"Is it necessary to mention them…all of them and their names?" The old lady looked a little anxious.
"Yes…It is necessary and the names are even more necessary" Ravindra was sitting beside Rose in her bed.
'Good one, I almost forgot… I was the one who told him that names have a particular effect on the host by curses. He is doing way better for someone who lost his memories; the only reason anyone is trusting him is because of Setward Syrus; if he says it's ok, it is.' Mathew made a shocked expression. "Actually, start with all of her friends, from her school if she went there and her friends here or if she had any…secret friends as well; we need to know everything."
"They were friends…I mean there were a lot of friends some went away, two of the girls used to play with her when she stayed in the capital city for studies, I was there with her as her servant"
"How old was she at the time?" Mathew asked the most important question, as it was necessary to have a timeline, and that timeline was Rose's age.
"About 8… And we stayed in the capital city till she became 12; after that, we came back here."
"As far as I know, any school would have the students study till they are 15; only after that do they get to choose ethereal magic, and the school sponsors the ritual. Why did she get out of there 3 years earlier."
"Not exactly 3 years but 2 and a half, umm…something happened at the school…to her friends, they…I-I can't say"
"Say it…Just say it." Ravindra was right now behind Mathew's chair, his hands on the chair.
"Uh… They were found dead in the room where only Rose and her friends were." Silence followed but Mathew and Ravindra weren't so dumb as to press the matter into finding who killed the other two girls. "After that without any delay and not telling anyone, I took Rose back here, mid-term."
"What was the name of her friends?" Mathew asked softly.
"Margarita and Racheal, both were the same age as her, both of them were local and came from normal families, she never discriminated or even boss them around, she used to go to their houses a lot, their bond was good…"
"Then, how did" Ravindra cleared his throat and calmly said, "That incident… what happened to that"
Mathew already told Ravindra that he wouldn't press any sensitive matter, but Ravindra, being arrogant and a lot more important than Mathew, could do something, but still, he should stay on Rose's good side, which means that he always favours Rose and threaten others based on her, never douth Rose and always take her side.
"They said she had something to do with it and they want to talk to her, she wasn't in the condition to do so, always crying, sleeping and crying, she probably saw something horrific"
'Or did something horrific to cry that much… Maybe killed them as her split personality came out' Mathew made his own answers.
"What was the conclusion of the incident?" Ravindra's question was scripted, and Mathew already told him that if the question was sensitive, then just use an alternative that suggests your neutrality.
"The school paid the two families while the investigation was stopped due to lack of evidence."
'Or due to access of corruption…' Mathew thought.
"After that, she had a few friends at the farm, they were three girls and a boy."
"Names" Ravindra was leaning on the door of the room.
"Magie, Natt, Silvia and John… They used to play a lot; all four of them were born on the farm; John was 11 while all the others were older than him; only Silvia was 16 at that time. They used to play tag and hide and seek all over the property, sometimes in the mansion. They often went to the viscount's office, and he liked all the children. Except for Rose, others were studying in Capital or Ravenhold, and they reminded him of his own children. Such sweet children they were. After a year… When Rose turned 14, things were different, her mother started to give all of her friends the cold shoulder, and she didn't let them enter the mansion or let the young lady leave. She suddenly became cruel… That's when she came to know about that…"
"Hmm… The baby boy…who died… my question is who told her that…" Ravindra was behind the old lady's chair.
"I don't know anything about that Lord"
"Her lady in waiting or your lord Viscount, do they know"
"I can't say…"
"Just continue then…"
"It was like she wouldn't even breadth if her mother didn't say so. So, strict…the young lady hated her mother and that cruel lady used to beat her, I always tried to stop her but with my authority how could I stop her mother, days after day… young lady became impatient, she was not happy by being a pigeon trapped in the cage, she wanted to meet her friends, so she asked lord viscount to take her out and after a few more requests, he agreed. She met her friends and played with them, somehow two of them, Magie and Natt, had an argument, and they had a fight; John stopped them, but his leg got broken, they only stopped when the oldest of them, Silvia, stopped the fight. They both then blamed the young lady Rose. That day, she was sad again, crying all night. After that day she used to follow her mother like a lifeless body. She wasn't herself anymore, totally different."
