"Good morrow," Benjamin greeted as he walked through the door. His voice came out stilted and formal, and he was unsure if it was due to the mask or not.

"Good morrow," Emilia replied just as stiffly from her bedding.

He remained in the doorway, observing the windowless room more clearly. The candles continued to burn around the nearly empty room. The space was so cramped it only allowed for her bedding, a small table, and a wooden chair to go along with it.

"I have brought you a medicine I specially made." He moved to the round table, placing his bag on it.

"What sort of medicine?" She narrowed her eyes.

"A concoction." He held up a vial filled with golden liquid, revealing it to her in his gloved hand. As he handed it over to her, their hands briefly touched but Emilia did not seem to notice. Or possibly care. Emilia was too preoccupied with what was in her hand. She turned the vial over, studying it closely. "Must I drink this?"

"Yes." He could not make himself sound invested in the conversation.

"What is it?" She looked at him with obvious disgust.

Benjamin took a breath before answering, exasperated with having to explain himself.

"A powder from roasted eggshells, chopped up marigold leaves and petals, and ale."

Emilia's eyes widened as she looked between him and the vial. But to Benjamin's surprise, she did not hand back the concoction. Instead, she popped open the lid and pressed her mouth to the rim. Just as she started to tip the vial back, the door opened from behind.

"Emilia!" A man rushed in. He had only taken a few steps before coming to a halt when he saw the plague doctor beside Emilia. "I apologize for my intrusion, sir. I did not know you were here."

"'Tis well enough." Benjamin paused as he got a closer look at the stranger. He recognized this man from before.

But who was he exactly?

This was the question Benjamin's mind was scrambling to answer while his body remained still and silent.

"Sir?" The man tilted his curly-haired head.

"Yes," Benjamin replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "What is your relation to the woman?"

"Emilia is my cousin." The man smiled at her.

"Yes, Nathaniel is my cousin," Emilia spoke from her bed.

Benjamin shifted his gaze back to the man. His visage haunted him. He had seen him before... But the name did nothing to help his memory; it was meaningless.

Curls the color of chesnuts with equally brown eyes.

That was the phrase that repeated in his mind when he gazed upon Nathaniel. It was a phrase he had thought of before.

At the execution.

"You." Benjamin raised his hand, pointing his finger directly at Nathaniel. "You were there."

The man startled. "Excuse me?"

"I remember you." Benjamin's hand shook as it indicated the accused. "You were the knight."

"I–I am not sure what you mean." He took a step back as Benjamin approached.

"Doctor Peters, what are you talking about? Nathaniel is not a knight," Emilia protested. "You must have him confused with someone else–"

But Benjamin was not confused about the man's identity. In fact, the more he thought about it, the surer he became. Everything was fitting together now like pieces of a puzzle. The letter Emilia received from before was written by another knight. Benjamin may not have known the knight's name at the time, but he was certain it was the same as the man standing before him.

Cousins did not look at each other the way they did at the execution.

As they were doing now.

"Leave!" Benjamin suddenly ordered. "You cannot be in here!"

"W–What?" Nathaniel took another step backward. "I am her relative. I am–"

"Oh, I am sure you are much more than that." Benjamin's face twisted with disgust that no one else could see. "Now leave before I call in the prioress and tell her who you really are."

Nathaniel paled at Benjamin's threat. "I–I..."

"Doctor Peters!" Emilia glared at the masked man. "You have no authority to deny his visit. Or any of my guests' visits."

He turned to her, slowly and deliberately. "Why, you are mistaken. As your physician, I can deny anyone's visit for the sake of the patient's health."

"You think I do not know who you are?" Benjamin seethed, turning back to the scandalized man. "What you mean?"

Nathaniel continued to stutter, but the older man cut him off with a whisper. "Do not come back here again."

With a gulp, Nathaniel nodded, glancing back at Emilia before taking his leave. Once Benjamin had closed the door behind him, he heard the sound of her rising off the bed.

"Emilia–" He started to say.

