“Cough, cough…”
When Su Ling opened her eyes, everything was pitch black.
There was no sunlight here all year round—only extinguished lights and cold stone walls. It was in this darkness that she woke up.
A new day had begun, but the underground room felt even heavier than usual, as if even the air was filled with dampness and chill. Su Ling struggled to wake from sleep, her throat so dry it felt scorched by flames, each breath bringing a stabbing pain.
She reached out and touched the cold bedsheet—just like last night, it had no warmth.
She coughed a few more times, the sound echoing in the empty room, jarringly harsh.
She thought, This must be a cold—and a bad one at that. She remembered coming back from the study last night and having trouble sleeping. She stayed up late and didn’t keep herself warm. As a result, the sudden onset of illness caught her completely off guard this morning.
Sigh, ever since becoming this small and frail, I’ve been getting sick all the time.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from the door. Tii’s voice filtered through the crack with a hint of concern: “Little Su Ling, are you awake?”
Oh no, I’m going to be late again today…
Su Ling struggled to sit up. Her head was spinning, but she still tried to make her voice sound normal: “I’m fine, Tii.”
“Your voice sounds weird. What’s wrong?”
“I… cough, cough, cough!”
Her throat felt like it was being pierced by a thousand needles. Every swallow was like torture. She couldn’t stop coughing, the noise reverberating in the empty room, even more grating now.
Feels like catching COVID…
“Are you okay?” Tii pushed the door open and entered, frowning as soon as she saw Su Ling’s pale face and sluggish demeanor. “Little Su Ling, are you sick? You look awful.”
Su Ling gave a bitter smile, her voice hoarse: “I… I caught a cold. My throat hurts badly, and I have no energy.”
Tii stepped over and sat beside her, placing a hand on Su Ling’s forehead—it was burning hot. Her heart sank. The illness was serious.
“You’ve got a fever. Did you catch a chill last night?” Tii asked with concern.
Su Ling nodded, a bit helpless: “I didn’t sleep well last night. Stayed up too late. Didn’t expect to feel like this today…”
Tii sighed and gently patted her shoulder: “You’ve been working too hard lately. But right now, what matters most is rest. Lie down and get some sleep. I’ll go find you some medicine.”
As she stood to leave, Su Ling grabbed her hand: “Tii, don’t go. I’m fine. I don’t need rest. There’s still a lot of work to do today.”
Tii stopped, moved by the determination in Su Ling’s eyes.
“Little Su Ling, listen to me,” Tii held her hand firmly and said, “Your health is most important. I can help with some of your tasks. You should really rest here.”
“No… I can’t.”
Tii sighed again. She understood Su Ling’s condition really did call for rest, but also knew that Su Ling hated troubling others. If she kept insisting, it’d be pointless.
“Alright, I know I can’t convince you. Come to the kitchen first—I’ll get you a cup of hot water.”
Su Ling nodded. She slowly got up from bed. Despite the dizziness and pain, she followed Tii step by step toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was already bustling. The servants’ breakfast hour was nearly over, and a new day of work at the castle was about to begin.
“Good morn— cough cough cough!”
As Su Ling entered the kitchen, another cough burst from her throat. She covered her mouth, trying to suppress it, but the illness had taken too firm a hold—she couldn’t control her body anymore.
At that moment, Head Maid Karsanna walked briskly into the kitchen. Seeing Su Ling coughing, she frowned sharply: “Su Ling, what’s wrong with you? You look like you’re about to keel over.”
Su Ling looked up, trying to sound steady: “I… I caught a cold. And a bit of a fever. My throat’s not feeling great.”
Karsanna’s frown deepened: “A cold? Seriously, Su Ling? You’re so weak—don’t hold up everyone’s work!”
As soon as she said that, Cook Amane shot her a glare: “Karsanna, what’s wrong with you? Su Ling’s already miserable from being sick, and you say something like that?”
“I—I’m just worried about everyone’s workflow. I’m the head maid after all!”
“Alright, alright, just get back to your own work.”
Karsanna huffed and turned away, still dissatisfied, but didn’t say anything else as she returned to her tasks.
Watching Karsanna’s retreating back, Su Ling felt a little disheartened. She knew Karsanna was just like that—her words were sharp, and she often came off harsh.
“Ugh… why so noisy this early…”
Just then, Phil came over yawning, brushing the soft fur on her cat ears. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Su Ling’s frail appearance and hurried to her side.
“Su Ling, are you sick?”
“I’m fine, Phil. I won’t fall behind in my work.” Su Ling forced a smile.
Phil’s eyes widened: “Hah? What are you saying? You’re sick and still showing up for work? Don’t underestimate me! I can do your tasks—just let me handle it!”
Su Ling was amused by Phil’s words, but seeing how serious she looked, she quickly held back her laughter.
“Thank you, Phil,” Su Ling said. “But I still want to finish my tasks myself. It’s not that I doubt you.”
“Hey—”
“Alright, Phil,” Tii said as she walked over carrying a cup of hot water. “That’s just how Little Su Ling is. Her fever doesn’t seem too bad. Let her be. Su Ling, drink this quickly. But if you start feeling worse, don’t push yourself, okay?”
“Don’t worry.” Su Ling took the cup and drank it in big gulps. The warm liquid eased her throat, and even her dizziness seemed to lessen slightly.