Chapter 25: Are You A Witch?, A Doctor?

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Are You A Witch?, A Doctor? The room was dead silent. Isabella could feel the weight of Kian’s blue eyes drilling into her soul, as if he was trying to see through her very existence. Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "How do I know you’re telling the truth?" His voice was calm, but there was a challenge hidden beneath it. Isabella’s stomach plummeted. ...Oh. Right. That was a very, very good question. She had just confidently listed off a bunch of things—wells, farming, hygiene—but in reality... She had zero idea how to actually do any of them. Her idea of survival back home was ordering takeout when the fridge was empty. (It was never empty though) And now she was supposed to build civilization from scratch? Crap. But Isabella wasn’t about to admit that. So instead, she let out a very awkward scoff. The kind of scoff that people do when they’re trying way too hard to look unbothered. "Hah! That’s—That’s a ridiculous question, Your Highness!" She waved a hand, forcing a casual grin. "Obviously, I know what I’m talking about!" Kian’s stare remained unmoving. Zara was practically vibrating with excitement now. "Do you?" The man beside Kian suddenly spoke, his deep voice calm yet sharp. "Because you don’t look very... sure." Isabella felt sweat trickle down her back. Damn it! She needed help. NOW. —BUBU!— she screamed internally. —GET YOUR USELESS SYSTEM SELF OVER HERE!— A soft ding echoed in her head. [System Online: Host is actually trying to be productive for once? Wow. Character development.] —NOT NOW!— Isabella snapped. —HELP ME!— [System: Oh, I’d love to! But guess what?] A pause. [System: I can’t.] —...Excuse me?!— [System: What part of ’you have to learn to survive on your own’ do you not understand?] Isabella’s eye twitched. —Then what are you here for?!— [System: To provide moral support.] —BUBU, I SWEAR TO—!— [System: But I am proud of you. You’re growing as a person. Keep it up! :)] And with that, it went silent. Isabella wanted to scream. She had no plan. No knowledge. No clue what she was doing. And yet... everyone was watching her. Kian. Zara. Ophelia. Shelia. The mysterious man beside the throne. She couldn’t back down now. So, she did what she did best. She faked it. Isabella tilted her chin up, crossing her arms with mock confidence. "Look, Your Highness, I get it. All of this must sound like madness to you." Kian didn’t react. "But just because you’ve never seen something before... doesn’t mean it’s impossible." She took a step forward. "Do you really think I’d stand here, talking about clean water, food, and basic survival, if I wasn’t sure?" Silence. The words hung in the air. Kian studied her for a long, tense moment. His blue eyes were unreadable, but the fact that he was actually listening made Isabella feel like she had just tricked a wild beast into sitting still. Finally, he exhaled. "...Fine." Zara’s entire body went stiff. "What?" she choked out. "If you can accomplish even a fraction of what you claim," Kian said, "then I’ll keep you here." Isabella’s eyes lit up. (Ding! +5 persuasion points) Then, a second later, they dimmed. ...Wait. She had just convinced him. That meant... She actually had to do all this now. Oh. Crap. Still, she forced her most charming smile. "Oh! But Your Highness, these things take time! I can’t possibly do everything in a week!" Zara internally combusted. Kian stared at her. "How long?" "...A month?" Isabella grinned. Zara was praying to every god she knew that Kian would say no. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he watched Isabella again, thinking. This girl... She was strange. He didn’t fully believe her, but at the same time, she didn’t seem normal. If she could really prove herself, even a little... "Fine." Zara screeched, her voice hitting a pitch so sharp it could shatter glass. "HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE HER?!" She spun toward Isabella, her expression twisted in outrage. "She’s lying! Look at her—she doesn’t even look smart enough to understand half the things she’s saying!" She let out a frustrated huff, gesturing wildly. "She’s just throwing around words and hoping we’re too stupid to notice!" Isabella raised a brow, clearly enjoying Zara’s meltdown. "I mean, really," Zara continued, "you think this—this pathetic, weak, useless girl is going to fix our village? She probably doesn’t even know how to light a fire! What next? Is she going to say she can make food fall from the sky?" Ophelia shifted uncomfortably but then—surprisingly—spoke up. "That’s not fair, Zara," she said softly. "Isabella might actually have good ideas... We won’t know until we give her a chance." Zara’s head snapped toward her, looking betrayed. "Oh, of course you’d defend her!" she sneered. "You’re always so pathetic and soft! You’re too gullible for your own good!" Ophelia lowered her gaze, biting her lip. Isabella rolled her eyes. Too nice. She didn’t deserve nice. Before Isabella could add her own sarcastic remark— "Zara." Kian’s voice cut through the room like a blade, calm but final. Zara froze. "Go to your room and contemplate your actions." It wasn’t a request. Zara’s face burned with rage, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. But she had no choice. Gritting her teeth, she turned sharply and stormed past Isabella. As she did— Isabella, ever the menace, subtly mouthed ’bye-bye’ with a little wave. Zara nearly exploded. "It’s finally quiet," Shelia muttered under her breath, stretching as if she had just survived a war. She pushed herself up and strolled over to Isabella, who still stood in the middle of the room, locked in a silent stare-off with Kian. Shelia nudged Isabella lightly, then turned to her brother. "Actually, we came here because Ophelia and I were supposed to escort Isabella to gather some herbs—" Kian’s expression immediately darkened. "Why?" His voice was sharp, suspicious. Shelia hesitated, but before she could answer, Isabella casually cut in. "To find herbs and plants," she said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kian narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you a doctor? A witch?" Isabella almost burst out laughing. Seriously? A witch? She barely knew the difference between poison ivy and lettuce! She cleared her throat, suppressing a smirk. "Nope. Just an ordinary person." Kian didn’t look convinced. Shelia, sensing her brother was about to make this more difficult than necessary, quickly jumped in, clasping her hands together in an exaggerated plea. "Brother, please! Just let us go!" The room fell into tense silence. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Kian’s reply.