"How did this happen?? Is she going to be alright??" King Atlas exclaim as the royal physician continues to examine the Empress, with the flower still in her hand.
"Your majesty, if I may?" The royal physician began as he gently remove the flower from the Empress' hand.
"Did you find anything?" Atlas asks as he grasps Shaelyn's hand.
The longer he stared at her sleeping form, the more he can see the similarities between her and his sister. The way her sister sweats so much from the pain she is suffering is the same as the way Shaelyn is suffering right now.
Her temperature is high, as she kept on coughing blood every now and then.
"There is a high chance that... the Empress has some kind of poison within her," The moment the royal physician utters those words Atlas's world crumbles.
"P-poison?? How did you get that conclusion?!" The King exclaims as he let go of Shaelyn's hand and clutches the collar of the poor physician.
"The flower... The Ashen flower is a well-known all-around medicine. Not only that but it strongly reacts to someone that have consumed poison. When someone who has been poisoned holds the flower in their hand, its petals will glitter. It's the same thing that has happened to her majesty," Despite being in an uncomfortable position and with Atlas' glaring at him, the physician still manages to explain.
Atlas has recalled how the flower sparkles the moment Shaelyn has held it. He only thought that was merely possible since it was directly under the sun's light. Yet... there is a chance that wasn't the case.
He stares at the flower the royal physician is holding, the petals are not sparkling the same way they had with Shaelyn.
"Then, why is she coughing up blood? Why is she suffering like this?" He asks as he let go of the collar he is holding.
The royal physician clears his throat as he places the flower on top of Shaelyn's hand and just as expected, they start sparkling once again.
"The flower is releasing a healing pheromone that was the cause of what is happening to her majesty. The blood that she was coughing out may have contained poison. It is helping her clean out the poison inside her," he added as he stares at the rose.
The Ashen Rose is still sparkling brightly like a star in the night sky.
"How long will this last?" Atlas ask as he let out a tired sigh.
It seems he won't be able to do anything to help once again.
"That will depend on how strong the poison inside her."
--
Opening her eyes, she let out a gasp as she tries to calm her beating heart. The bright light coming from the window temporarily blinded her before she gently rubs her eyes. Despite the confusion she is feeling, she glances around the room only to see Atlas sleeping in the chair near her bed.
"Atlas?" she whispers, as her eyes widen in surprise. She can't believe what she is seeing, how... how come he is here?
He was supposed to be missing. He was supposed to be with... with whom?
Shaelyn's head throbs in pain as she coughs out blood. Staring at the blood in her hand, she did not notice Atlas storing up.
"Shae!" He exclaims as he pulls her for a hug.
He holds her tight afraid that she will disappear any moment. He doesn't care whether she pushes him away or for her to glare at him with such hatred. He only cares to see her awake once again.
"Atlas? What...? What is happening?" Shaelyn asks in an exhausted voice before Atlas releases her.
However contrary to what he was expecting... She neither pushes him nor glared at him. Instead, the eyes that are staring at him, are the same eyes that have looked at him with such kindness.
It took him a while to collect himself from the surprise after seeing her eyes. As he was about to open his mouth, his sight caught the blood in her hand.
"H-hold on, allow me to clean that up for you," he said before he grabs a wet cloth nearby. He then wipes the blood with the wet cloth before wiping the remaining blood in her chin.
"Here, drink this first," he added before giving her a glass of water and a medicine pill. It was a pill left behind by the doctor to help Shaelyn from the pain.
Shaelyn stares at the pill, she doesn't know how to react to what is happening. Was everything she experienced before just a terrible dream?
With a sigh, she took the pill before gulping down the water.
"Now lay down, you still need to rest," Atlas gently push her down, as he fixes the blanket that was covering her.
"H-hold on! I need to know what is happening!" Shaelyn exclaims as she pushes Atlas away.
Atlas flinch the moment her eyes shifted to a cold stare before it shifted back to her gentle eyes.
The way his heart pounding loudly inside his chest, is making him feel uneasy. Taking a deep breath, he let out a sigh as he combs his hair that fell down on his face.
"You collapsed yesterday after picking up the Ashen flower," he spoke as he leans back on the chair that he is sitting on.
"...What? What flower??" Shaelyn asks in confusion as she clasps her still throbbing head.
Atlas looks up as he observes her reaction. There is clearly something wrong with her... he can feel it.
"Shae? Are alright? Do you want me to call for Edan?"
"What flower? What happened, Atlas?" she asks, desperate to find an answer.
Memories are flashing through her mind that she did not know when it all happened. The unfamiliar memories that are displaying an altered version of her... A frosty smile marks her lips.
"The Ashen flower... Do you not recall what happened yesterday?"
"Yesterday..." Shaelyn mumbles before shaking her head.
"That... the Ashen tree that you found arrived yesterday --," before Atlas managed to continue his word, Shaelyn cut him off as she raises her hand to cover his mouth.
"Before that... why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be at the Forbidden Land?"
Atlas was taken aback, he was not expecting her to bring that topic. But...
"That was in the past. I have been here for a while now... Tell me, is that the last thing you remember?" he asks as he places his hand on top of hers.
"Yes. The last thing I recall is seeing you being locked away in the tower by her," she responds not noticing the way Atlas flinch.
'Her... is she talking about that fairy?' He thought to himself.
"Are you talking about a fairy?" he watches as Shaelyn's eyes widen in surprise.
"H-how? How did you--?"
*Bathump! Bathump!*
The way she reacted is the confirmation he needs. A frown made its way to his lips as his shoulders slump down.
'That Fairy... Did she?'
He clenches his teeth as he glared at the space in front of him. Intense emotion is bubbling inside him, which is making his mana see out from his body. He can no longer hear what Shaelyn is saying as his focus is solely on the image of the Fairy.
Standing up from his seat, blinded by the anger he is feeling... he ignores the way Shaelyn keeps calling for him and shut the door with a loud thud.