Chapter 39
“HERE you go. I would like these blankets washed. Can you take them to the washhouse?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Also, it’s almost time to eat. Once you finish with the wash I request assistance with meal preparation.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Once you’re finished there, please prepare a report on how to make the best use of the remaining supplies in the storehouse.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“If it’s possible, I want you to acquire more vegetables and grains to use in meals. If we don’t have the supply for it, I’ll figure something out. Just let me know.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
For the week since she brought her proposition to Rhad, Yuki ran all over the castle managing things. The promise she made with Vigo for his permission was that she would, “Manage the people of Fol Castle” and “Always be the one to administer the medicine to patients”.
From morning until night she hustled around the castle managing the soldiers and administering medicine until she collapsed on her bed in the late hours of night. The entire week had been a constant blur of rigorous work.
Over one hundred patients afflicted with the Ten Day Fever made their way to Fol Castle, turning things chaotic. The soldiers busied themselves under Yuki’s direct command and Corona’s family volunteered their assistance because they didn’t need to fear infection again.
“Looks like you’ve gotten completely used to your work and new position here,” Selena remarked from the doorway to one of the rooms Yuki busily passed on her way to administer medicine after dinner.
“Selena! Are you free right now? If you’ve got spare time, help me carry the medicine!” Yuki ordered.
“…You’ve completely gotten used to ordering people around too. You’ve made big sister Selena sad,” she whimpered with pretend tears. Ignoring her, Yuki ran on to her destination.
“Ah, Lady Yuki, it’s almost time to administer the medicine…”
“Yeah! Thanks! Did you bring the medicine? Let’s start from the corner of the room and—SELENA!”
“Coming!” Selena shouted back and ran into the patient room.
Beds were crammed in to fit eight people. A blanket was used to partition the beds from each other. Yuki approached each bed and administered the medicine the soldiers already prepared for her. She said a few words to each patient with a smile.
“Congratulations, the scabs have come off.”
“Do you hurt anywhere? Do you feel pain here?”
“Once Doctor Vigo gives the okay, you will be free to return home. Eat well and rest up, so you can return home healthy all the sooner.”
There were over ten rooms with eight people each she would visit and administer medicine at a steady pace. Once she finished her rounds, laundry and cleanup awaited her.
“Yuki, why don’t you take a break from putting things away for today? You have to be at your limit,” Selena insisted at the end of the day, concern lacing her tone.
“I’m okay! I’ve still got plenty of pep in me to keep going!” Yuki deflected, fist pumping the air before dashing off to handle more chores. Selena sighed, but Yuki had already disappeared around the hallway corner.
“She’s obviously pushing herself too much.”
✦ ✦ ✦
YUKI wiped the sweat from her brow with her arm. Large piles of dirty clothes and blankets were finally down to the last basket. People in Aridol did their laundry in places called washhouses that were equipped with a small manmade pond that looked like a kiddie pool. The water came up to Yuki’s ankles.
They did their laundry by putting their dirty clothes in the pool of water, pouring soap on top, and stomping on the dirty laundry with their bare feet to get the dirt and grime off. Surrounding the open-air washhouse was a semicircle shaped building used for drying clean laundry.
The building’s rooftop sloped toward the washhouse pools to let the rainwater run down and refresh the water supply. Using the same dirty water to wash clothes wasn’t efficient, and there weren’t any springs close to Fol, so they often waited to do laundry until the first sunny day after a great rain.
“Okay, it’s all clean now!” Yuki gave a satisfied smile to the sheets and clothes now drying on the racks inside the drying building equipped with a glass ceiling to let in sunlight. “Next, we have to let the dirty water out, clean up, and prepare dinner.” She smiled at a nearby soldier.
“Lady Yuki, we won’t be able to wash anything tomorrow if you let the water out of the pools… Is that all right with you?”
“Yes. Reusing the water works for one or two days, but it’s unclean to keep using it. Especially since we are dealing with clothing worn by the sick. It’s better to deal with the nuisance of fetching water from the springs than reuse contaminated water. This way is more hygienic.”
“If you say so,” responded the soldier with a dry smile. He clearly didn’t understand her reasoning.
“Thoroughly wash your hands with soap when you’re finished,” she instructed.
They have no comprehension of what it means to be sanitary here.
Yuki sat on the pool edge and wiped off her feet before sliding them into her sandals and shoving off to her feet. An icy chill crawled up her spine and pierced her brain in a dizzying wave sending her body lurching forward. She caught the pool edge and slowly lowered herself onto the ground.
It’s happening again.
There was a sharp buzzing in her ears. The voices of nearby soldiers echoed as they went through one ear and out the other. She felt as if her head were being held underwater. She put her head between her knees and squeezed her eyes shut. Even behind closed eyes, the world spun. Knowing it wasn’t the world that was spinning but her mind didn’t alleviate the pain and dizziness. Numbness started at the tip of her tongue and spread to her extremities.
Come on. Stop already.
She knew the symptoms would abate if she sat and waited it out. The numerous dizzy spells she encountered recently desensitized her to the severity of them. Wincing as black and white spots dotted her vision, she desperately forced her mind to think about what she needed to attend to next.
“Umm, food. Yes, food. Breakfast will be natto, miso soup, and rolled omelets… Putting sugar on eggs is heresy… But Luca loves it. Uh, he’s not here though, so um…we’re going to run out of wheat soon…I need to stretch it out by cooking it with lots of water like porridge…” she muttered, careful not to bite her numb tongue. The lack of oxygen and blood pumping to her brain led to distracted thoughts.
“Luca only eats hard oats.”
Oh no. The number one thing she didn’t want to think about somehow cut through the fog.
✦ ✦ ✦
“BY Prince Luca, you mean—”
“Didn’t I tell you? He’s the most important person in charge here. He’s the one who recaptured Fol from Maruk’s occupation. He’s Adolunde’s fourth prince and—”
“Where is Luca right now?!” Yuki shouted over Rhad. A frosty scowl met her demand.
“Heh? You one of Prince Luca’s fangirls?”
“I am not! Luca and I are—”
Rhad cut her off, “Are you going to claim you’re lovers? …You even dare to call his name without proper honorifics? You don’t know your place,” he spat, contempt icing his voice. “I’ve taken a liking to you, sweetheart, so let me clear things up for you. Getting conceited because Prince Luca bedded you for a night is called forgetting your worthless status in life. There are millions of women like you around him.”
“I told you, that’s not how—”
“Enough. Will you get out of my sight before you further displease me?” When Yuki wouldn’t leave, Rhad got off his chair and sauntered out of the room. Passing by her he whispered, “If you came here for Prince Luca and are doing all of this to see him, I will hold you to the greatest contempt you could ever imagine.”
✦ ✦ ✦
YOU’RE wrong.
The buzzing intensified.
“Wrong. You’re wrong. You’ve got it all wrong!” she shouted deliriously at the Rhad in her thoughts as she gripped the edge of the pool. A lump was stuck in her throat. Her diaphragm refused to move correctly, blocking her airway. She wanted to breathe air in and out, but her paralyzed body wouldn’t listen.
“Wrong…I didn’t mean it that way…” her lips moved, but without air the words came out as frantic gasps. Blurriness and tears filled her vision when she forced her eyes open. Amid her rapidly graying vision, all she could see was Rhad looking at her with the utmost contempt. And then she lost consciousness.