Happily Ever After

Chapter 24

(Y/N) POV

Thank heavens for the short list of tasks to be completed today! I swiftly finished them all before lunch time. After devouring a scrumptious meal, I headed off to the library with Anne and Mary.

"Alright, ladies. 'Operation Bring Back Alois' is a go!" I announced. "Our first task is to gather as much medical textbooks as we can. According to what I have observed, Alois seems to be suffering from memory loss. We have to find out exactly what is happening with him before we make a move."

"I have noticed it too," said Anne. "When we were talking with the earl, he mentioned that he knows nothing about Miss (Y/N) other than her surname."

"Oh my, that must have been heart-braking," said Mary.

"It was... but there is no time for sulking. Like my father always says, 'do not cry over spilled milk'."

"Miss (Y/N) is right. Let's get to work!" Anne said. Mary and I nodded in response.

And so, we spent the whole afternoon searching and grabbing any medical textbook we could get our hands on. There were various entries like the common cold, smallpox, and yellow fever, but for some reason, I haven't stumbled across a book that mentions anything about 'memory loss' for the past two hours.

"Have you found anything, Mary?"

"No Miss (Y/N). I've read about typhus and cholera and some other illnesses, but I haven't found anything about memory loss," Anne replied.

"How about you, Anne?"

"Unfortunately not, Miss (Y/N). However, I've noticed that some of the pages are missing." Anne held up a book with a torn page.

"You're right! Almost every book I have read had a torn page," Mary said.

"Wait, hold on... Aha! I found it! Anne, Mary, do come here, please." The ladies came and sat beside me, one on my left and the other on my right. Then, we proceeded to examine the book.

"Miss (Y/N), this textbook does look a bit odd, don't you think? I mean, I understand that it has a hardback cover but not this hard. It's literally made of iron!"

"Oh and it has a keyhole! Looks like a secret diary or journal to me rather than a medical textbook."

"Of course it does. This is my grandmother's old journal."

"A journal? Erm... and how is that supposed to help, Miss (Y/N)?"

"My late grandmother had always been fascinated by the human body - how it works, its structure, the diseases it may suffer from and so on and so forth. Through the years she recorded every single type of illness or disorder she had encountered. Let's just hope that she has written anything about memory loss."

"But where is the key?"

"You mean this?" I revealed a small silver key. I proceeded to insert the key into its designated keyhole and turn it with a 'click'. And with that, its hidden secrets were finally uncovered before our very eyes after many years.

I flipped the pages carefully, thoroughly scanning each page in search of the information I needed. There were plenty of things written in there like special dates, short stories, extraordinary experiences, medical information, etc. As I turned each page, white particles started to fall out of the journal.

"Is this... salt? Really, Grandmother? Why would- why is there salt on your journal?"

"Perhaps the late mistress wanted to ward off supernatural beings from her belongings?"

"Well, you have a point. My grandmother was err... quite peculiar, I should say. She used to tell me that the manor was haunted, so perhaps she didn't want anyone to see the contents whether they be living or dead... except for me of course! I don't know why, but she gave me the key before she passed away."

We continued to search the journal for clues or anything that could provide us the information we needed.

"Right here, Miss (Y/N). This entry mentions about memory loss." Mary pointed out.

"Amnesia... quite interesting," I said. Then, I read the words out loud.

"Amnesia - a form of memory loss. Some people with amnesia have difficulty forming new memories. Others can't recall facts or past experiences. People with amnesia usually retain knowledge of their own identity, as well as motor skills."

"Mild memory loss is a normal part of ageing. Significant memory loss, or the inability to form new memories, may indicate the presence of an amnestic disorder."

"Causes: Traumatic head injuries, as well as stroke, tumours, and infections, can also cause damage to your brain. This damage can include permanent memory problems. Concussions commonly disrupt memories of the hours, days, or weeks before and after you were injured."

"Treatment: Amnesia from mild head trauma usually resolves without treatment over time. Amnesia from severe head injury may not recede. However, improvements usually occur within six to nine months."

"Seems like we found what we're looking for."

"Indeed. Now we can formulate a plan and put it in into action."

~•~

"Hello?"

...

"This is Miss (Y/N) of the (Y/L/N) household."

...

"I would to schedule a meeting with Earl Trancy."

~•~

Hello my lovely readers! Do you think they will succeed? What will happen next? Tune in to find out!

Fun fact: Amnesia was classified as a medical disorder in 1763.

Fun fact: All of the diseases mentioned above were real diseases and epidemics during the 1800s.

Have a good day/night! ♥️