TRAPPED BY THE SECOND MALE LEAD
CHAPTRE 7
The doctor was no ordinary doctor. He also had a good knowledge of magic and such. So, he could understand if it was not just a medical illness that was the main cause of a person getting sick.
The white-haired doctor heaved a sigh of relief “Thank God. Thanks to the help of Her Majesty Marigold, Ms. Meridia's condition has improved.”
Arden also felt relieved especially when seeing Meridia's face no longer pale like a person almost lost his life “Why can he have a fever that high? As far as I know, fever can make someone dying and in babies can cause death.”
The doctor stroked his chin while thinking “It could be triggered by fatigue or from cold, plus his irregular eating schedule. His body is too thin. Even so, this time the cause of his fever because of other things.”
Marigold frowned “Another thing?” more or less Marigold already knew what the doctor was about to say and it made his heart uncomfortable.
“There has been a massive overflow of energy in the body of this lady while her physique is completely unable to compensate her so that she can have a high fever above the average of ordinary humans.”
Arden doesn't understand. Can an ordinary person experience an overflow of energy? “What do you mean by energy overflow?”
Despite guessing Marigold was still shocked to hear it. His heart is not ready. As the people of her house believed, Marigold felt for himself that her twin sister had her own kind of strength. A dark power that could surpass his own.
Arden wanted to ask a new question, but he realized Marigold was stiffening next to him, he even looked pale as fear, “Marigold, what is it? are you sick?”
The girl with the holy power gasped, not knowing that Arden saw her. “Eh? no really. Let's go soon, I can tell you later.”
“Good.” At least Meridia's life has been helped. They both went to the horse carriage that had been waiting in front of the stairs of the door of the Emerald mansion.
It is like Yin and Yang. There is light there is dark, there is white there is black. Not always white is always sacred (black dots in white) and not always black is always dirty (white dots in black). Everything is in balance.
Marigold was well aware of that. Like Marigold who was born with holy power, he believed that his twin was also born with monstrous powers.
The power of Marigold is considered the greatest gift after hundreds of years no successor of Saintess helps the community. Even all pastors uphold it, all orders related to the affairs of the temple and congregation will be immediately implemented.
Even though he had such dreamy strength, envy and fear still enveloped his heart. As long as Meridia is around, she will never be at peace.
Meridia who could at any time remove her position as the darling of the people made Marigold to justify all means of controlling everything and forced Meridia to realize not to expect anything.
Except for Meridia, no one knew that being the perfect girl who was meek and mature was just acting to patent her position in the hearts of everyone. Over time it became part of him.
Since childhood Marigold did not want to share anything with his sister. So, he took advantage of the doubts of the people in the house as well as the rumors that were circulating by displaying his strength, making all of them fall for him, and then none of the people would glance at Meridia.
So far Marigold had never seen Meridia directly use her power, that alone had made Marigold anxious. Then how now? After the doctor stated about the energy overflow that occurred to his sister, anxiety continued to soar.
“Marigold, are you okay? since I've noticed you daydream, something you're thinking?” bright blue iris Marigold focused on Arden “Oh yes, I was thinking something.”
“What is it? If you find it difficult, you can share it with me.”
Marigold once read an old book stored in the temple. It was written there that the chosen people with special powers could have such a high fever as the strength grew stronger. It usually occurs early into adulthood at the age of seventeen.
Marigold and Meridia were twins, supposedly the distance they had the same fever but Marigold did not experience it at all. Am I not going to have an increase? Thought worried.
“Marigold? Again you daydream,”
“Oh sorry. I want to ask you something.”
“Please.”
“You're such a big concern for the waiter, do you guys know each other?” Marigold was very curious about the reason behind his overly excessive attention if only for an unknown maid.
Arden has learned a lot by being a noble who often lies perfectly “No. I just feel sorry to see him fall in the library earlier. Why is he cleaning himself? I saw some other waiters in pairs.”
The quick answer that Arden gave and supported by his expression managed to convince Marigold, but on the contrary now Marigold who must be good at stringing lies “I also do not know, maybe his partner is leaving. Everything was arranged by the butler so I didn't really understand.”
