Chapter 6

Within the dimly lit bedroom which was thick with the stifling stench of incense, Lady Alda gently mopped her sleeping son's forehead with a damp cloth as the priests chanted their prayers monotonously. Her aunt, Yue, stood nearby without a word as she gazed worriedly upon her sickly grandnephew. As for Joshua, he examined the boy from the rear of the congregation.

The boy's face was flushed, neck marred with red rashes, breathing rhythm irregular and interrupted by caw-like coughs. While Joshua was aware that individually, these symptoms can be caused by a range of different illnesses, together there was little doubt. These were symptoms of the plague.

The priests' drawling and mumbling prayers sounded dull and insignificant to Alda. They have been chanting for well over two days, changing shifts every few hours with their colleagues housed in the chapel downstairs. Throughout the whole time, her son's condition had only worsened.

The noblewoman noticed one of the solemn-faced priests breaking formation from his chanting peers, and assumed he was going to change shift until he approached her with an air of absolute morose. He was one of the older members, and stood a full head shorter than her due to a hunched back. His nose was too large for his face, and his eyes a little too close together.

"Can we speak outside, your grace?"

The priest said in an aloof tone and manner. In society, only two kinds of people can talk to nobles that way. The first were nobles of higher social status, and the second were ordained members of the clergy.

Having proclaimed themselves as the ambassadors of God, the church deemed itself on equal footing if not higher than nobles. Even kings of mighty nations bow before the pope, and treated them with reverence.

That said, the church doesn't merely command respect. They have the financial, political and military power to back them up, which essentially makes them a faction by its own rights.

And so, Alda had no choice but to swallow her irritation and nod. She beckoned Yue and Joshua to leave first before exiting herself. The priest slowly followed after her and closed the door behind him.

"Your grace, we have come to a conclusion regarding the fate of your son."

The middle aged priest began when they were outside. He paused to put on an expression of serenity before continuing.

"Your son is being called to heaven, your grace."

The priest's audience's responses were diverse, and none pious in any way. Alda inhaled sharply in grief, Yue's eyes narrowed angrily, while Joshua's fists clenched tightly as he resisted the urge to retort at this sham of a medical treatment the boy was receiving. The priest remained oblivious to their reactions. Perhaps he was used to seeing such reactions, or perhaps he just doesn't care.

"We will continue to pray until the very end. After that, I suggest organizing a wake. My colleagues and I would be honored to carry out the ceremony."

Yue shot a glance at her niece when she felt the sudden surge rage that Alda emitted. Even the priest backed away one step, startled, before coughing lightly to conceal his nervousness.

"Then I shall return to continue praying to the Lord to accept the child into his fold, excuse me."

The priest concluded in a rather hurried manner before entering the patient's bedroom once more. A few moments passed in silence as Alda's anger slowly subsided.

"Mister Joshua."

Alda called in a quiet yet clear voice. It was the first time she was calling him by name.

"Yes, your grace?"

He replied, even though he could already guess what she was going to say.

"My son is going to die. Can you save him?"

Even though it was not phrased or intended as an order, it was nonetheless still an order since it came from a noble. When a noble asks, a peasant obeys.

"I would have them leave, and place you in charge. Everything you need will be provided. Materials, tools, even servants, and not only that, you will be well compensated."

Alda continued, and waited impatiently for his compliance. So when Joshua did not reply, she whipped about to glare at him with those sharp gray eyes. Those eyes lost its intensity immediately upon meeting his. His demeanor did not portray defiance or cowardice, which she had immediately suspected, but something more significant.

"Give me time to think this over, your grace."

Joshua requested. Next, it was Yue's angry gaze which assaulted him.

"How can you-!"

"Very well."

Alda interrupted before the wolf-girl could say another word. She then called for servants in a voice loud enough to carry down the long hallway.

In response, two male servants dressed in fine uniforms appeared.

"Bring him to my personal waiting room. Bring refreshments, and wait on him outside."

Alda ordered, and the two servants obeyed immediately. While the servants gestured at Joshua to follow them, Alda stared hard at him.

"If you refuse, know that my son's death will be by your inaction."

She venomously accused, but Joshua did not look intimidated. Whether it was a threat or not, Joshua never found out. All he did was bow before turning to follow the servants.

As the distance grew between them, Yue's angry and distressed gaze continued to burn into his back. She was beyond angry, she was outraged, shocked with disbelief. To realize that her partner was so coldhearted struck her profoundly.

"Aunt, go with him."

Alda bade. When Yue stubbornly shook her head, clearly not wanting to comply, she quietly added.

"Please."

That single word made Yue blink and lean away from Alda with shock. It must be due to the complicated emotions of a grieving mother, for the word seemed ten times heavier than normal.

And so, Yue begrudgingly nodded and trotted after Joshua.

Alda watched them until they turned round a corner, before reentering her son's bedroom where the boy remained surrounded by mummers and incense.

Yue looked as if she wanted to verbally and perhaps even physically tear Joshua apart, but was restraining herself due to the servants' presence.

After showing them into the spacious waiting room and gesturing for them to sit near the fireplace, one of the servants started a small fire while the other brought in refreshments in the form of chilled grape juice.

Once their tasks were completed, they bowed and left, closing the door behind them with nary a sound. In the silence that ensued, only the cackling of burning firewood and Yue's soft hiss could be heard.

"What was the meaning of that?"

She demanded in a forcedly level tone.

"Do you remember that child, in Ponoka?"

Joshua asked instead, refusing to meet her wrathful gaze. Yue's expression shifted to resemble someone who had bitten into something sour, before replying.

