"Who let this woman in? Who!" the woman who was sitting on a chair was also furious. She looked at Isabella with pure hostility and tried to approach her when her unnerving gaze didn't faze her at all. However, her approach was obstructed by someone of a muscular physique. The momentum of their clash forced her to retreat a few steps back.
"Bernard? You..." the woman was shocked and rendered speechless when she realized that the person who caused her attempt to fail was someone she knew really well.
Instead of apologizing, Bernard simply bowed his head before turning around to greet Rafael who was looking at him like a predator eyeing its prey.
"Sir, I'm sorry for my impulsiveness. I'll be responsible for Miss Isabella's intrusion, however, please give her a chance. I don't think that calling the doctors would help Young Miss Belle either," he pleaded. His eyes that always looked strict became gentle when he saw the young girl who was now laying in Rafael's embrace.
Rafael was truly surprised to know that his most trusted assistant had taken the side of a stranger. He looked at Isabella and noticed that there was only a smile on her face. The way they perceived her as a nuisance seemed like a trivial matter for her.
"What did you say? Trust her?" the woman whose plan was hindered by Bernard earlier spat her words in contempt. Her whole body trembled in anger and those anger was the force that brought her close to Isabella. To everyone's surprise, Isabella's head was now under the mercy of a gun that she stole from Bernard.
"I will not let someone who knows this secret alive!" she screamed at Isabella while holding the gun with both hands, taking the perfect stance and aim for a shot.
Rafael, Bernard, and the maids were truly shocked at the unexpected turn of event. Bernard touched his waist and realized that the gun he carried all day long was gone. He stared at Isabella in a panic.
"Mother, don't do it!"
Rafael called for the woman, however to someone who had fallen into insanity, everything else was of no effect until she fulfilled her intractable ferocity.
All the people stared anxiously at the unexpected scene. Bernard was on full alert, ready to do whatever it was to avoid the worst from happening.
When everyone was cracking their head for a solution, Isabella's regretful voice rang.
"Why is everyone so stupid?" she asked, followed by a sigh of disappointment.
"I told you I can cure her. Must you push such a possibility just for the sake of keeping a secret? Do you...do you really want to cure her?" she swept the faces of all the important people in the room, prolonging the action when she met Rafael's frowning face.
"-and you, woman," she called for the woman who thought that she was under her mercy. Her stare was somber as she looked pitifully at the woman.
"Do you really want to kill me?" she asked. Their eyes met for a while when suddenly, the woman's eyes twitched uncontrollably and tears ran on her face. Slowly, she lowered the gun before dropping it to the floor. Her sobs intensified, making her body trembled to the point of losing her balance. Bernard who was at close proximity was the first to come to her rescue before she fell on the floor. He didn't forget to collect the gun and secured it in his waist again.
"Miss Isabella, are you okay?" he asked. However, when he saw her relaxed posture, he knew he had asked a stupid question.
Rafael took a deep breath at the peaceful aftermath. He wanted to take action but the state Belle was in made him refused to let her go. Moreover, when he met Isabella's eyes earlier he seemed to hear her instruction telling him not to leave Belle. Little did he knew that it was Pickley's voice that he heard.
"I'm going to start the procedure to cure Miss Belleza's illness, so I demand everyone to leave the room," Isabella suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room. The maids looked at each other, unsure whether they should listen or ignore her. However, when they heard Rafael's instruction which coherent with the stranger's request, they immediately leave the room. Bernard and the woman also left without much fuss. Soon, the room was left with only Isabella, Rafael and Belle.
"I'm staying," Rafael spoke when he saw the eyes that seemed to question his presence in the room.
Isabelle didn't say anything in return, instead, she removed the blanket that Rafael had used to cover the little girl's legs.
Rafael tightened his embrace when he saw the dead legs of Belle. He closed his eyes and once he opened them, he started to narrate the story of Belleza.
"Belle loves gardening. In fact, the garden we have in the manor was tended by her. However, two years ago, everything started to change. She suddenly stopped going to the garden and stayed inside her room all the time. I thought she was studying her book about plants, but when she burned all her books, I realized that something was really wrong. She refused to step out of her room and demanded to recolor the room in black. We did as she told... everything," Rafael took a deep breath. He noticed that Isabella was still looking at Belle's legs so he continued talking, giving her the explanation he thought she would need.
