Rosalind looked at the man wearing a hat sitting opposite her.
Pratt.
Mr. Rey Pratt was one of the four Quarter Masters that will soon dominate all the continent's merchant companies. The man might not look like it with his black hat and shabby clothing but his mind was different when it comes to business.
"Though I am interested to know how are you going to treat someone who had a black curse since they were born, I am more interested to know where you got the information about my child."
Rosalind pursed her lips. Despite his appearance, Pratt was not only cruel but also very sharp.
She had a few encounters with him in the past and that would always end with her in a tight position. It wasn't something that she wanted to have.
"Is that more important than your daughter's welfare?" Rosalind asked. "The means justify the ends Mr. Pratt. Though the means are worth discussing, I do not have the time nor the luxury to do that. I only came here for two things. First, I am going to heal your child; the pain that she feels every night will eventually vanish. Second, I want two things from you."
"You dare make demands?" Mr. Pratt narrowed at her.
"I haven't even made demands yet, Mr. Pratt." Rosalind smiled. "I am just telling you that I am going to make one after I finish the first session with your daughter."
In her past life, she discovered his daughter's sickness when Queen Dorothy asked her to get close to the businessman. At this point, his daughter was already on her deathbed. It was too late for her to save her.
Mr. Pratt leaned back. His tall frame made it look like he was looking down on her. Understandable, she thought inwardly.
"You do understand that if you are tricking me "
"The consequences will be dire. I understand," she smiled.
"Good. Follow me."
Rosalind followed him up the stairs and even more stairs until they arrived at the topmost floor of the Merchant's building. Before she could even walk inside the door, she already heard a child's laughter.
"Papa!"
A sweet little voice welcomed Mr. Pratt.
"Papa" the young child looked like she was about six or seven. She had black, braided hair and bright brown eyes. "Why are you here? I thought you were going to work?"
"Alma darling" Mr. Pratt hugged his daughter and carried her into his arms. His cold exterior melted as he smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead. This interaction sent some warmth inside Rosalind's chest. A pang of jealousy suddenly filled her consciousness.
In both of her lives, she never had experienced a kiss on the forehead or her father's hug.
At one point, she had wondered how her father's arms would feel. Would it be warm? It's funny how in her past life, her father died without giving her the opportunity to feel the warmth of his hug.
Rosalind shook the memories away as she looked around the rather large room. Toys and pieces of jewelry were scattered all over the floor. There was also a pink bed with a pink mattress and some other expensive things that one would usually see in a rich nobleman's daughter's room.
She spotted a woman standing not far away from them.
"Lucilla " Mr. Pratt called out.
"Who is she?" the woman asked.
"She she has something that could make Alma feel better."
The woman frowned but just nodded in response.
"Alma sweety, why don't you go to your bed for now."
"But "
Mr. Pratt looked at Rosalind. "Are you ready?"
Rosalind nodded in response.
"Once you fail "
"I know what I am doing, Mr. Pratt." This time, Rosalind smiled at the older man. She looked at Alma. "She's a sweet girl."
"She is," Lucilla answered, tears immediately welling in her eyes. "I I'm sorry I just "
Mr. Pratt pulled his wife into his arms.
"Many people claimed that they can heal my daughter," Mr. Pratt said. "All of them ended up dead."
Rosalind pursed her lips and gave the couple a tightlipped smile. Then she approached Alma, who was playing with a doll on her bed.
"Hey"
"Hey," Alma answered without looking at her. "Are you here to try to make me feel better?"
"Yes."
"Can you really do it?" This time, the child met her eyes.
"Yes."
"The others said they could do it too."
Rosalind only smiled as she held the child's hand.
"The pain didn't disappear," the child said. "They were all lying."
"You don't have to worry about them anymore," Rosalind said. "I will be helping you this time." She used both of her hands to hold Alma's left hand. "Sleep for now. When you wake up. I promise you will feel better."
Finished speaking, the child's body suddenly fell limply into the bed.
"What what did you do!?" Mr. Pratt said, panicked."You "
"Calm down. This won't take a minute. I will start the treatment now. Once finished, she will wake up feeling better."
Without waiting for them to react, she placed her palm on the child's heart, then she closed her eyes. Almost immediately, she felt a wave of black elements rushing inside her body as itabsorbed the black curse in the child.
Everyone who had received a Blessing only had one way to make themselves more powerful, and that was by exposing themselves to the very element that they have. For instance, the one who was blessed with the water element leaves near the sea, on a small island where he or she could cultivate the Blessing inside her body.
As someone who received the light, Rosalind can cultivate the light every time she exposed herself to the sun. But the only way for her to cultivate her dark element is to use this method. She needed to absorb the black curse from their bodies.
In the past, Dorothy took advantage of this. Rosalind never told her this was a part of her black Blessing and everyone just thought that the Lux Family was given a Blessing that could now heal the black curse that started to plague the city.
Dorothy 'healed' a lot of people, making everyone label her as a saint.
The Saint of Light.
What an annoying name, she thought inwardly as the black curse rush inside her body like a tsunami. Not long after, she forcefully stop the connection, as she already took enough for her body to handle. Taking too much could make her sick and she wouldn't want to suddenly fall ill now that her plan had just started.
She opened her eyes and met Mr. Pratt's worried look.
Then she looked at the child.
Almost immediately, Alma opened her eyes.
"Papa?" she frowned, confusion apparent in her eyes. "I think I think I just had the best sleep of my life."