"You are afraid of failing?"

"There is that, but that's not the mean reason."

He admitted, and finally dared to face the wolf-girl's tight frown.

"Then… You are afraid of what would happen if you fail?"

After a long pause, Joshua nodded. Yue's eyes widened, but not due to anger. On the contrary, she looked confused.

When the child in Ponoka died, the villagers accused Joshua of murder. They would have hung him from a tree if she hadn't come to his rescue. And yet throughout the whole time, she did not sense an ounce of fear from him.

If she had to describe why, she would say that he was prepared to die. Perhaps he had given up hope and was ready to accept that fate. Or perhaps due to his past as a slave and mercenary, he had gotten used to the prospect of dying.

However she knew that those weren't the true reasons. It was because Joshua knew that he was innocent, and that conviction gave him courage to remain dignified even in the face of death.

That is one of the reasons why she felt rather fond of him, and that is also why she could not understand why he was hesitating to help now.

"What scares you so?"

She demanded, her patience now precariously thin. Joshua slowly exhaled before answering.

"If I fail, I will definitely be held responsible. The priests might claim that my methods actually killed her son. If that happens, I will hung as a murderer. But-"

Hearing him repeat what she already knew finally wore out Yue's patience. She shot up from her chair to cut him off by completing his sentence.

"But I know you're not scared. So why don't you want to help?"

She snarled, and Joshua winced at the sight of both exposed fangs. He also noted two sharp tents on her head under the kerchief that covered her crown, and saw the back of her cloak flared out behind her, caused by her pricked ears and straitened tail, respectively. He wondered whether the reason she hadn't attacked him yet was because those servants were standing outside the door.

"It's not that I don't want to help. I'm afraid that if I fail, you will also be dragged down with me, along with the Rowen Guild."

Yue's back straightened, while her face froze. Despite that, her eyes were moving furiously as she caught up with his line of thought. She quickly recovered and went on the offensive.

"But my brother sent you here because of this, no?"

She stated rather than ask. Joshua frowned and shook his head.

"That's not true, he asked me to take care of you-"

Joshua's words faded like a candlelight flicking out of existence as he understood what Yue was implying, while the wolf-girl grinned sharply at him, having gained the upper hand.

"I entrust my family in your hands. That was what he said."

The pieces started to fall in place one by one. Hans' look of genuine surprise upon realizing Joshua had dealt with plague victims before, the sudden change in Yue's task from being a mere city runner to a supplier destined for Castle Trenni, and the unusual "test" he had of accompanying her. It now made sense.

The corporal from the outer gates had let slip that something unpleasant had occurred in the palace. A messenger on a fast horse can travel between Castle Trenni to Ruvenheigen within half a day. Hans must have known that Alda's son was sick with the plague, but could do nothing to help. And then Joshua walked into his office.

As Joshua shook his head in disbelief at his own dimwittedness, Yue's grin widened.

"So, what should we do, you foolish worrywart?"

Rather than responding, Joshua called for the servants.

Her son's room was dark due to the closed curtains, and the air was thick with smoke and incense, so much so that it made Alda's eyes water as she pressed a scented napkin to her face to dampen the stench.

Those priests were still chanting those meaningless prayers around her son, with their eyes closed and hands clasped together. To be truthfully honest, she had half a mind to send these useless priests away, but could not bring herself to do so. Her son was sick with the plague, and there is no way to cure him, save for praying for a miracle. That, and the young, olive-skinned man that Hans had sent.

She knew that if he failed, the blame will fall entirely on him. The priests were merely praying, which was harmless. However, if an outsider were to suddenly take over and fail, everyone will blame him, be they noble or peasant.

Of course, she could just order him with the backing of half a dozen palace guards and their iron tipped spears pointed at him, but that wasn't her way. Sure, she would admit to being presumptuous and proud, but never violent. Not only that, the rest of her family would never forgive her. Her aunt aside, the thought of how her grandmother would react made Alda shiver.

And so all Alda could do was pray to God – if he existed – to save her son.

A hand gently landed on her shoulder. She startled, and turned to see her husband. Lord Brent was still clad in the ceremonial robes of his official post, having just finished with the day's work. His eyes were the ones of a worried father and husband.

"Dear… Come outside for some fresh air."

Lord Brent quietly invited. Alda looked back at her son, who coughed lightly as the priests chanted monotonously around his bedside like the grim reapers themselves. She then nodded and let her husband escort her out of the room. Once they were outside, a pair of servants closed the door behind them, and Alda removed the scented napkin from her nose.

"You should get some rest. The priests are doing all they can."

Lord Brent urged. His wife had been awake for two whole days, watching over their son as his condition worsened day by day. Alda inhaled deeply and nodded. She knew her body was at its limits.

Her husband smiled gently, thankful that his immensely stubborn wife finally agreed. As he brought an arm around to support her shoulder and lead her back to her bedchambers, a servant approached and bowed before them. He recognized the servant as one of Alda's.

"Yes, what is it?"

He asked in her stead. The servant bowed low to both of them before facing Lady Alda.

"Your guest sends word that he agrees, your grace."

Lord Brent tilted his head in confusion, and was utterly surprised when his wife suddenly straightened as if regaining all her strength. Alda quickly told the servant to bring them here, immediately. She then instructed the other servants to rouse the castle's herbalists, surgeons, pharmacists and apothecaries.

"Dear, what on earth is going on?"

The lord insisted, perplexed and a little worried that his wife might have lost her senses. Alda quickly finished dishing out instructions before turning to her husband, her gray eyes sparkling with hope.