When Rachael woke up next, she was in a hospital room. There was not a lot she remembered when she woke up, but it slowly came back to her.
She had been running away from a demon's familiar and was saved by someone. Her memory was hazy around that part, but Rachael was still sure that her saviour had looked somewhat like Elias.
It was a ridiculous idea. Elias was around 12 years old, and there should have been no way for him to save Rachael. But her mind and her heart both said that it had been Elias.
'Ugh, thinking about all this is causing me to feel stressed. Should I go back to sleep?"
Rachael was about to throw her head back and fall asleep when the door opened, and a nurse came in.
The nurse looked surprised to see Rachael awake but instantly snapped back into professional mode.
"Hello dear. I am so glad to see you awake. From what we observed with you, it was likely exhaustion and nothing life-threatening. But we will test you once more now that you are awake."
The nurse was patient with Rachael and took all her samples. Her experienced hands touched Rachael for just as long as it was required and not a second more.
But what surprised Rachael the most was when the nurse used her healing powers to check Rachael for any lingering after-effects.
That made Rachael confident that this was no low-level hospital room but a top-of-the-line one.
People with healing powers were usually sought after, and those who devoted themselves to the nation were kept hidden and were instantly given high positions.
It was unheard of for someone with healing powers. At least, under normal circumstances, this should not be possible.
But as soon as the nurse was gone, an overworked doctor entered the room and checked over Rachael with his powers.
Currently, the two people Rachael had met today were both able to use healing powers. And she had a feeling the others in here would be able to use healing powers as well.
The doctor forced Rachael to lie back as he examined her graph. He looked happy as he noticed her progress, and a happy humm escaped his mouth.
"Looks like there are no complications in your body, and you will heal nicely. We will remove the dye in your hair since it can cause complications with some medicines. But once you are clear, you can dye your hair again."
Rachael bit her lip in protest, but no sound came out of her mouth.
The only thing that stopped Rachael from breaking down in protest was that it had not been her money used to dye her hair.
"Now rest and recover. We have contacted your guardian, and she will be here shortly. If you want to return home with her, you need to ensure you are recovered enough for that journey."
Rachael was being advised too much, but she decided not to question the doctor and let him finish. She doubted that she would be able to get home alone anyway. It was better to wait for Emily to take her home.
.........
"Emily, hurry up and do the laundry. We need to be present and selected for the escort duty today. The pay is higher, and if Lady Rose likes you, you can also get an expensive present from her."
Emily looked at her only friend in the mansion. The young maid before her had joined recently, so she did not know the rumours about Emily yet.
Not only was she respectful to Emily, but she also took her side in most of the conflicts that occurred. Emily was delighted to have such a friend.
But she also knew that she needed to talk her friend down when she made such offers. Emily could not risk running into anyone from the main house who knew her position.
Not only would it expose Emily's situation to her friend, but she was sure that her friend would hate her as well.
After all, all the other maids in the mansion already hated Emily to an extent.
"I…I don't think it would be possible for me to take this opportunity; you see, I am extremely busy with my current responsibilities. And you know how I am tasked with looking after the tower, right? I need to finish cleaning it up."
Emily made excuses, and her friend looked concerned. But her friend lightened up, and Emily could see plans brewing inside her mind.
"Hey, I know. I will help you with your tasks in the tower. That way, you can come and apply as Miss Ross's escort. I am sure that the lady would like it as well."
Her friend was insistent, but Emily panicked at having her friend anywhere near the tower.
The evidence of two people living together was scattered all around the tower. There was also a risk of Rachael being found out, and then her friend would hate Emily.
"Y-You cannot come with me. M-Master has forbidden me from taking anyone else to the tower. You can expect your salary to get cut at best, and at worst, you can get fired if you come to the tower."
Emily made up stories to get her friend to stay away. She was unsure how much it helped, but she was convinced that her friend was rethinking her choice to come with her.
"Fine, I understand. It looks like I really cannot visit the tower easily this time. But one day, I will be able to convince you to let me into the tower. I wait eagerly for that day to come."
Emily was happy to see her friend return from wanting to visit the tower. And just as that happened, Emily got a phone call on her cell phone.
That surprised her since Emily had only had a few people contact her.
It turned out that the call was from Rachael's school, and it was to inform her of what happened. Along with that, the teacher also asked Emily to collect Rachael from the hospital.
Rachael had fucked up enough this time to land herself in a hospital.
'Why do I have to go and do all this stuff? Why can I not be a normal maid?'
Emily cursed her fate, but she quickly packed up to leave. Her friend gave her a concerned look as she watched Emily pack.
"Hey, is everything alright? I heard something about the hospital or not. Are you going to be in trouble? Are you sick?"
Emily's friend asked, and Emily could not help but feel like her friend was getting a little…too interested in her now.
But since this was still within acceptable range, Emily did not feel suspicious of her friend.
"Everything is alright. My niece got injured during school and had to be rushed into the hospital. I will just go and pick her up. You should finish your work and apply for Lady Rose's attendant. I am sure you will make it."
Emily waved back at her friend before she was out of the door. She needed to reach the hospital before Master Rocx realised what happened with Rachael.
The 'friend' Emily had made watched her dash away as fast as she could. For a minute, the maid maintained her neutral expression as she watched Emily run away. But once Emily was far enough, the maid dropped her gentle smile.
"Tsk, that idiot is not giving me any opportunity to contact her charge. How am I supposed to make any contact with my target and confirm her identity? My employee will kill me if I do not update him soon."
The maid complained as she got back to work. She did not want the head maid to complain about her after all.
Meanwhile, Emily is ignorant of her servant's 'true' nature and continues running toward the bus stop.
When she told the headmaid what had happened, the head maid gave her a disapproving look. For a second, Emily had been afraid she would not get permission to go out.
But then the headmaid looked away, and that was enough permission for Emily to head out.
Rachael's teacher had messaged her the address of the hospital, one of the most expensive hospitals available, and it had a long line of rich people wanting to get in.
She remembered this hospital because it had refused to admit Lady Rose when she was young and had gotten sick. The price Master Rocx had offered was one that Emily had never heard of being offered before.
But the hospital had still refused to take her in. They had also forced Master Rocx to back down when he had been at the height of his anger.
'How did Rachael end up being admitted here? No! What will I have to pay for to get her back home? I do not have enough money to pay for all this.'
For the first time, Emily thought about running away and not looking back at Rachael. She was sure the Chlorance family would realise that Rachael was missing, or the hospital would call them.
But Emily would get into trouble as well if she was found out. She had no choice but to get in and negotiate the price for Rachael's medical bills.
"H-Hello, I am here for Rachael. May I know how much her bill is?"
Emily asked this as soon as she entered. The lady at the counter gave her a weird look, but she quickly pulled up the entry.
"Miss your bill-"
"Ah, no, wait! I am not ready to hear it yet. Also, can you reduce it? I am penniless and cannot afford it-"
"Miss, your bill is-"
"-and, can you please not tell me? I can't take it. Maybe you should keep Rachael here since I cannot pay the bill-"
"Miss, listen to me-"
"-or maybe take her organs or ask her family. I don't know. I can't pay the bill."
"Miss, it's already paid for."