It didn't take time for Xhemin to recover, just a day and half and she was sent home to rest. After all, all she got from the incident was a deep wound in her shoulders and few scratches. However, Ziggy on the other hand hadn't left the hospital ever since Huzey's operation was finished. It was a successful one yet the Montarini Prince had to stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks, so the former volunteered to be his personal caregiver so Senior Hans wouldn't worry that much.

He promised the old man he'll take care of Huzey, and so he did. ​​

With such, Richmond Ranch had been a little quiet because of the two boy's absence and Xhemin who was not allowed to do chores because of her wound, bored herself endlessly. She had done nothing all afternoon but stared at her ceiling or scared off the birds that nested in her small veranda.

"When are the boys coming home?" She asked the maidservants who had helped her dress up one morning.

"I've heard the Montarini Prince will be sent to the Montarini Mansion the moment he will be discharge from the hospital" The servant answered "It might take long before they comeback here, the prince needs to recover further so do you, Little Miss"

"I have nothing but this ugly wound and few scratches on my feet" The sarcasm came out in her mouth without Xhemin intending it and which she quickly withdrew "I mean, I'm already fine"

"You need to rest more, Little Miss" The servant insisted, and her tone sounded like a mother chiding a little child that had been naughty.

"Where's grandpa by the way?" Xhemin asked her again.

"In the east barn" The servant replied flatly as she went to comb the girl's hair. All the servant could think off at the moment was what to do with that bundle of ebony of strands right before her.

"Again?" Xhemin's eyebrows drew together at the servant's answer. After her grandfather finished off Huzey's operation and settled her at home, the old man went to spend the rest of his time in the east barn. "Do you know what grandfather had been doing in the east barn?"

"Mixing some stuff"

"What stuff?"

"hmmm, to be honest. I don't know Little Miss. I just noticed yesterday when I went to bring him some lunch" The servant narrated as her expression also turned suspicious. "I guess he was making some sort of a tea or medicine"

"Maybe some medicine, or some spices…" Xhemin told her doubtfully. She wasn't exactly sure with her answers. Her grandfather had never made medicines before, he was far too busy with hospital stuff to go wasting his time mixing some spices or medicines. It had never been one of the things that the old doctor was good at, but perhaps, her grandfather wanted a change. It's not too late to find a new hobby anyway.

"No idea" the servant shrugged and settled to just braid a small strand of the Little's Miss hair while the rest, she left it hung around the girl's shoulders. "Are you hungry? I'll go an get you some snacks"

"Alright, thanks!" she thanked the maidservant who went out her room with haste.

Knowing that she was alone now, she reached for her phone and checked on her emails. She had a couple of new mails, but no single mail came from Darryl.

She sighed deep and lonesome.

It had been days when she sent him a new mail, but he hasn't replied back.

Odd. Very odd. He used to reply right away but now, seemed like he had forgotten about her again like the last time.

Or perhaps the boy was busy.

He's the Lagdameo heir anyway.

People like him had too many things to deal with. The boy could have been caught up with too many responsibilities and schedules that had made him unable to send her an email.

Xhemin threw her phone on her bed and went to stare at the skyline that was visibly clear through her glass windows. She thought of Huzey, of Ziggy and of the beast. Things had run pretty wild way back in Woodbridge and when they came home, some sort of tragedy settled in. However, she was grateful especially of the fact that Huzey was fine or else, she wouldn't be able to sleep blaming herself about what happened.

Her best friend had saved her, as always.

Just this time, he almost lost his life for her.

***

Xhemin woke up to the sound of a night owl, as she chilled in her own bed. She huddled under her quilt, wanting to sleep back in, but for some reasons, something made her get up. She couldn't sleep anymore. Her room was dark, and she knew by how the wind blew and how the insects chattered that it was past midnight in Richmond ranch.

As if she had not enough chills, she went out to her veranda and watched the sky, hoping to see the stars sparkled beautifully at her. However, there were not many stars that night.

