Blue’s [POV]
I reached the place where I saw her. She was gazing at the latrines. Hearing my footsteps, she looked at me.
“Can’t sleep?” she asked.
I nodded. “What are you doing, Mother?”
“I couldn’t sleep either. I have been suffering from insomnia these days. Sophia had been making me some passionflower tea these days, but it’s not helping. So, I came outside,” she said.
Her red hair looked like a flame under the moonlight and her black eyes were glistening slightly. Her black eyes were refreshing to look at that, unlike Demetrius’s.
His eyes held nothing at all most of the time and I would feel that his eyes were pressing me so hard that I could not move at all.
“I saw you from my window,” I said.
“For your sleep, can I recommend something?”
“Go ahead. That would help too,” she smiled.
“I have read about this before- well, almonds, kiwi, walnuts, tart cherry juice, white rice, and bananas can help with your sleep. Oh, and turkey too. You can try to have chamomile tea as well.”
“Ah, I like tea. I have never had chamomile tea though..”
“Chamomile contains chemicals called flavonoids.
These flavonoids are a type of nutrient present in many plants, and they play a significant role in chamomile’s medicinal effects. Dried chamomile
flowers are used to make chamomile tea.
Consuming chamomile tea for a month could reduce the pain of menstrual cramps. Some studies have found that chamomile tea can lower blood sugar in people with diabetes.
Research does not show that chamomile is a viable substitute for diabetes medications, but it may be a helpful supplement to existing treatments.
Chamomile tea is widely thought to help people relax and fall asleep. In a study using rats, chamomile extract helped sleep-disturbed rodents fall asleep. Many researchers believe that chamomile tea may function like a benzodiazepine.
Benzodiazepines are prescription drugs that can reduce anxiety and induce sleep. Some research suggests that chamomile binds to benzodiazepine receptors.,” I blabbered without even realizing it.
“Oh, I said too much.”
“Though I don’t know what it all means, it looks like you know a lot about it,” she said. “I will tell my maid to make some chamomile tea for me then.”
“Ah, I don’t understand it all as well,” I said guiltily.
“I just remember what I read.”
“Your memory is pretty sharp unlike the son of mine.”
“Haha, he indeed keeps forgetting things,” I laughed. ‘But he looks cute when he apologizes for forgetting. Not that I can tell it to Mother.”
“You miss him already, don’t you?”
“… Yes. It’s lonely without him. But I’m planning on keeping myself occupied.”
“Let’s go sit down. We can talk for a while,” she said.
She sighed as she sat down on the side bench. I sat beside her. She smelled like lemon. Perhaps she had used lemon oil in her bath. I mostly used rose oil on the other hand.
I was not particularly fond of aroma oils, but Ruby would keep nagging. So, I gave up protesting and chose the rose-scented oil. It had a soft and pleasant scent that was not too deep or too light, just enough.
“Demetrius was always different than others since childhood. He got black eyes like mine and looks like me as well, except for his hair while Evelyn looks like their father except for her hair. Ajax was strange too, but Demetrius and he are different.”
So father’s name was Ajax… His name reminded me of Ajax the Great, a mythological hero- the son of King Telamon and Periboea, and the half-brother of Teucer. But it would be odd to mention it right now, so I decided to keep quiet.
Did Demetrius tell you how Ajax and I got married?” she asked.
I shook my head. Demetrius never liked talking about his family. For some reason, he always looked like he hated it. That was why I refrained from asking him as well.
“Ajax was the king of Querencia that time and I was just a commoner in Mazazine. It was twenty-four
years ago. There was a war going on between the two kingdoms. Ajax was renowned for his tyrant behavior. He was called the mad dog of the battlefield. In one word, he was a crazy person who could kill anyone in the blink of an eye. All of us knew that he would never spare anyone no matter what. And he was a womanizer, to be honest.”
I almost choked hearing it. She was saying all this nonchalantly. This look was not unfamiliar to me.
After all, I was married to a man who could say anything with that look on his face.
“There was a saying that he would not bed a woman more than once. It was enough for me to hate him.”
‘I agree. Even though he is my father-in-law, I have to admit it.’
“So, when the war broke out, I was working as a doctor for the soldier. I lived with my uncle who adopted me when I was four. I don’t know who my parents are, not that I ever cared. I learned about herbs and medicines from my aunt. She was a doctor as well. I used to help her. During the war, I accompanied my cousin to the camp to help them.
Aunt could not go at that time as she was busy in another village. But who knew what would happen next? I had no idea that I would be able to meet my future husband right there.”
It seemed like it was a good thing that I could not sleep tonight since I would be able to know about Demetrius’s family more. And if it was Mother, she would surely go into details and tell me almost
everything.
Perhaps I would be able to get to know about something that might lead to understanding why
Demetrius had the strange ability to read minds. If I could find out about it, it would be beneficial for us since secrets about ourselves would never help.