Eleanora redirected her attention back to her younger sister. "I wasn't informed that you would receive any treatment today," she added.
"I felt weak this morning, so I decided to call for him. I knew you were occupied with the matters concerning the Sleeping Fox Runaway City and the Vylkr Veil Phenomenon, so I didn't want to disturb you," Bellesha responded, her shoulders slumping tiredly.
Upon hearing her younger sister's response, Eleanora playfully pinched the side of her own cheeks. "It seems that you are slowly regaining yourself now that you're getting better," she joked before asking, "Have you finished with your treatment then?"
"Yes, I'm done. Elder Lorian was about to pack up his equipment but felt tired and decided to rest and recover his strength. As for my health, I feel much healthier and stronger than before. I've even broken through to the ninth level of the Innate Sage realm," Bellesha responded happily.
Eleanora was initially satisfied with Bellesha's response, but after hearing her complete sentence, her expression was shocked. She immediately grabbed Bellesha's wrist and scanned her strength. Sensing the immense life energy within her, her expression became astounded.
For the past ten years, her sister had been afflicted by a sickness that caused chronic weakness and drained her of life energy, leaving her lethargic and unable to tap into her racial abilities.
If not for her authority as the Queen of Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City, providing her with enough life energy to sustain herself, she could have already died. However, just a few days ago, their persistence paid off when a trader who had been dealing in the city for a long time suddenly showed up, claiming he could cure her sister.
Her suspicions were immediately aroused; after all, the condition was well known to all the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City inhabitants, so she couldn't help but wonder why he had abruptly appeared.
Only after an investigation did she discover that his identity was legitimate. She considered him honest after showing them his ability to heal one of the palace servants with a different illness and then heal her sister. Thus, since her sister's sickness required time to recover fully, she granted him a place in her palace.
However, witnessing her sister's rapid growth from the fourth to the ninth level of the Sage rank, she could not determine how such a thing was possible.
'Was this truly his doing?' Eleanora narrowed her eyes at the man. Despite realizing that this sudden increase in strength was related to him, she couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more to his identity than she knew.
"Is there anything else, Sister?" Bellesha smiled, her expression filled with curiosity.
"Why don't we take a walk so you can discuss with me in detail how you are currently feeling?" Eleanora suggested, clearing her throat to emphasize her point.
Bellesha frowned in response. "Do I have to? I prefer to stay indoors until I feel better," she replied, slightly shaking her head.
Eleanor's frown deepened. "Why does it feel like you are becoming even more stubborn than before—" she started to say, but a voice resonating from within the room interrupted her sentence.
"Princess Bellesha, your health will improve even more if you go outside," Elder Lorian said, glancing at them with a gentle yet confident demeanour.
"Are you sure about that?" Bellesha asked, her expression shifting into a thoughtful frown as if she were wrestling with an internal decision.
Elder Lorian nodded with assurance.
"Okay, if you say so," Bellesha replied, exhaling tiredly. "Let's go then," she added, looking back at her sister.
"Let's go," Eleanora responded, suppressing a disdainful frown. After all, she had initially tried to engage with the man, but he had pretended not to hear her voice.
Nonetheless, her anger immediately dissipated. She didn't want anything to ruin her time with Bellesha, especially when she was still bothered by the Vylkr veil phenomenon, the Divine Artefact, and Patriarch Rylan's whereabouts, along with others who had followed him.
She led the way forward as Bellesha stepped forward and closed the door behind her.
Along the way, Eleanora ordered the guards to remain stationed outside her junior sister's room, much to Bellesha's disagreement. After all, there was no way that she could allow a stranger to stay in her sister's room for as long as he liked.
Within Princess Ballasha's room
Sensing the guards stationed at the door, likely there to monitor his actions, he stood up from his seating position and walked toward the wide-opened windows that offered a beautiful view of the palace and the buildings surrounding it. In the distance, other city sections were partially hidden from view due to the window's angle.
Nonetheless, his eyes weren't fixed on this seemingly mundane cityscape. Instead, they were focused far beyond, towards the Vylkr veil phenomenon, precisely above the clouds where he had suffered grave injuries from a battle with Vylkr spawn and an unknown divine being.
Had he known he would encounter such an unfortunate fate, he would have remained oblivious and curbed his curiosity. However, hindsight offered no comfort, and now he had to endure life in this forsaken Grade One Runaway City until he fully recovered and could leave.
The only thing weighing on his mind was the possibility of the vengeful god tracing him to this place, seeking retribution for daring to intrude into his domain. In the meantime, he kept a low profile, disguising himself and taking advantage of the Queen's younger sister's illness to secure a slightly more comfortable stay while manipulating her for information regarding the gods' chosens' exploration of the Vylkr veil phenomenon.
However, despite the battles and turmoil he sensed within the Vylkr veil phenomenon, he tried to maintain optimism about any potential good news from the dispatched gods' chosens, though deep down, he knew the odds were against them.
A sudden rush of fear coursed through him as those thoughts resurfaced. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm himself, dispersing the fear that had momentarily gripped him.