"When she started harming herself, we seek the help of professionals. Doctors, psychologists, herbalists, botanical experts, you named it, we've called everyone. That's when we know she suffers Botanophobia, a fear of plants. Heh, I can't believe such a thing exists and to know that Belle's loves plants...," Rafael clicked his teeth.
"Who would've known that it would escalate to this point? That thing... it's feeding on her," he pointed towards the vein-like thing that wrapped Belle's legs like ingenious hosiery. He stared at Isabella while thinking if she was really capable of curing such an impossible feat.
But, deep down, he trusted her. He trusted this woman who he met only today.
However, when he saw Isabella pulled the chair that his mother sat earlier on and took a seat, doubts began to take form inside his head. He waited for her next action but she was still there, sitting and staring at Belle without moving an inch. There was no check-up on Belle's bruises and no further questions on her symptoms like most professionals did. These confused Rafael who couldn't help but curse at himself for still believing her.
The staring continued for almost half an hour when suddenly Isabella declared something that Rafael never heard of before yet found it truly ridiculous.
"Good, she is cured," Isabella rose from her seat and said.
Rafael was flabbergasted. Although angry, the absurdity of the situation made him lost the will to speak. What did she mean by cured when Belle still looked exactly the same as she did before?
"What joke are you pulling?" he asked in a stern voice.
Isabella simply glanced at him before she went to open the window which was shut due to Belle's fear of the greenery outside.
"Stop!" Rafael wanted to prevent her from opening the window, but while holding Belle, it was just impossible.
"Miss Isabella, you're given a chance and now you ruin it!" he was angry at the woman and at his stupidity for believing her. However, a clear delicate voice that was gone for two years entered his lane of hearing, making him shocked beyond words.
"B-brother," the gentle voice of a young girl echoed in the room. Slowly, Rafael lowered his head to take a look at the little girl in his embrace. When he saw her staring back without the usual look of fear, he found himself in disbelieved. How was this possible?
"Even if you're that surprised, at least offer her a glass of water," Isabella's voice alerted Rafael, who then carefully helped his little sister to lean against the pillow. He poured water into the cup brought by the maids earlier when they first came in and offered it to Belle. His eyes were eyeing her from the time her dry lips touched the edge of the cup until she finished the entire drink.
"Belle, a-are you really okay?" he was afraid to ask the question, afraid to hear that she wasn't. The little girl nodded as she pointed towards her legs. Rafael took a look and noticed that the parasites seemed to fade before completely disappearing. Shocked beyond words, he stared at his younger sister. When he saw the familiar smile she often showed in the past, Rafael was on cloud nine as he pulled her to an embrace. The siblings hugged for quite some time and were only separated when they heard the creaking sound of a chair being pushed.
Isabella looked up when she felt two pairs of eyes were staring at her.
"Thank you. How can I repay you? You may ask for anything," Rafael said after patting the head of his little sister. He heard a chuckle from her.
Isabella smiled, "Anything?" she confirmed and Rafael nodded.
"Then, I will say it after she fully recovers. After this, she needs to undergo a few counseling sessions with me and... about her legs, in two weeks, she will walk again," Isabella told him. Another chuckle left her lips when she saw Rafael's bewildered face.
"Miss Belleza, as of now you should rest a lot. Your counseling session will start next week, we'll tackle your fear of plants," she addressed the young girl who was staring at her adorably.
"Miss fairy, is s-she o-kay?" the young girl suddenly asked. Her eyes fell on her legs, staring at it like she had lost something precious.
Isabella was stunned as she stared at the little girl for quite some time before a smile broke on her face. So, she could see her?
"Yes, and her name's Effigy," she told her and noticed that the little girl's eyes brightened up upon hearing the name.
"E-effigy? T-That's a beautiful name," the little girl smiled before asking another question, "Miss fairy, c-can I see her again?"
Isabella pondered for a while and nodded her head. "Sure, the next time we'll meet, I'll let you see her," she promised.
Rafael who was listening was hit with confusion. He wanted to ask but when he saw Belle's excitement, he stopped himself. Such an expression had been absent from her face for many years, now that he had the chance to see it again made him grateful.
He stared at Isabella who was also looking at her. Their gazes met and for a while, no one was talking.
"Miss Isabella, how?" Rafael wanted to thank her but what escaped his lips was the curiosity he tried hard not to show. Was it sorcery? Magic? These seemed to be the only logical explanation although those were absolute nonsense as well.
"Let just say, it was your luck that saved her, and fate...," Isabella said with a hand on her chin and later laughed when she saw Rafael's silly face.