Chapter 71:
Afternoon Tea in the Infirmary
In the afternoon of the following day, Aiden, having finished his work, strolled into the infirmary.
He came to check Evangeline medical examination results.
To cleanse the toxicity in Evangeline blood, he not only had her undergo daily medication but also arranged a weekly physical examination here.
Despite the treatment plan provided by Melusine, he remained somewhat cautious.
Pushing open the infirmary door, he immediately spotted Veronica, who was sitting by the door, keeping watch over the prisoners.
"Chief!" Veronica promptly stood up, saluting Aiden.
Aiden gestured for her to stay seated, and saying, "Oh, it's your duty today."
"Yes."
Aiden scanned the room and noticed Evangeline, who had just finished her examination, sitting on the bed. She held a tea plate, casually enjoying a small piece of cake with a dab of snow-white cream on her lips.
Aiden looked puzzled, "Where did the cake come from?"
The prison cafeteria, whether for guards or inmates, only provided meals and didn't serve such desserts. The only possibility was that a guard brought it in from outside.
Upon hearing his question, Evangeline paused her chewing but didn't directly answer. She simply turned her gaze silently towards Veronica.
Aiden followed her gaze towards Veronica, who raised her hand in admission, saying, "Sorry, it was... I bought it for her as a thank you for helping out yesterday."
"Oh, I see. That's fine," Aiden smiled. "If prisoners show merit, giving them rewards is reasonable and within the rules. It's not against regulations. Occasionally, I offer them some benefits when I ask for their help. If you find yourself overwhelmed with situations in the prison, feel free to let them lend a hand."
"Is that okay? I've never seen the Chief of the Cell Block do that," Veronica expressed some surprise.
She knew Evangeline, Dailey, and Arsena were appointed by Aiden to assist in managing the prison as model inmates. However, since she took up her position here, she only witnessed Aiden casually ordering these inmates around. other guards, including the Cell Block Chief, Franda, didn't have much interaction with these inmates.
Over time, she couldn't help but feel that these three inmates were only called upon by the Warden himself.
Aiden shrugged, "There's nothing wrong with it. I recruited them to assist guards in managing the prison, not to be my personal secretary. Other guards don't use them because they're not accustomed to it, and there's also some hesitation. But I think you shouldn't worry about these issues."
Aiden could tell that compared to other guards who treated the inmates in the Core Zone as dangerous beasts, Veronica seemed to approach and manage them from a more equal perspective.
Just like how she dealt with Evangeline, other guards viewed Evangeline as a dangerous monster and didn't dare to have much contact with this child who was a carrying highly toxic blood. Veronica, on the other hand, could see her as a child and sympathize with her.
After all, Veronica herself was an exception, not inferior to these inmates. She didn't hesitate to have close contact with them.
Aiden was keen on nurturing Veronica, gradually imparting his methods of managing the prison to her.
If Veronica could become a spokesperson for managing the Core Zone in the future, many tasks wouldn't necessarily require Aiden's direct involvement, making the workload considerably lighter.
"Keep an eye on her; I'll check the results," Aiden said, striding towards the examination room.
Once inside, he closed the door behind him.
In the examination room, two individuals stood - one was the prison doctor, and the other, in shackles, was Melusine.
Melusine left foot was chained with a long shackle, the other end secured to a pillar, preventing her from leaving the examination room and initiating contact with Evangeline.
"Have the blood test results come in?" he asked the prison doctor directly.
"Not all of them, but the toxicity identification is complete," the doctor replied.
"How are the results?"
"The toxicity has indeed reduced significantly. The concentration of toxic substances has roughly halved, and other physiological indicators show no abnormalities. Based on the current results, this treatment plan is quite effective," the doctor affirmed.
"Halved? It sounds like she'll be like a normal person in no time," Aiden remarked.
"The concentration is just a reference point. Initially, the medication shows more pronounced effects, but as we progress, the improvement slows down. The ultimate goal of the treatment is to completely alter the child's hematopoietic function, and this process will take some time," Melusine interjected, providing an explanation to Aiden.
Aiden nodded after listening and turned to Melusine, "That's good; you seem quite honest. I had some concerns before that you might pull some tricks."
"I've resigned myself. I wouldn't joke with my life," Melusine smiled, raising her hand to shake the shackles. "I've already planned to spend the rest of my life in prison. I wonder if the Warden would be willing to give me more opportunities for rehabilitation?"
Aiden understood Melusine implication – she wanted to become a model prisoner, serving Aiden, and in return, gain privileges in the prison, similar to Evangeline and others.
"I'm not daring enough to deal with a woman like you, who's like a venomous snake, especially since I can't use a demonic contract on you. But as long as you honestly follow the rules, I won't trouble you. When I need your assistance, we can talk then," Aiden replied earnestly.
He knew that Melusine indeed had valuable use, but at the same time, she was an untrustworthy femme fatale. Her current honesty was only because she lacked the opportunity to resist him.
With this woman, he had to keep a cautious distance and trade with her only under secure conditions.
"A truly cautious man," Melusine sighed.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the examination room.
"Who?" Aiden turned back.
"Chief," Veronica's voice came from outside the room. "The Cell Block Chief sent someone to find you, saying there seems to be an issue in the solitary confinement."
"Solitary confinement?" Aiden furrowed his brow.
Normally, the Solitary confinement were not a place where issues arose. In there, inmates were strictly separated, and any problems were usually promptly handled by the on-duty guards.
Currently, there should only be two inmates in isolation: The Violent Dragon Carmilla, who caused trouble in the cafeteria yesterday, and the Revenant Silaine.
After a moment of thought, Aiden responded, "Understood, I'll go there now."