Menedelia arrived at her sister's place and quickly went to the room to check Zero's condition.
She panicked when she entered the room and found Nini crying noisily as if someone was already dead. "What happened!? Why are you crying?" she asked in alarm.
Nini raised her head and looked at Granny. "It's all my fault! If my husband dies today, I don't want to live anymore!" she said, lamenting about the whole situation.
"Calm down!" She said and examined Zero's body. His chest still breathing and the color of his skin is a bit pale, but he looks not dead to her. She released a sigh of relief. "You almost give me a heart attack!"
"I'm sorry, Granny. I'm just feeling guilty and miserable right now," Nini said.
"I know. How is your husband right now?" she asked.
"Ebony said that Zero's body is responding well to the medicine. He has a high chance of surviving. The critical time is tonight at midnight, if he is already conscious during that time, he is on his way to full recovery," Nini replied.
"Good! Let's hope for the best. Instead of crying, keep talking to your husband. Urge him to fight for his life and not only rely on the medicine alone," she said.
"Okay," Nini said with a nod of her head.
"Have you eaten your breakfast already?" she asked.
"Yes, I finished eating breakfast a few hours ago," Nini replied.
"Good. Do you need anything? Just tell me, I'll get them for you," she offered.
"I don't need anything. All I wanted right now is for my husband to wake up soon," Nini said sadly.
"Don't worry... I think your husband is a fighter. He won't give up on his life so easily," she said, trying to assure her.
"Thank you, Granny!" Nini said.
"I'll go and talk to my sister," she said and left the room.
Menedelia walked into the hallway. She went to the door and saw Anastasia sweeping dry leaves on the ground. "Where is Ebony?" she asked.
"At the back of the house, in her garden," Anastasia replied and continue sweeping the leaves.
She sauntered towards the kitchen and exited the door. She walked on the path going to the garden. She found her sister picking up herbal leaves and putting them in the basket.
Her sister's garden is more impressive compared to hers. Ebony grows different varieties of herbal plants in all sizes and forms. "There you are! What are you going to do with the leaves?" she said, announcing her presence.
Ebony looked at her sibling. "I'm picking up the herbal leaves to make a paste out of them. It's needed as a poultice for Zero's wound," she explained.
"Okay, let me help you," she volunteered. She began picking up leaves, here and there, putting them in her sister's basket.
Half an hour later, they were able to gather a half-full basket of leaves.
Ebony looked at the basket. "This is enough for today's medicine," she said. "Let's go to the kitchen and turned these leaves into a paste..."
"Okay," she replied.
The two women went back to the house through the kitchen door.
Inside the kitchen.
Ebony transferred the leaves into the basin and washed them in the sink. Then she took out the wooden mortar and pestle from the cupboard and put them on the table. She put her medicine box on the table as well. She began pounding the leaves in the mortar using the pestle, then she adds a little bit of liquid medicine to the leaves.
Menedelia sat on the chair, watching her sister performing her task. "Do you need help?" she offered.
"No need, just sit and relax," Ebony responded.
"By the way, does your Master come here every day?" she inquired.
Ebony shook her head. "No. He seldom comes here, especially now that he is busy finding her missing wife. In the past, he comes to visit here once a week," she replied.
"Oh, how about your food every day? Where did you get money to buy food and your necessities?" she asked.
"Anastasia and I grow vegetables in the backyard to supplement our food. Now and then, people also come here to buy medicine. And when somebody is sick around the neighborhood, people bring me to their house to cure their family and loved ones. Afterward, they give me a monetary donation for my services," Ebony explained.
"I see... if your life is getting tough here, I'm always ready to accommodate you and Anastasia in my place," she offered.
Ebony sighed. "I can't leave this place. It feels like home to me. If Master no longer wants me to be his caretaker for this property, then I will consider your offer..."
"Okay, as you say so," she said.
Silenced engulfed them for a moment.
Ebony looked at her sister. "You know what... the more I look at Nini... she looks familiar... I feel like I have seen here before..." she said, her brows knitted in concentration.
Menedelia smiled. "It's the first time you saw each other. Maybe she looks similar to your neighbors around here," she suggested. The truth is, Evelyn and Nini shared the same facial features. Her sister must have remembered Evelyn through her daughter. But they only see each other a few times, and that was a long time ago.
"Maybe..." Ebony agreed. "By the way, since you're here, why don't you help my Master find his missing wife?" she suggested.
