“Have you heard about the Lady?”

“Yes, it’s such a shame… Do you think she’ll make it?”

“It’s hard to say… The Reviarra Manor is completely silent. If it wasn’t for the docs being rushed in and out, I doubt we would even know.”

“Poor girl, she’s only 6 and is already nearing death.”

“Shhhh! Keep your voice down, if anyone from the Duke’s manor hears you gossiping about their Lady, you’ll lose your head!”

A cautious passerby warned the few women gossiping along the side of a tea stall. The chatter across the streets of Arcgate, a remote territory of Blonsall kingdom, was rather unanimous for the past few weeks. 

Not more than 4 days ago, the Reviarra Manor shut their general doors to the outside world and issued a call for doctors. Such events were rather common when a noble fell ill and typically were a normal affair. This time, however, the manor remained isolated and every doctor hired into the property was promptly kicked from it hours later with disgruntled expressions.

As their attitude towards the manor was rather negative after such behavior. They soon spoke as they pleased about the job they were hired for. The consequence of such events led the outside world to discover the condition of the Lady Sol Reviarra being at her death’s bed. Each doctor ejected from the manor slipped a part of her condition to the public and after a day or so, the general story was well understood.

The young Lady Reviarra collapsed during her birthday celebration and fell into a coma. Despite the efforts of the invited doctors, their conclusion appeared to align at the end of each consultation. The young Lady Reviarra was at death’s door and her odds of waking from her coma were nearly nonexistent.

Unwilling to accept the negative prognosis, Duke Reviarra booted the doctors one after another, scolding them as charlatans before proceeding to invite the next doctor. It was clear the Duke was at his wits end. Despite the distance from the Blonsall imperial capital, the Royal family Blonsall was soon notified of the situation as well. Duke Reviarra was considered a rather influential man despite his territory underperforming year after year. Between his connections, political performance, and general problem solving capabilities, the Duke was considered by the Royal family to be an unofficial Minister.

His position led King Blonsall to immediately dispatch a few Imperial Doctors to the Reviarra residence, though the doctors were kicked out just as honorably as those prior. Upon returning to report to the King, their reports of the Lady’s condition drew a concerned expression from the King and Queen. Although they led the country and had to remain partial, it was difficult for them to not pity the young lady as her father was considered a most trusted aid. Unable to assist outside of dispatching doctors, the Royal family issued a second call for doctors to assist the Reviarra family.

While the outside world gossiped about the future of the young lady, the Reviarra family were gathered in the reception room waiting for the next doctor to exit Sol’s room. Duke Lenard Reviarra sat exhausted in his chair, his face resting in his hands. Beside him, his wife leaned against him, her complexion pallor as well. His eyes kept reaching to the room entrance expecting the doctor from it. Nearly 30 doctors rotated through that door and the prideful arrogance he started with had long been worn out.

Footsteps from the entrance drove the Duke to his feet in expectation, though the visitor wasn’t the doctor, but rather his son, Lord Christopher Reviarra. The boy was a mere 13 years of age, yet had already shown signs of taking after his father. As his intelligence was exceptional from youth, Duke Reviarra had sent him to school in the next city over. Considering the timing, the Duke understood that his son must have raced back immediately after receiving the news.

“Father! How is my sister?!”

His questioning did little to surprise the Duke. The news sent out was minimal at best stating that his sister had collapsed for unknown reasons and requested his presence. Duke Reviarra never expected the situation to be so dire and sent the letter expecting a solution to have already been found long before his son arrived. Having to see his son who doted on his sister in such a panic, the Duke couldn’t help but show a wry smile. He patted the seat near him indicating his son to sit down.

“Your sister will be fine, we just need to find the right doctor to help her.”

“I’m not a child anymore father! I heard the rumors on the way back… They say my sister is on her deathbed…”

“You can’t believe them. If we don’t believe in her future, who will?”

Christopher remained silent over his fathers words. His eyes drifted in the direction of Sol’s room and after remaining fixed on it for a while, he became suspicious.

“Why did my sister collapse?”

Duke Reviarra’s brows narrowed at the query. He, too, was questioning what happened. He recalled the birthday celebration 4 days ago and narrated it to his son. Despite listening to the story, the boy felt it was all too strange.

“How could she just collapse out of nowhere? Someone had to have done something to her! Was she poisoned?”

“No. After she collapsed, we tested everything. The doctors examined her blood and the food at the site as well. As far as we can tell, she was fine one moment, was walking across the room, then collapsed the next.”

Christopher glanced at his father in disbelief. He found it difficult to accept someone collapsing out of nowhere, however he understood his father wouldn’t let a single clue slip by. The mere fact his father was so distressed and exhausted was enough to prove there were no leads. The boy’s thoughts spun while the room devolved back into silence until a series of footsteps drew the room’s attention once more.

“Duke Reviarra.”

“Doctor Milagro! How is she?”

The wizened man with gray hair that fell near his feet gazed into the Duke’s eyes with an intensity that took the Duke aback. He felt as if he were being evaluated by the doctor and the silent confrontation between the two began to eat away at him. Breaking the silence, the young Lord asserted the same question. Tearing his eyes from Duke Reviarra to the young Lord, Doctor Milagro exhaled slowly before gesturing to the seats.

“Please take a seat, Duke Reviarra. The Lady Reviarra’s situation is rather… troublesome.”

Despite those ominous words, Duke Reviarra held hope once more. After dozens of doctors, there was finally a result. He guided the doctor to the seats and took his spot beside his wife. The family practically held their breath as the old doctor sipped his tea. With a clack, the man settled the tea cup before turning his gaze to the family across from him.

“Duke Reviarra, you may relax as the Lady will wake without assistance with a little time. Although the Lady fell unconscious, there was no damage to the body or mind. This old man expects the Lady to remain asleep for another 3 to 4 days before awakening.”

Upon hearing the news, Duke Reviarra was unsure on if he should be ecstatic over the news or questioning the good Doctor’s credentials. By all rights, the Doctor was considered a miracle worker and was often called upon to help when the Royal family were in their most dire health. As such, his skills should be unquestionable. Even so, as a father, Duke Reviarra had to question the Doctor as it was his daughter’s life on the line.

“Good Doctor, are you certain nothing is wrong with her? Do you know the cause of her collapse?”

“Haha! It’s completely fine to question this old man, good Duke. This old man knows why the good Lady collapsed and is also aware of her condition.” 

The old man chuckled at the questioning, however he seemed to hold nothing against the Duke. Rather, his face became stoic before following up his comment with something that dropped the Duke and his family from what relief they finally obtained.

“The Lady collapsed due to her body failing. The bout was strong enough to strip the Lady’s mind temporarily, however this old man expects the Lady to recover enough to wake up within 3 to 4 days.“

“Her body failed?! Earlier you said there was no damage to her body!”

“This old man did indeed say that. It’s certainly a pity, the Lady will not live a long life. As this old man said, there’s no damage to the Lady’s body, however the Lady’s body is destroying itself from the inside in a perfectly natural way. This is different from having a cold, getting poisoned, or being struck by an object. The Lady’s body is destroying itself as if it were a natural part of life. There’s nothing this old man can do to stop it. This old man would expect her mind to deteriorate near the end as well. Please prepare yourselves.”