After Carlos and Putri left, the tense atmosphere in the hospital room gradually eased. However, the incident had left Lifa and both her parents extremely worried about the princess's condition.
"Lifa, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere, sweetheart?" Mom Aura asked anxiously, quickly examining her daughter's body.
"That's right, sweetheart. Did your brother hurt you again? Tell Dad and Mom," her father added, just as anxious.
Seeing such sincere concern touched Lifa's heart. Especially Mom Aura's—Lifa had never gotten to experience a mother's warm affection in her previous life. Today, she could finally feel it, even though she was in a different body and living under a different identity.
*I usually only read sweet scenes like this in novels, but now I'm actually experiencing one myself. This is seriously touching my tiny little heart,* Lifa thought as she gazed at her parents with tears glimmering in her eyes. *Lifana, I promise I'll protect your parents and get revenge on those parasites.*
"I'm okay, Dad, Mom. I'm fine, really. My lower back just hurts a little because Bang Carlos pushed me earlier. But seriously, I'm okay," Lifa replied calmly, without a hint of sadness, tears, or any attempt to defend her jerk of a brother.
Hearing Lifa answer so honestly and calmly, both her parents were briefly surprised. Lifa had never acted like this before. Still, they assumed the amnesia had changed her personality for the better, which brought them considerable relief.
"Thank goodness. Come here, sweetheart. Lie down on the bed so your back will hurt less. I'll give you a gentle massage, okay?" Mom said tenderly.
Lifa happily did as she was told. She enjoyed this rare moment of getting to act spoiled with her mother.
"Lifa, forgive us, okay? We failed to protect you... Even your brothers and sisters, who should have protected you, ended up hurting you too. Dad and Mom should never have been so busy working that we forgot about you," her father said, filled with deep regret.
"It's okay, Dad. Besides, I don't remember any of that anymore, so let's just let it go," Lifa answered casually, without needing to think twice. But deep down, her intentions were the complete opposite. She was already putting together elaborate plans to make them pay for what they had done.
Not long afterward, the door to Lifa's hospital room opened. A young doctor in a distinctive white medical coat stepped inside with an upright posture. He immediately greeted Lifa's parents.
"Good afternoon, Uncle, Auntie. How's Ana doing?" the man asked pleasantly.
"Rehan! You scared us. We should be the ones asking that, shouldn't we? We're not doctors, after all. Hurry up and examine your cousin instead of joking around and making me mad," Dad Arga ordered jokingly, making Mom Aura and the man named Rehan chuckle.
"All right, Uncle. Permission to examine her, hehe," he joked casually.
Rehan, who worked as a doctor, began checking Lifa's physical condition. He examined Lifa's pupils with a penlight, then measured her heartbeat and pulse. Noticing that Lifa's IV line had come loose, Rehan automatically reattached it with a new needle and set.
"Don't keep pulling it off, okay, Cousin?" Rehan said lightly as he straightened the IV tape.
As Lifa watched Rehan's incredibly handsome face, she suddenly remembered something. She was instantly shocked. The man standing before her was one of the important characters who would eventually fall for Putri Permata! He was her cousin on her mother's side, Rehan Dwi Wijaya.
Remembering the novel's plot, fear slowly crept over Lifa. She reflexively shifted backward, moving away from him. In the story, Rehan was deeply obsessed with the Princess. Anyone who dared hurt her would become the subject of his experiments. The thought made Lifa shudder in horror.
Rehan was puzzled by Lifa's reaction, but he immediately assumed that her amnesia had made her forget him and that she simply wasn't used to him yet.
"Uncle, Auntie, Ana's condition is fine now. She only needs complete rest for a few days to recover after her three-month coma. After that, she can go home," he explained plainly and professionally.
Rehan then looked warmly at Lifa. "Hi, Cousin. You must have forgotten your incredibly handsome cousin, huh? Let's get reacquainted. My name is Rehan Dwi Wijaya. You usually call me Bang Rehan."
"Uh... hi, Bang Rehan. I'm Lifa. Don't call me Ana anymore," she replied, slightly stumbling over her words. But Lifa's innocent response only made everyone in the room burst out laughing.
"Why is everyone laughing?" Lifa asked in confusion.
"It's nothing, sweetheart. You're so funny," Mom said, stroking Lifa's head.
"You must have forgotten, huh? Ever since you were little, you were always clinging to Bang Rehan and playing with him. But now you look so scared of him."
*How could I not be scared?! He's a crazy doctor! What if he turns me into one of his test subjects and I end up becoming a zombie? What am I supposed to do then?!* Lifa screamed inwardly.
"All right, you get some rest now, okay? Dad and Mom have something important to discuss with Rehan outside. Just stay here and relax," Mom Aura said gently before the three of them left, leaving Lifa alone in her hospital room.
Once the room fell silent again, Lifa tried to rack her brain. How could Bang Rehan, who was so kind and attentive toward her, eventually end up siding completely with the Princess?
Not long after, detailed memories from the novel flashed through her mind. In the novel, Rehan had a younger sister whose existence was kept a closely guarded secret from the media. She suffered from a rare illness and needed an extremely difficult-to-find medicinal ingredient: the Rainbow Mushroom.
Rehan loved his little sister dearly because her birth had been something their parents had waited years for. However, the mushroom was incredibly rare. When Rehan went searching for the medicinal ingredient on a hill, he discovered that the Princess had already found it and deliberately left a trap there.
Trapped in that isolated place, Rehan was helpless and begged anyone who might hear him for help. That was when the Princess appeared like a hero, saving him and giving him the rare mushroom as well. From that moment on, Rehan fell in love, resolved to side with the Princess, and swore to protect her for the rest of his life. His little sister eventually recovered and grew close to the Princess, the novel's main character.
*Ooh... so that's how the game is played,* Lifa thought, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Should I start with Rehan so the Princess won't get a chance to find an ally?" she murmured thoughtfully.