Free Web NovelChapter 461: Chapter 461: Adina 14
That was close. So incredibly close. She almost died. Tan You gripped the corner of the quilt. In just a few short hours last night, she had already faced death twice.
The first time was when she faced the pack of Violent Tooth Rats. The second, of course, was her fever yesterday. ’If the Priest hadn’t come, would my life have truly been forfeit here?’
The more she replayed the events, the more Tan You began to wonder, ’Compared to my biological parents here, maybe Tan Lin wasn’t so bad after all?’ But the very next second, Tan You tossed the thought aside. ’Right. I can’t let myself get gaslit like that.’
Using Dumont as a point of comparison, she started to think Tan Lin had actually done quite well. Even though Tan Lin himself was full of flaws, beating and cursing her at the slightest displeasure... verbally tearing her down...
Pushing those thoughts aside, Tan You tried to get up for some water. But the moment she threw back the quilt and the cool air hit her, she felt a dull, throbbing pain in her chest. She ended up slumped over the edge of the bed, coughing uncontrollably.
’So these are the aftereffects of my illness?’ While coughing, Tan You quickly connected her current condition to what the Priest had said. The consequences of this "adventure" were undoubtedly immense, the most severe of which was the serious, lasting damage to Adina’s body.
Just as her coughing brought tears to her eyes, several figures hurried in from outside. Slumped over the edge of the bed, Tan You looked at the newcomers through a teary haze. Leading them was, naturally, Catherine, followed by several other noblewomen.
Upon seeing that Tan You was awake, the noblewomen all showed smiles of relief. However, when they saw her slumped weakly over the side of the bed, face pale and eyes glistening with tears, their smiles turned somewhat awkward.
In the end, it was Karina’s mother who broke the silence. "Adina, you’re awake! This is truly wonderful! Your auntie has brought you a top-grade healing potion. It should help you recover some of your strength."
’She couldn’t help but grit her teeth as she said the words "top-grade healing potion." It wasn’t that she didn’t feel the sting of parting with it, but what else could she do? Her own daughter caused this mess, and as a parent, she had to be the one to clean it up.’
’If this little brat had just died, things would have been so much simpler. But now that she’s alive, our family has to bear the responsibility.’
As soon as Karina’s mother spoke, the other women chimed in. Soon, several expensive items were placed by Tan You’s bedside. Most were healing potions, while the rest included jewelry, rare ores, Magic scrolls, and the like.
Tan You didn’t even glance at the items. She just struggled to sit up, pressing a hand to her chest. "Mother, my chest hurts. When I cough, my vision goes black, and I can’t catch my breath."
The moment Tan You spoke, the expressions of all the noblewomen with Catherine changed. Karina’s mother’s face, in particular, paled. After the people from the Dumont family had left yesterday, she had gone to the Priest to inquire about the situation.
’Healing potions could treat injuries, but they couldn’t fix a damaged constitution. Even the top-grade healing potion she had brought would do nothing to help Adina’s body.’
Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips when she remembered that her youngest daughter’s condition was all her third daughter’s fault. There were things she could say behind Adina’s back, but facing her directly, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tan You watched their expressions shift and flicker, carefully hiding the cold glint in her own. ’Of course I said that on purpose,’ she thought. ’After all the torment I’ve endured, how could a few trinkets possibly compensate for it?’
Just as an icy silence descended upon the room, Catherine’s personal maid entered to report, "The Family Head has heard that Miss Adina is awake and asks that she come to the front hall to meet the guests."
"He also invites you, Madam, to bring the other ladies to the front hall as well."
With the summons issued, the noblewomen who had hoped to handle the matter quietly were left with no choice. They could only watch as a maid carefully wrapped Tan You in a blanket and carried her to the front hall.
The normally spacious front hall was especially lively today. Tan You glanced around and counted at least eight adult men. Outside, numerous guards stood at attention, each looking valiant and formidable with a sword at his hip.
When she spotted a familiar guard, the corners of Tan You’s lips turned up slightly. She remembered him—Schubert. He was the one who hadn’t minded her being covered in mud and had carefully escorted her back to the Edmonds family.
Schubert noticed Tan You’s smile as well, seeing the little girl smiling in his direction. She was bundled up in a large cloak, only her small face visible. Her cheeks were paper-white, her lips tinged with purple, and her breaths came several beats faster than a healthy child’s.
Schubert hid the pity in his eyes and offered Tan You a faint smile in return. ’I just hope Miss Adina can keep on living,’ he thought. ’Even in a noble family filled with wolves and tigers, she has to find a way to survive.’
After entering the front hall, the sturdy maid set Tan You down on her feet. Tan You staggered, nearly collapsing to the floor. Now was Catherine’s cue to display her motherly love; she hurriedly had someone help Tan You into a chair.
Tan You wasn’t actually putting on an act to appear pathetic. She was, in fact, only just recovering from a serious illness that had drained her vitality. Combined with the earlier coughing fit, waves of blackness were now clouding her vision.
Seeing Tan You’s sickly, listless state, the expressions of everyone in the hall shifted. Karina’s father, Hubert, shot a meaningful glance at the Priest beside him. The Priest stepped forward and asked, "May I examine Miss Adina’s condition?"
’Although they already had a general idea from the Priest who treated Tan You, who knew if that man had been bought off by the Edmonds family? It was better to have one of their own take a look to be sure.’
Dumont gestured with his hand. "But of course. Please, proceed."
With Dumont’s consent, the Priest walked over to Tan You and slowly raised his hand. Previously, Tan You had been delirious with fever, so she had no idea how a Priest actually treated someone.
Now, watching the Priest prepare to use healing Magic, Tan You’s eyes filled with curiosity.
She watched as the Priest partially closed his eyes, held his right hand over her head, and began chanting a tongue-twisting incantation. Tan You guessed it must be a healing spell, but his voice was so soft that the words were just a blur.
As the Priest finished the incantation, Tan You saw a milky-white light emanate from his right hand and descend upon her.
Tan You didn’t feel the warm, hot-spring-like sensation from the previous night. ’So this isn’t healing Magic?’ As she pondered this, the white light from the Priest’s hand gradually faded.
He gave Tan You, sunk deep in her chair, a look of profound pity. ’Her body is in such a terrible state... Ai...’
The Priest was a gentle-faced old man. Perhaps taking pity on Tan You, after casting the diagnostic Magic, he followed up with a healing spell. Unfortunately, her condition didn’t improve in the slightest. The dull ache in her chest persisted, and her face remained pale as a sheet.
