In Another World I Become a Healer With Purple Hair

129 The unpredictable chief Hale

The morning sun was changing into the bright noon, and the three of them were inside the barrack’s restaurant having their brunch and packing some food. It would take six hours on horseback to reach the capital. Henry munching his meat and veggies with a hunger that Horden never saw in his grandson.

“Slow down, Henry. The meat’s not going to run away from you.” Said Horden with a chuckle.

Henry ignored his grandfather and just continue to eat his brunch, although he finally eat in a proper manner. Anne took a sigh and eat her food while avoiding Henry’s eyes. After the fight last night, Henry became weirdly obsessed with Anne. When he woke up, his head automatically turned to the bed beside him. Anne was reading on her bed when her eyes locked with the cold blue eyes of Henry.

Feeling the cold blue eyes sometimes glance at her, Anne couldn’t even eat her soup and bread properly. She took on herself to excuse herself from the table; she needs to go away from Henry just for a moment. Anne walked outside the restaurant when she met Arthur. He was in the middle of having a conversation with two young women; he looks at Anne and waved excitedly at her. She waved back and smile at him. Suddenly Arthur left the two young women behind, the two women shouted their disappointment.

“Hey, I thought you have already left the barrack?” Arthur said to Anne as soon as he reached her.

Anne gave him a smile while her eyes glanced at two angry young women from behind him. “Is it okay to leave the two of them?”

Arthur, not even bothered to turn on his back, just shrugged at Anne. “I don’t even know them. They keep pestering me when I was going to the restaurant to get something to eat. So your turn answered my question.”

“My… friend, he was sleeping soundly and we don’t want to wake him up, since I know he needs the rest.” She answered Arthur’s question while looking around, searching for something. “Did you know where can I find the general store? I need to buy some supplies.”

Arthur whisked her hand and said, “Oh, Let me help you…”

.....

“Anne!” Before Arthur could even finish his sentences, Henry called for Anne and grab her hand from Arthur’s grip. “What are you doing here? We need to go now.”

Henry looks a bit annoyed by Arthur’s presence. “Excuse us, but we need to go right now.”

Arthur gave him a smile and raised his hands. “Don’t worry, I am not going to take her away, just going to accompany her to the general store.”

Turning his attention to Anne, Henry asked her about Arthur’s confession, “You need to go to the general store?”

Looking directly into Henry’s eyes, Anne answered the man with a bit of a challenged looks on her face, “Yes, I need to resupply my medicine. Some of the ingredients are in the general store.”

“Fine, we stop at the general store and then head to the capital, happy?” Said Henry to Anne. He challenged her back with his cold blue eyes.

“Ecstatic!” Gruntled Anne, she said goodbye to Arthur and walk away from both men, but not before she stomped on Henry’s foot.

Cursed and glared at Anne’s back, he then turned to Arthur. “What are you doing?” He asked Arthur, with a frown on his face.

“Nothing, I just wanted to help her. Was it so hard for you to grasp the idea of someone just doing a good deed?” Arthur looks at Henry and gave him a smile.

“Just… Stay away from her,” Henry warned Arthur before leaving him.

Arthur saw the back of this mysteriously handsome, brooding man, with long platinum blonde hair, he scratches his head, and mumbled, “What if I don’t want to?”

After another bickering involving Arthur, Anne refused to talk to Henry, even when they were stopping at the general store. Entering the store, Henry went inside as well, making Anne feel a little uncomfortable over his obsessiveness.

“Please, you could have waited for me outside, I am not going anywhere.” Said Anne to Henry while she took a deep breath calming herself.

Henry appears to ignore her and goes browsing the store. “Just do your shopping. I need to buy something as well.”

“Alright, alright, no need to go cranky on me.” Grumbling Anne, however, Henry immediately took her hand, she was in shock and Whispered to the man, “What are you doing so suddenly? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

The tension came from Henry’s face. “Careful with your words, cranky was never on our vocabulary.” Whispered Henry back at her.”

Anne glared at him and hissed at Henry, “I am aware, but even the general store owner doesn’t even bother by it, so stop… making it… so obvious.”

Annoyed by Henry, Anne took on herself to rush into buying everything that she needs, when she was done, just as she suspected Henry also go outside the general store immediately.

“I thought you have something that you need inside?” Anne asked the man and proceeded to check his two hands. “It doesn’t seem that you have anything, though?”

“They don’t have what I need. Come on, we are late as it is.” Henry muttered and ride his horse immediately after.

“Just said that you just wanted to babysit me.” Mumbled Anne towards Henry, who was already riding in front of her.

Horden smiled when he saw their interaction. He even saw how henry could manage to take a good rest. He saw the change in him, even just a little. He told everything to Anne about how Henry had some trouble sleeping and also had some occurrence of nightmares. Anne went quiet for a while and then said to Horden that she will try to do something. He was so sure that Anne already had done something behind Henry’s back.

They were riding for six hours and finally reached the capital. Anne was nervous. Two years after, she left the capital. Now, she was here, riding to the main hospital to have a meeting with chief Hale. Horden could see how nervous Anne was feeling right now.

“You know, Henry and I left the capital two years ago, and we never sent any letter to our family,” Horden revealed the truth to Anne while they were riding slowly to the main hospital. Henry scoffed when he heard it. He was riding his horse a bit behind the two of them.

“Why? I mean, they are your family. Don’t you think they will not worry about the two of you?” Anne asked Horden with a bit of curiosity in her mind.

“Well, my late daughter-in-law is probably going to be worried sick, but not for my granddaughter or my son, sadly.” Said Horden with a bittered smile on his face.

Anne felt sorry for the two of them. “I… I am sorry, sir Horden, If only I never asked.” She forgot something about this world. Men are viewed less than a woman.

For Anne, this was never acceptable, even when she was the one who get the full advantage as the woman. In her own world, women were sometimes valued less than they were the majority and viewed as fragile beings. The man saw them as the infinite supply. They played with one and wreck the other, because, for the man, a woman is everywhere to be found. Anne never accepted the concept and doesn’t want even in this new world.

“We have arrived, Anne. Let’s take the horses to the stable first.” Horden’s words took her back to reality.

Anne immediately steers her horse to the nearest parking stable. It was already noon, going into the night, the red sky and the crows flying in their nest. Henry, Horden, and Anne go to the fourth floor, where chief Hale’s office resides. How surprised Anne was when she looks at the main hospital, everyone wearing a health mask. One healer even gave them masks to wear. The situation was even more concerning than before.

The three of them reached the front door of chief Hale. Henry knocked on the door and permission came from the other side. Inside the office were three people. Anne knew the three of them.

Chief Hale looks at Anne and feels so happy when he saw her. “Miss Anne, oh so glad to see you here.” Said Chief Hale, and he proceed to shake her hands a bit vigorously.

Overwhelmed by his enthusiastic welcome, Anne just smiles awkwardly at chief Hale. “I… Yes, thank you so much, chief Hale. I hope we weren’t intruding on something.” Anne said to chief Hale while looking at Nathan and Tim.

Nathan was smiling at her, “No, miss Anne, actually we were here waiting for you, because…”

“Where is she? Is she here already?!” Another voice came from outside of the office. They all turned around to see chief Carla there standing while glaring at all of them.

Chief Hale nervously welcomed his peers. “Ah, chief Carla, we were trying to…”

Unsuspectedly, chief Carla walks inside and slaps chief Hale in front of Anne. Everyone was gasping and looked in horror towards chief Carla, the latter just screaming to chief Hale, “You! How dare you bring this outcast to the main hospital without my permission!” her finger pointed at Anne so fiercely.