“What is it, Iris?”
“I’m sowwy, Dada, for luining the dinne.” I baby-talked.
“No, you didn’t.”
“But I talked ewen though it washn’t my tun to spweak.”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about it, I know you mean well. But you can’t speak out of turn every time you want to. There are certain things that we must follow, even if it’s tiring and frustrating sometimes, we must follow the rules. Understand?”
“But I really wanna help. I might know what the duke’s son is suffering from. I’ve been reading lots of books these days and Ash has been teaching me things from his country.”
He sighed before standing up. “Well, I’ll be talking with your older brothers about this right now so why don’t you come with us and let’s all figure it out?”
“Really? I can do that?”
“Hwan.” Mother, who hasn’t left the dining room, interrupted. “Iris is still young and she doesn’t know what she’s saying. Please don’t take whatever she says seriously.”
“But Mama.”
“Iris.”
“Sister might really be of help. We can’t excuse her for being young since she is Father’s daughter, too. This matter concerns the citizens and as a royal, she has the right to input her ideas on this matter.” Brother Lothario said. So, if I succeeded, it’s because of Father’s blood running through my veins and if I failed, it’s because of my incompetence and being too full of myself? That I am not fit to be called Father’s child? This child! He’s saying that if I did good, it’s credited to the royal family and if I did bad, is it because of me abusing my power?
“Lothario is right, she’s my daughter after all. We’ll just treat this as her preparation to be a great leader in the future. Come, let me carry you to my office.”
And so, he did. Being carried like a child means facing my two older brothers while walking to his office. I accidentally caught Brother Lothario’s unwavering cold gaze three times. Brother Azraq’s gaze, however, is warm just like the smile directed at me every time I met his gaze. When we reached the office, Father settled me down on his lap after he sat on his seat while both my brothers stood at attention.
“Anything I need to know?”
“Right now, there’s none. The nobles are currently quiet and there’s no suspicious movement to take note of.” Answered the first son. “The only thing urgent is Duke Atalens’ case.”
“The latest update is that there are blisters forming on the young duke’s hands and there’s pus on it.” Answered the second.
“Is it itchy?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“For a week now?”
“Yes.”
Chickenpox. It is rampant in this kind of weather, even on Earth. “How about fever?”
“... Yes.”
“Don't eat properly?”
“… Yes.”
“Chickenpox.”
“I haven’t heard of that word.”
‘How should I explain chickenpox to these people?’ “Uhm…” I turned my attention to Father who’s just listening to our exchange. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“It’s chickenpox and it’s dangerous.”
“I’m sorry but we can’t proceed and do what you want just based on trust. There’s human life on the line.” Brother Lothario spoke for the second time.
“I know. I can’t explain it, but I know it. I know how to treat it so you need to trust me.”
“Is it possible to know your source of information? We’ve been studying the case for almost a month now and unfortunately, we’re stuck. All the records only stated that we must isolate the patient and make sure that the patient won’t escape. We can’t do that since it’s the young duke we are talking about, we can’t lock him up and seal every passageway.”
“But it’s a must. We really need to isolate the young duke so that he won’t infect other people, what he has is contagious.”
“I refuse to lock Heathcliff Atalens for a year.”
“A year?! I never said a year! You lock patients up for a year? They would die! They wouldn’t even last for a month.”
“Then how long do you suggest?”
“It’ll only take half a month to fully recover from it if tended properly.”
“Can you elaborate on that?” Brother Azraq asked.
“I don’t have a book to show you but please know that I know and I just really want to help.”
“No. Just like what I said earlier, you can share your ideas regarding this matter but that doesn’t mean that we will do whatever you say just because you are part of the family. We can’t do anything without solid proof that it won’t harm the child, he’s not just a citizen, he’s a noble. We need to know the pros and cons and everything else that we need before we administer whatever your suggestion is.”
“But everything you’ve done up until now is useless and the only option you have now is to either lock up the child or kill him to prevent the plague.”
I saw Brother Lothario’s mouth move but no words came out since he knew that what I said was right.
“Both options will surely lead to the young duke’s death so why not try my method? My method might not be written in books but it might help.”
“What do you suggest, then?”
“Everyone who came in contact with Young Duke Atalens must isolate themselves and make sure that there will be no contact with anyone in a span of a month. Their utensils must also be separated to make sure that the virus won’t spread through their saliva. Make sure that these people always drink water, the more the better. Eight glasses of water aren’t enough, they need to drink more to not dehydrate. When they develop rashes, please remind them not to scratch them and to wear soft mittens to prevent infecting the wounds further. Brew chamomile tea, take the tea bag, and put it in a basin. Use a soft cloth and damp it to the basin then gently apply it to the rashes. And don’t wipe the excess off, just pat the skin gently until it dries off. They can also try putting chamomile flowers in the Young Lord’s bath if needed.” I explained. No one spoke, everyone is contemplating what I said. I didn’t push it further since I’m not really part of this matter, they only listened because Father is here and he gave me permission to do so but that’s just it.
“Fine. We’ve already done what we could to no avail so we’ll try whatever you say until the temple sends a representative to help us.” Father said.
Brother Lothario sighed and agreed eventually. “Fine, there’s no harm in trying. I'll brief everyone first thing tomorrow.”
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