"Whoosh~~"
The sound of the ship cutting through the waves echoed, splashing water in all directions.
Inside the main cabin of the ship, the atmosphere was suffocating, as the most prestigious of the noblewomen, Catherine, one of the five legendary women of the capital, was ill.
"Ha… ha…"
Catherine lay on the bed, her face pale, her breathing heavy, and a look of pain contorted her face. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and even her breathing seemed to radiate her suffering.
"Catherine, please don't be like this, hang on just a little longer. We'll be in Sedona City soon, and there are very skilled witch doctors there. You must hold on." Dahlia said, holding Catherine's slender hand tightly, speaking softly in an attempt to comfort her.
The heavy snowstorm from the day before had caused Catherine to catch a cold. The first one or two days were mild, just dizziness and weak speech, thinking she would recover with a rest.
But to their surprise, Catherine's condition worsened today. She fainted and fell into a deep sleep, and it was only when Dahlia came to find her this morning that she realized how serious it had become.
Dahlia was a bit at a loss. This was the first time she encountered such a situation. In the past, similar illnesses would usually improve with just resting in bed under the covers for a day or two, at most taking some strange medicinal concoction made by the witch doctors.
But now, Catherine's pained expression was truly worrying. If something went wrong... it could really lead to a disaster.
"Knock knock knock..."
The cabin door was knocked, followed by a voice, "Miss Dahlia, you should let the ship's witch doctor take a look at Miss Catherine's condition."
"No need, she was examined yesterday, and it's even worse now. I will wait until we reach Sedona City to see a doctor." Dahlia firmly refused.
"Miss Dahlia, how could there be capable witch doctors in a small, remote place like Sedona City?" An elderly voice spoke, with a hint of anger.
Dahlia recognized the voice; it belonged to an old witch doctor traveling with them, who was apparently sent by the Fourth Prince. Yesterday, she had given Catherine a strange black medicinal concoction, and Catherine's condition had worsened since then.
Therefore, Dahlia didn't want to let the old witch doctor examine Catherine again. She would rather take a chance in Sedona City because she couldn't trust the old woman.
After waiting for a while without receiving a response from Dahlia, the old witch doctor persisted, "Miss Dahlia, we can't afford to delay any longer. If anything happens to Miss Catherine, we will all be held accountable."
Dahlia bit her lip, gazing at Catherine's pained face. She knew the old witch doctor was right. If something happened to Catherine, the daughter of a duke, everyone would be held responsible.
As the leader of this ship, along with her father and the entire merchant family, they would surely face the wrath of the Duke.
Catherine is the jewel of the Grand Duke's family, and also his pride. She is deeply favored, and the Grand Duke once declared that anyone who wishes to marry his daughter Catherine must first pass his test; otherwise, all talks are off.
Many people admire Catherine, the musical prodigy. If the men in the capital were divided into ten parts, at least three parts would be captivated by her, just slightly less than Princess Lucy.
Bang bang bang…
When there was no response, the knocking became louder, which made Dahlia's face darken. She stood up, opened the door, and glared angrily at the few people standing outside with her cyan eyes.
"Are you trying to make Catherine's illness worse? Making noise at a time like this?"
Dahlia pointed at an old woman, sharply rebuking her, "What are you doing with that knife and wooden bowl? Are you trying to perform bloodletting?"
"Yes! Bloodletting can release the demons that have invaded the body, which will reduce Miss Catherine's pain," The old woman said arrogantly, lifting her chin. "This is my final treatment method. I've saved many people with it. Out of ten people, two are saved. Otherwise, all ten would have died."
"Don't even think about it."
Dahlia slammed the door shut again, and her voice came through, "If you keep making noise, I'll have you thrown off my ship."
The people outside exchanged glances, standing there for a while before leaving with dark expressions. They prayed that nothing would happen to Catherine, or else some of the lesser noble families would undoubtedly be taken by the Grand Duke to be buried with her.
Tap, tap, tap…
Dahlia leaned against the door, listening to the footsteps fade away, before letting out a sigh of relief. This bloodletting treatment, in her opinion, was nothing but nonsense.
She had read about various cases of illnesses and compared them with examples from common folk, discovering that nine out of ten people treated with bloodletting ended up dead. Among those, seventy percent could have survived, but were killed by the repeated bloodletting.
"Catherine, don't worry. I will never let anyone bleed you." Dahlia stared blankly at Catherine, feeling guilty that her friend, who had traveled with her, had fallen ill.
"Just a little longer, just a little longer. We're almost to Sedona City." Dahlia moved to the window and peered through a small crack, looking outside.
She urgently needed a pillar of support, like her father, Joe. Dahlia was now feeling a little helpless. She couldn't help but think about the worst-case scenarios. What if there were no good healers in Sedona City? What if the local healers used bloodletting techniques too?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy and heavy her mood became. Smart people tend to think too much. Dahlia was exactly like that—she would already come up with all sorts of scenarios even before something happened.
"Huh?" Dahlia was startled, looking out in the distance. About three hundred people were carrying large logs, running slowly while chanting something like "one, two, one," but they were far enough away that she couldn't hear it clearly.
"What are they doing? In the middle of winter, three hundred people carrying wood? Are they building houses?" Dahlia speculated.
"...."
On the shore, Aiden, riding a horse, frowned as he looked at the dozen or so large ships on the Whispering River. "Why are so many ships coming to Sedona City in the middle of winter?"
"Hey, take the soldiers back and make sure they're prepared. If there's any unusual movement, you must immediately guard Sedona City. The young master's safety comes first."
Aiden said to James, "I'll take a few men to check it out."
Today, they were out here with the new recruits to practice physical strength and also do some cold-resistance training.
"Understood!" James took command.
"Yah!" Aiden led several veteran soldiers toward the alley. He hoped that the group approaching wasn't up to any ill intentions.
Regardless of whether they were friends or foes, some precautions were necessary. Even if the newcomers were people they knew, caution was always wise.
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