Preparations were made with haste, and cleaning and refurbishing began within two days. I let my grandmother take over this project. The house was dear to her, and giving her control of the situation would mean more to her than anything else. She was very attentive when I described how a hospital was structured, and so I knew it would turn out beautifully. Meanwhile, I asked Mildred to gather a team to do a census of all those who were sick within the common areas.

Lastly, I had my grandfather assemble all medical practitioners in Ismere. I wanted to know how capable they were and to brief them on the tasks they'd have to undertake if they were willing. The meeting would take place in a few days, was his response.

Everything was coming together well.

I had managed to steal a map of Ismere from my grandfather's study. Now I just needed Luca to direct me based on what he knew. Of course, the map wouldn't show me the exact layout of the land. I just needed him to describe what the scenery was like, what landmarks existed, and then I'd draft a map of my own and ask him to review how it looked.

Aldric had been informed about Luca and baby Leon's temporary stay at the manor and had eagerly brought them over—not because he didn't want them around, but because he wanted them to stay somewhere safe. Winter was maturing with each passing day as the new year approached, and the days and nights were growing colder. He already feared the baby wouldn't make it, as Freya's mother was in no proper condition to take care of him, but also because he was constantly at work and the only one who could watch over everyone was his young son.

I knocked on the door of the third room in the left wing, which had been opened for Luca to stay. The second room before that was where Freya and her little brother were to be accommodated. Another person—Anya, a skilled nanny—was to stay to watch over the baby during the day.

"Luca," I whispered. "Open up."

There was a slight shuffle before the grumpy boy opened the door.

"What do you want?" he asked, not so much angry as unamused.

"What's bothering you?" I asked, pushing through.

"There is nothing to do here! I'm so bored. All I do is eat, sleep, and walk around."

"You seem to have a problem no matter where you are, but never mind that. I have urgent business with you."

"Huh?"

"Listen, Nana will come looking for me in an hour. I just need you to answer a few questions." I pulled out the map and laid it bare on the table in his room, ushering him to come closer.

"What is this?"

"An old map," I answered passively as I looked it over. "If I was standing here—" I said, pointing at the gate of the fort, "—how would I arrive at the mines? More specifically, the ones that have collapsed?"

"What? Why would you—" he started.

"Just answer me, please," I begged.

He seemed too confused by my sudden request, but after begging relentlessly, he seemed to give in under the impression that that would end his torment—my constant questioning.

It took us time to map out the lay of the land together. The route seemed simple enough: use the southern passageway, exit near the bridge over the river, enter the southern mountain range, take a right at the first intersection, follow the path for a kilometre, then take a left. After that, walk until you see a signpost. The green arrow points to the used mines, and the orange arrow points to the abandoned mines. Follow the orange, then climb over a small hill, and before you will be a large abandoned gorge with multiple tunnels leading into the surrounding mountains.

As I wrapped up my things, I remembered Luca's words.

"Thank you for your help." I paused, as if considering my words. "Look, I can't give you work because I am strictly against child labour, but I'm sure you aren't barred from helping out. You shouldn't feel trapped in here." I said, exiting the room.

A week passed. The renovations were coming along quite well. Luca found himself helping out in the stables, and in two days, a group of four doctors and three midwives and herbalists would visit the fort to meet me—of course, they were under the impression that the meeting was with my grandfather. I had spent the better part of the week making copies of my medical journal together with a few scribes whom I had begged Mildred to find for me. We made a total of six copies.

When the day finally came, I sat anxiously in my grandfather's office.

"This way, please," Papa said, opening the door to the office and ushering them in.

They entered slowly, eyeing me one by one before sitting down on the various seats in the office.

"Ahem… everyone, this is my granddaughter, Evelyn."

"Good morning," I said, getting up to curtsy.

"Morning," they responded, turning their attention back to the Marquess.

