Chapter 24: Chapter 006 : A Distant One’s Mind

Weeks has passed by since then, and the weather has really going at it to strike us down with its cold.

And like any normal living being not used to one thing after another, it takes time for me to adapt my body from my fever.

Me :"Achoo! *Sniffles*, Ugh… ". Here I am in the morning, with Rudy and Miss Roxy going to near where Sylphy's staying, and I'm now left at home bedridden.

My head is stinging once a minute and it hurts on my skull just from the slightest touch of basically anything, even a droplet of water. 

My insides are heating up as I feel my tongue being numb when drinking room-temperature water and even sweat foods, I'm having trouble breathing with my one of my nostrils being constantly blocked by the accumulated dusts and heat from inside out, and my throat's all hard and dry like a drought that makes it almost unbearable for me to swallow my saliva, not to mention my food set on the table near my bed for now.

Father Paul and Mother Zenith is going out as to buy groceries for foods and things that'll ease my sickness down, as they are so worried I am in some rare case of sickness. 'I mean, it's not too far off that this world will have diseases of their own, like it or not'

Since almost everyone is gone, that leaves only an adult to take care of me, namely the housemaid Lilia. 

Lilia :"Wait a moment, Young Master". She takes one of the two cup of warm water that is put alongside a plate of chicken soup and the kettle on top of a wooden tray made just for sickly me. 

I rest my body to the walls and hold the cup with both hands, water gushing in to my throat, and sweats dropping from my face. 

Me :"*Gulp*. Thanks, Miss Lilia"

She takes the cup from my hands as she puts it again besides the kettle. 

Lilia :"I hope that you may get well soon, Young Master". She said in a concerning tone, quite different from how I was always responded by her all the time. "But it is quite unexpected from the likes of you to be the one sick rather than your esteemed brother"

Me :"Neither do I, Miss, but maybe it's because I've been training in all kinds of things for far too long without a proper break"

Speaking of break, whenever she's gone to the kitchen, I uses Healing as I am still not able to silent cast this specific spell despite having knowledge in Biology and Health in general, and this in effect only eases the pain to some degree and doesn't make it go away as of my current power in Healing, wherever it is now. '*Sniffles*. Here's praying and hoping all that time being lectured in cells and organisms isn't redundant for my sake"

Reciting topics about health in my head, I got myself to remember who else have Healing magic in this house, that is Mother Zenith.

Me :"Mi- *Cough*, Can I ask you for something, Miss Lilia?"

She then caresses me from the pain of the sickly coarse throat I'm having.

Lilia :"Yes, what is it that you ask of me, Young Master Eyn?". Even through my shaking eyes, I can see through her eyeglasses that she is quite caring for me with emotions of a blood-tied caretaker.

Me :"Ngh, do you and Mother know of each other before us twins were born?". I figure, since she and Miss Lilia is on good terms everytime they're on contact with each other. 

Lilia :"No, it's… ". She is a bit troubled by the question as it looks like it goes deeper than that. "I was looking for a job after I got kicked out of a certain palace, because… ". She paused yet again, as if the answer to that is too heavy for a child to swallow up. "I got one of my legs injured permanently after I fell down some stairs"

Me :"I'm sorry for that… Can't it be healed again by Healing from anyone?". I don't really know how much my Healing that I'm still learning from the book fares, so maybe asking some questions will help me notes on whether it'll help or not.

Lilia :"*Giggles*. No, that won't do, Young Master". She pats me on the head as the answer is a given No. "Even the one that Miss Roxy teaches, X-Healing, that is able to cure fatal injuries, is not sufficient to heal back up my broken bones again"

I reminisced about one of the days in the middle of the sun when she mentioned Miss Roxy's next level of Healing magic.

Me :"Ah! That's the one where Miss Roxy got reprimanded by Mother from launching Water Ball to one of her trees!"

Lilia :"Fufu, it sure is, and even I don't dare help in the face of such dem- lovely maternal figure, yes". She stops saying the word 'Demon' for reasons I won't be asking in any short time possible.

It got me chuckling though stopped by me coughing again, fun time again being cut short.

Me :"Right…? So, what happened next, Miss?"

She look up at the ceiling as she is recalling her past events that lead up to her current life with us all. 

Lilia :"Well… I, found a job posted by Lord Paul in some billboards on the street, not long after, and gets to know he's married to a woman named Zenith"

As she uses a formal calling for Mother Zenith with a hint of nervousness, I can guess she only get acquainted with her only after getting to meet one member of our family again, namely Father Paul. 

Me :"Oh? So you don't know Mother prior to that?"

