The moment a royal doctor exited the room. A retainer of House Gennan who had been on guard duty outside immediately stood from his chair and asked.
"How is she?"
The doctor took off his mask and gloves before grabbing a towel sitting on a desk to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.
"Her heartbeat has stabilized. She should wake up any moment now."
"Phew!" The retainer let out a sigh of relief. "That was close."
"It was." The doctor put the towel back on the desk before slumping into the chair.
The doctor took off the necklace hanging on his neck. It was just a simple string with a humble, worn-out shelf that was pried open; inside it was hollow. He looked at the thing one last time before throwing it out of the window.
This action caused the guard to be very surprised. "Why did you throw it away?"
"Because I am no longer an esteemed healer." The doctor stood up and walked away, leaving behind a perplexed guard.
The doctor returned to his room. Lying on the bed was the young girl who was injured in the accident. To the sides were two worried parents tending to their child, picking seeds out of her favorite fruit before feeding her the fresh fruit.
The fruit had an outer appearance of being a mixture between a durian and a dragon fruit. When it first fully formed, the fruit wore the spiked husk of a durian. But after more cycles of rising and lowering twin suns, its form began to shift. The spikes grew, stretching outward, more dragon fruit than durian now. And when it ripened, it did not wait to be plucked. The tips of the spikes started to curl inward, excreting a heavy layer of wax. With a weighty sigh, it split open on its own—flesh folding back like petals too heavy with nectar.
The girl had just woken up, and she was starving, her cheeks bulging—filled to the brim with fruit—as she chewed. The wind had sailed her boat, and as there wasn't any internal damage to her organs, she had only suffered minor injuries. Just a broken arm. She would heal in no time. Courtesy of being young and oh so full of life.
The moment she saw the door open and the figure of the doctor appear, the girl started to chew quickly, waving her uninjured arm to greet the doctor. Then, she choked, coughing and sending pieces of food everywhere.
The mom rushed to smooth the girl's back. Meanwhile, the dad stood up to apologize to the doctor profusely.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. Barely an inconvenience. No doctor would get angry over such a matter." The doctor said, moving to the side, the mother was sitting before checking on the girl's condition.
"Will she be alright, doctor?" The mother asked.
"She should be fully healed in a few months' time." The doctor patted the girl's head.
"What about Princess Alea?" The girl asked after she had finished all the food stuffed in her mouth. "I want to thank her, too, doctor."
"Shhh!" The mom hushed her child.
"Ah, is that so?" The doctor looked at the clock position on the wall above the door frame. "She should be waking up by now."
***
Alea slowly opened her eyes; the bright light shining through the window caused them to squint slightly.
"I'm still alive?" She groaned, struggling to get up.
The blanket slipped off, baring her skin to the cool autumn air. She was, in fact, not wearing any clothes.
'Well, that's to be expected.' Alea thought.
She grabbed the blanket, lifting it up slightly. Her eyes scanned for the spot where the obsidian spear pierced through her chest. To her surprise, there wasn't any flap of meat stitched up to cover a giant hole. In fact, there wasn't any wound to be covered up.
Only then did she notice something even stranger—she was breathing with no difficulty. No pain. No whistling sound as air moved through the hole in her left lung, leaving it hollow and empty. Alea put one hand on her chest, closed her eyes, and took deep breaths, feeling grateful for this simple gift of life.
Slowly, she opened her eyes again. In the corner of her eyes, she saw something.
'What is that thing bulging out of the blanket?' Alea moved her hands toward the protruding spot on her right. She shaped her hands into a loose triangle, then plunged them down, grabbing, clutching at the blanket like a net to trap whatever strange thing that might be hiding beneath it.
She couldn't help but throw her arms out, keeping whatever she was holding at length. It felt smooth and slimy, and was quite dense; the way it bulged up even more now suggested that it was some sort of liquid. Her blanket was black, so she couldn't make out its color under the cover.
As if afraid of Alea, the thing started thrashing in all directions, trying to jump away.
