Vitalis Pills

Morning sunlight peeked through the window curtains as Seven lay sprawled on the cold floor, unconscious.

But as if last night's event didn't happen, the walls, the floor, the bed, and even Seven himself were back to their normal appearance. 

There were no traces of blood, if only excluding the bucket of cloudy mop water beside the door. 

Iria just finished cleaning it.

'Young Lord…'

Her gaze landed on Seven on the floor, snoring defenselessly. Despite the chaos that filled his room just hours ago, he now looked… peaceful.

In fact, his complexion looked healthier than before. It was as if his body underwent a transformation overnight.

Iria glanced at the mop water again, bubbling. 

But as she did, Seven groaned.

"Argghhhh!!"

No, Seven screamed as he pushed himself up. 

His hands immediately scanned his face, trembling, searching, or trying to wipe something away. 

Blood.

Pain.

The suffocating red.

Seven gasped for air and gripped the edge of the bed frame. His gaze darted around the room, in panic, before landing at Iria.

"I-Iria?! Wh—What happened?"

Iria raised a brow and leaned on her mop.

"You tell me, Young Lord. What happened?"

He didn't respond, and just stared at her with uneven breathing. In a rush, he walked to the mirror. 

'Was it a dream—'

Looking down at himself, he recalled what happened after he took the Vitalis Pill. 

"No blood?"

"None, thanks to me."

"What do you—"

His words caught in throat as his gaze shifted past Iria, landing on the bucket near the door. 

The water inside was a deep red.

"Is that...?"

Iria followed his gaze and smirked, tapping the mop handle lightly against the floor. 

"The aftermath of your little performance last night, Young Lord."

Seven's breath slowed as the memory of blood, so much blood, flashed in his mind. 

He clenched his fists.

"It wasn't a dream…" 

"Not at all. If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd think you were some kind of horror tale come to life."

Seven's fingers twitched, and his gaze darted to the bucket again. The blood might have been cleaned up, but the sight of what happened lingered.

"What… exactly did you see?" 

Iria smiled and tilted her head.

"Enough to know that whatever you're taking, Young Lord, it was a high-grade medicine."

She turned around and picked up the bucket.

'My healing magic couldn't do that…'

Recalling her memory, Iria couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Of course, just like any personal maid, Iria panicked the moment she entered Seven's room and saw him sprawled out on the floor.

She didn't waste any time to place the herbal tea on the desk and rushed towards Seven and knelt down.

Without hesitation, she channeled a healing spell. Her hands glowed faintly with a green light and placed them over Seven's chest.

Crackle.

But the spell dissipated the moment it touched him.

She tried again, and got the same response.

Again.

And again.

She even poured more energy into her magic, but the result was the same.

Seven's body rejected the spell, despite the blood staining his clothes and the floor around him.

For a brief moment, Iria feared he might already be dead. But when she leaned closer, she could hear his breathing. 

Sigh.

Relief flooded through her, but it didn't erase her confusion. Only after a moment of thought that she came to a realization.

A medicine to purge toxins.

It was the only explanation she could think of. 

Iria frowned, glancing around the room. Blood was everywhere—on the floor, the walls, even faint streaks on the bed. 

The scene seemed like a straight out form of a nightmare.

Unable to heal him and unwilling to leave him in such a state, Iria stood and fetched cleaning supplies. 

Step.

She returned with a damp cloth, a basin of water, and fresh clothes, determined to set things right.

'This is the least I could do…'

Now, as Iria was about to leave the room, she glanced back.

"Young Lord, the Archduke is asking for your presence."

"Me? The ceremony's not—"

"It's about Lady Eden's departure. I heard she's going on a mission in the North."

He stared at the system window that, for the second time, appeared before him.

[Act 1: The Coronation of the Sovereign has begun.]

"So it's finally starting huh?"

"Pardon? Young Lord, what—"

"Nothing. When does it start?"

"Right now. You should get ready."

"I will."

Iria left the room.

The ceremony for Eden's departure, or more like her fate. To be accepted, or to be banished. And since the Archduke stated that he, alone, cannot make a decision, he summoned all his children to make a decision. 

It is also his chance to test their decision-making as the future leaders of the household. 

Yet, in such an important event like this, where a single vote could potentially decide Eden's fate, Seven was still in his room staring at his own reflection.

"I do look healthier than last night…"

Seven's complexion, though still pale, but it somehow improved. His eyes were no longer sunken, and he could feel that his body really had improved.

He tilted his neck, he smiled, recalling the first battle he experienced in this world—the one with the fourth reader. 

"Now I can dodge daggers a lot faster."

Leaning in closely to see his reflection, he no longer looked malnourished overall. Instead, his body now looked like a natural slender, not the dying one. 

Seizing the moment, Seven stretched his back, balanced himself with one leg, and threw punches in the air. His movements felt as natural as it ever could. 

"Fudge dodging, I can now fight."

Step.

Seven changed his clothes into something presentable. Neat. The kind of clothes that would make him recognizable as a new brand of Seven Hart. 

It was now his reality, and the ceremony was the moment to present it.

He took a step towards the desk, where the daily herbal tea was placed above. Cold. It would taste bitter if he were to drink it now.

But it's not like he was planning to drink it anyway.

Pulling the drawer open, he took two vitalis pills out from the jar and pushed the drawer back. 

Gulp.

Of course, Seven took the first one without hesitation. 

Then, he smiled. 

"Let's test it out."

And for the second one, he put it inside the herbal tea. If the pill could remove toxins, and so it could remove poison. 

Boil.

In just a second after it was placed, the herbal tea boiled and kept on pouring out from the cup. It continued for minutes, until the cup shattered completely.

'Fudge. I knew it'd be like this after tasting that bitter tea.'

Seven laughed sarcastically. 

In the end, the very tea Iria brought him as a medicine, turned out to be the only reason for his pathetic body.

'I'll deal with you later.'

He turned around and walked towards the door.

For now, the ceremony comes first.