"You had no right!" She scowled at him as she steadied herself. "Who visits me is no business of yours!"

"You need to lay back down." He came to her side, grabbing her arm.

"Let go of me!" She wrestled her arm out of his grip.

"Emilia, that man will only hurt you." He moved in front of her, trying to explain. "He had to leave. If not for your safety, then his. What if he contracted your illness? He would only spread it further around the city."

Emilia merely glowered. "I do not want you here." She was so close he was sure she could see through the mask. "Now leave me before I start screaming."

Benjamin had no other choice but to back away from her, unwilling to take that chance. Grabbing his things, he hurried out the door and into the dark hallway that would lead him out of the convent.

**

After returning to the surgery, Benjamin ripped his stifling mask off and sat down by his desk. With the mask in his lap, he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, smoothing it out.

This was not supposed to happen. How could have things have gone so wrong?

Could Emilia not see he was trying to warn her? Trying to protect her?

"Of course not," he answered his own question. "How could she when she did not remember?" But even then, she had to see he only held her best interests at heart. He was her doctor after all and that is what doctors did. Yet, he might never see her again after what happened and this worried him greatly. He was given another chance to save her and he might have just squandered it.

Benjamin couldn't help but groan at the thought. "How could I be so foolish?!" He slammed his fist down on the desk just as a pounding resounded from the door.

"Doctor! I know you are in there!" A man's voice shouted from the outside.

The doctor let out a sigh before storming up to the door and yanking it back by the handle. "I am not seeing any patients right now."

Nathaniel glared back from the other side. "That is fine. But I am here to see you, doctor."

As he forced his way inside, Benjamin caught a whiff of alcohol on the man's clothes. They reeked of brandy.

"What do you want?" Benjamin narrowed his eyes.

Nathaniel ignored him. "You were a difficult man to find, doctor. With the whole mask and all, it was damn near impossible. But you would be surprised what you can find out around East Yard." His fingers went to his pocket, jingling something in there.

"Doctor Benjamin Peters," the name rolled off the man's tongue with a hiss.

Benjamin did not flinch at the sound of his name. "What is it you want?"

"I want to know how you found out." Nathaniel's agitated pace came to a halt. "Because there is no possible way you could have known!"

The doctor's face broke into a smirk and then a chuckle. "I found out because you are not as smart as you think you are. Your true intentions there were written all over your face."

Nathaniel's nostrils flared. "You are lying. Back in the convent, you acted as if you knew Emilia and me! As though you're privy to our lives, our relationship! What did you mean by all that?"

Benjamin's smirk only grew wider. "It means you are nothing but an arrogant, dim-witted brat in this life and the last."

A fist hurled through the air, punching Benjamin across the cheek. He stumbled back, catching himself before he tumbled to the ground. But when another fist collided with his eye, he could no longer keep his balance.

"I see what is going on here!" Nathaniel looked down at the fallen man. "You are in love with her!" He laughed, kicking him in the chest. "But do you really believe she would be with someone like you? A mere doctor?"

He grabbed Benjamin as the latter tried to stand. Benjamin was shoved into the desk, sending everything flying around the room.

Benjamin hit the floor with a painful groan. But his pain was soon forgotten when his eyes landed on the object beside him. His fingers quickly wrapped around the metal handle just as his head was lifted up by the hair.

"You are nothing but a weak, old man," Nathaniel whispered in his ear.

The sound of leather scrunched against the metal as his grip tightened on the scalpel. Benjamin's hand shot up, plunging the blade right into the side of the man's neck.

Nathaniel backed away, clutching the blade and pulling it out. He stared dumbly at the instrument in his hand as a stream of blood spurted out of his wound. His eyes went to Benjamin as he attempted to speak, but let out a sort of gurgling noise instead.

Frozen in place, Benjamin could only stand there at the sight, unable to process what he had just done. It was not until Nathaniel's body tumbled to the floor–the blood continuing to flow out onto the wood–did he realize he had just killed a man.