Chapter 175 - Life Inside a Cage (1)

I almost cried when I looked down at the newly changed colour of my hair. The strands of metallic silver shined like a rainbow under the dazzling sunlight coming through the window. Maybe if I wasn't so used to my former brilliant red hair that used to gain attention whenever I walked by, I would be less somber. But, this ugly, muddy grey just reminded me of the people of this house where I was staying, captive in my cell.

I used to be enchanted by this colour when I first met Luke, a shining angel with the most captivating celestial appearance that couldn't possibly be a human being. However, I soon discovered that this colour was commonplace in the district I resided in. And now this colour would not exist anymore in this district. My mood became more dejected when no memory of my former crimson red existed on anyone I passed by through the school halls.

I curled up inside my bed, covering myself with a large, fluffy blanket, full of the richest feathers of a rare creature inside a magical forest. The bed itself was portable with attached wheels on the bottom that were normally hidden. The IV machine attached to my left arm annoyingly beeped every minute, which almost drove me crazy from the otherwise silence.

In front of the bed were various medical equipment laid out in the open like they were cheap tools. This room was almost a mini hospital itself with the amazing layout of how everything was carefully placed. Jars of medicine properly organized on the shelves stuck on the wall and needles stuffed in the locked drawers.

The unmatched paintings of lovely wildflowers occupied the empty spaces on the wall while the wallpaper was a pattern of strips of rotating pastel green and blues. To fit all this stuff in meant the room was at least fifteen metre squared, more than five times bigger than the average room from an ordinary family. But, this was unsurprising to me by now as I have stayed in the most luxurious rooms throughout most of this life.

I lifted up my silky nightgown to find no scar had remained on my stomach. When I lifted up the long sleeves of my dress, there was no sign of the torture on my arms. My legs were soft and smooth, unblemished to the point it was like a mannequin doll. It couldn't be that it was all a dream? Everything from memories of meeting Olive to being tied to a stake felt so real. It had to be real. Afterall, I was in this room to recover from my injuries.

I walked toward the mirror to find one difference in my appearance when I faced myself. I looked like another person in the mirror. I wasn't Rika Shanes anymore, the daughter of Brian Shanes and August Shanes, but a clear member of the Roselia family. I possessed the famous silvery hair that shined like a prism in the daylight with overflowing mana that all its heirs had. I looked horrifyingly like the boy who opened the door to check up on me.

Behind him was one of the many doctors that the Roselia family could call upon at any minute around the clock. He carried a briefcase like a businessman more than a medical professional. He warmly smiled, trying to sooth me down while Luke stared at me in disapproval as usual.

Knowing this was a cue, I walked back to my bed, for a checkup. The doctor quickly got out his tablet that produced a blue light when it scanned my body for any abnormalities. When the device beeped, he quickly hid his frown before turning around to Luke to announce the results.

"After getting proper treatment, she can get back to her daily activities again." He declared while writing down detailed notes simultaneously.

After his job was done, he promptly exited the room like an actor leaving the stage after fulfilling its role. There wasn't much for a doctor to do in the first district with the medical technology being extremely advanced to the point most of the process was automated except for the diagnosis. The machines that filled the rest of the room waited to be used as Luke swiftly reviewed the report.

"Can I view the report?" I reached to grab the tablet in his hands.

"It's nothing much," Luke avoided my arms with one step.

"He says you should stay in bed for the rest of this week," Luke carefully inserted the needle into my arm like an experienced professional.

The medicine quickly flowed through my veins as Luke soon covered me with a blanket when I slumped down onto the bed. It was funny how most remedies made you sleepy when you were full of energy before. Once one of my eyes were closed, he left the room to give me some time to rest. This was not the beginning of a cage in the making with the door surely to be locked like a prison cell.

This personality of his that liked to control everything never changed since our childhood. He didn't want me out of this bed or this room so he locked the door. He didn't even bother to give me any proper explanation of what the doctor implemented. I was sure that report was at least ten pages long as I counted each time the doctor flipped the page for more space to write on.