“Oh so.” Arden felt there was something strange about the treatment Meridia received, including when she asked someone to call a doctor.
“Your eyes were really implying worry so I thought you guys were close.” Marigold said with a happy smile, "If you know, I think the three of us might be friends too."
Arden chuckles “Is that so? You misinterpreted it. I had thought he contracted a deadly disease that recently happened often in my city.”
“What disease do you mean?” as a Saintess Marigold wants to amaze Arden with her offer of help.
“A few days ago my father and I found a case of a deadly disease in the suburbs. One person suddenly had a high fever, his body was like burning heat then after his fever dropped his whole body became dry wrinkles. We got that testimony from the people who found it. When we came to check it, the blood of the man was gone.”
Marigold shuddered at the news. Happened again, when Marigold tried to impress Arden his plan instantly failed “So yes, I guess I can help you a little with my strength.”
“Yes, maybe next time I will ask for your help,” Arden does not lie. This time it is true “Any once. His death happened so quickly. It's like it's not a disease outbreak.”.
“How's it going?”
“Any. It only happened to one person and when I found out about the disease it was never recorded in history. Later on some members of the nobility living near the suburbs began to be affected by the same disease.”
Honestly Marigold also just heard of such a disease “It was terrible. Does not a single doctor know about the cause?”
“No. I've been trying to find out, too. One pastor who was on duty nearby also did not know.”
Arden had only intended to divert the conversation about Meridia but since it was being discussed he recalled the case that recently occurred in the area of his father. There are a lot of unsolved irregularities.
Actually, on the corpse of the mysterious plague, his body not only snorted but his blood or flesh was not at all. They were like just a skull wrapped in dry, wrinkled skin. The longer left the skin will melt into dust and weed the bones porous.
If it is a type of medical illness, it seems very impossible to make the body infected with it end horribly. During the handling of more than four bodies, Arden always realized there was one mark left before his body was damaged, which was a thread-thin reddish mark and coiled around the victim's neck.
“Arden, we've arrived.”
“Oh yes,” Arden went down first then he opened the door and helped Marigold get off the stairs.
The residents who were there gathered to see the arrival of two charming young men in the market area. Everyone was so excited to see Marigold up close. The little ones came and gave her flowers.
Marigold was so friendly, he responded one by one to the greetings of the people, he did not even hesitate to come into contact with the poor people who were considered dirty and disgusting by most nobles. The perfect figure of a substitute for Saintess first.
Many people then look at the two like a perfectly matched pair. They pray a lot that the two of them are fools. That was the purpose of Marigold taking Arden around.
“Sorry, you must be uncomfortable hearing their words. Sometimes they do like the origin of talking,” said Marigold.
“It's okay, they just said something that pleases them.”
Marigold still did not see Arden's interest in him. The Grand Duke's future successor was only happy to see him so close to the people's life in this city, nothing more. In vain I expended much energy to respond to them, Inner Marigold.
“Then do you want to visit the temple with me?”
“Bby, I also want to see your work there.”
Arden was amazed to see the temple of this very large city. He used to have heard that the temple was not big but after the birth of the successor of Saintess, they renovated the temple building and expanded it to be as big as now as the congregation came more and more.
The environment is awake. I don't know why Arden felt such incredible coolness. Arden looked around into the room open to the public, including into a pond where a statue of Saintess was embedded in its center and one special room where there was a statue of the sun god.
For an hour Arden accompanied Marigold on his activities at the temple. To be honest, Arden was eager to borrow the books stored in the temple for him to read. Perhaps there is an answer to his question about the strange plague his city is facing.
After finishing Marigold invites Arden to eat in a shop like a cafe whose design is very elegant. From the outside it seems that the only people who come there are nobles.
“Let's eat here,” many noble girls who are enjoying their snacks there. Arden looked at the beautiful girl holding his hand “Does it matter if you come home late? It's getting dark. Your parents might be worried.”
“Just relax, you ‘will be with me.”
Arden did not immediately reply due to confusion, “Alright.”
