Nalini and her mother entered a room with carved teak walls. Inside was a large bed with a soft mattress made of randu flowers.
A woman with her eyes closed was lying there. Her face was pale, her eyes tightly closed, her body very thin. A thick jarik and blanket wrapped around her body.
Four servants sat on the floor. A large copper basin filled with steaming warm water with rose petals was placed beside them.
The woman on the bed suddenly opened her eyes, her hands reaching out to call the servants.
"Come here... uhuk! uhuk!" The incessant whooping cough kept the servants busy soothing and fetching drinking water.
"Mercy, queen. Drink the warm ginger first," said a servant while offering a glass filled with jamu.
The woman called 'ratu' nodded. Her weak hand reached for the glass and drank slowly. However, before she finished her drink, she started coughing again.
"Uhuk ... uhuuk ... hoeek!" The woman coughed loudly and closed her mouth tightly. When she opened it, her hands were covered in blood.
Everyone in the room gasped. They hurried over to the bed. One servant handed her a clean cloth and timidly wiped her bloodied mouth.
"Nyai, please check!" the oldest servant ordered Nyai Dhira.
The female healer moved closer to the queen's bed and offered a prayer. She then checked her pulse and saw the color of the blood she had vomited. Nyai Dhira's forehead furrowed into many folds.
"What do you think, Nyai?" asked the chief servant, looking at Nyai Dhira sharply.
The village healer timidly said he would make medicine to treat the queen's cough.
Nyai Dhira returned her worship and intended to resign. But Kanjeng Ratu hurriedly prevented her.
"Nyai, I just saw you. Are you the new doctor?" she asked softly. Her eyes watched the middle-aged woman in simple clothes in front of her.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My name is Nyai Dhira. Yes, I am the new healer," Nyai Dhira replied with her face bowed. Despite her illness, she still felt the queen's charisma strongly.
"Oh, where is the old doctor?" asked the queen, turning to the oldest servant.
The servant did not answer immediately. He turned to his friends in turn. How to convey the matter of the physician who was punished for having served for so long but failed to treat his queen?
"Mercy, queen. The old physician has been ordered by His Majesty to stop visiting. This morning he was replaced by this Nyai. He himself came to bring her here," explained the emban.
Nyai Dhira looked down. Nalini, who sat on her knees beside her, also remained motionless. She had never been in such an awkward situation.
"Then you... who are you?" asked Kanjeng Ratu looking at the young girl beside the healer.
Nalini who was still looking down did not know that the Queen was questioning her. The servant sitting next to her nudged her arm. "Girl, you're the one being asked..." she whispered.
Nalini spontaneously raised her face to look at the Queen and then looked down again. She saw that the thin woman with sad eyes was watching her.
"Mercy, Your Majesty. I am Nalini, daughter of Nyai Dhira."
"Yes, Your Majesty. She is my daughter and used to help me heal," added Nyai Dhira. She felt cold sweat start to pour down her forehead. As an inexperienced country girl, she was scared to death if her actions were not in accordance with the ways of life in the palace.
Ratu smiled and slowly got out of bed. "Thank you, Nyai. For treating me," she said politely. "I understand, whoever His Majesty brings here, must be someone he trusts."
Nyai Dhira did not fully understand the meaning of the queen's words. But she immediately nodded and thanked her back.
"Your Majesty, may I ask you some questions?" said Nyai Dhira while bowing. She wanted to know some clear answers in order to know what medicine she should make.
"Go ahead, Nyai. What do you want to ask?" the queen asked. Now the two servants who had been sitting on their knees began to wash her feet with warm water in a basin.
"Please forgive me, how long has your majesty had whooping cough?" asked Nyai Dhira timidly. She knew for sure, a person who was sick with coughing and vomiting blood was suffering from a serious illness. Treatment could not be done carelessly.
"Ouch, I forgot when I started coughing. It feels like a long time ago," complained the queen. Her hands unraveled her hair and untangled it. The charm of beauty radiated slightly despite her illness.
One of the servants got up and asked permission to comb her hair. In his hand was a tray containing a comb made of horn and fragrant oil for hair.
"Then, what else do you feel?" asked Nyai Dhira still trying to find the type of illness suffered by her queen.
The queen seemed to be breathing heavily. It was obvious that she was coughing and tired from having so many conversations.
"In the afternoon, my body is feverish. Hot, feverish. You can also see that my body is getting thinner. Eating tastes bitter," the queen replied.
The eldest servant signaled Nyai Dhira to stop her questioning. "Nyai, the next question can be asked to me. The queen cannot be asked too many questions," she said gently but firmly.
"Oh, please forgive me, ma'am. I will ask you later," said Nyai Dhira timidly. Meanwhile, her mind was busy analyzing the name of the disease suffered by the queen.
"There, now you go to the kitchen and make some herbal medicine. Ask the servants there for instructions," said the head emban giving directions.
Nyai Dhira and Nalini then offered their prayers and walked backwards. They left Kanjeng Ratu's room.
After walking away from the queen's room, Nalini whispered to Nyai Dhira.
"Mom, is she our queen?" she asked timidly. Her head turned to the right and left, afraid to hear anyone. Ndalem Kaputren was still quite quiet, only a few soldiers and servants were seen doing cleaning work.
Nyai Dhira nodded. "Yes, girl. Kanjeng Ratu Padma. The king's favorite wife." Her body felt goosebumps at the thought of riding with the king yesterday. Until that moment, she did not know why the number one person in the Lokapala kingdom immediately trusted her to treat the empress.
"Ratu Padma... I've heard of her, ma'am. People said she was very beautiful, but apparently..." Nalini did not continue her speech. Nyai Dhira hurriedly covered her daughter's mouth with her hand.
"She was sick, girl. She has a bad cough that has attacked her lungs," Nyai Dhira explained in a half-whisper.
Nalini's eyes bulged. What? A cough could be that severe? She remembered Ratu Padma who had vomited blood. Her eyes were dull, and her body was as thin and dry as wood.
Remembering that fact, Nalini began to be haunted by fear.
"Mbok... can we cure her?" Nalini asked stammeringly.