"Sure! But not right now, I'm facing many problems as of this moment. After I'm done with my current problem, I will help your master find his missing wife," Menedelia said.
One hour later.
Ebony finished making the herbal paste and put them in a plastic bowl. She began cutting flimsy clothing, used to hold the paste in place. "I'll bring this paste to the room so that Nini can start applying them on her husband's wounds."
"Okay, I'll go with you," Menedelia said.
The two women left the kitchen and walked towards the room at the end of the hall.
They entered the room.
Ebony put the herbal paste on the table. "Time to replace the poultice," she said and looked at Nini. "Do you need help?" she asked.
"No thanks, I can manage," Nini replied.
"Okay, we'll be staying in the living room. Just call us if you need assistance," Menedelia said.
Nini nods her head.
Ebony and Menedelia exited the room and went to the living room for chitchat.
"Are you staying here for lunch?" Ebony asked.
Menedelia shook her head. "No. I need to go somewhere. I have something important to do. But I'll be back after lunch to check the couple," she responded.
"Alright, I'll go to the kitchen to start preparing the dishes for lunch," Ebony said and rose to her feet.
"Go on, I'll just stay here for a few minutes," Menedelia said.
Ebony proceeds to the kitchen.
Menedelia was left alone in the living room, pondering about Angela's future in the enemy's hands. She closed her eyes for a minute. How to help rescue Angela? She doesn't want to go back to that place that brings her so many bad and painful memories. But she has a feeling that the enemy brought Angela to that abandoned castle.
Then her mind drifted to Evelyn, her poor friend. She blamed herself for bringing Evelyn to that place. She regretted what happened in the past, but she already pays a heavy price for it.
She released a deep sigh.
Her staying on the couch won't help Evelyn. She could turn her back on her friend and pretend that what happened to her and her family is no longer her concern, however, the truth is, she started it all!
Her adventurous self is the reason why she was cursed!
They could have turned her into a frog way back then.
Well, being an old woman isn't that worst at all, being a frog is!
She shook her head a few times and rose to her feet.
Time to go!
She teleported back to the capital to visit Evelyn.
A minute later.
She landed in the hallway of the second floor of the manor and went to the master's bedroom. She knocked on the door three times.
A servant opened the door. "Granny..."
"Is Lady Evelyn inside?" she asked.
"Yes. I'm trying to persuade her to eat more, but she has no appetite ever since her daughter was taken away..." the servant said worriedly.
"Who is that?" Evelyn asked from the bed.
"It's Granny Menedelia, my lady," the servant replied.
"Let her come inside. I want to talk to her," Evelyn said.
The servant opened the door wide, Menedelia stepped inside.
Evelyn looked at the servant. "Leave us alone," she ordered.
"Yes, my lady," the servant said and looked at Granny.
"Leave it to me," Menedelia told the servant.
The servant glanced at the food on the table, then glanced at her lady lying on the bed, she finally left the room.
Menedelia addressed Evelyn. "My lady, if you don't eat your meals properly, you will get sick," she told her. She lowered herself on the chair facing the distraught woman.
"What is the used of eating when my daughter is out there, held prisoner by my enemy?" Evelyn asked in a voice full of anger.
Menedelia fell silent for a moment.
"Granny, help me! I want to save my daughter!" Evelyn quickly said in desperation.
Menedelia raised a brow. "How? Did you know that person the other night?" she asked.
"Yes! He belongs to my past, a nightmare! I thought he's already dead! But he comes back alive to haunt me! He's terrorizing my daughters to get back at me! I need to save Angela before they will do something bad to her!" Evelyn said hysterically.
"Calm down, Lady Evelyn. How will you save your daughter? Do you have any plan?" Menedelia asked.
"Accompany me to that castle in the forest! Just come along with me on my journey. We will go there through the carriage, then after I will get my daughter back, deliver Angela safely to her father," Evelyn said.
"And how about you? What will happen to you?" Menedelia asked.
"I don't care what happens to me anymore after I saved my daughter. As long Angela is safe, even if I die, I don't care anymore!" Evelyn said, ready to do a suicide mission just to save her daughter from the clutches of the enemy.
"My Lady, how exactly are you going to save your daughter when your enemy is powerful? You are just a mere human being with no special power to protect yourself. How can you win against them?" Menedelia asked.