Noticing the shift, my grandfather called me up to his desk. "My granddaughter, as you all know, has been living in the south, where she was born. When the disease that has been slowly crippling us in Ismere first broke, we couldn't make heads or tails of it. It almost became an unseen ghost or plague that we all feared. But to my surprise, my granddaughter recognised it almost immediately after coming in contact with the infected. A disease called Consumption. It's common in the south, and they even have remedies to subdue it. It made me realise how behind and uninformed we are as a community."

He took a short break, then continued. "My granddaughter has something for you—knowledge she brought from the south to help further the medical practice in Ismere. I hope you can receive it with open arms."

At this, the group started murmuring to themselves. I took that as my cue to distribute the books.

"This is volume one, which covers communicable diseases, hygiene in medical practice, and simple remedies and alternative medicines," I spoke up.

They huddled together over the books with curiosity, since there weren't enough books to go around. My original copies of volume two—which dealt with anatomy, bodily function, and simple surgery practices—and volume three—which dealt with corrective practices like bone setting, physical therapy, and other post-treatment practices—were laid out on the table before them.

"If you wish, I can make more copies of this book and copies of the books before you as well," I added, giving them time to go through the books.

"Where did you say you got these books again?" my grandfather whispered.

"The tutor I had in Meraki was a medical enthusiast. He would lend me copies of the books he had acquired, and he taught me the basics," I lied, which seemed to satisfy him.

"May I?" a middle-aged man with dark brown hair asked, reaching out to the books on the table.

"Yes, please help yourself," I said, eager to hear the thoughts of these professionals who had worked tirelessly to safeguard Ismere's people.

"My lady?" he asked, curious. "I heard you pioneered some of the remedies that are being used right now to help the sickly. Is that true? How does a young girl—a young NOBLE girl—know how to do these things?"

This seemed to draw the attention of the others for a moment. They seemed to look at me with scepticism.

"A tutor in the south," I responded slowly, choosing my words carefully. He nodded and proceeded to grab the second copy and perused through some pages as he sat down.

"How?" he gasped, shooting up from his seat. "How is this possible? Why is this possible?" he screamed.

"What is it, Varn?" a midwife exclaimed, addressing the man holding volume two.

I felt confused, but the others had rushed to huddle over the book before gasping as well.

"What is it?" my grandfather asked, huddling as well before stepping back. "Where did you say these books come from again, Evelyn?" he asked, astonished.

"I don't understand your question," I said, still confused.

Varn Volke, the head physician in the fort and the best doctor in Ismere, pushed forward with the book in hand. He perused through the countless diagrams I had made of the human body.

"How is this possible? Do they allow human experimentation in the south? I thought it was illegal. Is it allowed? How else would they map the human internal body like this? This is beyond me. Is this information accurate?" he asked while pacing. "And the skeleton—when was that mapped? Each bone so well mapped and labelled—who made this discovery? Who conducted this research? When was it conducted? How did they map the process of birth? When did they discover the cause of pregnancy?" He barraged me with questions non-stop before I realised that I might have made a mistake.

"Varn, relax," my grandfather interrupted. "She's a child. How would she know that? From what she's told me, these books are available in the south, and some tutors use them to teach children."

"Children?" one doctor scoffed. "This is groundbreaking news. We should have been informed of such crucial discoveries. Or are we too much of a backwater region that we aren't even allocated the dignity of humans?"

"Bone-setting techniques!" another lady physician exclaimed, looking at the third volume. "How many people have died from bleeding out because of fractures? Yet here, a fracture is described as a minor emergency with, quote on quote, 'simple recovery plans.'"

"Marquess, why aren't we getting informed like others? Why are we only hearing about these now? How many lives have been lost?" they all exclaimed one after another.

It was becoming chaotic, and I could feel the uneasiness expressed on my grandfather's face grow. Was he blaming himself? Was he regretting the status of Ismere? What was he thinking?

