Chapter 37
Rio arrived at the infirmary with Carissa trailing behind him, her expression strained as she led a royal healer from her family. The air inside was thick with tension and panic, the aftermath of the explosion leaving bodies on stretchers and healers rushing to help. He could see the chaos from the door, the scent of blood and burnt flesh filling the room, making his stomach twist uncomfortably.
“This is worse than we thought,” Carissa muttered, her voice tight as she assessed the damage. “We should’ve sent more people.”
Rio nodded absentmindedly. He had actually come here because he was looking for someone in particular; the wounded soldiers weren’t his concern at all. However, just like the other noble families, he had sent some healers from his family.
He looked around the chaotic infirmary.
“Should I call for more help?” Carissa’s voice interrupted him. “Perhaps the other families could help too.”
“There is no need for that,” Rio said, turning to the concerned Carissa. “This isn’t the first time it’s happened. I’m certain the healers have a way to address this.” As always, Carissa was too soft, Rio thought inwardly.
“Make way, Miss Carissa is here with her healers!” Rio suddenly said. In his mind, the others needed to know that it was Carissa and her family who were helping them today. However, it seemed no one paid him any attention. He frowned.
“There is no need to do that,” Carissa said, gesturing for her people to start helping out.
“What do you mean? Isn’t it only right that they know you came here to help out? Give credit where credit is due!” Rio looked around, and that was when his attention was caught by a commotion near the center of the room. A crowd of healers and guards had gathered, their voices raised in agitation. He squeezed through the crowd, curiosity piqued, and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice.
“Let’s make a bet,” Fiona said, her expression serious as she talked to one of the head healers. “If I succeed in fixing this, you’ll apologize. Publicly. But if I fail, I’ll leave this place for good.”
“You can’t be serious,” the healer said.
“I am. Now, do we have a deal?” Fiona said without batting an eyelid. However, just before the man could answer, the wounded soldier started groaning in pain.
“Fine,” the man muttered. “Do whatever you think you can. But if you fail-”
“I won’t fail,” Fiona cut him off as she moved toward the soldier. Seeing this, Rio instantly frowned. What was this woman doing?
“What is going on?” Carissa asked as she stood next to Rio. “That-” she wasn’t able to finish her words when she saw Fiona start cutting the man’s body using a needle.
“Shhh…” Rio quickly shushed her.
Rio stood with his arms crossed, watching Fiona with an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was she trying to make a cut using a needle In front of all these people? This was her grand plan? Rio scoffed inwardly. “What a joke. She’s really trying to show off, isn’t she?” Rio muttered in a low voice.
He couldn’t understand her. There were better tools for making incisions, and here she was using something as delicate as a needle. Was she trying to fail on purpose? His eyes narrowed. He was intrigued, but he was also expecting her to fall flat on her face. He heard that Fiona was a part of the
goddess. Meaning, she couldn’t use the Rosen Osenthal Family but she wasn’t the one who received the blessing of the
Family’s abilities. So…. what was the point in trying to show off?
Fiona, however, didn’t hesitate. She pressed the tip of the silver–infused needle against the man’s skin, and with a swift,
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Chapter 37
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precise movement, she created a small incision. Black blood oozed from the wound almost immediately, its color deep and unnatural. The surrounding soldiers, already tense, gasped in shock, some of them taking a step back.
Black blood? Rio’s mockery faltered for a moment. He hadn’t expected that. Neither did the rest of the room.
The groans of the injured soldier, which had been constant, began to fade, but his face grew frighteningly pale. His breathing was shallow, and for a moment, Rio thought Fiona had made things worse.
There it is, Rio thought with satisfaction, waiting for the inevitable failure. She’s bitten off more than she can chew.
But Fiona moved with confidence, as though she knew exactly what she was doing. She continued working quickly, using the needle to expertly manipulate the small incision. With her free hand, she signaled Kariana, who handed her a small container.
In one deft movement, Fiona extracted what looked like a small metallic object from the wound–possibly shrapnel from the explosion. She carefully placed it into the container and gave Kariana a quick nod.
Rio’s smirk wavered. “Wait… did she really just…”
Without missing a beat, Fiona applied an herb over the wound. The scent of the herb filled the room, its healing properties taking effect almost immediately. Werewolves always had natural healing abilities. With the help of the herb, the wound began to close within seconds. The soldier’s pained expression eased, and soon his breathing returned to normal.
The entire room fell silent, everyone watching as the man’s groans stopped altogether. His chest rose and fell steadily now, his face regaining a bit of color. Within moments, the wound Fiona had made was nothing more than a thin scar, and even that was fading rapidly.
Rio’s eyes flickered with disbelief. He couldn’t explain the knot of frustration in his chest. He had wanted to see her fail, to watch her stumble and be humiliated. But instead, she had succeeded. And now, the other soldiers, those who had already been healed, were clapping their hands in appreciation, their faces filled with admiration.
Unbelievable.
Rio clenched his jaw. He hated how the room was now filled with a sense of awe for Fiona. His eyes darted to her, watching as she stood calmly beside the now–resting soldier. There was no sign of gloating or triumph on her face. Just like Rio and the rest, the healer looked surprised. However, Rio could easily see the anger in the man’s eyes.
“Are you going to apologize now?” Fiona asked in a calm voice as she turned to the healer, who questioned her earlier.
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