I'm Telling You We Really Are Twins, Ok? (MNLAAV:ARLTD TwinAU fanfiction)

Chapter 24: Morning

Servants everywhere in the whole mansion were in a panic doing this and that.

The heads of the place ordered them to do this and that.

Telling them,

"Hurry up!"

"Take this with you!"

"Don't walk!! Just run!"

Nobody was there, and the people working didn't look like they had slept a wink.

Well, none of the harems had gotten a sleep wink either. In their rooms, they could hear the shouts of orders, and the running of feet on floors, below and above.

They were worried not only for Artemis but for Katarina.

She wasn't coming out of her room and the servants kept coming in and out of there along with the doctors.

Worst of all is that they were told by the Assistant to stay in their rooms that night, and their doors were locked.

It seemed as though they didn't want them anywhere in the halls or near doors.

They were all kept in check by the knights as well when they got out.

Nicole was holding Sophia close.

It was frightening.

Chaos had gone on all night in the place and until now, even in the morning.

They had breakfast but it was a hastened cook as even the chefs were in a panic taking care of this and that too.

They didn't dare complain as they weren't sure what was at stake here, but they were all sure it might be Katarina's and Artemis's.

After a while.

Near lunch.

Everyone had bags under their eyes from not sleeping last night.

A lot of them withdrew to rest too.

"I apologize for locking you all in your rooms last night." The Assistant had come to apologize to them.

"No... It's... It's fine." Gerald muttered, it wasn't fine and he wasn't the only one who knew it.

The Assistant felt a little assured hearing that.

"Where is... Where is Katarina?" Keith asked.

Like a rope had been pulled, the right one had been indeed pulled down from the many other ropes in place hiding it.

"The Young Lady... Is sick in bed just like the Duke."

"What!?"

"Why is she sick!?"

"What happened to her!?"

"How did she get sick!??"

Questions popped up everywhere.

"Wait, wait, wait!!" The Assistant yelled for them to calm down.

"It's best if you know this but I know the Head maid will get mad at me later," he sighed, fixing himself up, he still had the same uniform from last night, and the blood looked so edged dry on his white shirt, gloves, and tie, "It had been a long time and I don't even know how long it's been... All I know is that the Duke had been cursed when she was just a baby. At least, that's what she told me years ago when I first found out about it, the curse causes the victim pain, excruciating and endless pain for... A couple of hours? The worse it had gotten in a week."

Everyone calmed down a bit.

"The Duke won't say how she got the curse when she was a baby, she said she was given that wretched curse by a dark user, it was to supposedly keep her from rebelling from her supposed masters, Pirates. She used to be a slave back then, physical and verbal abuse was common to her, I think she gained some of it growing up too." He continued, "There's no known way to get rid of the curse and better yet, a way to lessen the pain even just a bit more than the Head maid can do... The Head maid has been with her longer than everyone else here has after all, she's the one who's been able to perfect her way of light magic since she first awakened it and has been using it always for the Duke as a form of pain killer to help if she can't find a way to get it off of her just yet."

Ending with, "The Head maid had explained to me that... The Duke and the Young Lady might be contracted together just because they're twins. They share the same pain now and maybe... The Young Lady has experienced it a few times before somewhere else and at a much younger age even before they might've met, not telling much of it since it might've been weak. I wish to say this for the betterment of the two, please... Take Young Lady Athanasios back home with you."

"You want us all to leave with her now?" Gerald asked.

"Yes, and never come back if possible."

"What? Why? That might hurt Katarina's feelings." Alan shot up.

He might be oblivious just like her for the most part but not that stupid.

"I know... But it might not be something the Young Lady can handle, it'll be too much for her." The Assistant sighed.

"I... We can do that." Keith hesitated.

"Keith..!" Mary shot up.

"We don't have a choice, if Katarina stays here. She'll be in much more pain than now!" Keith said.

"But letting her think it's her fault will be worse!" Mary stood up from her seat.

"I'm fine with that!" Keith insisted, "If Maria here hadn't used her magic wrongly on Artemis maybe it might've not worsened for Katarina too!"

Maria flinched.

"Keith!" Nicole frowned.

Keith snapped from his daze and immediately frowned realizing what he had just said.

"M... Maria, it's... I'm sorry, I didn't..."

Maria frowned, "I know I'm also at fault for some things so it's alright, Master Keith."

"N-No, I..." Keith sputtered.

Gerald put a hand on his shoulder.

"We should... Definitely leave with Katarina now. We should hurry back and pack our things for an early leave for our ship." He said.

Everyone sighed agreeing.

...

Katarina's complexion had stopped looking so terrible after the ship had set sail.

Faring from the docks.

Headed for home.

...

Katarina was unconscious the whole ride, she didn't wake up for more than three days under the Claes Manor.

Millidiana and Luigi had rushed to her side, damn worried for her again.

The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her.