The Kind of Evil-Chapter 490: Detached to understand.
Aurelia groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, awoken by the commotion outside. She looked around, didn’t realize it was nighttime already and the only person that was by her side was Daryus. She didn’t remember how she fell asleep after Monica and the others brought her back to her chamber and had a long conversation.
"How are you feeling, Lady Aurelia?" Daryus asked, preparing the medicine tea.
"I feel a lot of things, but if you’re asking about my fever, then it’s still the same as before..." Aurelia answered with a raspy and groggy voice. "You know, Doctor. I never had a fever in my whole life or even felt sick because of my divine ability. This is my first time having a fever, and I don’t know why my divine ability can’t heal my fever..." She muttered as she sat up slowly and leaned against the pillows, watching Daryus prepare the tea.
Daryus walked toward the bed and offered the tea to Aurelia. Aurelia thanked Daryus and took the tea cup from his hands before she smelled the tea. She took a sip of the hot sweet tea that surprised her because she thought it would be bitter.
"Because it’s not because of bacteria or viruses. It’s because you’re stressed out, My Lady," Daryus answered with a smile on his face. "That tea is to make you feel relaxed, it’s not a medicine for illness, but for the mind," he pointed out as he sat on the chair.
Aurelia closed her eyes and took a sip again, enjoying the tea more than she thought. She then heard the commotions outside again, forgetting about it for a moment.
"What’s going on outside? Did something happen?" Aurelia asked, her gaze lazy and tired when she looked out the window. She wanted to be worried, but the fact that Daryus was calm and unbothered by the commotion, meant it was nothing worth worrying about.
"Oh, everyone is having a feast, My Lady. Lady Anastasha Asghar came this afternoon. Oh, and also she brought thousands of survivors with her," Daryus answered, staring out the window where the moonlight basked in his face and reflected on his round glasses.
Aurelia was stunned when an Asghar suddenly came to visit and brought survivors. Daryus decided to explain everything to Aurelia about Rasmus’ collaboration with Anastasha and their plans for Central Neva.
After Aurelia found out the most important parts, the tea cup was already empty. She wanted more, and so Daryus made another one for her. However, she noticed Daryus’ heavy and pained gaze in his eyes.
"Doctor, you can talk to me," Aurelia said as she looked at Daryus. "I’m ashamed that I don’t feel as sad as you when my mother died. You must think that I’m being cold or heartless..." She looked down at her fingers.
Daryus frozen when Aurelia suddenly changed the topic to where it hurt him the most at the moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down and walked back to the chair with the refilled tea cup.
"No, My Lady, you’re not cold or heartless. You hold a responsibility that forces you to put aside your feelings and emotions whether you do it intentionally or not," Daryus answered, shaking his head. "For me, to watch a patient die because I can’t help them, it’s the worst feeling as a doctor. It’s not only that I failed to save them, but it’s also because I disappointed those who wished and hoped that I could save the person that was important to them. It’s unbearable, My Lady," he didn’t dare to look at Aurelia’s eyes.
Aurelia scoffed with a sour smile on her face, shaking her head. Daryus didn’t expect Aurelia to react like that, and it confused him deeply.
"That’s the most human thing to say, Doctor. Humans tend to justify their feelings by using logic, or perhaps an illusion that we believe to be logical. Either way, we can’t tell the difference," Aurelia said, sighing and looking up at the ceiling. "We just want to satisfy... no, it’s more like feeling fulfilled with the feelings we are feeling. Do you understand what I mean, Doctor?" She asked, chuckling because she used complicated words.
"I guess you’re right, My Lady. Not sure if I should feel ashamed to justify my guilt just because I want to feel guilty. We humans are too complex to understand," Daryus answered and nodded his head in agreement.
"But Count Rasmus can," Aurelia glanced at Daryus with her brows raised. "We know it’s complicated, but for him, it’s not difficult at all. He can read anything like a book, even the future seems to have been written on that as well," she chuckled in disbelief and took a sip of her tea.
"I can assure you, My Lady. To be able to make it simple, one has to be detached from it, to look at it from the outside. I don’t know if we will ever want to be like that," Daryus said with a faint smile on his face as he took the empty teacup from Aurelia’s hand. "There’s a reason why everyone feels disturbed around him. It’s because he’s not in the same world as ours," he added as he stood up and put the teacup on the table.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door, and Daryus went to check who it was when he suddenly lowered his head the moment he opened the door. He slowly opened the door wide to let Aurelia see the guest that wanted to visit her, and it was Anastasha with Rasmus standing behind her. Aurelia had expected that Anastasha would come to visit her, and she was prepared for it. Aurelia nodded, allowing them to come in while Daryus excused himself, knowing he shouldn’t be there.
"I apologize if I’m being rude, Lady Angelis. However, it’s rude to not meet with the homeowner," Anastasha smiled as she walked toward the bed and sat on the chair that Daryus sat on earlier. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"No, it’s okay, Lady Asghar," Aurelia smiled softly as she shook her head. "I have heard from Doctor Daryus, and I’m grateful that you protected thousands of people from behind the curtains," she added.
"I just did what I was told, and it benefited my agenda. Please don’t treat my kindness at face value," Anastasha smiled gently at Aurelia. "And I’m sorry for your loss. Lady Astrea was someone that I admire and what she did in South Neva, nobody had ever done that," she stared into Aurelia’s eyes.
Aurelia responded with a simple nod, and she stole a glance at Rasmus, who didn’t seem to be planning to join the conversation. Aurelia realized that this would be a one on one conversation with Anastasha while Rasmus was there to observe, or perhaps to judge how she would deal with someone as powerful as Anastasha.
"You said that your kindness is based on your agenda, Lady Asghar. If that’s the case, let’s talk about the reason you came, and what do you want from me," Aurelia said, staring back at Anastasha’s eyes without flinching.
Anastasha chuckled softly and decided to put her folding fan on the bedside table. Rasmus glanced at the folded fan, finding it interesting because Anastasha used that folding fan as her weapon to overpower others in politics. He realized that Anastasha wasn’t planning to use deception or trickery when speaking to Aurelia.
"Yes, I want to gain influence here in Central Neva, Lady Angelis. I need it to beat my siblings who are currently trying to kill each other for a position as the family head," Anastasha answered with a serious expression. "I want to prevent that, prevent my family from destroying each other. I want to make myself superior than my siblings so I can save my family," she explained without blinking her eyes or averted her gaze, showing her utmost sincerity.
Aurelia didn’t know if Anastasha was telling the truth or not because she had never met Anastasha before, and what she knew about the Asghar family was nothing but a powerful family that existed in both worlds. She subconsciously looked at Rasmus as if he was the only one who could tell her what to do in this situation. She thought Rasmus would ignore her or worse look disappointed, but to her surprise, he gave a slight nod, assuring her that Anastasha was telling the truth.
"You want influence in Central Neva? And how are you going to do that?" Aurelia asked, looking at Anastasha with her brows furrowed.
"By providing you with whatever you need. You need money, I can give you enough money to make you rebuild the Holy Nation and the surrounding kingdoms. You want stability, I’ll use my connections to bring everything that it requires," Anastasha answered with confidence as she crossed her legs, resting her elbow on her knee and rested her chin on her fist.
"You want to go that far even though you might fail?" Aurelia was shocked by how determined Anastasha was, knowing that the risk was higher than the reward.
"I love to gamble, that’s all," Anastasha chuckled softly, smirking and winking at Aurelia. "You can’t control everything, but you’ll do anything to control what you can grasp. That’s how I play the game," her smirk widened.
