that again..." Noah threatened, his tone laced with irritation.
"All right, all right! I’ll keep quiet," Garin surrendered, not wanting to aggravate the situation further. "By the way, just so you know, I dismissed your guide," he inford Noah.
"Arl? Why?" Noah asked, curious.
Garin then recounted the incident involving the bouquet in the camp.
"Good for him! I knew there was sothing off about him. I almost slit his throat for eavesdropping," Noah admitted.
"Yeah, he told everything about how you t him. I guess it’s for the best," Garin agreed.
"It is," Noah nodded in agreent. "Anyway, why are you still lingering in the castle? Aren’t all the knights on frontier duty usually given ti off after the rest interval is announced?" he asked.
"Damon’s not around, and I don’t have a drinking buddy. So, I decided to stay back and entertain myself here," Garin chuckled, his tone lightening.
"Fine... carry on entertaining yourself."
Just then, the maid accompanying Clara and Emily in the treatnt room opened the door and called out to them. The knights followed her inside, along with the steward waiting on the corridor’s other side.
"How is she?" Noah asked, squinting as he looked at the healer who attended to the knightess. Clara was already asleep after taking the dicine.
"Not so good. Her injured leg is swollen, probably due to continuous strain. I believe it was broken and hasn’t healed properly," the healer replied with a serious expression.
"Oh, no! What do we do?" Emily’s voice quivered, and her eyes looked teary.
"Can’t you do sothing about it?" Garin asked from a distance, his voice hoarse.
The healer shook his head in response. "I gave her so pain relief, but she needs surgery. This is beyond my capability," he explained.
He turned to Noah and continued, "You need an expert healer to treat her. Mr Amares is one of the best healers in Cassian. He is well known for his expertise. Perhaps you could consult him."
"Unfortunately, he’s not here right now," the steward interjected.
"That’s too bad. She needs urgent treatnt, or her leg will beco deford. As of now, it’s already getting worse," said the healer.
"Perhaps we could write to His Highness and request Mr Amares to return as soon as possible," the steward suggested.
Noah sighed heavily and shook his head in resignation.
"That would only lengthen the ti it takes for her to receive treatnt. Even with a fast carrier going back and forth to send the letter and reply, it will take a week. We can’t be completely sure he could co back quickly. We should take her to Gantz, as there are other expert healers as well. Should Mr Amares be unavailable, we have other options," said Noah.
"You’re right. The fastest way to get her treatnt is to bring her to the capital. There’s a new carriage that you can use. It’s in good condition, and she’ll be much more comfortable along the way," Garin chid in.
"Yes, I would suggest the sa. Delaying the treatnt would only put her in more pain," the healer agreed. He then turned to the maid and asked, "By the way, may I know what herbs you brewed for the dicinal tea? It seems to be reducing the fever rapidly."
The young maid opened her mouth and replied, "It’s Arkette flower. It’s known to relieve fever and pain back in my hotown."
"Arkette flower can be used for that? Isn’t it from the sa family as Purple Krista?" the healer asked with interest.
"Yes, it is. Actually, Purple Krista is also used as a pain reliever. But if processed incorrectly, it could turn into a dangerous aphrodisiac," the maid explained.
The healer smiled. "You’re quite knowledgeable!" he acknowledged. "We don’t even use Arkette flower here, fearing it would have the sa effect as Purple Krista."
"I’m glad it worked well," the young maid replied, standing a little further away from the n.
"So, can we move to Gantz quickly?" Noah asked the healer, getting back to the matter at hand.
"Give her ti to rest today since she has consud the dicine. You can take her there tomorrow, but she’ll need soone to nurse her along the way," the healer advised.
They all nodded.
"I’ve left the dicine and instructions on the table. Please follow accordingly," the healer said. "That would be all. Please excuse as I need to rush to another patient."
"Thank you for your help," Noah said gratefully.
The healer nodded in acknowledgent before taking his leave, and the steward guided the healer out.
As Noah and Garin discussed their journey, the maid replaced the wet towel on Clara’s forehead and covered her injured leg with a cold, damp towel to reduce swelling. Emily sat beside the knightess with a saddened expression.
Noah’s sharp eyes noticed how careful and gentle the maid was while tending to Clara. After talking to Garin, he then suddenly asked, "Miss, what is your na?"
The maid, surprised by the question, turned her head to him.
"E.. Elisabeth... Elisabeth Canton," she stamred as she averted her eyes.
"Miss Canton, you must co with us. It’s better to have soone with dical knowledge."
The maid widened her eyes in surprise. "What? ?"
"You can teach Miss Emily along the way so you can take turns looking after her," said the knight.
"Yes! You seed to know a lot about nursing sick people!" Emily agreed.
The young maid appeared reluctant, nervously looking down and only nodding. She quickly took the empty cups to clear them away.
The steward appeared again at the door, informing of sudden news.
"Sir Skyler, we received a proposal suggesting a business collaboration with His Highness. The letter claims that it was agreed upon with His Highness himself. However, the amount of money requested for the initial capital is quite high," said the steward.
"From whom?" asked Garin.
"From the Count of Abinair of Dracor."
The young maid’s eyes widened, and her hands shook upon hearing the na. The tray in her hands suddenly fell to the floor, shattering the glass.
"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll clean this up imdiately!" she shouted in fear as she quickly crouched to pick up the broken glass.
Emily rushed to help as the maid cut her hands.
"You’re bleeding! Let’s sit down," she said, leading her to a stool.
Garin asked if she was fine, but the maid just nodded with a scared face. Emily took a clean towel and wiped her wound. Luckily it was just a tiny slit.
Garin pondered for a mont, staring at the maid. His deep brown eyes seed to know sothing.
"Noah, I thought about it," he said, calling the knight by his first na since he was off-duty.
"What?" Noah asked.
"Let co with you," the knight said. The maid turned suddenly to the knight, her gloomy face turning brighter at the statent.
"Why?" Noah inquired.
"It’s better to have another knight accompanying you along the way. Though it’s a short journey, you can’t predict what will happen on the road," he explained, his eyes fixed on the maid.
"All right," Noah agreed.
"What about the proposal, Sir Skyler?" asked the steward again.
"Just endorse it. His Highness has approved it. I can vouch for that," the knight replied. The steward nodded in acknowledgent of the order.
"I hope we don’t trouble you," Emily said to the young maid.
"Oh, it’s fine. Besides, Sir Skyler will be coming too, so I feel much safer. The more, the better," the maid answered with a smile.
"What can I call you? Miss Canton sounds a bit formal. Furthermore, we are of the sa profession," said Emily.
"Please call Elis."
"And I’m Emily," she smiled.
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