Jordyn sat on the couch in uneasiness, dissatisfaction plastered on her face as she tried to think of who would dare do this to her brother. Though she wasn't necessarily close to her siblings, it didn't mean she was okay with them getting hurt, just like now.
Had he gotten into a fight with someone? She knew her brother's usual way of getting himself into trouble. Perhaps that was what led to a fight? She asked herself under deep thinking when she heard the door snap open, startling her.
"Oh, heavens! My Julian, what happened to you, my lovely son?" Lord Nicholas' wife dashed into the room without sparing her daughter a glance, her sight directed to her son who was in a terrible condition.
But she wasn't the only one. Sir Andre, Lord Vitale and some few Lords who had just retired from the meeting in the courtroom were behind, coming to see the pitiful condition of the noble.
"What happened to my son?!" Lord Nicholas's voice thundered in the room, almost making some of the elite there grimace in irritation.
"Father, calm down," Vitale, the only slightly reasonable one among his family spoke.
"Calm down?!" This time it was Julian's mother to speak. She turned to face her son, Vitale who looked at her warily, her voice showing a hint of underlying pain. "I can feel my blood boiling right now from seeing my son like this and you want me to calm down?!"
She then looked at her daughter who stood there the whole time feeling neglected like she wasn't the one to help her brother here, "Tell me what happened to my son! Who did this?!" her voice trembling in anguish.
"Do not yell at me, Mother! I saw him laying helplessly at the corner over there and some servants gathered there, staring and doing nothing! I had to help him up and inform you but what do you do when you get here? Shout at me?" Jordyn fired back at her mother, telling the story to look like the hero.
"Why isn't he being attended to? Where are the physicians and maids?!!" Lord Nicholas asked again, causing Vitale to cover his face with his palm in frustration.
"Maybe if you would stop shouting and try to think, then we could help him?" Lord Samuel who had been observing curiously spoke and Lord Nicholas gave him a hard glare.
"Perhaps if you had your son lying here half-dead, you would be so calm, isn't it?" Nicholas asked.
"I am not certain but I know I would not act so irrationally." Lord Samuel retorted, only annoying Nicholas further.
He hated how whenever he was overwhelmed with emotions, this lord came acting like he was the best at controlling his emotions the most.
"We should stop arguing and think of how to help Sir Julian." Maxwell, who had been with Lord Vitale when Vitale was informed about his brother's state tried to reason.
He didn't know why but he could somehow already tell what might have transpired, especially when he had seen Matthew a while ago with some blood stains on his hands that he tried to hide.
It was pretty evident in a lame man's eyes what may have happened but he decided to not mention it. Sometimes, such a beating may be well deserved and he didn't want to conclude because they would all go after Matthew. He would get all the information firsthand from him before trying anything.
"I sent someone to call for him but they haven't arrived! I wonder what is taking them so long!" Jordyn complained, looking at her desperate mother who stood beside her son, cupping his bloody face.
The next minute, they saw someone enter the room with a practitioner. It was the guard that had been sent to bring the royal physician.
"I got someone to help Sir Julian," he said with a bow as he appeared in front of them. Then he paved the way for the young practitioner to come forward.
The people in the room looked at the practitioner in confusion, silence filled the air as they examined her, wondering when they sent for a practitioner as it was the royal physician they were told Jordyn had sent for. Did this guard not hear her properly well?
"Sorry, Your Majesty but may I get to pass to see the ill person?" the woman, wearing a white coat and carrying some tools in her hand to treat the ill person spoke.
"And since when did a common practitioner with no expertise or mastery start treating a noble?" Lord Nicholas's wife asked, feeling disrespected by the people in this palace. They hurt her son and have the guts to bring someone of such poor profession to treat him? Was her family a joke to them?
Maxwell looked at the guard who had been sent to call the physician, "Where is the royal physician?" he asked.