"Listen, everyone!" I found myself shouting, bringing the arguing to a sudden stop. "I don't know how things have been here in the north. All I'm doing is sharing what I—a privileged daughter of House Meraki—has received. These books aren't readily available to everyone in the south. You aren't missing out on anything… not all regions have it."

This seemed to calm their unrest and shift their scrutiny away from my grandfather. I could understand their outcry. To struggle with endless medical nightmares, having no solution, only to find out there was a solution that was never shared—it was indeed a tragedy. I could see the indignified faces of the practitioners. I couldn't imagine their pain, their struggle. All this was too much to receive at once. Maybe I should have introduced the books in phases.

When they settled down, my grandfather finally had the opportunity to introduce the project they were working on—the hospital. They seemed quite interested in the idea. However bitterly they felt about the information, they couldn't help but agree that it would greatly improve healthcare. If all the sick were under one roof and not scattered in the slum, yes, things would be much easier—and in a controlled environment, too.

"Another idea found in the south?" Varn asked when my grandfather had finished explaining the specifics.

"Yes," he answered.

"I see," Varn answered, almost defeated.

Other than the obvious shock and feeling of isolation, the doctors had no other complaint. It was a successful meeting, but one that left me feeling uncomfortable. My web of lies would soon trap me, was all I could think.

Since the meeting had ended, the ten doctors left slowly one by one. Those who got copies of the first volume eagerly placed a request for the remaining copies, while those who hadn't received a copy stayed behind to ask to list their names for the first copy. The only one who didn't budge was Varn, the head physician of the manor.

"My lord, allow me to make copies of the books," he asked, bowing towards my grandfather.

"They aren't my books," he said, nudging his head in my direction.

"Well then, my lady, please allow me to do this humble work," he said, looking at me intently. He looked as if his whole world had come crashing down around him. His eyes were full of concern and yet a wild excitement.

Varn wasn't a quiet man. He was often seen walking speedily around the fort, going about his business. He mainly resided in the fort but would go around town offering his expertise in various forms around Ismere. He had a small, secluded office at the furthest end of the right wing of the manor. He was constantly studying and looking for new information. Today was like Christmas to him. He had received a present so beyond his imagination that he could barely contain himself. He felt as if he knew almost nothing about medicine.

"Feel free to do so," I answered, smiling at his enthusiasm. "But we will hire the scribes to come back and copy them also, just so that the process is faster. Here is the brief order list that I drafted," I said, handing him the list of copies to be made and to whom they were to be sent.

He then collected the different volumes and the list and, after excusing himself, bolted out the door in a frenzy.

It was late into the night when Varn was perusing the contents of the second volume given to him. He had never heard of the terms being used. A pregnancy—which was perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of the time in medicine—was being so well described. A woman's blood cycle. The skeletal structure of the human body. The digestive tract. The ear, the nose, the womb, even the genitalia of a man. Perfectly labelled and sketched, with a wealth of information scribed for each sketch.

But who could have conducted the research? Who could have done the work? And when? Surely this discovery would have caught his friends' eyes in the capital, and they should have informed him. It had only been twenty years since he finished studying medicine in the capital. His friends, who even wrote to him about their children's birthdays and about local gossip—surely this was far more important? So why?

He exhaled deeply.

He perused through the pages, transfixed. He knew it would take more than one night for him to finish the contents before him and months before he could fully grasp it all. He felt excited. There was finally a breakthrough.

As he finished reading over the last page for the night so that he could sleep, the order note slipped out of the book. A total of thirty copies in total—ten per book—were needed. Excluding the six already made for volume one, about twenty-four remained. He took on the task in hopes of studying the books more keenly, so he knew he'd enjoy the work.

Looking at the list drafted before him, he couldn't help but feel a bit confused.

This handwriting… is it not the same? he started, as he opened the book. I'm overthinking things again, he huffed, banishing the thought a bit.

I'll send a copy to Kester to enquire, he thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep. But a small suspicion had started to grow.

Evelyn… that girl, were his last thoughts.