Raffaella

Raffaella was pushed back into her own house. She had never talked with the intruder before, but was being treated like an acquaintance. This green-headed girl was more difficult to understand than an unidentified wild grass.

"Oh, Arnacia, it must be fate that we meet here today." Naomi said with a smile.

"What are you talking about? You were clearly looking for her." Raffaella pulled her hands that were finger locked with Naomi a moment ago. She squinted her eyes and looked at the two girls.

"The doctor will be here any moment now." Naomi ignored Raffaella and sat on the bench beside Arnacia.

"Stupid people don't get sick, go away." Raffaella stood in front of Naomi.

"She is just the doctor's daughter. Her job is to bring tea. Don't mind her." Naomi said to Arnacia with much confidence. She was totally not looking at Raffaella.

It instantly made Raffaella want to squash Naomi's smugness like a herb. She looked at the other girl in the room. This person was pretty quiet and didn't respond. She concluded Naomi was trying to reconcile with her friend.

"Hey you, what's your name?" Raffaella pointed at the orange-eyed girl.

"Arnacia."

"Her name is Arnacia." Naomi also said at the same time.

"Listen Arnacia. I will tell you a secret." Raffaella solemnly said. She looked at Naomi, who was finally looking back. "You might not know this and it's fine if you do, but your friend here…" She smiled leisurely.

Naomi's eyes suddenly widened. She remembered an embarrassing-to-recall-incident from when she was 14 years old. It was a crazy year, and she only wanted to remember the last half of it.

"You, what do you want?" Naomi's smile was all gone.

"I just want to tell Arnacia here that you came here four years ago and…" Raffaella paused again. She looked at Naomi in satisfaction and nodded. Their positions had reversed. Now she was the one with a smug face, whereas Naomi looked solemn.

The things happening right now were too fast for Arnacia's mood. She wished the doctor would arrive as soon as possible. Naomi was sitting quietly now and Raffaella returned to her chair.

Arnacia did not wish to strike a conversation with Naomi because she knew she would end up disappointing the poor girl. She had an inkling that Naomi was cheerful again because a doctor could potentially cure memory loss. But that wasn't going to happen, was it?

While the girls waited for the doctor, a hidden battle was secretly underway. Naomi and Raffaella were staring into each other's eyes. Both of them had unwavering expressions. None of them was willing to give up. The situation was weirdly awkward for Arnacia, so she decided to put a lid on the steam.

"I wonder if the doctor has any apprentice."

"He does-"

"He doesn't take any apprentices." Raffaella said. She and Naomi tactically looked away from each other at the same time and blinked in relief. "The family knowledge stays in the family. It has been so for many generations now, we have quite a history."

"Yes, and she is the daughter of the doctor." Naomi added, to prove herself right. "So the doctor does have an apprentice, and it is her."

Arnacia was a little disappointed after hearing it. She was hoping to learn medicine, but it seems like it wasn't happening. This situation was within her expectations, so she had to find another path in life.

"I think it is going to be ten years since the doctor moved away from the village." Naomi said. "He gets everything delivered to him. Money and knowledge rule the world, but I am guessing the errand boy has no taste in clothes."

"The village bumpkins don't have any fashion." Raffaella mocked back. She made fun of the fact that both Naomi and Arnacia were wearing sleeveless shirts.

"It's better than clothing of jungle animals…''

Just as Naomi finished the line, a middle-aged man walked inside the house. He had a head full of hair but half of them had turned to gray. His back was bent a little, maybe because of the straw bag he had on his back. He had similar leather boots to Raffaella and wore a deep blue shirt.

"Raffaella, I told you to pull up the stairs." Duran, the doctor, said. "How can I help you with?" He put down the straw bag and looked at the two girls on the bench.

"I am here on the behalf of Lylia Niro." Arnacia got up. "She gave you ten gold coins a few days ago."

"Indeed, I remember the girl. She said her friend got badly injured in a fight I know but I cannot accompany you to the village." Duran shook his head. "You can take back the gold and must know that I do not treat people for money."

"Is there any way you could make this an exception?" Arnacia insisted.

"Bring the patient here if you truly care about them." Duran's tone changed a little. He picked up the straw bag and left the room.

Arnacia was left speechless by this reply. What type of doctor has such high demands? Weren't good doctors supposed to go anywhere at a moment's notice to treat their patients? Of course, most of the doctors wanted money back in Earth but she had better expectation from this world.

"Leave it, Arnacia. He didn't listen to anyone for 10 years and he is not going to listen now." Naomi said.

"Okay then, I will bring Archie here." Arnacia looked at Raffaella and walked towards the exit.

"Pull the stairs up after we are gone." Naomi took out a little of her tongue to tease Raffaella and followed Arnacia out. "See you later." She closed the door after her.

"Dad, I am going out for a while." Raffaella called out. She wasn't satisfied with how things turned out.

"You still haven't perfectly learned the name of all herbs." Duran hastened back to the room. He looked at the closed door, then at his daughter. "Friends have no value. You will understand when you grow up. Now go to your room and study."

Raffaella wasn't looking at her father, instead she was staring at the door.