The Lady Nun Vows Revenge - Chapter 242: Chapter 242

The officials—who had already been on edge—turned pale with terror.
Everyone in Bortenland knew the Prince Regent's reputation. Nolan wasn't just a war hero; he was a walking execution order. The moment he reached for his sword, the crowd of officials fell completely silent, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Just then, the doctor Nolan had summoned rushed in, quickly checked Eliza's condition, and let out a breath of relief.
"Your Highness, please rest assured—Her Grace is only suffering from a chill combined with fatigue from the journey. Nothing serious."
Nolan immediately handed over the prescription Eliza had written herself. "Check this. Should the medicine be changed, or can it still be used?"
The doctor took it with trembling hands, scanned through it carefully, and shook his head. "No need to change it. The prescription is well-balanced. I'll simply add one herb to speed her recovery—she should wake soon after."
As if on cue, Eliza stirred. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. Her voice was hoarse but clear.
Eliza nodded. "Alright."
The second Nolan heard her voice, he strode to the bed in a flash, knelt beside her, and leaned in anxiously.
"Still dizzy? Does anything else hurt?"
Eliza shook her head gently. "I'm fine. Thank you, doctor. No need to adjust the medicine—just brew it according to what I prescribed."
Nolan gave a short nod. "All right."
If she said no, then it was no. No questions asked.
He didn't hesitate. He turned and swiftly ordered people to begin preparing her medicine, then hurried back to her side, not leaving her alone for a second.
The doctor, seeing she was stable, bowed and excused himself—there were too many patients in Noganlul right now, and time was precious.
When the medicine was ready, Eliza didn't drink it right away. Instead, still pale, she turned her head slightly and said to Nolan, "There seems to be a crowd waiting outside. You should go. I'll be fine on my own."
Nolan's hand paused just before handing her the bowl. Then he set it down carefully on the table.
"All right. If you need anything, call me."
Eliza couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
If she really needed help, shouldn't she be calling Tina? Why would she be calling him?
Clearly, Nolan hadn't even realized the tone of what he'd said. Still, after giving her one last reluctant glance, he stood and stepped out, face like carved stone.
Sure enough, a group of local officials were still waiting outside, all wearing anxious expressions.
With Serenity unwell, Nolan had to step in to stabilize the situation himself. The sooner they could control the outbreak, the sooner she could safely resume her duties.
But what he didn't know was that Noganlul's condition was far worse than anyone had reported.
His gaze swept over the gathered officials. "Where is Kane?"
One of the older men quickly stepped forward. "Mr. Valencia is currently holding the line at the quarantine zone. The number of infected citizens has risen dramatically these past few days—he couldn't leave. He sent us in his place, hoping you would understand."
Nolan nodded. "Of course. The people come first."
He didn't care about ceremonial welcomes, and he knew Serenity didn't either.
"What's the current number of infected? How is the military holding up? Are you running low on medicinal herbs? Has any physician identified a cure yet?"
Four questions. No warning. Sharp as arrows.
Every one of them made the officials' backs run cold with sweat.
Nolan narrowed his eyes and stared them down. "I want a full report. Now. And if I catch so much as a single word being hidden from me, you'll be tried by military law."
Those two words—military law—were enough to send the entire group crashing to their knees.
They rushed to speak, voices tripping over each other in panic. When they finally finished, Nolan's face had turned grim.
Originally, the situation in Noganlul wasn't so dire. Kane was competent, his military force strong, and things had been under control.
But over the past few days, disaster had struck. A county magistrate had been murdered. Following that, Caslig County had erupted in a sudden and devastating epidemic. Within one night, thousands had fallen ill.
Once Kane investigated, the truth came to light: the magistrate had raped a young village woman, then killed her parents to silence them. What he didn't know was that the girl had a brother—Seth White—who had long ago fled Plutonville after injuring someone. He returned home only to find his family slaughtered.
Driven mad with grief and rage, Seth stormed the county office and killed the magistrate... and then jumped into a well to end his life.
The problem? That well was connected to the county's water supply.
Even though the guards removed his body immediately, it was too late. That night, anyone who drank water fell sick. Entire families collapsed. Caslig County became ground zero. Panic spread. Surrounding counties were affected as people fled.
Kane acted fast, locking down Caslig with military force, refusing to let anyone leave, and remaining at the front himself to stabilize the chaos.
But when the man dared glance up again, he nearly fell over.
Nolan's face had turned to ice.
"You think I need your arrangements?" Nolan's voice was lethal. "Get your sorry hides to Kane. I don't need cowards here."
He wanted to send Serenity back to Hasen City immediately. This place was too dangerous. But now that they were here, if Eliza failed to perform the blessing, the public would question her title. Her image would take a hit.
And even more importantly—Noganlul was burning.
No matter how much he wanted to protect her, Nolan couldn't just stand by while an entire province drowned in disease.
"I don't want any of this getting back to her," Nolan warned, lowering his voice.
But before he could finish, a familiar coughing interrupted him.
He turned—and froze. Eliza stood in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame, the other over her mouth as she tried to stifle the cough. Her face was still pale, her posture weary.
But her voice, when she finally spoke, was calm and steady. "I already heard. Don't threaten them. Not all of this is their fault."