Chapter 20 After the Ball #2
He adjusted his glasses and glanced over her again. By the intensity of his eyes, he was peering into her mana body. It made her feel a bit self-conscious.
“I’m afraid to say nothing has changed after our treatment last night.
I’m referring to what we talked about. You know .
. . your condition.” Dr. Forrest glanced over at Celise’s two sisters, who were wandering about the room, curiously looking at the shined tools and equipment.
They seemed a bit lost and uncomfortable without Marcella’s domineering presence.
Katrina glanced over at Drandem twice, trying to hide the fact that she was eavesdropping.
Celise appreciated Dr. Forrest’s instinct to keep her diagnosis private.
“I understand,” she whispered.
“It’s to be expected. The damage is extensive, so as I explained last night, it’s likely not recoverable.” Forrest gave her a sympathetic look. “We’ve done what we can for now, with the tools we have on hand.”
“Is there anything more I can do?” Celise tried to keep her disappointment hidden, but her voice cracked anyway.
Dr. Forrest pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
He cleared his throat. “Not at Gravenmere Castle, no. But . . . some larger hospitals in the royal city of Astravelle are equipped to do more extensive procedures. There is high risk involved. I wouldn’t suggest it for someone like yourself. ”
“I see.” Celise nodded, casting her eyes down. There’s nothing to be done about it, she told herself, trying to push her disappointed feelings away. It’s not like I’ve lost anything. My life is just as it’s always been.
Dr. Forrest continued in a soft voice, “Lord Elias asked me to prepare a tincture for you to alleviate any discomfort you might feel while you travel. It will help you sleep as well. I expect you’ll be a bit under the weather for the next few days, as the daemon’s toxicity works its way out of your body. ”
The doctor set down a stoppered glass bottle on the bedside table next to her.
That’s when Celise noticed the Starlight Dahlia sitting in a vase on the tableside.
She reached for the flower and picked it up, lightly touching the white petals, which were almost completely closed. She set it down next to her on the bed.
Dr. Forrest continued, “Lord Elias asked me to apologize on his behalf—he can’t attend to you this morning.
His patrol found more daemons on the grounds last night, and Senior Officer Kiran Kindale has been taken into custody.
They’re arranging to transport him back to Firehelm Fortress.
It’s serious business, as I’m sure you can imagine, my lady. ”
Celise paled. “I hope everyone is alright.”
“Of course. They’re trained for this sort of thing, unlike you or me.” Dr. Forrest gave her a reassuring smile. “Not to worry, I’m sure he will reach out to you soon. And I should add—congratulations on your engagement.”
Celise nodded with wide eyes. “You mean, he hasn’t called it off yet?”
“Yet?” Dr. Forrest frowned. “Why would he do that?”
“My . . . my condition . . . I don’t have mana.”
“Ah.” Dr. Forrest patted her shoulder reassuringly. “I wouldn’t overthink it, my dear. Elias is a tactical man. He doesn’t make decisions on a whim. I don’t think he would announce an engagement to the kingdom’s elite and then disregard it the next day.”
Celise swallowed past the lump in her throat. Perhaps that was true, but Elias didn’t have all the facts last night when he proposed to her in the ballroom.
“Please pass along my gratitude to His Grace,” she said politely, her voice soft.
The doctor bowed. “Once you are ready to leave, my lady, if you’ll just sign your name in the book at the front counter and the time you left, that would be most helpful. We keep a record of all of our patients.”
“I can do that,” Celise agreed.
The doctor left her side, crossing back through the room.
As he walked away, Celise felt a stab of disappointment.
The strength of the emotion surprised her, and she had a difficult time pushing it down.
Lord Elias’s absence from her bedside confirmed her worst fears—he was simply fulfilling his duty to the crown.
Their engagement wasn’t as important as his military work.
He didn’t harbor any true feelings for her.
She doubted he wanted to see her again before she left the castle.
“I’ll be back in about an hour,” Dr. Forrest said as he gathered a stack of papers on his desk. “Please ring the bell at your bedside if you need anything. It will summon a servant.” Then he left the infirmary and closed the door behind him.
No sooner had the door clicked shut than Katrina and Heather came to huddle at the foot of Celise’s bed.
Heather’s eyes were wide and a little sparkly.
She leaned in close and whispered, “Oh my, but the doctor is handsome, isn’t he?
He seemed so kind and caring! You’re so lucky, Celise, to have all these men doting on you! ”
“Harrumph! He’s just doing his job,” Katrina snapped, her lips curled in disgust. “Why are you lying around in bed, Sluggy? You don’t seem injured to me.”