The female practitioner swallowed hard before clearing her throat to draw their attention, her grip on the tray of tools she carried getting tighter, "My lady, the royal physician is currently attending to someone urgently at the infirmary. Prince Leon specifically gave orders that she should properly be attended to by him before anyone else which is why he sent me," she spoke with a small smile to ease the tension in the room but it only made things worse.
"Prince Leon? Who is the lady that would make Leon tell the royal physician to leave my brother and send someone so low in ranking to treat my brother?" Jordyn asked in awe. Was this a prank or were these low lives playing on her intelligence?
She was thinking Leon would run to meet her when he heard of her brother but there he was attending to someone else and leaving her here.
"Answer me!" her voice thundered terrifying the woman who almost dropped the tray she carried.
"I-I do not know, my lady. She seemed to be important to Prince Leon."
"You haven't answered my question," Jordyn shook her head, knowing that wasn't what she wanted to hear.
However, the practitioner was scared to tell her that it was a mere maid as she feared she might act out of proportion without fully knowing what happened and the woman just wanted to do her job peacefully.
"Jordyn, this isn't the time for this. We should let her treat Julian first then we can discuss this," Vitale spoke again.
"No! I want to know who she is first-"
"Save your tantrums for later, Jordyn! This isn't the time." Her father scolded her, surprisingly, seeing his son in need of urgent attention.
Maxwell and Andre who stood obstructing the young woman finally gave way to her and she entered, quickly moving to where the man in a coma was placed on the bed.
Lord Nicholas's wife was still wailing and crying seeing her son's condition but she made way for the woman to attend to her son. While everyone's attention was now on the person being treated, Jordyn's was elsewhere.
She scampered out of the room to meet the guard who stood outside the enclosure before commanding, "Take me to the infirmary now!"
She wanted to see the useless lady that Leon thought should be attended to when her brother was dying.
"E-err...my lady, I am sorry but Prince Leon had warned that I should not let anyone there for now" he bowed but as he did, Jordyn slapped his bare face that was exposed from the act, making him fall backwards in shock.
"My lady-"
"Shut up and do as I have told you!" she ordered again in anger, feeling the embarrassment from her father's earlier yell at her but trying to hide it with annoyance. Nevertheless, the guard was not willing.
"My Lady, I am truly sorry for inconveniencing you but the prince gave me a strict warning!" The guard spoke again, the persistence in his voice could be seemingly heard and Jordyn's eyes narrowed at him, staring through him with her gaze.
"Do you have a death wish, young man?" she asked but he shook his head that he had bowed again, still not moving from his position.
"I see..." she spoke out, pondering what to do next. If Leon had given such an order and the guard was so bent on carrying it out then it meant that he had given the order with severity. No one liked to go against such orders and now, it only made her more curious about this girl.
"Who is the lady presently at the infirmary?" she asked similarly, looking at the guard, scrutinizing him with her eyes.
"I do not know her, my lady. I am not familiar with the nobles currently in the palace and I am also unaware of what happened to her." the guard replied.
Jordyn looked a bit annoyed but pondered over his answer. So it was a noble like her that had tried to steal her future husband's attention?
"Hmph!" she eyed him from head to toe, "Where is Prince Leon at the moment?" she asked.
"He is presently in his chamber, milady" The guard's calm answer made Jordyn blink before she raised her chin, her eyes lingering on the servant again.
She glared at him before she hissed and pushed past him through the passageway, hitting him intentionally. She dramatically raised the hem of her dress before leaving the place, forgetting about her sick brother.
She would look for the lady in the infirmary later. Now was best to take her opportunity to see her betrothed, she told herself as she walked away.
Tynan looked at the retreating figure of the elite lady who had just slapped him across the face.
He raised his head which was kept lowered earlier before bringing his hand to his left cheek and rubbing it, still feeling the burn from the forceful slap.
If Lady Jordyn was a ruler, he was sure she would lead with despotism because how could someone be so oppressive? He said to himself but then again, he sighed in relief.
At least, Melina was safe!