NOVPUBRasmus stayed quiet while Anastasha tried to dissect Daryus's personality and character. He didn't bother to stop her because it was none of his business, and it wouldn't affect him in any way.
"Sima isn't someone you can ask to come when you tell him to, Doctor. Do you know how many wagons filled with gold he had rejected because he didn't want to treat an Emperor?" Anastasha asked as she crossed her arms and unfolded her folded fan, covering her lower face.
Everyone in East Neva knew about that story, and how Sima rejected a patient who almost broke a war between nations. There was a saying that if Sima flicked his hand, a storm would happen somewhere in East Neva. That showed how influential he was in East Neva and how much everyone treasured him for his amazing skills that could cure anything.
Daryus knew that Anastasha was trying to understand him through questions. It was nothing like how Rasmus did to him the first time. Anastasha used questions to find out someone's mind, while Rasmus challenged someone's view to see how their minds work.
"Now, tell me, Doctor..." Anastasha paused as she folded her fan. "What makes you think that he would answer my request? What kind of message should I write to him so he will agree to help?" She asked as she swirled the fan between her fingers and kept staring into Daryus's eyes.
Daryus was about to open his mouth when and answered it with the identity of the patient, which was Astrea. However, he knew it would be too shallow and wouldn't be enough to convince the Divine Physician. He thought for a moment to find the perfect answer, and not once did he look at Rasmus.
"I want him to test his knowledge and ability against God's will," Daryus answered as he stared into Anastasha's eyes. "Her Holiness is ill and has lost her divine power to save thousands of lives. Her body is slowly weakening and worsening. She has to pay the price, and now God is taking her away as the price. If he can't heal her and decline the request, then he should get rid of his title," he continued with a serious expression.
"Let's see which side the people would take, the Divine Physician or the Saint of Neva," Daryus added as he clenched his fists.
Anastasha unfolded the fan and hid the lower half of her face as she glanced at Rasmus. At that moment, she knew that Daryus was naive and how simple-minded he was. Rasmus didn't say or react at all, sitting there in silence and listening with a stoic expression.
"First of all, Doctor. Sima doesn't care about his title at all, and your provocation only increases the chance of him ignoring your request," Anastasha stared coldly at Daryus and kept hiding the lower half of her face. "Second of all, it doesn't matter which side the people will take. What matters is who can heal them, Doctor. If you starve, would you go to where the food is or not?" She asked.
At that moment, Daryus was speechless, not knowing what to say. He thought he had thought it through, but it appeared that his answer was as shallow as the answer he didn't want to give.
"Oh? You're lost for words already, Doctor? I was hoping for you to challenge my view," Anastasha said as she folded her fan and leaned back, making herself comfortable. "Is your will to help Her Holiness as bad as this?" She asked as she tilted her head.
Daryus gritted his teeth and wanted to hit the armrests of his chair out of frustration. However, he didn't know to whom he should be frustrated, himself or Anastasha. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, realizing it was pointless to think about it at that moment.
"Your Highness..." Daryus said in a quiet voice. "I know I'm naive, I know I'm weak, and I know I'm powerless. But don't ever question my will to help others..." he gripped the armrests tightly as he stared into Anastasha's eyes.
"Then why don't you go down to your knees and beg, Doctor?" Anastasha raised her brows as she stared back into Daryus's eyes. "If you believe your life is worth less than those you want to help, go down and bow down to me," she continued, her expression turned cold.
Daryus slowly got up and went down to his knees without a sign of hesitation. He slowly lowered his head until his head touched the floor toward Anastasha. He didn't say a word because his action was more than enough.
Anastasha stared down at Daryus, and then she glanced at Rasmus to check his reaction. However, she didn't get any from him, not even a disgusted or disappointment look in his eyes. She thought he would feel offended because Daryus was one of his people, but it turned out she was wrong. She should have known that Rasmus wasn't like those leaders she had encountered before.
"What do you think, Count? Seeing him bowing down like this," Anastasha asked as she pointed her fan at Daryus on the floor.
"It looks like to me that he has shown his resolve. You can play with his emotions all you want, Princess. But you'll gain nothing from it unless you're bored," Rasmus answered calmly.
Anastasha chuckled as she unfolded her fan, once again covering her lower face. She turned her head and looked down at Daryus, still with his face on the floor, not moving or saying a word.
"You can get up, Doctor," Anastasha said.
Daryus didn't lift his head from the floor, he kept his head down, unmoved. It made Anastasha curious until she noticed that he wouldn't get up unless she kept her words from earlier.
"I'll write him a letter, and you don't have to worry if he will accept my request or not. I'll make sure he will come to help Her Holiness," Anastasha said as she kept staring down at Daryus. "Although you're willing to get rid of your pride and act selflessly, at least you need to have some dignity. What's the point of humility when you're worth nothing?" She asked.
Daryus slowly lifted his head and got back up on his feet. He then lowered his head to show gratitude toward Anastasha for helping him. Anastasha gave a simple nod as a response, and it surprised him because he never thought she wasn't truly cruel or heartless. That simple gesture was good enough for him to see the depth in her personality.
Daryus sat down and glanced at Rasmus, who stared at him with a stoic expression. He then remembered what Rasmus said to him earlier, that Rasmus was the one who set the stage, and it was he who decided what kind of performance he would do on the stage. He realized that he had just performed on the stage that Rasmus had set for him.
Daryus felt assured and grateful because Rasmus kept true to his words, not using words as deception and manipulation. He had heard a lot of things about Rasmus from Carrion and Erlina, and what stood out was when they said Rasmus wasn't the type to lie, never belittle others, and acknowledged those who tried.
Those things made Daryus feel seen and appreciated, even though the one who did was someone as dangerous as Rasmus. There was no judgment in Rasmus's eyes, only recognition, and that made him believe what he did was the right thing to do.
"Is there anything else you would like to request from me, Doctor?" Anastasha asked as she put down her folding fan on the table. "If there's none, I would like to have my peaceful time back," she smiled at Daryus.
Daryus looked at Rasmus once again and then back at Anastasha.
"No, Your Highness, that's all I wanted to ask," Daryus shook his head as he lowered his head.
Rasmus slowly got up from his seat, realizing it was finally over and he could go back to the garden to discuss some matters with Serena. Seeing him stand up, Daryus also stood up and bowed his head at Anastasha once again.
"Count? You're leaving as well? I don't mind having you around," Anastasha raised her brows as she looked at Rasmus.
"I'll come back when I have something to discuss, Princess," Rasmus bowed his head, then walked toward the door with Daryus following him from behind.
Anastasha only smiled and then continued to enjoy her alone time as she read the documents on the table. She glanced at them for one last time before they left the dining hall. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
On their way back to the garden, Daryus suddenly stopped walking and stared at Rasmus. Rasmus glanced at him from over his shoulder and decided to stop as well as he turned around to look at him.
"Count, thank you..." Daryus said with a serious expression. "That's all I can do at this moment, a simple word, but I mean it," he continued.
"If I cared so much about validation and attention, I would be out there spouting nonsense, Doctor. No need to thank me for anything, it serves me nothing," Rasmus said with a straight expression. "Now you should go back to Lady Astrea's side and tell her the good news," he continued as he turned around and continued his walk to the garden.
"But we don't know if Princess Asghar really can bring Sima to help Her Holiness?" Daryus furrowed his brows.
"Well, if she couldn't do what she promised, that means we both know that we shouldn't depend on anything from her anymore. However, I don't believe she would risk her credibility, so trust her words," Rasmus answered as he kept walking away.
Daryus watched Rasmus leave, and then nodded his head before he head back to Astrea's chamber to deliver the good news.