'I need a container.' Alea scanned her room for anything that could be used to trap this thing. Her gaze locked on the pot hidden behind a cloth under a nightstand. On top of the nightstand was a flower hanging its petals loosely. With every gentle swing by the wind, the pedals scattered a strong aroma, capable of snuffing out the smelliest of smells. 'I mean, it's clean right now. It's not like I had the chance to use the pot while I was bedridden. I remembered changing it out yesterday. Did I?'
But just before she could act on such a thought, there was a knock on the door, followed by the voice of the royal doctor. "Princess Alea, may I come in?"
"Just a moment, I am busy." Alea hurried to the corner, lifting up the cloth, taking out the pot. Thanks to the wind, it was clean. Alea let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to be remembered as the princess who played with her own manure. That would be too unsightly—even for her. Not only that, her mother would be so mad. Even if she were to beg her, her mother would not hold back on the punishments.
Alea put the jumping thing inside the pot. She used one to keep it from escaping while her other hand lifted the pot up and turned it upside down. Slowly, she pressed the pot down onto the floor. Her hand moved out of the way so as not to get stuck in the pot with the thing.
Since the pot wasn't bulging when she put both hands on it, Alea figured the thing wasn't strong enough to get out. 'But just to be sure.' Alea threw her leg on the pot to free her hands. She stood up from beneath the cloth. Then, she proceeded to take the flower off the nightstand before going back underneath the nightstand. Alea put the flower on the bottom of the pot, anchoring the latter.
Then, she rushed for the closet, picking out clothes that were quick to put on. Once she was done, she hurried back to the bed. She leaped, landing on the soft mattress. She pulled and kicked, her arms tugging, legs thrashing until the blanket folded over her entire body.
"You may come in now." Alea said.
The doorknob clicked as it opened, revealing the royal doctor. He bowed slightly before entering the room. There was another person accompanying him. He was thin, his hair was messy, and his back bent slightly as he walked behind the royal doctor. In his hand was a bowl of delicious fruit. Together, they walked beside her.
"This man right here is ." The doctor introduced himself. "He is the father of the kid you saved."
"Dear Princess." The man bowed his head deeply, hands protruding, holding the bowl of fruit toward Alea. "I know this isn't enough, but it's all we can give to you. Please accept our deepest sincerity."
"You wish to thank me for saving your daughter, right?" Alea asked, her eyes scanning the outfits of the man. His clothes were old, with stitched patches running along his attire. "No need. I'm just doing what I must as a member of the Royal Houses. You bringing me a thank you gift is not necessary. Take it back and give it to your daughter. I know she would be more appreciative."
"You heard the Princess." The royal doctor said, urging the father to exit the room.
The father bowed his head even lower. "Your grace is truly kind and giving. I will bring this back to my daughter. I will tell her this is a gift from you."
"Do as you please." Alea replied.
"Thank you, your grace." The father started to walk backward slowly, exiting the room without moving his head away from Alea. He closed the door slowly to not make a sound, leaving Alea and the royal doctor alone in the room.
Alea, her eyes fell on the royal doctor. Something was missing.
"Where is your necklace, doctor?" Alea asked. Her voice was low. "I remember you always carrying it around, telling everyone it was a gift from your lover."
"Your eyes are as sharp as ever, Princess." The royal doctor let out a soft chuckle. "Always keen on the little detail. I would have loved to have you as an apprentice. But sadly, you do not wish to become a healer."
"Apparently not sharp enough to notice a massive spear this big aiming for my chest." Alea joked, her hands made a circle shape around her left knee.
"Said... That makes me wonder. Tell me, doctor. How am I still alive? It must have something to do with your necklace."
The royal doctor sat down on the bed by Alea's side, turning his back toward her. Alea raised an eyebrow. "Doctor?"
The royal doctor took in a deep breath, his chest rose before slumping down along with his shoulders as he breathed out. He cupped his hands together, eyes closed as if he was contemplating something.
"Doctor? Is something wrong?" Alea said worriedly. How could she not? The doctor was making the same face whenever he needed to tell her about the condition of her mother.