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    Elric immediately supported Andrian’s body the moment the elevator doors closed. He spoke rapidly through the earpiece in his ear, giving instructions firmly but with evident concern.

    “Prepare the emergency treatment room immediately! Mr. Andrian’s condition is worsening.”

    Still semi–conscious, Andrian tried to lift his weak hand toward Aliana. His voice was faint, barely audible, but full of

    resolve.

    “Go, Aliana. You don’t need to be here,” Andrian whispered, his gaze slightly unfocused.

    Aliana said nothing. She simply stood still, her eyes watching Andrian’s pale face with an unreadable expression. The silence was tense and suffocating. Elric, noticing the heavy atmosphere, nced at Aliana, but she remained silent.

    The elevator stopped at a floor different from the one where Bianca was being treated. As the doors opened, several doctors and nurses were already standing by with a stretcher. They moved quickly and efficiently, immediately taking over

    from Elric.

    Andrian wasid onto the stretcher, his face growing paler. Elena, who had been standing behind Aliana, looked on in disbelief, stunned by the sudden deterioration in Andrian’s condition. It was shocking, as the man had seemed fine and capable of walking just moments before.

    Before Aliana could step out of the elevator, Elric blocked her path, bowing respectfully but firmly.

    “Please return home, Miss. Kindly honor Mr. Andrian’s request. We’ll take care of everything here,” Elric said, polite but

    resolute.

    Offended by Elric’s words, Elena opened her mouth to protest. But before she could speak, Aliana responded first.

    “I understand,” Aliana said shortly, offering no resistance.

    Her calm reply stunned Elena. She couldn’t believe Aliana wasn’t even slightly offended after being dismissed so bluntly.

    Elric pressed a button in the elevator, directing it toward the hospital’s basement. As the door’s slowly closed, Aliana’s eyes locked onto a young female doctor standing beside Andrian’s stretcher. The doctor looked at Aliana with a puzzled

    expression, as if she recognized her.

    As the elevator descended one floor, Aliana abruptly pressed the emergency stop button. She turned to Elena with a firm

    gaze.

    “Wait for me in the basement. Don’t go anywhere until I return,” Aliana said shortly.

    Startled and confused, Elena opened her mouth to question her, but Aliana had already stepped out as soon as the elevator doors partially opened.

    “Miss-”

    Aliana ignored Elena’s call, striding quickly down a quieter corridor. Elena let out a heavy sigh and pressed the button again to continue to the basement, her mind swirling with unanswered questions.

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    Cautiously, Aliana navigated the hallway and headed straight for the emergency stairwell to return to the floor where Andrian was being treated. She nced around briefly, ensuring the area was clear.

    By chance, her eyesnded on a long hallway ahead. The tightly guarded doors told her that this was the floor where Bianca was being treated.

    Not wanting to risk being spotted by the guards, she slipped into the stairwell unnoticed.

    Carefully, she ascended the stairs, her movements swift yet silent. Aliana’s mind raced with medical analyses based on Andrian’s appearance moments earlier. She knew something critical was happening. As a trained doctor, she could easily recognize the signs of someone in urgent need of a blood transfusion–just like Andrian.

    Extremely pale skin, weakness leading to imbnce, cold sweats, and bluish lips.

    As she climbed, Aliana’s thoughts worked to deduce what illness Andrian might be suffering from. She recalled seeing him. look weak two weeks ago, though he had masked it with his usual cold demeanor. Back then, she hadn’t paid much attention to the signs, but now it was clear that Andrian had been dealing with a serious condition for quite some time.

    Her mind ran through possible diagnoses–from acute anemia, autoimmune diseases causing hemolysis, to disorders rted to bone marrow dysfunction. Though she couldn’t be certain yet, she was increasingly convinced that this was something severe and chronic–not mere fatigue.

    Once she reached the upper floor, Aliana discreetly opened the stairwell door slightly to check the hallway. Her eyes immediately caught two guards standing alert in front of Andrian’s treatment room, their expressions tense and vignt.

    Aliana furrowed her brows, realizing that entering the room would be very difficult. She began to think of alternatives, but before she coulde up with a solid n, the door to Andrian’s room suddenly opened.

    The same young female doctor Aliana,had seen earlier exited hastily, holding a medical tablet and speaking softly through an earpiece. Her face looked both worried and focused, deeply absorbed in her own thoughts.

    Seeing the woman, Aliana made a decision in a split second. As the doctor walked right in front of the emergency stairwell door, Aliana swiftly opened it wider and, without hesitation, grabbed the female doctor’s arm, pulling her in quickly.

    The doctor gasped in surprise. She reflexively tried to scream, but Aliana swiftly covered her mouth, dragging her deeper behind the stairwell door until they werepletely hidden.

    “Mmmph!” the female idoctor /istruggled slightly, her breath rapid with panic.

    “Calm down! I’m not going to hurt youi,/ii” /iAliana whispered firmly into the doctor’s ear. “I’ll take my hand off your mouth, but promise me you won’t scream.”

    The doctor stared at Aliana, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. But after a few seconds, her expression shifted–from panic to uncertainty, then slight recognition. She observed Aliana’s face carefully, then nodded.

