The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Fifty One

Harvey is a fine man, as his eyes were prettier than mine if I needed to be honest. He was the kind of man who looks prettier than a lot of girls which is both attractive and frustrating.

"Are you okay?" he asked again and I swallowed hard before I nodded shyly. I could also feel that my cheeks were starting to turn red while I removed my arms from his touch. "Please be careful," he then added with a smile. I have to admit. Harvey is cute.

"T-Thank you," I told him. "And I am sorry I almost fell into you."

He shrugged. "It's okay. It's better falling to someone rather than falling on the floor." He followed his banter with a laugh and I joined in because he has this ability to make the atmosphere lighter and happier by just his casual talk. "But I must say, it is not normal to fall like that. By judging what I saw, you were holding on to your head. Did you have a headache?"

I nodded. "S-Something like that..."

His thin eyebrows furrowed. "You are not sure?"

"Oh, well... yes..." I was hesitating if I wanted to tell him what I just experienced because even I was not sure if that really happened anymore. But then I realized that this guy is a doctor so I think if there is someone who can tell me what just happened, it would be him.

"Tell me about it and let's see if I can resolve that for you," he offered. "Don't worry, it would be free of charge," he said and winked at me.

"Oh wow, thank you so much!" I said with glee and at that moment, Prince Kao came inside the room and he saw us talking.

"What is going on? I heard your voice---"

"Oh, it's nothing, Y-Your Highness," I told him before he could think of something else (which was bold for someone like me to assume.)

"She almost fell on the floor and I reckon she had a headache, Your Highness," said Harvey respectfully. "And to be sure I offered her a free check-up and consultation."

I saw the Crown Prince's expression change as he looked at us back and forth. "You had a headache?" he asked me. "Maybe you ought to rest, Rainha."

"The Crown Prince is right, Rainha," said Harvey who was already calling me by my name. "You have to rest. But let me first check you, alright?"

"Oh yes..." I was kind of hesitating again now that Prince Kao was looking at the two of us suspiciously. I would have refused Harvey's kind offer because the Crown Prince looked like he was not happy about that for some reason but I wanted to know too if I really just have a headache or this was something else.

"Alright, follow me Rainha. I have an office here at the other room where I use to check some of the customers," he said kindly and walked out of the room while I looked at the Crown Prince who was waiting for my next move. "Uhm, Prince Kao, I'll just see if there is something wrong in me---"

"Do you still not feel good?" he asked immediately. I know that he was concerned about my welfare but I could also sense that he was seriously irritated about something. Was he pissed at me for some reason? I wanted to ask him about that but I decided to let him tell me about it first.

"I am okay now. But I still feel a little bit odd so I guess it would be best for me to go to Harvey..."

He stared at me for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Alright then. Come back here after you are done."

"Yes, I will be back," I said to him and then went out of the room. I left him there looking stunned for some reason, but then he went and stared at the unconscious man instead.

Harvey's office was not that far from the room we rented. It was one of the backrooms that were in a long, narrow corridor. I saw him waiting in front of the door and smiled at me again when he saw me walking towards me. He then motioned me to come forward and then he opened the door and went in there first.

It was a dimly-lit room full of photographs and books, pieces of evidences that he was a man of art and knowledge. But I was not already surprised because he is a doctor, so I just sat at the chair facing him. A wooden desk was in between us where a lot of papers and some vials were placed neatly in some kind of order.

"So, as I was saying a while ago, is your head still hurting?" he asked while rummaging some of the files and folders that were on his table. I guess he was trying to fix them neatly which he did not really need as I was already impressed with how clean his office was.

"It already stopped," I said and told him that the pain was brief and immediately disappeared as soon as it occurred. This got his attention because he was looking at me as if what I said was something that others don't say to him very often.

"And did this happened already?" he added. "Does this headache happen occasionally? Or do you have it every day? Once in a while?"

I told him the truth. "This is only the second time that it happened, I think. The first one was when I was at the house of a friend..." I remember that exact moment because the pain that I experienced was the same as what just happened to me earlier. It was a brief but intense kind of pain and now that I think about it, it started my worrying.

"Headaches like that are uncommon, Rainha," he said and then asked if I still feel other discomforts or anything at all that was not normal. I told him that I have none other than that intense, sharp pain in my head that had only happened twice. "I suggest to monitor that headache, Rainha. Go to a doctor if it happens again."

"Is it that bad? What do you think about it? Is it life-threatening?"

"I could tell that right now," he admitted to me. "It is a rare thing to happen, you know. Normally, headaches are symptoms of other diseases, so I suggest that you undergo a full checkup before we conclude."

"Oh, is that so? Then I think I will do it once I come back home," I replied. he nodded and suggested some doctors that are based on Aurville. He told me that he studied medicine there and I was glad that he has friends there who I can go to if I ever experience the same thing.

"There are a lot of possible scenarios in your case," he told me. "But the most common is that your brain is tired. I suggest you rest here for at least a whole day so that we can be safe about it."

"Thank you, Harvey," I told him sincerely. "Is it okay if I will just call you Harvey?"

He smiled widely. "Of course! In fact, I would prefer it than any other name. Nothing beats your original name right?"

"Right." The two of us laughed again and then we exchanged jokes and small talks. I learned that he is based on Plumba and dedicates his time in helping the people there with their health conditions. And just like his father said, Harvey is good with treating conditions connected with the extreme cold weather. According to him, he is often called by the residents if someone gets hypothermia, especially children.

It amazed me that someone like him was so into helping the people. He was so like the Crown Prince, though he is just a little more friendlier and more approachable-looking. It adds to his charms and I wondered if he already had a girlfriend. I wanted to ask him that because I would find it really hard to believe if he was still single because he is the type of guy that a girl's parents want you to marry. And before I knew it, the words already left my mouth and I saw him blush.

"Oh no, I don't have anyone," he said shyly. "I am too busy for romance, you know."

"But you seem to be the type of man that every woman likes," I said to flatter him, but it was true so I kind of enjoyed that he was blushing from it.

"Am I?" he said in a stutter. "Thank you for telling me that. T-That's very sweet of you."

"It's true," I said. "I don't know if you're not just aware of it but I'm pretty sure wherever you go, a woman has a crush on you."

"That's not really the truth---"

"Trust me, I am good with things like this," I said and we both chuckled. "That's why I was surprised that you still don't have someone special..."

"I just don't have the time for love, Rainha," he told me sincerely. "And I don't want to force things to happen, you know. If someone comes my way, then I would be more than willing to have her in my life. But right now, I think it would just be best if I remain single."

"And why is that?"

"I am a very busy man," he told me and I sensed loneliness when he said that. "I don't think I will ever have the time for my girl if I ever have one. I will just break her heart with my current situation."

"Oh. You really are a very selfless man, Harvey. I know this will sound unsolicited but please have time for yourself too," I told him.

"I wanted to, but as long as Plumba is colder than the other places here in Aure, as long as the icy sea breeze punishes my people here, I don't think I will ever be not busy."