And it seems that I hit the mark, with how she drinks her cup right after I asked as if to avoid my question while making some time for a response.

Lilia :"Mmm… I suppose so". 

Still, I'm curious as she doesn't mind being checked out by Father even after she gives out on the suspicion of us twins being Laplace's vessel.

Me :"So, how did you and Father met?"

She puts the cup to the table lightly as she is lifting the tray with all of the drinks and the kettle on just her left hand, a trained professional.

Lilia :"Hmm~, should I tell or should I not?". Shockingly, the housemaid is doing a half-jokingly voice instead of the usual deadpan ones.

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By intuition and past experience, I know that she is hiding some pain so for her sake, I don't want her to be feeling forced.

Me :"If… it doesn't bother you, may I please?"

Lilia :"Mmhm, I'll think about it, so you should get some rest while I go downstairs, yes?". As she goes to the exit, she looks at me with half a smile, and closes the door. 

*Ker-chak*

Now that she is gone, I try to conjure Healing on my body again but as unfortunate as it is, it is basically defunct with my current state.

Everytime I casts magic, I put my brain on the work on what the process and result will be, and right now I don't feel anything of effect does me any good whatsoever.

It is just how they always says of it: A Healthy Body equals A Healthy Mind, and vice versa.

As I wait for her to come back again, I feel lonely, bored, and as I get myself drowsy, I let my head down to the bed with sweats going to the pillow.

And I don't feel as if I had any kind of dream, just a short rest before the next turbulence in my body wakes me for the bodily tormenting. 

. . . 

. . . 

. . . 

Just like I had predicted, the pain only comes back and twofold at that, in which I gather my bearings and stretches my eyes uncomfortably

Me :"*Cough-cough-cough!*". My throat is limp as I grab it, trying to rub the pain off of it.

I lift my body to the wall of the bed again, and I feel a warm yet cold hand that is the maid's is putting a cup for me to drink just right after some seconds of waking up from my little nap.

Lilia :"Sleep well, Young Master?". Her face is still being concerned, though lesser than when she does this morning.

Me :"No, not when there's no one to talk to". I speak my mind out loud, and I hope I don't talk in my sleep as my Rudy always said that he doesn't recognize Indonesia at all, though he'll get some phrases in English because he's experienced about the internet for the most part.

Lilia :"I and Lord Paul… ". Her words struck me awake from daydreaming again. "Met in some place for sharpening skills in Swordsmanship. Do you know what it is called as?". She subtly smiles as she acts like a calm and collected teacher for once.

Me :"A dojo?". An answer that isn't hard for someone who sometimes does fencing for hobby too.

Lilia :"Yes, it seems that your parents have taught you well". She pats me as she is now being affectionate of me, like warming up to some stray kittens you saw on some street before picking them home and adopting them. "We both are very, Very competitive towards each other in our younger years in some dojo"

Me :"Who wins the most, Miss?". A genuine question, since I now got told she's knowledgeable and experienced in Swordsmanship to some degree, there has to be some counters on how many she scored against Father Paul.

She readjusts her eyeglasses as she bows down her head, and I'm a little confused as to how it's showing a little bit of glint despite the light only going through the gap of the ventilation around the room.

Lilia :"I don't like to admit it but, I'm just behind Lord Paul in terms of winnings, maybe 3 : 4"

As Father Paul is able to slice a boulder clean with a wooden sword, I image the figure of Miss Lilia doing her versions with stacks of thick wooden logs piled up. 

Me :"W-*Cough, cough*, Wow, maybe I'd like to be as strong as Father someday"

Lilia :"Yes, though it'd help if you're not as carefree as him". She sips her cup as to avoid my gaze yet again, hiding some obscure remark about my Father, yet again. 

Me :"Uhuh…? Say Miss, do you have any more stories to tell about yourself?". I feel as I don't want to spend all day sleeping like a log, waiting for the sickness to go off me. 

She tilts her head as she thinks about it, and she points a finger up with one answer in the ready. 

Lilia :"Hmm, maybe I do have, it's about the time when I was in training of becoming a maid"

Somehow at one point after another, I got myself a little closer to her, and bonded like an aunt and a niece as how my brother-in-arms does to each other when we're in pain of any kinds.

She is definitely gatekeeping some of the adult stuff for me to not being weirded out with questions, and I really am grateful for that, but it also makes me sorry that she has to do that just because of me.

While she keeps on rambling about her life experience, I get to ponder how's the others doing right now. '*Sniffles*. At least I get to make the emotionless Miss Lilia smile because of my actions for once, didn't feel that bad anymore, I guess'

. . . 

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