The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1805

Day four after the exposure.

Charlotte could feel her body changing. The fever hit her fast and hard, burning hot enough to make her dizzy.

High fever was the telltale sign of lethargy syndrome. It was starting.

“In the early stage, the fever doesn’t really show any other symptoms,” Dr. David said, his face appearing on the monitor as he spoke to the people in the room. “The best time for testing is tomorrow night.”

“So, what do we do now?” Anthony sat on the edge of the bed, watching Charlotte’s face grow redder by the minute. His breath came out a little uneven. “Is there any medicine that could help her feel better?”

“There are treatments, but…” Dr. David frowned and chose his words carefully. “Charlotte’s pregnant. Her body’s in a delicate state. Most of the herbs we use aren’t safe for her right now.”

Anthony jumped in, not even pausing to think. “What if we don’t worry about the baby?”

Dr. David froze for a moment, his gaze shifting to the bed where Charlotte lay looking exhausted and faintly amused. He didn’t answer.

“It’s just a fever,” Charlotte said, taking Anthony’s hand and absentmindedly playing with his fingers. Her voice was low and gentle. “Maybe I’m just tired. Maybe it’s a cold. Doesn’t have to be lethargy syndrome.”

“The medicine probably wouldn’t do much good until we know for sure anyway,” she added, turning to Dr. David. “You should go check on the other patients and see how the tests are coming along. I’ll pay attention to my symptoms and let you know. Don’t worry about me.”

Dr. David nodded a little. He knew Charlotte would do everything she could for the babies. He left the room quietly.

The silence felt heavier afterward.

Charlotte turned to Anthony, meeting his eyes. “Smile for me?” she whispered.

Three months along. By now, you could almost see the shape of their little faces on the scans, starting to look more and more like real babies.

In the stillness of the bathroom, she checked her own pulse. Her frown deepened. Something was off. Her pulse was nothing like before. Maybe it really was related to the lethargy syndrome.

That thought made her drop her gaze, her eyes dim and thoughtful.

...

Later that evening, after dinner, Charlotte was propped up against the headboard, fingers flying over her keyboard as she joined a video conference with her team.

“The autopsy results are out. We’ve found the real cause,” Dr. David reported in a serious tone. “There’s a special plant native to the Apex region. It mostly grows by the water. Not long ago, there was a huge flood upstream that killed off a lot of animals…”