Celise stiffened. She thought of the night before, when her younger sister had shoved her in front of the daemon. She caught Katrina’s eye.
“Are you disappointed?” Celise asked, finally letting her anger show. “You meant for the daemon to eat me when you pushed me in front of it!”
Katrina’s smirk wavered on her face.
Heather looked shocked. “Katrina, what does she mean?”
“Nothing,” Katrina snapped. “She’s misremembering.”
“I’m not misremembering!” Celise exclaimed, sitting up straighter. Anger strengthened her voice. “You told me to lure the daemon away from you! You told me it’s what any good servant would do. Then you threw me in front of the monster to make your escape! You left me to die!”
“Oh please, don’t act like such a victim. Obviously you turned out fine. The duke proposed—your scheme worked—you’re the hero of the hour.”
Heather glanced between her two sisters with troubled eyes. Her gaze lingered on Katrina in a distrustful, apprehensive way. Katrina saw Heather’s expression and crossed her arms before her voluptuous chest.
“What?” she snapped. “Stop staring at me. What’s wrong with you?”
Heather sighed. “I’m just happy you both survived a terrible ordeal unscathed. It’s been a long night, so let’s not argue.”
Katrina snarled, “I’m not arguing—Celise is wrong, and that’s a fact!”
Ignoring her sister, Heather came to stand close to Celise’s bedside and continued, “I’m very glad a daemon didn’t eat you in the gardens.
I couldn’t sleep last night; I was so frightened.
I made Dasha check under my bed twice for monsters.
I haven’t done that since I was little. It’s good to see you safe and sound! ”
“Thank you, Heather.”
The youngest Dhastel sister gave her a shy smile, then sent a guilty glance at Katrina, as though she were doing something she shouldn’t.
Celise returned her smile just as hesitantly.
Heather wasn’t mean-spirited like Katrina or Marcella.
Her worst trait was her spinelessness. She had a bad habit of “going along to get along,” even when Celise was being bullied.
But Heather never seemed to wish her harm.
She couldn’t imagine Heather pushing her in front of a rampaging monster, for instance.
Uncomfortable with the peaceful silence, Katrina sneered and said, “I’m disappointed in the duke. He must have a soft spot for damsels in distress. It’s so traditional, it makes my skin crawl. Ugh.”
“I think it’s kind of sweet,” Heather muttered, but her words were lost in Katrina’s tirade.
“Now I see my mistake,” the dark-haired beauty continued her rant. “I should have stood around like a fool waiting to be eaten! Then I would have caught the duke’s eye! Instead, I had the good sense to run for my life, and this is how I’m repaid.” Katrina shot Celise a look of pure loathing.
“Why are you really upset, Katrina?” Celise asked in a weary voice.
Katrina looked furious. Then her truth came pouring out in an emotional flood: “You knew about my feelings for the duke! I confided in you! Then you pretended to comfort me last night in the gardens, all while plotting to steal Elias away from me. How could you? You’re worse than that vulture, Ambrosia!
You’re a scheming wench. You had your eye on him all along, and you acted so innocent.
I hate you! I hate your ugly face, your bastard blood, and your common, dimlit bones! You’re an imposter! You stole my fate!”
Those words rang out in the room, and a brief silence followed.
Celise paled a bit. “You stole my fate!”
Did Katrina know about Mordwen’s fortune telling? No, she couldn’t possibly have heard about the Abyssal Rose and Valestra’s Wand. Katrina’s accusation was a heartfelt feeling and a brutal coincidence.
“I-I didn’t!” Celise stuttered. “It just happened that way.”
“You can’t even take responsibility. How common of you.”
Katrina’s fists were bunched at her sides as though she wanted to punch the wall. Celise saw a glow of mana around her hands. She cringed backward, her heart quickening. She wondered if Katrina would attack her in the infirmary.
“I did not steal him away from you,” Celise repeated. “Elias is a man with his own thoughts and feelings. The duke made his choice.”
“You’re right—he simply chose the easiest option. You seduced him in the gardens, didn’t you? You must have spread your legs to thank him for his heroism—”
At that moment, the door to the infirmary blew open. Celise turned toward it with a gasp, while Katrina stopped mid-sentence, a pink tinge to her cheeks.
The short, choppy cadence of two Bratzian accents filled the room.
“She’s in here? Is this correct?” Ismara said.
“This looks good,” Ilyana agreed.