When he decided to take his granddaughter for a little tour of the town, Marquess Darius Whitmoor had no idea it would bear him an answer to something that had been troubling him for quite some time. He could barely sleep the first few months when the disease sprang up. In fact, he had thought it a cruel joke the universe had bestowed upon him and Ismere.

Now as he rode back to the manor, his mind felt slightly at ease. At least now the phantom sickness wasn't entirely an enigma. He now knew it existed elsewhere and others were making effort to contain it. He looked down at his granddaughter, who hadn't said a word in quite a while. She looked deep in thought, and that took him by surprise. Do all children look like this? Or has it been so long since he took the company of a child that he couldn't tell what was normal or abnormal?

Still, he thought it best to confirm what was being done in the south and if a cure was possible. He suddenly remembered an old friend of his who worked in the royal medical bureau in Vespera. He made a mental note to write to him as soon as possible. This afternoon he was needed back at the barracks, and he wouldn't be back for a week or two, so he needed to write the letter upon arrival so that he could send it immediately. Granted, any response would be received a month or so later. But delaying now would only prolong progress.

When they arrived, he took his granddaughter down from the horse, patted her head, and smiled. How he missed his daughter.

"Go on inside. I'll take the horse to the stables," he added. She turned on her heels and started marching off with determination in her eyes. How odd.

What was the name of the disease again? he wondered.

"Evelyn!" he called out. "What was it called… the disease?" he asked.

Without turning, she came to a sudden halt. "Consumption," she replied, loud enough for him to hear, then she continued walking.

The Marquess looked up at the sky. It was clear, and the sun was shining brightly, but the temperature on the ground hadn't risen at all. The air was still sharp and freezing. Of course, the Marquess, who had spent his whole life there save for the few years he spent in the south for school, would argue today was the warmest day of winter. But what he was searching for was the time. The sun wasn't high enough for it to be noon, so he quickly rode off to the stables and handed the horse over to the ostler before walking back to his study in the right wing of the house.

He sat by his desk and wrote out a quick message. He stamped it with his seal and sent out his fastest rider with enough funds for the journey and back. After packing a few essentials and having a quick meal, he said goodbye to his wife and set off with a handful of guards and Victor, who had volunteered to go for a while out of curiosity (or perhaps to escape Bram).

When Evelyn got back to her room, she hurriedly started unpacking the books on the shelf.

I want answers. Where can I find a solution?

She pulled out a journal that held all the medical knowledge she had acquired in her past life. Nothing on pharmaceuticals, but there was knowledge about communicable diseases, natural remedies, medical procedures and first aid, bone setting, some Chinese medical practices, a few surgical tips she had seen, and many diagrams of the internal structure of the human body.

She flipped through the pages until she got to the page on tuberculosis. She read through, but all that was there was what she had already noted: fresh air, sanitation, rest, proper diet, along with the symptoms she had already seen.

She had inadvertently hit a wall with that one.

I leaned back in my chair. This is exhausting. I rubbed my eyes, which had begun to grow sore, and took a deep breath. From the corner of my eye, I saw some figures moving about outside the window. I walked over and peeked down into the courtyard. I saw my grandfather on a horse. I watched him ride out the side gate. He had said he was going to be gone for some time. A week or two without him. That might be enough time to start looking for some answers. I had enjoyed spending time with him today, but I guessed this was his norm—not being home for long. I shifted back to my chair and sat down again.

How about the book's original plot? What could I use to leverage Ismere out of this situation? I started actively reading through it, but all the tips I had written wouldn't be relevant for the next ten to fifteen years.

As I flipped through the last pages, Clara came walking in with my dinner on a platter.

"Is it already that time?" I asked, looking out the window only to see the sun setting in the distant mountains. Had I really taken that long to go through these books?

She looked at me, confused, for a while, but continued laying out the food as usual.

"Are we not eating together?" I asked.

"No, my lady. The Marquess has left for the barracks, and the Marchioness had some tea and said she would head to bed."

"Bed? At this time? Is she ill?" I asked.

"No, nothing like that," she said in a panic, hurrying to clarify the misunderstanding. "When the Marquess isn't around, she sleeps early and wakes up early. It's her routine."

"Oh, I see," I answered dryly.

Maybe she is lonely.

I took my meal as I read slowly, reminding myself of even the tiniest details about the world I resided in. One hour passed. I spent too much of it reading about the political structures. Nothing of importance came from it.

Just when I was about to give up, I remembered something. Ismere did fall in the war.

I flipped to the back of the book, where I had scribbled notes about the epilogue. The one the fans hated.

Ismere falls to Tar. That was the twist—sudden, unexplained, and cruel. The author tried to fix it with a side story about Leonard Ashford.

He becomes the hero of the north. He liberates Ismere. And in the process, he finds something.

A diamond mine.

I read the passage again. Leonard gets ambushed. His men scatter into the mountains. He falls into an abandoned coal shaft—and lands in a cave full of diamonds.

After the war, he excavates the mines. The wealth transforms Ashford. They rival Blackthorn.

But here's the catch: by then, Ismere is gone. Burnt to the ground. Everyone breathing here today would be dead.

I closed the book. No waiting game, then. I needed that mine now.

If I can get my hands on this wealth, will I have the funds I need? But where do I even start to look for this mysterious mine shaft?

Now I had a lead. I went in to take a bath, then got ready for bed, but I found myself unable to sleep. I kept thinking about my grandmother. I got up from my bed and wandered down the hall to her room and knocked, but suddenly regretted it. What if I wake her from her slumber?

"Come in," she said from the other end. I thought she'd be asleep.

I pushed open her door. She sat up, almost alarmed by my presence.

"Evelyn, what's the matter?" she asked. She was propped up on her bed with a book in hand and her reading glasses on.

"Can I talk with you? I can't fall asleep," I said.

I knew all too well what loneliness did to the human mind. Maybe the guilt of knowing that might be what she had had to handle for so long was what was keeping me up.

"Sure," she said with a bright smile. "What would you like to talk about?"

"About you," I said, walking towards her bed and shimmying up the side. I sat by her feet.

"What would you like to know?" she said with a small chuckle of amusement.

"Well, to start… Where are your parents from? Where did you grow up? What do you like to eat? Or what do you like to read?" I said, lifting the back of the book in her hands to read the title.

"Oh my, you have so many questions. Okay, I'll tell you. I'm also having trouble sleeping." She put her book to the side and started narrating her story.

After each answer, I found more and more questions to ask her. After some time, I started to feel sleepy, and before I knew it, I found myself dozing off. I felt gentle hands pick me up shortly after, and the rest became a blur.

When I woke up, I was in a large bed, and I saw my grandmother sleeping beside me. I sat up slowly. I didn't want to wake her up. She looked so peaceful.

"Oh, you are awake," a voice called out as I tried to tiptoe down from the bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, don't apologize. I couldn't carry you to your bed—I'm not as strong as I used to be—so I put you there myself. I had fun talking to you. When you first arrived, I thought you might be afraid of me, so I was surprised when you said you wanted to talk to me. It made me very happy."

"Can I come talk to you whenever?" I asked. "Sorry for dozing off."

"Why do you keep apologizing?" she said with a smile on her face. "Come back whenever."

"Okay, I will," I said as I exited. "Thanks, Nana."

Nana? Is that her nickname for me? Lysandra thought and laughed to herself.