The Double ( or More ?) Life of The Fake Heiress

Stepping out of his villa, Nick made his way to the outdoor storage locker and punched in his cell phone number. Instantly, the door swung open. Sure enough, there was a package waiting

for him.

He reached in, retrieved the parcel, and after closing the locker, he made his way back inside the villa.

Fishing out a pocketknife from a drawer, he sliced through the packaging with ease, revealing a wooden box nestled within. The box was filled to the brim with incense sticks. As soon as he opened it, a wave of sandalwood fragrance hit him, laced with the subtle scent of herbs. The aroma was rich but not overpowering, and at the first whiff, Nick felt a wave of comfort wash over him from his nose to his brain.

This incense was definitely different from any he had used before.

Nick snapped a photo with his phone and sent it to Mirabella. [Got it. Thanks, Mirabella.]

[Remember to use it tonight. It’s for a good sleep,] came her immediate reply.

Nick texted back a simple “Okay” and put the phone down. He slowly pulled out an incense stick, gave it another sniff – yes, quite unique – and then retrieved an incense holder from a nearby cupboard.

In no time, he was upstairs with the incense stick and holder, making his way to his bedroom. Lighting the incense, he placed it in the holder and soon, a gentle stream of smoke rose, filling the air with a blend of sandalwood and herbal fragrances.

Nick took a deep breath, lay down on his bed, and thought, “Might not work, but it’s worth a shot.” After all, this was something Mirabella had sent all the way over.

Before long, Nick, who had not held out much hope for a peaceful slumber, felt his eyelids grow heavy. He drifted off to sleep amid the fragrant haze, and his mind was free from the usual dark entanglements.

When Nick awoke, it was already nightfall the next day. He sat up in the darkness, rubbed his head, and flicked on the bedside lamp. His gaze wandered around the room before settling on the spent incense holder on the side table. His focus finally sharpened.

Had he actually fallen asleep?

Nick couldn’t quite believe it as he grabbed his phone from under the pillow and saw the time. He was stunned. Had he really slept for a whole day and night?

Throwing back the covers, he walked to the floor–to–ceiling windows and pulled back the curtains, staring out at the darkened sky for a long while before snapping back to reality.

No nightmares, no sudden awakenings, just a solid, restful sleep, the kind he hadn’t experienced in years. It must have been his sister’s incense.

11:32 Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Returning to his room, Nick picked up the box and examined the remaining sticks. Quickly, he typed out a message to Mirabella. [Thanks for the incense, Mira.)

Mirabella was still in class when she eventually saw Nick’s message. Clearly, he had tried the incense. After pondering for a moment, she typed back: [Healing the mind takes more than just medicine, Nick. You’re a medical student yourself. My incense won’t help forever.]

It took a while before she got a reply. LIN: [Yeah, I know.]

LIN:

(Is there a special medicinal component in your incense? Are you into pharmacology?]

Mirabella leaned back in her chair, modestly replying: (Just a bit. I’ve looked into some alternative medicine literature.]

LIN: (Thinking of studying medicine in the future?]

Mirabella raised an eyebrow. Studying medicine was out of the question for her. As the bell for the end of class rang, she replied with a simple “Nope,” and put away her phone.