In the palace, as the old woman talked, a lady servant rushed in and stopped. "I am so sorry for the intrusion, Your Highness, but Odesse…" Valex's eyes widened as he stood up. "What happened to her?" The lady servant replied, "Black blood is coming from her eyes, and her body is getting paler and skinnier. She keeps mumbling things."
Valex rushed out of the parlor, and the elders looked at each other in concern. The old woman smiled subtly. Kael followed Valex as they made their way to Odesse's room upstairs. Valex opened the door to find Miss Faye placing a wet cloth on Odesse's forehead. He moved closer to the bed and saw Odesse, looking like a dried husk, as if her blood had been drained from her body. She kept mumbling incoherently.
"What happened to her? Why is she like this?" Valex asked with worry in his voice. Miss Faye replied, "I do not know, Your Highness." He looked at her, concern etched in his features, and gently took Odesse's hand, pleading, "Odesse, wake up, please."
Miss Faye looked at him with pity. Valex turned to Kael and instructed, "Get the doctor immediately." Kael nodded and moved to leave, but he found the old woman standing in the doorway. "You will not be going to get any doctor," she said firmly.
Valex stood up straighter and asked, "What? Why do you stop him?" The old woman walked in, a smile on her face, as she gazed at Odesse. "She is beautiful, I must say," she remarked. Confused, Valex looked back at her.
The woman continued, "Can you all leave the room, please?" Valex replied, "What? No, why should we? You should be the one to leave." The old woman maintained her smile but said nothing. Miss Faye then suggested, "Sire, perhaps we should leave. She may have a remedy."
Valex pressed, "Why can't she show it to us?" Miss Faye fell silent, and the woman said, "If you do not leave now, she won't wake up."
"What do you mean?" Valex asked, confusion deepening. The woman touched Odesse's head and explained, "She is trapped. She can't get out; she is scared and lonely."
Valex looked puzzled, as did Miss Faye and Kael. The old woman turned to Valex and asked, "So, will you leave and let me wake her up?" Valex glanced at Miss Faye, who nodded. "Alright," he relented, turning to leave. As he opened the door, he looked back at Odesse and then at the old woman. "Please wake her up," he urged. She smiled and nodded.
Valex exited, with Kael and Miss Faye following, and the door closed behind them. Outside the room, Valex instructed Miss Faye to stay at the door. She nodded, saying, "Okay, Your Highness."
Valex and Kael headed downstairs, where the elders were still waiting. Valex took his seat on the throne. The elders asked about the situation with the human girl, pressing for details. Growing irritated, Valex suddenly stood up and exited the room, leaving the elders in disbelief as they exchanged glances.
Kael did not follow Valex but watched him leave, thinking, "What is happening to you, sire?" Outside, Valex looked up at the clear, bright sky and pondered, "What is happening to me? This feeling... Is it fear? No, it can't be."
He looked around and saw Eryx feeding the horses. Valex approached him, and Eryx noticed. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, how may I help you?" Standing straight, Valex smiled and replied, "It's nothing. Carry on with your work."
"Yes, sir," Eryx responded. Valex turned away and walked off. Eryx remained where he was and mused, "I wonder what happened and how Odesse is. I haven't seen her since I returned. It's been weeks now; I sure do miss her," he said, blushing and smiling. Valex, who had paused and turned slightly to see Eryx blush, continued walking without comment.
In the room, the old lady sat beside Odesse and said, "You do realize that it's not time to sleep, eh? The King needs you. Now come on, wake up." She took out a small container that looked like oil from her purse, opened Odesse's mouth, and poured the oil inside. Standing up, she announced, "All done."
The thick, black blood began to dry up, and the old lady smiled as she said, "Welcome back, my Queen." She walked towards the door, opened it, and saw Miss Faye standing there. "I'm done," she said.
Miss Faye replied, "Oh, um, can I go see her?"
The old lady responded, "Yes, you can, but she is asleep for the moment. She will wake up soon." With that, the old lady walked downstairs.
Miss Faye opened the door and approached Odesse, noticing that her body was gradually returning to normal. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she smiled as she whispered, "Oh, Odesse."
Valex was gazing at the sky when Kael approached from behind and said, "Your Highness." Valex turned to look at him. "She is done," Kael informed him.
"Did she say anything?" Valex asked.
"No, sire," Kael replied.
Valex walked into the palace and found the old lady seated while the elders still looked confused. He ascended the stairs and entered Odesse's room, where he saw Miss Faye sitting beside her. He approached and noticed that Odesse was breathing normally and seemed to be okay. A smile spread across his face as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
Miss Faye stood up as Valex slowly sat beside Odesse on the bed. He lifted her head and rested it on his lap, gently brushing her hair as he spoke, "My dear Odesse, why would you scare me like that?"
Miss Faye and Kael stood by, watching as the typically ruthless and fearless king revealed his softer side to a mere human servant. Miss Faye smiled at the scene while Kael maintained an indifferent expression.
Valex continued to sit beside Odesse, holding her gently and carefully as if he were afraid she might slip away again. Minutes passed, and Kael eventually entered the room, saying, "Sire, the elders are leaving."
Valex looked up at him, then back at Odesse. He leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead before carefully placing her back on the bed. "Miss Faye, watch over her," he instructed, and she nodded in agreement.
Valex walked towards the door, with Kael following closely behind. As they reached the stairs, Valex saw the elders standing at the exit. The elder with a full beard spoke first, "We will take our leave now, Your Highness. We have realized that she is no human at all."
Valex asked, "What do you mean?" He turned to the old lady and questioned, "What is that supposed to mean?"
She replied vaguely, "We can't say much, but we will take our leave."
As the elders departed the palace, Valex stood there, confused, watching them go. He turned to Kael and asked, "What could they possibly mean? She isn't human?"