Knowing he was irritated, Rhea said soothingly, "Your Grace, I wasn't trying to pry, but I needed information to give a proper answer. Men and women have different physiques, and their age makes a difference, too.
“If it's someone old, it's normal if their heart rate slows. Even if the person looks healthy, heart failure is possible if there are underlying conditions. If there aren't any, then it might be a sudden illness—"
Fred interjected impatiently, "That's not possible! She's so young!"
Although he was upset, Rhea gleaned a bit of information from his reply. She continued, "Even young people can have sudden heart problems. Furthermore, there are differences between men and women, as well as factors like physical fitness—"
"The person is neither a man nor elderly, and she has no underlying conditions. She has always been in good shape." Fred grew increasingly annoyed by Rhea’s explanation.
He might have revealed it was Lily, but he did not want to. "Is it possible she has done something to herself? Is there anything that could slow down her heart rate?"
Having said so, he thought it was unlikely and shook his head. "No, she could die from this. It doesn't make sense if she wants to kill herself."
‘Lily has a strong will to survive and never stopped trying to escape after going through so much. Why would she suddenly try to kill herself?’
Rhea was more or less sure who Fred was talking about. However, she played along because Fred did not mention the person’s name. She said, "No, you could be right."
Fred was puzzled.
"I've encountered techniques for slowing one's breathing in a few novels. They also discuss drugs that can induce a state of simulated death."
"Simulated death?" Fred's eyes lit up.
"Yup!" Seeing he was intrigued, Rhea continued, "It's a state where the heart rate is so slow that the person only appears dead. However, if the person takes a certain drug or when it is time, they will wake up again."
Fred caught on. "So she might have taken some drug or used a certain technique, huh?"
"That's right," Nodding, Rhea said meaningfully, "If the person happens to have fighting skills, it's even more likely!"
"Yes, she does—" Fred caught himself and stopped talking. He looked at Rhea deeply, saying, “Don’t pry. I'm only asking you questions. Just focus on the hypnosis, understand?"
Rhea answered, "Yes, Your Grace."
He looked her up and down thoughtfully. "When will you finish your work?"
"I'll be done in 30 minutes as soon as I collect the data and stow the stuff away," Rhea said, checking her watch.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Secret Spoiled Wife (Lily and Alexander)