'Something weird happened two times, and she ends up hurting her friends… She used to stay with her mother a lot… Why…? I don't think any 13-year-old would sleep with her mother… I don't think cursing for a reason like losing her son because of her daughter is valid… I think there is more depth to it than, I anticipated before.'
"She became a slave to your late lady of the house… right?" Ravindra dropped a critical statement while he was lying on the bed of Rose right next to her.
"You can say that… she was like a puppet moved only when she instructed, emotionless. She never complained ever. I don't know the reason, but when her siblings started questioning the late lady about her behaviour, they started dying…most of them died of heart attacks… All of the other wives of lord viscount tried to tell her to stop treating young lady Rose like that and they ended up dying as well."
'As far as I know, it was some sort of a plage that killed eight people in this mansion or it was reported by Smaul, all three of his wives died, 3 of his children died; 1 daughter and two sons…two servants… they were not mentioned so… distinctly why?? This might not be the right time and the right person to ask such a question.' Mathew frowned and looked at Ravindra, who was drinking water; it was a type of signal.
"All died of heart attack?? And how many were there?" Ravindra came close to the chair of the old lady.
"Yes, it was said to be some kind of a plague… that affected specific people… a total of 8 people died…for a total of 8 days one each day…"
"Quite a cinema if you ask me" Ravindra followed fastly with a nasty and offensive comment.
"Excuse me!!"
"I mean… you all are finding so much… everything to protect whom, you will lose Rose, I think most of you know of it…curse…" Mathew already told Ravindra to talk about the curse openly in front of all the servants and garrison.
"Lord???" The old lady seemed a bit protective towards the secret. Maybe the viscount or his butler told her to do so.
"What? For now, just continue with the story" Ravindra seemed unfazed.
"After that Rose was normal for a while…"
" You told us… but I want to know about her behaviour, those scratches on this girl's hand look… like how often she loses her mind" Mathew calmly and softly asked a question, unlike Ravindra, who opened his mouth just to threaten them.
"It was now often… She used to do this once every two weeks but from the last months they are now random, she attracted me 2 days ago as well and for some reason she is getting stronger and more fearless while attacking."
"So, she attacks…how? With her nails and her teeth…Right?" Mathew asked.
"Mostly, sometimes she kicks as well, sometimes she asks for forgiveness out of nowhere"
"Ask for forgiveness?" Ravindra seemed confused, "Why? She didn't do anything wrong or she thinks she has done something…or her mother has…done something…What do you think?" He looked at Mathew.
"I think the same thing… She feels guilty but why? Her poss…I mean her placing hands on her eyes in this way…it feels like she wants space, she doesn't like it here."
"With us…" The old lady asked with anticipation. "Are we the problem?"
"No…Not you, her mother and her curse, she wants to be free…freedom from her mother." Mathew stood up and checked Rose again. "I think this is it for today… Let's continue tomorrow"
'Time for dark magic…hehe…' Ravindra was excited for dark magic and illusions. He always wanted to control someone's thoughts, their way of thinking except he wasn't studying that but rather making others answer the question Ravindra asked, truthfully.
On their way out they encountered the butler, "Lords… Is there any progress?"
"Uhh… Yes and NO… Not about her getting better but we are getting closer to saving her… unlike you, they helped us…" Ravindra was pissing off literally every single person due to his arrogant nature, though he was acting, they felt it in their heart.
"I will help as well, as much as you can ask…as much is my authority to answer your questions" Butler tried to show his respect for the two doctors by not reacting angrily to Ravindra's comment.
"Uh… For now…Can tell us anything about the school incident of Rose…She lost her friends there…What happened after that… I mean…what happened in reality? Rose, what was her reaction to this situation…She said anything?" Mathew asked.
"The school…closed the investigation, we told them to." Mathew nodded, "Believe me there was an intruder in the school that…killed those girls…Rose was just…scared. The room was near a canteen for seniors… They were given that room by the school for some project only three of those girls were there. Then, someone murdered the two girls and their…bodies were thrown right in front of that canteen. Then, her servant took her to the mansion as fast as she could. After, that I handled the rest."
"Ok… I believe in your story… Is there anything else about this story?"
"She said something…As much as I can remember, She told us about two people… They were her seniors… 15-year-olds. I remember now, "Senior Ulfic and Venorica were arguing""
"Who are Ulfic and Veronica?" Ravindra asked.
"Ulfic and Veronica…" Mathew muttered. "Ulfic...Ulfic..."