Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Diagnose

So, he announced aloud;

"Well, as fate would have it, I\'m actually the resident doctor for the Russells. I would like to do a basic check up routine on Lady Selina."

A hesitant look flashed in the manager\'s eyes;

"That is a nice thought sir. But if you know her, then you would know just how much of a private person she is. I highly doubt she would appreciate you springing this on her."

To everyone\'s surprise, Crystal cut in;

"Look here mister manager, this is no rookie, this is the Russell family\'s doctor. I saw the look in your eyes when he said he was a doctor. You\'ve heard about the miraculous recovery of Lady Russell haven\'t you? You seem like a smart dude, so I know you\'ve done the math already. . ."

The manager continued to gawk at her in surprise;

". . .that\'s right," she continued; "this man right here is the person responsible for that. . .so, trust me, you would be doing your boss a huge favor by letting him check on her. . .after all, you could always say; \'the Russells insisted\'. . .isn\'t that right?"

Nexus\' eyebrows curved in surprise.

Her boldness had taken everyone by storm.

"Let the doctor do his job," she landed; "Allow him check up on her."

For a moment, the commanding tone of her voice reigned throughout the open white, soulless void. The manager danced on his feet, occasionally shifting his weight between both soles, undoubtedly considering the logic which the strange girl had put forward.

Eventually, he exhaled deeply;

"Well, Lady Russell is her bestfriend. So, I guess I can\'t turn down a direct request."

He bent low- under the counter.

There was the faint sound of a drawer being pulled out, then, the rustling of papers, and then the clanging of a bunch of keys.

"Please stay put for a moment while I prepare to lock up. I won\'t be long."

Nexus and Crystal nodded in assent. Together, they watched him scamper off towards the back room with a bunch of papers in his hand. Some minutes later, after dismissing all the other staff and closing up the windows, he emerged with a flat expression on his face;

"Shall we?"

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On horseback, the journey to Selina\'s home took all but five minutes.

Her home was no castle, but the three story manor was impressive enough. Located in the heart of the city, surrounded by intimidating walls, and dotted with impressive gardens, the building rose up from the ground, and vaunted towards the sky like a mini shopping complex.

As their horses trotted in, Nexus and Crystal kept their eyes trained on the rose bushes, the blooming flowering trees, and the well tended landscape. The arch of the sun rested in the eastern sky, filtering it rays through the estate, and bathing everything in warm-fruity colors.

"Yeah, I know, it gets me every time too." the manager admitted; "Lady Selina does not play around when it come to her plants."



They dismounted at the entrance.

With the manager in the lead, they walked up the pavement, and knocked twice.

The housekeeper- an elderly woman in a beige colored dress answered the door and let them in with a professional conduct. The manager whispered something in her ear. She nodded in response, and instead of leading in, she guided them towards the backyard.

A fine canopy rested against the back part of the house- overlooking the fine colors of the well tended gardens. And under the stretch of canopy, reclining on a hammock-like bed, was none other than the silver haired woman.

She was still. So still.

The slow wind gently rocked her suspended bed- flapping her white curly hair in the process.

The group of four- led by the housekeeper, stepped into the patio. Quietly, with their steps grinding along the wooden floorboards, they all waltzed towards the sleeping woman- collectively holding their breaths as if afraid to startle her.

Third in line, just behind the manager, Nexus\' tall frame caught sight of her face, and was once again reminded of just how much of a beauty Selina was.

There was just a cold fierceness to her- and even sick, she still somehow managed to retain that aura. Across her face, under the semi-translucent white canopy, strips of her white curly hair razzled sleepily. She was dressed in a woolen white dress with long sleeves.

And on her sleeping body, right on her busty chest was a collapsed book- split right down the middle.

The housekeeper cleared her throat, and announced in a soft but firm voice;

"Lady Selina, your guests from work have arrived."

Weakly, and with a great amount of effort, the woman\'s eyelids slowly curled upwards- revealing a set of grey-misty eyes. Her long lashes fluttered as both her eyeballs darted back and forth-scanning the group.

"Manager," she whispered in her nasal-affected voice; "What\'s the meaning of this? Who are these people?"