The girl stayed in the veranda for a while, allowing the wind to mess up her beautiful ebony hair at the same time soothed into her nose and her skin. It gave her more shivers and chills. Xhemin didn't quite understand why she was there, instead of getting back to bed and getting herself warm under her quilt. Perhaps this was just one of those nights, the nights where one gets up for nothing but just for the stillness and quietness of the night.

While doing nothing in her veranda, Xhemin noticed a light that flashed on their front door. Curios, she went to look below into the thing and realized someone was going out the cottage.

"Did the servants woke up early?" She asked herself. But it was just few minutes past midnight, too early to get up and prepare for the day.

Not long, Xhemin noticed that the person who was holding something like a flashlight wasn't any of their servants. It was her grandfather, Dr. Dugmoch, and the old man seemed to have woken up purposely for an errand.

Xhemin wondered what her grandfather could be doing at this hour and her thoughts pulled her back to the conversation she had with the servant this morning. Her grandfather's actions were really weird these days and seeing him leaving their house quietly got Xhemin thinking. The girl's eyes followed her grandfather's footsteps and she realized he was heading to the east barn again.

"At this early? What could he be doing in the east barn?" She murmured under her own breath. Curious of his grandfather's actions, Xhemin went to her closet and changed into an outdoor clothing, then grabbed a thick jacket to cover herself. She wanted to find out what her grandfather had been doing and was planning to sneak up against him.

She was damned dead curious now.

There must be something special that he made in the east barn.

Something so important that Dr. Dugmoch had to miss some hospital routines just to dedicate his time to the thing that was in the east barn.

In five minutes, Xhemin managed to quietly get out the cottage and find her way to the east barn. She didn't have any form of light with her, so not to catch her grandfather's attention. Anyway, the light from the moon and her familiarity with the place was enough for her to find her way through.

Soon, she reached the east barn without catching anyone's attention, apart from the few insects and animals who just ignored her completely. She was near the barn door when she noticed her grandfather exiting out, holding a sack of something-she-don't-know off. The sack was full and Dr. Dugmoch had to carry off the thing in his back, then started his way again to some other direction.

Xhemin's face had the look of someone who's curiosity had taken her over, then she questioned herself again quietly "What are you up to grandpa?

The girl watched as the great doctor walked into the darkness having only a flashlight to light his way. She followed him in curiosity, making sure there was enough distance between them, so the old man wouldn't notice her.

Dr. Dugmoch traversed in an unfamiliar path, Xhemin don't define it as a path actually, it was more like a shortcut that had once been forgotten. They were inside the thick woodland now, adjacent to the loch where the loch cottage was. However, judging from Dr. Dugmoch's walking direction, he wasn't going to the latter.

If he isn't going to the Loch cottage, then where was he going?

She doesn't remember them having any other property around this area but the loch cottage.

So where was her grandpa going and what's with the sack he was carrying on his back?

One look and she could tell that the sack was heavy, but instead of waking up a servant to carry it for him, he chose to carry the thing off by himself and went out in secret.

Xhemin was far too curious at the time. She did want to call her grandfather's attention and asked him where he was heading and why he had to go out all alone. However, afraid that he might end up getting angry with her for sneaking up on him, Xhemin dismissed the thought and just followed him secretly.

Not long, Xhemin caught something in her nose as she was following the old man. It was a smell of something familiar. It wasn't a smell of something that one can find in the forest, it's a smell of a mixture—a mixture that she was soo familiar to.

"Is this smell from grandfather's sack?" For the nth time that night, she questioned herself again. "It smells like…. Like…." She sniffed again, trying to get more of the smell "like… strawberries?"

"No, not strawberries…" She concluded in a minute and tried her best to remember the smell again "Those are not raw strawberries"

"It was more like" She thought and thought, until she remembered something "More like of a Staw Serum"

Staw Serum.

His grandfather made Staw Serums.

When did he learn to make Staw Serums?

And where was he taking the Staw Serums to?