Yeah, you all know why Marigold came here. In addition to spending time with Arden until evening, he also wanted to show off his closeness to the only son of William Palmieri.
The more people who watched, the wider the gossip spread. It seemed almost impossible for anyone to be going against this perfectly suitable combination.
Three hours had passed from her fainting and now Meridia woke up in a fit body. His body temperature was normal, his headache improved, only a sore left in the spine.
Meridia woke up because the dream she experienced was so real and by chance she could realize as soon as “The dream was very terrible,” to be honest both her hands were still trembling because of the dream.
“The dream felt so real that I was looking at the picture of the future,” Meridia was downcast, even though it was just a dream but still left crowded in the heart.
Minutes after waking up Meridia just realized that she was in her own room “It looks like I fainted. Who would help me? Uncle Sammy can't possibly defy Marquess' orders.”
Meridia came out of her room after her legs no longer trembled. Of course he's in charge of his part today. Meridia was confused and astonished by the attitude of other servants who were more cynical towards her. They even have more things to gossip about.
Whahuh? why are they looking at me like that?
Meridia returned to the library and returned the folding ladder that was still left in front of the shelf. Half an hour later he went to the back garden to see Samuel.
On the way to the back garden, Meridia met two maids who pricked her this morning while they were being pummeled by their friend. The two servants walked on one limp leg. They look in pain.
One waiter who was tripping on her leg slipped as she mopped the stairs leading to the second floor and another waiter who was laughing at Meridia had just had his foot hit by a sack of wheat flour while moving him to the kitchen.
Meridia did not know what had happened to the two, but she immediately realized it was all because of the oath she had sworn in her heart.
Meridia linked her two eyebrows “What happened?” he murmured in surprise and a second later he remembered saying something he should not have said. “Ah...sorry, I accidentally,” Meridia smiled faintly looking at the two maids who had turned her back.
Samuel was at that time near the back door of the kitchen, more precisely was using a water faucet to wash garden equipment that has been used “Uncle Sammy?”
“Lady?! You okay?” Samuel stopped his activity and checked Meridia “I heard you fell unconscious.”
“Oh...yes, I've been fine, ” Meridia looked both eyes Samuel “Uncle is not afraid of me?”
“Yes? Why am I afraid of you? I'm fine as long as I'm with you.” As if knowing what the young girl before him was worried about, Samuel patiently gave a reassuring sentence so that he would not fall ill again.
“Thank God,” murmured Meridia relieved. Samuel put all his tools in the bucket and then invited Meridia to go “Let's eat something first. Shh, but we have to be quiet.”
Samuel suddenly shrank the volume.
Understanding the code given, Meridia replied to him with a nod of understanding. They were near the kitchen where there were still chefs and a few servants there, just in case they had to stay calm so as not to attract their attention.
Samuel then asked Meridia to enter the Warehouse. The man who already had many wrinkles on his face took out one long baguette loaf. As we know the bread is a high-fiber bread that is only eaten by people.
“P-uncle, why did you give this to me?”
“Yesterday I just got a salary. So I bought this for you as a token of gratitude for helping me take care of this garden.”
“Uncle, you're overreacting. What about your wife's son?”
Samuel stroked the top of Meridia's head gently, his gentle gaze making Meridia teary-eyed because Samuel loved her so much as a child himself. The old man replied “You don't have to worry. It's just bread. My family already has enough money to live the next month.”
“...” Meridia's lips vibrate to resist crying.
“Come eat. I know you haven't eaten since yesterday, let's eat. After full you should rest.”
Finally Meridia ate the baguette bread with tears. At any time he will never forget the kindness of Samuel who is the only person who always values things objectively.
Samuel's heart was filled to see the silent cry of Meridia. She really felt like taking the child away and living with her little family rather than living in a big house that wasn't for her.
Even bread without a strong flavor tastes like a delicious seven-spice meal. Meridia was grateful that there were still good people willing to pay attention to her.
He wiped his tears that did not want to stop out “Omong by the way, do you know who helped me?”
“Yes? I-it..”.
