Gwen was admitted in a suite not far from Ethan's. However, she was in another section of the floor where entry was restricted.
The Grand Healer, Goldie, was the top official of the medic bay. She treated royals and nobility only, the patient in this case being Gwen. However, Goldie's quarters, suites, and research wings were under tight security.
As Ethan tried to enter Gwen's suite, the middle-aged guard posted outside blocked his path. "Young Count… I cannot let you in without the Grant Healer's permission."
The Cromwell heir was in no mood to argue with a grunt. His first inclination was to use ghost hands. However, he figured too much dependence on skills would make him vulnerable. Moreover, the frequent use of ghost hands would pile up unconscious guards throughout the castle, raising suspicion.
"I'm here to see my sister," Ethan said dismissively. "I don't have time for your Grant Healer's rules and regulations."
"But—"
"How would you like to be posted in forest patrol during the night shift?" the boy warned. "I can make it happen starting tonight."
The middle-aged guard froze in her place. Night forest patrol was the most dangerous work under the County's services. You had to pair with the elves, who were more robust and in tune with the jungle. Moreover, wild animals and monsters prowled during those dark hours. It was an unsafe place and time of duty for a human castle guard.
A few days back, Fondel Daily reported that a forest patrol guard was found dead in the morning, half of its corpse eaten by wild animals. Your fate would be much worse if you encountered an orc.
"I understand the urgency to visit your sibling, Young Count," the middle-aged guard stammered. "However, please make it quick. If the Grand Healer knows about this, I may get expelled from the guard service."
"I'll deal with the Grand Healer on my own terms," Ethan replied, brushing past the guard without breaking pace. Growing up, the boy was so pampered that the most minor illnesses and scratches were taken seriously. Healers were rushed to his bedroom.
As a result, Ethan had yet to visit the medic bay in recent years. He never met the Grand Healer. She was probably another old hag like the head nurse anyway. The woman would buckle under his authority like the rest.
Gwen's suite was a picture of cute feminine habitation. The curtains, bedsheets, wallpaper, and pillows were shades of pink—baby, rose, and peachy. They also had adorable, cartoonish images of bears and bunnies.
Because of her fragile constitution, Gwen was a regular at the medic bay, where the Grand Healer treated and pampered her. The boy made a mental note to check which other nobles frequented the medic bay.
Ethan saw that three nurses were posted in her suite. Although it was a waste of human resources, the extraordinary privilege made sense if one considered Gwen's noble status.
"Leave me for an hour with my sister," Ethan commanded them. They exchanged anxious glances and vacated the room. Leaving the patient alone was against protocol, but their position wasn't high enough to question the Cromwell heir's wishes.
Ethan took a deep breath and relaxed. He had to fight battles on a daily basis just to get a minute alone with his sister. How unfair could the fantasy world be?
The boy looked at Gwen's adorable sleeping face. She was so angelic and cherubic that it made his knees weak. He wanted to protect the hell out of her!
The girl was cuddled on either side with pet pillows. It was likely the nurses had changed her into a patient gown.
Ethan sat on the bed by her legs and whispered, "Hey, lil sis… Are you awake?"
There was no response from the girl. Did the nurses give her sleeping pills? That was unlikely since her ailment was losing consciousness. Perhaps they cooked up a calming draught for her anxiety.
While Ethan debated with himself whether to wake up Gwen, a system prompt cropped up.
[Challenge: Grope the bunny tail]
Bunny tail? What the hell? Did the system refer to Gwen as a bunny? That didn't make any sense. She was a human, and the system, no matter how perverse it was, didn't make mistakes.
Ethan's gaze swept around the suite but couldn't find any other presence. He bit his lip in confusion and turned towards his sister. Perhaps a particular body part was the tail, in this case, the lower back?
Ethan steeled his nerves and slid the blanket from under Gwen, exposing her feet. They were works of art—beautiful with flawless toes that one could nibble on. The girl's nails were colored with a berry-red polish.
Ethan gulped anxiously. He never had a foot fetish, but now circumstances had forced him to revisit the topic. Forgetting the system's challenge, the boy decided to give it a go.
Ethan extended a hand and lightly touched the top of Gwen's left foot. The skin was perfectly baby-soft with no visible veins. His fingers slid down to the ankle, which again was a commendable work of God.
The boy explored more—feeling Gwen's sole, enjoying a completely different texture. The girl had pampered her feet as expected from a royal family member. The next moment, he found both his hands on her soles. It was growing on him!
Something stirred within Ethan. As a man of culture from Earth, he had watched the relevant porn genre a few times. There were several ways to use a female's feet for sex.
One could be a rubber-slapper-brusher. Alternatively, and most popularly, the feet could be made into an aperture by holding them together.
Ethan's hand approached his crotch on instinct.
"What are you doing?" A voice asked abruptly. Ethan let out a howl and jumped to his feet with a start.
An attractive young female in a white coat stood beside the bed, watching him with intrigue. She was no taller than five feet and probably no older than twenty. Where did the girl come from?
However, Ethan's shock was not only because of the stranger's abrupt materialization before him.
What really astonished the boy most was the female's most striking feature—two bunny ears over her head!