Hey my sweets! (づ￣ ³￣)づ 

 I'm so sorry for the wait, as I have been busy I wasn't able to update as much as I would have liked to. I will start trying to update more regularly for you all. Thank you for reading my novel. Please don't forget to like, comment and follow me for updates on my stories!  (•◡•) /

-Sweetpea

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It took quite a bit of convincing to get Seth and Chrysta out of the room for Dr. Richard to check my health in private. 

"Young miss, for now everyone thinks that you had passed out due to the combination of a cold and stress. Now, the cold part is a lie, the reason you passed out the way you had was from stress coupled with your condition. I had over looked how you had felt as you seemed okay, please forgive me of my failure to serve you properly." Dr. Richard knelt down and asked for forgiveness. 

"N-NO! Please don't apologize, there is no reason to. You have helped me so much, please get up." I felt flustered, I couldn't tell him I wasn't stressed because of my sickness and that it was due to trying to escape being executed. 

I tried to get up from my bed to pull him up but he stood up and pushed me back down on my bed gently.

"Young miss, you cannot get up until your health has improved." He looked at me with bags under his eyes, it looked as if he has not slept in a while.

"Okay, okay. How long have I been out?" 

"Young miss, a day has passed since you lost consciousness." I was left dumbfounded, but I realized that it was the reason Dr. Richard had dark circles under his eyes. He had probably not slept a wink while I was sick. 

"Thank you for taking care of me." I could help but thank him. I had never been taken care of so sincerely, my chest felt stuffy but I didn't dislike it. I couldn't help the smile blossoming on my face as grabbed his hand. 

"Young miss, there is no need to thank me, it is my job." He patted my hand as he answered me with a smile. I couldn't help but see him as a good friend as he was the only one to sincerely help me when I arrived here.

 He had a calming and reassuring aura, which I enjoyed very much. 

"Please call me Alina and speak comfortably with me, it would make me happy." I spoke out my feelings without thinking.

"Young miss, how could I?" It was disrespectful to call a noble by name, so I could understand him being uncomfortable. 

"At least when it is just us, we will see each other a lot anyway." I enjoyed his company, he felt as a grandpa to me. Even with my past as the old Alina he treated me honestly without bias. It helped me adjust better to being in an unfamiliar place where people held the original Alina's actions against me.

"If that is what you wish. You may call me Richard or Pops, as my grandchildren like to call me Pops." I couldn't help but chuckle at how the name Pops suited him well. 

"Okay, Pops." I smiled warmly while calling him Pops.

"Okay, Alina." He awkwardly adjusted to casual speech, as he smiled back.

We chatted while he checked my health before he left me to rest.

***

(Seth POV)

I felt dumbfounded and angry at how Alina acted as if she was fine after whatever happened to her, she obviously wasn't feeling well. She looked nauseous then she started shivering like crazy, but explained it off as a dizzy spell. 

'What's wrong, there is obviously something more to this.' I couldn't help but feel like there was something more to this as her change in behavior was to drastic. 

'And everyone seems in on it.' Father, the butler and even Dr. Richard, seemed to know more than what they're saying. 

'It must not be important if father is saying nothing.' I tried to reassure the worry welling up in my stomach. I pushed away my thoughts, while rushing to the training ground to hopefully get rid of this feeling by training.

***

(Alina's POV)

As soon as Dr. Richard left, dread clawed away at me as I was left with my thoughts. I was already stressed just trying to get away from death flags but now there seems to be more to Alina's side of the story than I had thought. 

'The old ancient beast wishes to devour the white pure rose?' I couldn't help but shudder at the warning. I felt the urge to ball up under my covers and hide from the world and disappear. It felt like it as all too much for me to handle. 

The warning kept playing over and over like a broken record in my head making me feel as if I had been trapped in a labyrinth of dangerous secrets that threaten me. The peaceful future that I had planned seemed so far away.

I soon fell asleep from the exhausting thoughts that threatened to consume me. 

I woke up to Chrysta bringing me lunch. She refused to leave my side ever since the incident, I felt she was a good maid. There was nothing out of line with her, but my suspicion wouldn't leave me. 

My sensitivity to those around me help me get by in life as I had to work harder than most, as I was not particularly smart or clever compared to others, but my intuition on people was exceptional. 

I could not let my suspicion show, as it could provoke them to move. They probably already suspected something was happening as I was sending her out when meeting with Dr. Richard. 

"Chrysta, I wish to have lunch in the garden. It'll be good for my health to have some fresh air." I wanted to get out of this room from being in it most of the day. The fresh air could help calm my mind and help me sort out my thoughts.

"What a great idea Miss, I'll get them to prepare a table while I get you ready." She liked the idea and quickly went to order servants to prepare the garden.

Chrysta dressed me in a long light blue dress, that was thin since it was warm outside. She braided my hair loosely to casually pull it out of my face. Once we were done I looked in the mirror, I looked beautiful but so weak and listless that I could be blown away by the wind and disappear without a trace. 

Chrysta supported me while I was walking by lightly holding my arm as we made our way down to the garden. Once we got to the garden where the table and my food was set up, I noticed that forget-me-not flowers were blooming.

 As I sat down, I couldn't start eating as nostalgia hit me. 

I don't remember my mother much as I was young when she died but what I did remember was that her favorite flowers were forget-me-not's. My father left her when he found out she was pregnant, and she didn't have any family. She was afraid of dying alone and being forgotten. She always had forget-me-not's, I would watch her hold the forget-me-not's as if they were the only one's that wouldn't forget her. 

I began to wonder if anyone remembered me or not, would anyone be at my funeral? I had been alone most of my life, as I didn't have any time to interact with others outside my jobs. I had to work extra hard giving me no room for a personal life. The time I did have I spent it reading and resting as I didn't have the energy to try to emotionally connect with others.

"Miss your food is going to get cold." I was snapped out of my thoughts by Chrysta.

"Oh, yes." I began to eat but soon felt full, so I thought of walking to help digest my food would be good but soon threw away the thought as I knew Chrysta would oppose. 

"Chrysta would you go and prepare some tea." I wanted to be alone to clear my thoughts. My mind was muddled, I didn't want to face my thoughts but I had to.

I wanted to live, and to do so I needed to plan and sort out what was happening around me.