Assuming a diplomatic expression, he placed his palm on his chest and stepped forward- separating himself from the group;

"Forgive the intrusion Lady Selina," he went straight to blaming Nexus; "This young man came looking for you at the office. He claimed he was sent from the Russell family. . .seeing how close you are to Lady Russell, I took it upon myself to bring him here to you myself. . ."

Nexus rolled his eyes in his head.

\'Bloody arse kisser. . .\' he scowled inwardly.

Meanwhile, at the mention of the Russell name, Selina\'s face relaxed a bit. She tore her reprimanding eyes away from the manager and bore right into Nexus.

He quickly bowed a little;

"My lady, I\'m terribly sorry to hear about your sickness. My name is Nexus. I am the doctor sent to you from Lady Russell."

She squinted her eyes;

"Are you though?"

"Ma\'am?"

"You said you were sorry. How can you be? You\'re a doctor. Sicknesses are simply business opportunities. Without them, you\'d be out of work."

Crystal blinked.

The manager smiled.

And Nexus\' eyebrows furrowed together. Yes. This was the Selina he remembered. Witty, sharp, and chillingly sarcastic.

"Oh no need to be so glum," she chirped as she heaved herself upwards to a sitting position;

"I\'m not being judgy. How can I? I\'m also in the same business of profiting from the scourge that is sickness and disease. So, what\'s your deal?"

Nexus understood.

Selina was simply doing what she knew did best. She was treating this like a boardroom meeting. She was actively trying to take control- not minding the fact that she was currently incapacitated.

But Nexus wasn\'t fooled.

She was hiding it well- but it was obvious she was in great agony. With every breath she took, Nexus could see the slight wincing pain at the edge of her eyes. He traced the shortness of breath, and linked the source of her pain to her abdomen.

He also noted the fact that she was angled backwards- trying to keep herself on her back, like she was trying to keep the pressure off her lower abdomen.

Within a few seconds, without touching her, Nexus was able to successfully diagonize her.

The woman had overdosed on the Icecore Elixir. He felt his heart tighten in his chest, and the back of his mouth suddenly became dry. Pangs of regret rippled through him in a frantic frenzy.

"Doctor?"

Nexus blinked his eyes. Selina was staring at him. Everyone was staring at him. He shrugged his shoulders, and lifted his eyebrows inquisitively;

"I beg your pardon?"

"You blanked out there for a minute. I said what\'s your deal?"

Nexus\' lower lip fidgeted, as he slowly lifted his gaze from her body- meeting her eyes;

"My deal?" he repeated; "I\'m a doctor ma\'am, and I\'m pretty good at what I do."

"Really?" she chuckled sarcastically; "Well then, if you\'re that good, care to tell me what you think the situation is here?"

Nexus\' mouth opened, but he shut it almost immediately. He was indeed in a bit of a tight spot.

This was the first time Selina was meeting him. So, he couldn\'t very well divulge information about Icecore elixir that wasn\'t even popular yet. So, he had to pivot;

"From what I can see," he took a step further; "You appear to have started using some kind of qi booster recently. . ."

Surprised, the lady\'s jaw tightened in a grimace.

". . .you appear to be a formidable mage. And yet, your qi aura looks like it\'s been muddied. Perhaps as a result of the steady intake of this qi booster. If I\'m correct, the pain is coming from your lower abdomen. . ."

She tensed as he stretched his hand and pointed at her stomach;

". . .that might possibly be a direct result of the impact this potion is having on your physical stomach. . ."

His eyes expertly roved across her body, moving from her stomach all the way up and down;

"I\'m betting your system is exhausted from having to constantly regenerate cells that you burn up whenever you exert too much energy. Hence the weakness. . ."

He cocked his head to the side and asked her softly; "You\'re weak? Aren\'t you?"

All eyes left Nexus, and quietly settled on the lady- quietly waiting for a confirmation of Nexus\' expert diagnosis.

On the bed, seated half-upright, and chest barely moving, Selina\'s face had gone pale white. The young doctor had practically stripped her naked with his words. She stared at him through her grey misty eyes- struggling to mask her pain, while trying to appear tough.

Finally, she looked over at the house keeper and rasped;

"You can leave. But make sure you stay close by in case I need you."