As Aurora finally released the lingering fatigue, her gaze drifted toward the bed, where Jenny lay peacefully, the needles now removed. The child’s serene face contrasted with the turmoil Aurora had been battling within.
She instinctively checked the ti—almost an hour had passed. A slight frown crossed her features.
"Have I been passed out for this long...?" Aurora muttered, frustration lacing her tone. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed her temples. "I need to start training and get rid of the toxins in my body as soon as possible."
She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Ah... this body... Aurora, what were you even thinking?" she grumbled under her breath, cursing the original host’s naïveté once again. A mix of exasperation and determination burned in her voice.
Weakness was sothing she couldn’t afford. She made a ntal note to thoroughly examine her body once more, ensuring she hadn’t overlooked anything. If she wanted to reclaim her full strength, there was no room for mistakes.
She turned to Sebastian, her voice steady but laced with urgency. "Have you got the herbs?"
Sebastian’s gaze remained fixed on her as he replied, "Liam is on the way."
Aurora gave a slight nod before pushing herself up from the couch. Though still a bit unsteady, she moved toward Jenny’s bedside with practiced ease. Sitting beside the little girl, she placed her fingers gently on key acupoints and began applying faint yet precise pressure, her touch both delicate and firm.
Her eyes remained locked on Jenny’s face, watching closely for any reaction.
After five minutes, Jenny’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked in confusion, adjusting to the dim light of the room. But the mont she tried to sit up, a violent cough racked her small fra.
Sebastian’s eyes widened in alarm as Jenny coughed uncontrollably, her tiny body trembling with each spasm. Panic surged within him as her coughs grew harsher—until, with a final, gut-wrenching heave, she spat out a thick, dark clot of blood.
The sickly mass landed on the white sheets, its color a disturbing mix of black and brown. The stench that followed was unbearable—rancid, putrid, like decaying flesh left to rot.
Sebastian felt his stomach churn, but before he could react, Aurora moved swiftly. Without hesitation, she grabbed a clean cloth and wiped Jenny’s mouth, her expression calm yet unreadable. There was no fear in her eyes—only cold calculation, as if she had expected this.
"What the hell is that?" a voice rang from the doorway.
Liam had just arrived, hurrying in to deliver the dicine for Jenny, only to be t with the disturbing sight before him. His steps faltered as his gaze landed on the dark, foul-slling clot on the bed. The stench hit him like a punch to the gut, so putrid and thick it made his stomach churn violently.
His shock deepened as he looked at Jenny, her frail body trembling, lips stained with traces of blood. He turned to Aurora, expecting panic—expecting so kind of urgency—but instead, she remained eerily calm, her fingers gently pressing against Jenny’s pulse as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Liam swallowed hard, his throat dry. "What the hell is going on?"
Both Liam and Sebastian cared deeply for Jenny. Even though Sebastian hadn’t spent as much ti with her as Liam had, his bond with her ran deep. But Liam... he had been there since the very beginning. He had cradled her as a newborn, watched her take her first steps, and protected her like an older brother—no, like a father.
So seeing her like this, frail and struggling, coughing up sothing so vile—it was devastating.
Liam clenched his fists, his usually composed expression cracking as his gaze flickered between Jenny and the dark clot she had expelled. His mind scread at him to do sothing, to fix this, but all he could do was stand there, helpless.
Sebastian, though calr on the surface, was no less shaken. His sharp eyes darkened as he took in Jenny’s trembling fra. A rare emotion flickered across his face—guilt. Regret.
Aurora looked up at them, her expression calm and composed despite the grim sight before them. "It’s the toxins and impure blood that were lingering in Jenny’s system," she stated evenly.
Sebastian and Liam stood frozen; their gazes fixed on the dark, congealed clots Jenny had expelled. The putrid stench of decay filled the room, a sickening reminder of the poison that had been festering inside her fragile body.
Sebastian’s fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening as an overwhelming wave of guilt crashed over him. He had promised to protect Jenny, yet he had failed to notice the extent of her suffering. But beneath that guilt, a far more dangerous emotion simred—rage.
His piercing gaze snapped to Liam. "Find out who did this. Now." His voice was dangerously low, filled with an icy fury that sent a chill through the room.
Liam swallowed, nodding sharply. He didn’t need to be told twice.
"Have you got the dicine?" Aurora asked, her voice steady but laced with urgency.
Liam quickly stepped forward, handing her the pouch. "Here," he said, his tone unusually serious.
Aurora took it without another word, her fingers tightening around the pouch as she turned on her heels and left the room. Her movents were swift, purposeful.
Aurora stepped into the backyard; her eyes set on the small house nestled in the farthest corner of her estate. As she pushed open the wooden door, the faint scent of dried herbs and aged parchnt filled the air. Inside, shelves lined with rare dicinal plants stretched across the walls, and an assortnt of instrunts sat neatly arranged on the workbench—each tool precisely placed, each ant for grinding, extracting, and refining potent redies.
With practiced ease, she set the pouch of herbs on the stone slab and began selecting additional ingredients from her collection. Her fingers moved deftly, weighing and mixing the components with absolute precision. The rhythmic hum of a grinding machine filled the space as she worked, breaking down the herbs into a fine, grainy texture.
Minutes passed before she carefully gathered the refined mixture, ensuring its potency was just right. Without wasting another second, Aurora turned and swiftly made her way back to Jenny—her heart steady, her mind focused.
"It’s ti for her dicinal bath," Aurora announced, her tone firm yet gentle. Without waiting for a response, she turned and made her way to the bathroom.
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