NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43: Infuriate
Emberline was already quite stressed, but she often forgot that she worked for Eva. She had yet to see Eva’s true form and had not been given the full workload, as she was new. However, recently, Eva had started assigning tasks that Emberline didn’t even know were possible.
“If your patient starts eating excessively, you should make them vomit,” Eva had once instructed her.
Or worse: “Administer this pill, and if the patient needs to relieve themselves, ensure it’s done in a bucket. We’ll need the stool for tapeworm examination.”
Emberline was not keen on performing these duties, but the instructions were straightforward enough. With her stomach twisting in protest, she had obeyed. Her human instincts—to recoil, to refuse—were left at the door. She performed her duties mechanically, watching over patients as they emptied their bodies, suppressing her own nausea with sheer force of will.
She would do as she was told, carefully observing someone empty their stomach into a bucket in hopes of finding a tapeworm, only to realize that her own efforts to suppress her nausea were futile.
Do all people from this family simply exist to infuriate everyone? she wondered to herself.
Perhaps this added to why she had been so put off by everything. Her work brought her little joy, but maybe it was just her. As she looked around, no one else seemed to share her misery.
Emberline knew she could only endure so much. She was better equipped to care for patients who were less dependent on her—or so she told herself. Maybe she was simply bad at nursing people back to health. She was more inclined to believe the latter but thought it might still serve as a valid case to present.
On her way to request Eva for a reassignment, she was lost in thought, unable to focus on anything other than Nicholas Vials as of late. She was so distracted that she failed to watch where she was going. When she finally looked up, sensing a presence, it was too late.
She crashed into Professor Charles Orson, who had been juggling a pile of books, nearly dropping everything.
“I—oh goodness, Ms. Sterne! My sincerest apologies! I didn’t see you there,” he said, clearly flustered.
"Ms. Sterne." It sounded so odd coming from the professor, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
“My god, Professor, I’m so sorry,” she said, bending to pick up the books on his behalf. “You’re carrying enough books to start your own library. Do you plan to take over the hospital wing?” she added, attempting to lighten the mood. A soft grin made its way onto her lips. She had been so stressed she’d forgotten how nervous she usually felt around others.
“That’s the plan,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Bad at keeping secrets, Professor?” she teased.
“It’s, uh, research. I’m preparing for a lecture series on the social revolutions of the 18th century. The books are—well, they’re vital.” His earnestness was almost endearing, though Emberline wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“That’s quite interesting,” she said with a smile, returning the final book. They both stood, facing each other, before Emberline brushed past him with a gentle bow.
Charles, however, didn’t want the conversation to end. His curiosity was apparent. “Was it you I bumped into the other day?”
She hesitated. “I don’t recall—what day?”
“Ah, must’ve been someone else.”
“Easily done. I’ve mistaken people myself when I’m half-asleep,” she replied, eager to move on.
“Was it Nicholas Vials following you that day?”
The name struck her like a physical blow. Emberline froze, her mind scrambling to construct an answer that would satisfy without revealing her unease.
“I don’t recall,” she said finally, her voice tight, the words both true and false.
“Then it must’ve been someone else,” Charles mused, though his tone betrayed his doubt.
“Do you know Nicholas Vials?” she asked, forcing her voice into something resembling casual curiosity.
“Who doesn’t? Everyone knows him, especially after that stunt he pulled.”
“What stunt?”
Charles smirked faintly. “I’m surprised you don’t know. Aren’t you ladies always gossiping?”
Emberline’s lips pressed into a thin line. The comment stung, but she refused to take the bait.
“Professor, I assure you, I haven’t heard a word about it.”
“You haven’t?” He seemed genuinely taken aback, his demeanor softening slightly. “Well, he escaped institute grounds despite the principal’s explicit orders to stay confined. If he shows his face again, he’ll likely be expelled.”
“Why was he confined in the first place?” Emberline asked, her voice quiet but insistent.
Charles hesitated, then sighed. “He broke into my house.”
Emberline blinked. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know he was capable of such a thing.”
The professor’s expression shifted, a mixture of frustration and resignation. “He’s capable of far worse. He’s only held back because it doesn’t serve him yet.”
“It seems he’s invaded more than just your house,” Emberline said, her tone sharper than she intended.
Charles regarded her for a moment, then nodded. “It’ll be the last time. Next time, he’ll have something to compensate for.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Emberline rooted in place, her thoughts a tangle of unease and questions she dared not voice.