I'm Going To Vomit

"Arina, Arina!" Olivia called excitedly as soon as she saw Arina's figure. Completely unaware of her somewhat gloomy expression, she just kept continuing rambled on. "Where have you been, mm? Lily said she saw you alone with Prince Alex?" She asked teasingly.

"...I'm a bit tired. I'm gonna go home." Arina replied indifferently.

"What? Why?" Olivia said as she hurriedly held Arina's arm. "The party has just started--Ah, and Mr. Hendrick was also looking for you, you know."

"My father?" Arina repeated while following Olivia's gaze to the other side of the garden. And there his father was seen busy chatting with the ministers.

Seeing that, Arina already had a guess that her father might want to introduce her to his new acquaintances or maybe even ask her to help with their work. Maybe he doesn't look like it, but Arina's father is the type who likes to show off his daughter everywhere.

But not now, because Arina doesn't even feel like-- "Oh, Arina!" But unfortunately his father had already seen her and was now waving at her.

"Shit." Arina grumbled--which shocked Olivia a little, realising that her friend's mood was actually so bad that she ended up cursing at her own father.

But in the end, Arina was still forced to walk towards her father while using her remaining strength to smile.

"Oh, Arina! I haven't seen you in a long time." Greeted one of the old men happily. It was Mr. Rafael, the kingdom's economic minister. With greying hair, the man seemed to be fatter than Arina remembered.

"Ah, Mr. Rafael. How are you?" Arina replied kindly.

"Not good, you know. Because you rarely go to the palace, my subordinates are starting to run out of ideas again!"

"Ahaha, I'm sure that's not true." Arina replied.

"Yes, Arina." Said another man. That is Mr. Marcel, Minister of Education and Culture. "After you said to add additional equipment to the city library, the number of visitors has also increased since last month, you know. Even researchers from other kingdoms have come all the way there just to use it." He added. "You should visit the library again!"

"Ahaha, maybe next time."

"..." Already tired and annoyed, Arina secretly glanced sharply at her father. As if saying 'quickly give me a good reason not to leave here' or something.

So his father hurriedly grabbed a man who had been standing behind his back. "Ah, right, Arina. You have to meet Ergin too." He said. "He is a merchant who recently joined the kingdom's trade guild."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ergin." The man said as he stretched out his hand. Unlike the old men there, this man looked much younger. Maybe the same age as Prince Felix. And even though his appearance wasn't as neat as the nobles', he still looked like a fairly dignified person.

"…" Well, of course Arina knew his face.

"Mr. Hendrick and the ministers have told me a lot about you. I am truly honoured to meet a lady as intelligent as you." He said again.

"…"

Seeing that Arina was silent, Mr. Hendrick spoke again. "Ergin also often sells antiques, you know. So if you want, you can probably do business with him too."

"...Father." Arina said quietly. "I'm going to vomit, so I'm leaving first."

And Arina immediately ran away to find another quiet corridor. But instead of the magical turmoil that she felt, this time Arina felt more nauseous and disgusted.

Because that man was supposed to die last night.

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"Hh... Hmh..." Having difficulty catching her breath and feeling dizzy, Arina could only squat limply in the corner of a dark corridor.

'What's going on?' She kept asking the same question. That man should have died last night. Not only did she cut his hand, Arina remembers stabbing him in the heart and slashing his stomach, so why… Why is he still alive? And happily chatting with her father like that?!

But as if she was having difficulty thinking clearly, an obvious answer appeared a little late. "That girl… Did she heal him?" She muttered.

Of course! She's a priestess. And not just a priestess, she is the incarnation of the high priest. Even though it might sound impossible, that girl must also have healing magic that's powerful enough that it can connect severed body parts and resurrect...

'Resurrect? Can she really do that...?' Another question appeared in Arina's head again. Because that possibility was a little overboard. Maybe he wasn't dead at that time?

Well, whatever it was and however it's done, there was no mistaking that it was definitely the high priestess's doing.

Rather than that, Arina has to praise herself because she didn't let the man see her face too last night. Because otherwise, she would have been in big trouble by now.

The lesson: Next time she should just wear a mask

Starting to calm herself down, Arina finally got up and left. She planned to go straight home, but on the other hand she still wanted to ensure her sanity one last time. So she went back to peeking into the garden again.

And unfortunately, she's still sane. The man appeared to be treading on the ground and everyone could see him. He's not a ghost.

"Ah, Miss Arina." Another voice suddenly appeared again. Arina almost said 'damn it, leave me alone' or something. But it turned out to be Effiria, so she held back again. "What are you doing here? Mrs. Anastasia has been looking for you."

"..." Not having the energy to smile, let alone reply, Arina just stared at the priestess blankly.

So Effiria, who realized it became a little worried. "A-Are you okay? You look a little pale." She said.

Arina was still silent at first. But whether because she was annoyed or something, she just chatted. "Hey, do you know that guy?" Arina asked casually, pointing at Ergin.

This time it was Effiria who turned silent, so Arina added, "That one. A man wearing a blue suit and slightly curly hair."

"...I-I'm not sure. I don't know many people here." She finally replied. "But what do you ask?"

Bingo. As Arina expected, it seemed like the two of them were trying to hide it--whatever relationship they had.

"Nothing. It's just that he's been talking continuously to my father--the man with glasses next to him." Arina explained. "I felt like I had seen him a few years ago when I went to another kingdom, so I was a bit surprised to see him here."

"I-Is that so…"

"…" Arina hoped Effiria would say something else. But unfortunately she already looked so nervous. So before she really ran away to avoid her, Arina decided to give up first. She already got some clue, and she's tired anyway.

"Well, I'm just saying." Arina said with a little snort. "And I'm actually going home. So please tell my mother if she asks."

But as she was just to turn around, Arina stared back at Effiria again.

"And… I doubt you don't know this, but you better not tell people that you like making medicine yourself." Arina suddenly said. "My mother is not a priestess, but you are, right? They're not gonna treat you the same."

"..."

"Anyway, we'll meet again some time." Arina said while finally walking away. "...Whether we like it or not." She added to herself.