    “Aliana…?” the doctor whispered as bAliana /blowered her hand.

    Aliana merely looked at her nkly. She wasn’t surprised the woman recognized her.

    “Are iyou /iAliana Corvo, the butcher’s daughter from Ravenska?”

    21:03 bFri/bb, /b29 Aug

    Aliana gave a small nod. In Ravenska, she was indeed known as Aliana Corvo, daughter of a butcher.

    “You still remember me?” Aliana asked, her tone t.

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    “Oh my God! So I wasn’t wrong earlier,” the doctor gasped, her eyes widening as her guess was confirmed. “Of course, I remember you. You were my junior in medical school. We weren’t close, but I clearly remember your face. You… you’ve changed a lot. Especially now that you’re Mr. Velor’s wife. At first, I wasn’t sure, but now I know it’s definitely you.”

    Aliana didn’t deny it. Her gaze only grew sharper as she studied the doctor. They had indeed attended the same university and faculty.

    The woman’s name was Giselle, a senior known for her intelligence, quiet demeanor, and respected skills. Aliana and

    Giselle had never been friends or even talked privately, but there was one specific incident in the past that made them

    aware of each other’s name and face.

    “I need your help,” Aliana said bluntly, ignoring Giselle’s remarks about her status. “I want to iknow /iAndrian’s condition.”

    “What?!” Giselte gasped, her face instantly paling.

    “Tell me quickly–what’s Andrian’s condition? Don’t lie, not even a little.”

    Giselle hesitated, her eyes still locked on Aliana, who remained calm even while threatening her.

    “I can’t just tell anyone,” Giselle refused, despite knowing Aliana was Andrian’s wife. “Mr. Velor’s condition is highly

    confidential.”

    “Consider this paying off your debt,” Aliana said coldly. “I haven’t forgotten… you owe me.”

    Giselle’s eyes flickered. Her mind was thrown back to the darkest night of her life–a night she could never forget.

    [shback: Medical Faculty, Four Years Ago]

    The dim light in the medicalb cast eerie shadows in the corners of the room. Giselle stood trembling, frozen beside the body of a professor lying in a pool of blood. A sharp pen was still tightly clutched in her hand, smeared with fresh blood.

    She screamed, sobs breaking out in her panic. At that very moment, theb door slowly creaked open.

    Giselle turned quickly, shocked to see Aliana standing at the threshold with a calm expression, showing no surprise at the scene before her. Aliana stepped in, her eyes cool and steady.

    “He–he tried to rape mei,/ii” /iGiselle stammered hysterically, her knees buckling. “I didn’t have a choice! I swear-”

    Aliana raised her hand slowly, signaling Giselle to calm down without saying a word. She walked forward, crouched beside the professor, and began examining his weakly breathing body.

    In a quiet voice, Aliana asked something that made Giselle’s blood run cold: “Do you want to finish him off… or save him?”

    Giselle stared at Aliana in disbelief. Her question sounded so casual, as if a human life meant nothing. Swallowing hard,

    Giselle looked at the man.

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    The professor certainly deserved punishment, but Giselle knew that if he died, she’d be haunted by guilt for the rest of her life. Finally, in a trembling voice, she answered, “I want to save him. I want him to live… so I can prove what he did in front

    of everyone.”

    Aliana turned to look Giselle in the eyes, then gave a small nod. She resumed examining the man.

    “The stab hit the abdominal artery. If we’rete, he’ll die from blood loss.”

    Giselle gasped, her face going pale. “We have to take him to the hospital inow/i!i” /i

    “There’s no time,” Aliana replied firmly, then immediately began gathering theb tools–surgical forceps, sterile thread, spare scalpel, antiseptic, and any emergency equipment avable. “I’ll handle it.”

    Giselle stared wide–eyed in awe and fear as Aliana calmly undressed the professor and, with unbelievableposure, began the emergency procedure. Her fingers were swift, her movements confident–as if she’d done it hundreds of times.

    At first, Giselle feared Aliana might identally kill the man. But gradually, she realized Aliana was handling it with remarkable professionalism. She stopped the bleeding by mping the major blood vessels, then carefully stitched the wound to keep it stable. Every move was precise, with no mistakes.

    When the makeshift surgery ended, Aliana sat back and exhaled deeply.

    “Done,” she said emotionlessly. “He’s alive.”

    Giselle remained stunned–relieved, yet speechless. Tears streamed down her face again, this time from deep gratitude. She grabbed Aliana’s hand tightly, her lips trembling with sincerity.

    “I owe you my life, Aliana. I promise–I’ll repay it someday. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it.”

    Aliana looked at her briefly, her gaze emotionless yet heavy with meaning, then silently pulled her hand away and walked off. Since that night, Giselle had held tightly to her promise–the promise to repay the life Aliana saved.

    [Back to Present]

    Giselle inhaled deeply, her eyes dimming with the weight of the memory. She looked at Aliana with a mix of fear, respect,

    and awe.

    “All right,” Giselle whispered in resignation. “I’ll tell you about Mr. Velor’s condition. But promise me–no one else can

    know.”

    Alia