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WILLOW'S POV

A day had passed since I started pretending to be sick. Gradually, I began to feel as though I had been lying here for hours, feigning illness. This was turning into much more than I had anticipated.

Despite his dedication to me, I was starting to feel as if Healer Marcus was trying to punish me somehow with his endless lectures and his particular brand of herbs for me to chew. Aside from their horrible smell, they tasted just as bad too.

By this point, the afternoon sun had cast long shadows across my room, making it a little darker and colder. I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, counting the minutes until I no longer had to pretend.

Healer Marcus had left hours ago, promising he would be back soon. But I knew he was lying. There was no need for him to return. He had important tasks to handle and actual patients to attend to, not someone like me who was merely pretending to be ill.

He knew I was lying, but he played along, hoping to buy me some time so I could keep m