Tale Spinster

EP 8: LADY MIRALA

How Mirala looked at me threw me off a bit. And I was not sure why.

I held my fingers firmly on Mirala's wrist and kept track of the pulse using the ticking small clock on the bedside table to keep track of time. 

This world can be described as modern, but there were some magical objects that my world didn't have, like the shining crystals in replace of light bulbs that I saw in the dungeon or the Rolexia elixir or that every country in this world was a monarch–let's call them modern kingdoms. My world certainly didn't have magic and paranormal creatures. But other than that, things were pretty much the same as in my world.

There were cars, skyscrapers, phones–wait, where is my phone, then?–but also invisibility cloaks and swords. There were businessmen and salespeople but also werewolves, faes, and dragons.

Honestly, when I first read the book, I couldn't make sense of the world-building because the author only ever focused on Kieran enslaving Diana and how Diana "changes him for the better with her love." The story seemed to be set in medieval times at first because the first scene started in a dungeon. But then there were cars, zippers, and various items that only a modern household can have.

So, I was not surprised to see a modern-looking clock next to Lady Mirala's bed.

"Eighteen," I mumble, "It's normal."

"How do you know the normal pulse rate?" Van Dich asked. I saw his face, and he looked genuinely curious. But I was annoyed nonetheless.

"Normal human pulse rate is sixty to a hundred beats per minute. After making sure the beat is regular, I counted eighteen in fifteen seconds, so Mirala's pulse is seventy-two beats per minute, which is normal."

Both Van Dich and Margeritha stared at me with blank faces, astounded by my knowledge. It both irritated and amused me. Liam, however, was watching me with so much intensity.

"Her respiration rate is twelve breaths per minute and seems to focus on chest breathing compared to diaphragm breathing." Respiratory rate should be measured when the patient is lying flat on a surface, but I thought Mirala was leaning on the bedframe quite low so it should not make any significant difference.

Besides, I wanted to surprise Van Dich and Margeritha even further. My mission that day was to make those two see me in a different light.

"Can you tell me your complaints to the healer, Lady Mirala?" I asked.

Mirala chuckled. She didn't seem as surprised as Van Dich and Margeritha were when I suddenly showcased how knowledgeable I am. In fact, she seemed proud... which I thought was so weird, so I dismissed that thought. I kept telling myself this woman couldn't be proud of Diana... or me...

"Lately, I have been having extreme fatigue, healer." Doctors in this realm are called 'healers' because they usually combine medicine and magic. I have studied the former. The latter? Hmm... I was clueless about. But magic seems to be limited even in this world because if magic is so great, why do people still develop drugs here? In fact, healers in the book usually work together with alchemists and herbalists to create the perfect drug.

Damn it. I felt like I knew so much about the book than I thought I did. Which means... I had spent too much time reading that damn book I hated than studying for my exam.

"My muscles feel weak, and there are days like today that I just cannot get out of bed." She gave me a small smile. "But don't worry, I'm sure things will get better."

I didn't quite understand why Mirala felt the need to assure me of her well-being. I thought Mirala and Diana were not close.

Actually, I didn't recall reading about Mirala in the book after Kieran enslaved Diana. I only read about her as the background story of Diana.