143: [Bonus chapter]Worse Condition

[Bonus chapter]Worse Condition

The City of Jerusha was as lively as ever, but Oriana did not have the liberty to enjoy the familiar surroundings. It was the fourth morning of her one-week break, and she only had less than a day to spend at home. She ran through the secret route through the forest towards the nameless hunter village on the other side.  1

A big silly grin hung on her face. From her speed, it was as if her feet had grown wings. She could not wait to see her grandpa who she dearly missed and worried about all these days.

'It has been a month.'

When she reached the first cottage nearest the village fence, the grin on her face widened. There was no one inside the house, but there were sounds of movement from the backyard. She saw the elderly man kneeling on the ground, plucking the vegetables from their small garden. 

"Grandpa! I am back!" she exclaimed, excitement bursting in her chest, but there was no response from the man. She put the bag she was carrying down and hurried towards him, shouting a little louder, "Grandpa!" 

Oriana kneeled beside Phil, belatedly realizing the old man seemed to be at a loss with his hand frozen midway, as if he forgot that he had been in the middle of plucking a vegetable. 

Her heart sank. 

"G-Grandpa?" He didn't respond. 

There was noise coming from the front of the house, and it was their neighbor who came over after hearing Oriana's shouts. Luke's mother, Gwen, found the heartbreaking scene of Oriana kneeling beside her unresponsive grandfather.

Gwen could not even happily welcome her back. After sighing, she approached them and wrapped a thick knitted scarf around the old man's neck. "Old Phil frequently behaves like this nowadays. One of his medicines ran out about two weeks ago. I had to keep watch on him and take him inside before he freezes in the cold."

With moist eyes, Oriana looked at the woman. "Thank you for taking care of Grandpa, Aunt Gwen. It must have been hard."

"It's nothing much, Orian. First, let's take him inside. It's cold here."

Oriana nodded and the two women brought the old man inside the cottage. Inside his room, Oriana made him sit him on the bed. Phil remained unresponsive, sitting like a wooden doll who could understand nothing of what was happening around him. 

She went back out and when she returned, she was holding the bottle of dementia medicine Erich concocted. She fed a spoonful to her grandfather who took it without any hassle. She made him lay down on the bed, whispering words of support until he closed his eyes and fell asleep. She covered him with a warm blanket. 

Oriana stared at the old man with tears in her eyes, and Gwen could only pat her on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much, Orian. Old age gets everyone. Your grandpa is fortunate to have reached that age."

Feeling choked, Oriana simply nodded. 

"You must have been tired due to the long journey from the capital. You should rest. I will bring food for both of you."

"There is no need—"

"It's alright. Just rest," the woman insisted. "By the way, is Luke not with you?"

Oriana shook her head. "Apologies. We went our separate ways so I have no idea when he will be coming back."

Gwen understood, and after saying a few words of comfort, she left their house. Oriana sat at the edge of the bed and helplessly looked at her grandpa. 

"Forgive me, Grandpa. I came back with your medicine, but I was delayed by a lot of matters." 

In her initial calculation, she should have returned before his medication ran out. 

"You have to be well. I will make sure you can always have this medicine so you won't be like this." She held his wrinkled hand, her heart breaking all over again at how frail it was against her palm. "Grandpa, you cannot forget me. You are the only family I have. I cannot lose you. Please hold on for a while more. One day, we two will be living a happy life together. Just give me some time till I make arrangements, alright? Hold on a little longer."

As if the old man heard her, he opened his eyes. 

"Ori? Are you back?" a light smile painted on his lips.

"Yes, Grandpa, I am back."

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I missed you."

The old man sat up. "Good to see you back." He looked at the window. "Seems like it's already morning. Let me prepare food. You must be tired."

Oriana stopped him before he could step out of the bed, "No need, Grandpa, Aunt Gwen insisted on bringing food for us."

The old man no longer insisted. "It has been two weeks. How was your journey? Did you find that newly discovered herb from the South?"

Another shot of pain passed through her chest. Phil's memory was from more than a month ago, back when she made an excuse to travel to Azures Island.

"Yes, Grandpa, and I even learned about various native plants that can help you maintain a strong body."

"You don't have to trouble yourself like this."

"It's not trouble, Grandpa. If you are fine, then I am too."

Gwen brought a hot meal for them, opting for soup to warm their bodies from the chill of winter. Wimark was part of the northern regions of the kingdom, and though there was no snowfall, the cold was normally unbearable for the elderly.

After putting her grandfather back to sleep, Oriana went to fetch water from the river, intending to bathe. Sitting inside the washroom, as she poured the freezing water over her head, tears were flowing down her eyes. The tears could be washed away with every scoop of water, but the sounds of her sobbing could not be hidden. 

'Grandpa's condition is worsening, which means I have to keep giving him the medicine without fail all his life. The memory he loses, they cannot be regained. But I can no longer get more black nightshade from the black market. No one is selling anymore. The only lead I have is the one in Othinia, and for that I need to return to the palace. I have to return to the prince, and through him, find the plantation for black nightshade.

'Why is it that when Grandpa needs me the most, I cannot even stay by his side? I'm such an unfilial granddaughter. I cannot keep on troubling Aunt Gwen like this as well…'

Wiping her tears away, she dried her body and wore a new set black clothes. Inside her room, she looked at the small low-quality mirror on the nightstand. Her face was visibly exhausted, her eyes red-rimmed. She did her best to pull her lips into a decent smile before going out. 

'First things first—I need to prepare medicine from those two remaining stalks, and for that, I have a trustworthy person in mind.'

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