Eliana blinked, causing the tears in her eyes to trail down her face. Val reached out, wiping them away with a gentle touch.
“Now, you have me in your life, Eliana,” he reassured her. “I’ll take care of you every time you get sick. You have my word.” His voice filled the room, a promise etched in every word.
“I believe you,” Eliana said.
“What time is it?” Eliana asked after a few moments.
“It’s close to 8,” Val answered.
“I need to… I need to go to work…” Eliana tried to get up, her words coming out in bits and pieces as her body fought against her will.
Val shook his head and gently forced her back onto the bed. “Eliana, you are a priestess. Holy power is running through your veins, meaning you can’t get sick easily, and if you are injured, your holy power would heal your injuries automatically. The only reason you could get sick and not heal is if you abused your bloodline skill, which you did. You broke the promise you made to me.” Val looked at her with a heartbroken gaze. It looked as if she had betrayed his trust, causing her to feel immensely guilty.
“I… I’m sorry,” Eliana apologized, her gaze turning away from him due to guilt. “I didn’t mean to… I just… couldn’t stop myself from helping the injured when I… heard their painful cries.”
‘She’s like the rare trace of warmth that can rarely be felt in winter. I want to monopolize her,’ Val thought.
Eliana was naive, innocent, and willing to risk her life to do good like a hero. She was the type of character that would be given a wake up call from Val in the most brutal of ways, but he had no desire to shape her into a cold-hearted person like him because if she wasn’t like this, it would get harder for him to manipulate her, keep her bound to him with chains made of love and desires!
Val patted her gently, “I’m going to let it go this time because you’re sick, but you must take better care of yourself, or you’ll get an earful from me.”
“I won’t… won’t let this happen again… But…” Eliana’s voice trailed off, her guilt evident in her expression.
“What is it? Is there something else?” Val asked.
Eliana looked down, her eyes averted from his gaze, “I’m just worried I’ll lose my job… if I don’t go to work today.”
“Don’t worry about that. I will go to the God’s hand clinic and notify Valentine that you are unwell and can’t attend today,” Val reassured her. “I’m sure she will understand.”
Eliana’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him, “You’ll do that for me?”
Val looked at her with a soft smile, “Anything for my woman.”
At his words, Eliana blushed deeply, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t mind being called his woman. In her heart, she had already accepted Val as her man and was ready to bear his children, but she was too shy to express it, waiting for him to make the first move.
Val tucked her into bed, moved the comforter over her, and said, “I will also ask Valentine if there’s a medicine to alleviate your symptoms and get them on my way back.”
“I understand,” Eliana managed to reply.
“Good girl,” Val said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, causing her to blush even deeper.
Then he turned to leave.
Left alone, Eliana couldn’t help but touch the spot on her forehead where his lips had been. Her heart fluttered in her chest, her cheeks still flushed. She curled up under the comforter, a small smile playing on her lips as she closed her eyes, the events of the blissful moment she had with her man replaying in her mind, helping her get a bit of shut eye.
The early morning sun painted the lower city of the northern frontier in a gentle, warming glow. Val could be seen leaving the infamous haunted house and making his way to the God’s Hand clinic. 𝚘𝓋𝔩xt.𝑐𝒐𝚖
“What’s your business here?” asked the guard, who stopped Val at the clinic’s entrance.
“I’m the boyfriend of a healer working in this clinic. I am here to notify you that she won’t be coming to work today as she is unwell,” Val replied calmly.
The guard raised an eyebrow. “And who might this healer be?”
“Eliana,” Val replied.
At the mention of her name, the guard’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. It was as if he had just witnessed an impossible event, the shock so profound that it momentarily paralyzed him.
Valentine had eavesdropped on their conversation from inside the clinic. She looked as if she had just seen a twerking ghost, her mouth agape.
“You mean… the priestess is sick?” the guard exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yes, she overworked herself and has come down with an illness,” Val confirmed.
A feminine voice came from inside the clinic, “This is a serious matter.”
Val turned to the direction of the voice, his eyebrows furrowed. “How serious?”
A woman, presumably Valentine, emerged from the clinic and gestured to the guard.
“Let the guest in,” she ordered. The guard nodded and helped Val into the clinic.
Facing Val, Valentine began, “I would like to start by apologizing. If I hadn’t let Eliana continue treating patients when I saw her show clear signs of exhaustion, things wouldn’t have come to this.”
“I am not the one you should apologize to. If you really mean it, apologize to Eliana when you see her,” Val retorted. “Now, answer my question.”
“Priestesses of light are blessed by the God of Light. Their blood, full of holy power, protects them from illnesses. The chance of them falling ill is extremely rare. But in the event that they do, they must be treated with utmost care as if they’re fragile glass,” Valentine explained.
Val’s patience was running thin, “Cut to the chase. Just tell me what I need to do to help her get better.”
“There are two ways to treat Eliana. First is buying a medicine called Luminous Elixir, which costs 10000 contribution points. It will cure her immediately. The second option is taking care of her diligently,” Valentine said.
“Can you be more specific?” Val asked.