The Cards

"Allow me, Madam. And I would request you not to touch this child before he gains consciousness and states his reason for entering the premises. Till then, his presence and existence are suspicious," the cook took the child in her arms and started moving towards the servant's quarters.

"Why the servant's quarter? We can take him to the guest room," Arella politely suggested. The child was very small, around 7 or 8 years old. He looked white, round, and cute. Though his presence was questionable his appearance was quite pleasing.

"Madam, Sir is very possessive. He has forbidden me to allow any foreign smell to linger around you." The cook kept walking towards the quarters with Arella trailing by her side.

"Okay. Moreover, I do not know how to take care of babies. It is better for you to look after him." Arella blushed a little at the response and tried to divert her attention with another reason.

"Should we call a healer?" Arella thought that the child was too young and had depleted his spiritual energy. It would be better to seek a healer.

"Yes, Madam, the gardener is a healer. He can take care of the child." The cook politely responded.

Internally, the cook felt a little satisfied with Arella. Originally, she didn't like Arella. She was dull and always lost in her thoughts. But now, spending some time with her, the cook realized that she had a kind heart and was a good person. 

They took the child to the gardener. He looked at the child and then started checking his breath, nerves, core, and vibrations.

"He is just exhausted. With a good rest, he should be up and running like any normal child." The gardener shared his expert opinion.

Arella thanked Beast God for being kind to the child. Then, the cook took her back to the house.

The servants' quarters were clean and huge. Nothing like the shabby rooms back at her natal house. The child would be warm and safe in the healer's company. 

Without any concerns for the child's safety and health, she went back to her house and asked the cook to take milk and other edibles for the child. The cook complied. 

Arella went back to the guest room to clean up the piles of gifts, and the cook went back to the servants' quarters. The noon passed like that. Soon, it was time to have dinner.

She ate her dinner and asked after the child. The cook informed her that the child was recovering fast but was still fast asleep. 

After having her dinner, she checked the highlights on the Beastnet. Then, she checked her messages. A few of her classmates had congratulated her on finding such a 'catch'. She knew that they were being sarcastic, but it didn't matter. She really had found a gem! 

She contacted her spiritual herb gathering team and asked for their next assignment. It was time to get back to work. Her next assignment was scheduled in three days. Hmm, she had plenty of time before that. 

She missed Adrian, but there was nothing she could do. He was out of the planet. Contacting him was nearly impossible. She could only wait for his return. 

Thinking of him, she fell asleep.

The next morning when she woke up, it was still bright. But the man busily working out in the grassland was missing. Unconsciously, Adrian had become her last thought before going to bed and the first thought after waking up. 

She smiled at the acknowledgment and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Once she came down, she found that the dining table was being set up for breakfast. She went to the kitchen and helped the cook to set the table. 

This time, the cook initiated the conversation. It came as a surprise to Arella. The solemn face of the elderly cook was now beaming with a motherly glow. She chattered on about the child. How light he was, how fragile and delicate he looked. Easy to take care of and alike.

He once woke up in the night, ate his meal, and then went back to sleep. He was a sleepy head, which was quite acceptable because he was sick. 

Arella didn't interrupt the jabber of the excited lady. Eating alone was a bit boring, so listening to the cook had lightened her mood. Moreover, she hadn't seen her relaxing and indulging in talks before. Maybe this was her way of opening up? Arella liked it.

When she was done with her breakfast, she informed the cook to once again take the milk and other nutritious supplements to the child. 

She also thought of visiting the child, but listening to the fact that he was still unconscious, she abandoned the thought. The child was still sleeping and her arrival at the servants' quarters might make the servants feel uncomfortable. It was better to visit him once he woke up. 

Settling the matters, she made her way back to the guest room. All the piles of gifts were cleaned by now. The paintings were stacked on one side, the jewels were boxed together and the decorations were properly kept. 

Now she wanted to order some new curtains, bed sheets, and a few carpets. There were no carpets in this house! Adrian was an ice dragon, so he never felt cold. But Arella was just a weakling. She had to protect herself from the cruelty of changing weather.

She selected the items that looked good on the Beastnet. Then she started checking the amount in her cards. First, she checked Adrian's salary card. When the page loaded, the zeroes in the figure confounded her!

One, two, three…It was 1 million Beast coins! For a moment, Arella thought that the site was duping her! A million Beast coins! Let alone decorations for her house, with such an amount, she could buy an entire house!

Fanning herself, she calmed her raging core! It was too much! She logged out of the site and then, carefully kept the precious, loaded salary card aside.

Let's not touch it for a while. It's too heavy. It's better to check the other card. Arella thought and then started checking the amount on the other card.

Within a second the figure loaded. But she couldn't believe her eyes! What is wrong? Has the site crashed?

Because in front of her was…10 million Beast coins! She re-checked the amount and the name on the card. It read Arella Scott. It really belonged to her! She haphazardly closed the Beastnet. 

Her breathing heightened. It was too much! She safely tucked both the cards aside with quivering hands. Arella earned 10 Beast coins a day. So, a staggering amount of 10 million was enough to send her into a coma!

She once again checked that the cards were kept safe. Then, she abandoned the idea of buying anything at all! The amount was too much! She should wait for Adrian. She wasn't sure if he knew about the stupefying amount the cards had in them! How could he hand over so much money to anybody?

She calmed herself down, took deep breaths, and then, gave one last look at the cards. Yes, they were safely secured. She heaved a sigh and left the room.

But when she descended the stairs, her breath got hitched once again!

On the central table, lazing around, was a black cat!