The prolonged panic attack drained Elaine's energy. She leaned against the desk, attempting to rise from her chair. However, her legs lost their balance and crashed to the ground. Elaine grimaced, seeking to climb to her feet, yet the fogged vision and ringing in her ears prevented her from focusing.
"Milady, are you alright?" a maid inquired from outside.
The internal booming worsened, spreading to her brain. Elaine squeezed her eyes shut, hands clutching her temples, attempting to subdue the throbbing. She opened her lips, yet no sound escaped—only more difficulty respiring.
"Yes, Lady Estella is inside."
"Please wait. I will notify Her Ladyship." Elaine heard faint voices and shuffling noises in the distance. "Please stop! You cannot come in without Lady Estella's permission!" Torrents of sounds soared like a blaring siren, intensifying the pulsation in her head.
"Wait! You cannot come in!" The door sprang open, followed by rapidly approaching footsteps.
"Milady…"
"Milady, can you hear me?" a familiar voice called to Elaine, then someone pulled her into a gentle enfold. "Hurry! Summon the head physician!" the voice thundered, overshadowing the surrounding gasps and panics.
"Right, right away!" someone else replied, hurried footsteps running outside.
"Please hang on, milady. The head physician will arrive soon." The voice's owner picked Elaine up from the floor and carried her toward an unknown location. She opened her eyes for a brief second, recognizing the bright golden locks through clouded sight before falling from awareness.
Elaine could hear an older man's modulated voice while wandering in and out of consciousness. "So Her Ladyship often wakes up in the middle of the night?" he inquired.
"Yes, the night-duty maids could hear Lady Estella's panting inside the bedchamber. However, she always forbids them from entering," a female voice answered.
"The Lady is suffering from severe insomnia, perhaps due to extreme stress or previous trauma. Her body has reached its limit, and she requires rest. I will prescribe Lady Estella medication to help induce her sleep. However," the older man raised his concerns. "The medicine is only a temporary solution since the source of her illness is not physical." His tone turned grim. "If Her Ladyship continues the current trajectory, she will collapse again. And next time, her condition might worsen."
"Please cure milady," a soothing male voice implored.
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"No need to kneel, young man," the older man sighed. "I would still do my best to treat Her Ladyship without your request. All our lives depend on it, after all."
Elaine again drifted into slumber. When she reawakened, Elaine saw several individuals waiting by her bedside.
"How are you feeling, milady?" The head physician advanced toward her. He leaned forward and reached out a hand to check her pulse. "If I may, Princess."
Elaine nodded, allowing him to perform his duty. "How long was I asleep?"
"Only a few hours," he replied. "You need more rest, milady."
"I know." Elaine pursed her lips, lowering her gaze. She desperately desired a respite. Yet, the relentless nightmares would not release her.
The old physician finished examining Elaine and glanced at the head maid standing nearby. "Follow my instructions on the prescription and provide Her Ladyship the daily medicine in the evening."
"Please do not worry. We will do our best to assist Lady Estella's recovery."
He nodded, then shifted back to Elaine. "Please summon me if your symptoms continue, milady."
"I understand. You may leave." She dismissed him.
"Thank you, Lady Estella." The head physician bowed and followed a maid outside.
"You all may also leave."
"As you wish, milady. I will bring your medicine later in the afternoon. Please have a good rest." The head maid inclined her body and then turned to leave, shadowed by the remaining servants.
After those surrounding her dispersed, Elaine finally noticed a familiar figure standing in the corner of her bedchamber—a young man with golden hair resembling morning sunlight and serene heterochromia colored in hues of chestnut and ocean. Their eyes met, and she recognized a faint undercurrent below his characteristic calmness.
Elaine sat up on the bed. "Thank you for your help, Sir Ascania," she said, masking her embarrassment behind a thin smile. To survive in the book's dangerous world, Elaine withheld inside a deep cocoon, distancing herself from others and refusing to reveal her weakness to anyone. Yet, no matter how hardened her fortitude, the young girl's body she inhabited remained fragile. And today, it had reached the breaking point. "How did you know I was in distress?" Elaine asked, genuinely curious.
Cecil did not respond. Instead, he marched to her bedside, slightly furrowed brows marring his elegant features. He knelt before Elaine, lifting his head—peaceful gaze troubled by waves of unidentified emotion. "Once again, I failed to protect you." Cecil leaned closer, extended hand found hers, wrapping it between his palms. He lowered his forehead and rested it against their intertwined body parts. "Please tell me, milady. How can I ease your suffering?" The sincerity in his voice tugged at Elaine's chest. Her freed hand gripped the cover.
However, this was a request she could not grant. How would one share the weight of a disturbed mind? Despite the nightmarish creatures haunting her dreams, the burdens of her secrets prevented Elaine from seeking help. Étoile banned the practices of soul-swapping and necromancy. If others discovered her origin, she would receive an instant execution. Elaine wished to return to her world and could not risk the possibility. Thus, she stubbornly safeguarded her secrets.
She regarded Cecil with a warm expression. "I appreciate your concern, Sir Ascania. However, the head physician already prescribed medication for my insomnia. I will be fine," Elaine lied.
He raised his head, piercing gaze held hers. Elaine sensed Cecil did not believe her deception, yet she was unwilling to continue the conversation. "I want to sleep." She averted her eyes, feigning a yawn.