Anna bristled.
Oh. That's why none of the soldiers moved to help.
"And?" Anna asked.
"He has been managing it, but now he has advanced to stage two. Stage two is often called….one foot in the grave."
The world tilted and Anna grasped the sheets hard.
One foot in the grave.
She didn't want to think about the implications of that statement. But it was all she could think about.
"Can he be cured?" She asked, her breath held in anticipation.
"It would have been better to start years ago." The doctor replied bitterly. "It's not impossible. But it's best for him not to have reached the second stage at all."
"How many stages of corruption exist?"
"Three, your highness."
It didn't take a super brain to understand what stage three meant.
Tears sprang to Anna's eyes. "And how long does General Leon have till stage three?"
The doctor looked up from his bow and met his eyes. "Given his conditions and the regular expeditions he takes into the Ruins, he has six months till stage three. Stage three is…irreversible, your highness. If that happens, the kingdom will lose the finest General we've had in centuries."
Anna made a strangled sound. One that startled both the doctor and Kai. "I need to go to the trial!"
"Your Highness! You can't do that! If you move too much you'll reopen your stitches!"
Anna ignored the doctor and turned to Kai. "Can you help me get there?"
Kai grinned. "As you wish, cutie~"
Kai jumped out of the bed, an ecstatic smile on his face. Ignoring the protests of the doctor, he scooped Anna up in a princess carry.
Anna squealed, surprised. She looked up at him with worry for himself, even though she experienced discomfort herself.
"You don't need to carry me," she whispered.
"You can't walk."
"It's my shoulders that are injured, not my legs."
"Same thing."
Anna flushed. "I'm quite heavy…" and you don't look very strong. Her heart snagged again. She could feel his body, how frail it felt, the bones jutting out of his skin. Did Princess Orchid starve him? If so, why is he so nice to me now?
Panic flared in her gut for a second. Does he know I'm not the real Orchid?!
Kai laughed. "You're not heavy at all, cutie. Why? You think my arms would snap in half?"
Anna pursed her lips, the color of her cheeks darkening.
"You're not even a little bit heavy. I'm a shark. We're strong. You should know this well, cutie."
Oh. Damn. I need to get this woman's memories fast! But first, Leon!
"Let's go," she said firmly.
The doctor watched them leave, caught between calling for help and letting things play out. But a question tugged at his mind.
He'd heard the rumors throughout the palace that the Princess hit her head and since then has been acting strange. He found them ridiculous. Now he believed them. Normally, if anyone raised their voice against her, they would lose their tongue immediately.
But then again, the doctor knew how manipulative the Princess was, and how she played people to get what she wanted.
So he didn't think too much about it and went back to work.
Anna's head throbbed as Kai carried her out of the clinic. All she truly wanted to do was chug down three cups of black coffee and lay in bed all day, maybe with her favorite novel and some salty snacks.
But that was a time ago.
She suddenly felt sad and nostalgic for her old life. Back then she hated every day . She hated her work, she hated dragging herself out of bed and facing her predatory manager and terrible coworkers. She hated her aunt and their family.
But now, she misses that simple life. At least then she didn't have to plot villainess schemes or tango with death twice in less than 48 hours.
Her original life was far from rosy. But she would still prefer it to this.
"We're here," Kai called, his voice interrupting her thoughts.
She blinked and looked up. In front of them was a massive set of double doors, laid with gold and carved with intricate battle scenes. Two Ox beastmen guarded the door.
Kai set her down on her feet, watching her closely as she wobbled.
"This is as far as I take you, cutie," he said, stepping back reluctantly. "I don't like that big kitty, but I guess you do."
Anna didn't like Leon in that sense. She just felt bad for all the shit Princess Orchid did to him.
Still, she nodded. "Thank you, Kai. You're very kind."
"I'm not kind." He said, and wouldn't elaborate further.
Anna nodded. She turned to the doors, inhaling deeply and clenching her fists. Her ears twitched with nervousness. Her vision swayed slightly, and she felt a sticky warmth under the bandages wrapped around her shoulders.
She turned to the guards and nodded.
Just as the doors started to open, a ding sounded in her head.
[New task hostie~ defend your husband Leon and save him from death. However you must do so in a manipulative and cunning way that proves you have no good intentions for him!]
[Reward: 50,000 villain points! Penalty: minus 150,000 villain points! Good luck, hostie~]
That System! It hates me.
Anna turned over the task in her head. The massive penalty. The not so massive reward.
Save Leon from death but do it in an evil way.
She had the feeling she was about to fail before she had even begun.