Chapter 1921: The Rumor From Years Ago
Yennefer, deeply asleep, appeared gaunt. However, her slender, delicate features were typically Southern, conveying a gentle and approachable demeanor. Everything changed in less than fifteen minutes.
As the sedative wore off, she slowly awoke, her eyes empty and confused as she gazed at her surroundings. Jones approached, calling her name repeatedly, but Yennefer remained unresponsive. With a disappointed expression, he quickly fetched two straps and fastened them to her wrists.
Roxanne frowned. Wouldn't such restraint only provoke her further? As if in answer, Yennefer's face contorted; her lifeless eyes sharpened, replaced by a vicious expression.
“Let me go! What are you doing? Jones, release me now! You'll come to a bad end! How dare you treat me like this? Call James over! I want him to pay with his life! Damn it, do you think you can keep me trapped like this? Where is that kid, James? AhR—”
Her current state was nothing like the calm and composed Yennefer Lucian knew. Besides her hysterical screams, she desperately struggled against the straps, eventually standing and confronting Roxanne. Her twisted face, filled with anger and hatred, startled Roxanne.
Fortunately, Lucian reacted swiftly, pulling Roxanne behind him. Jones' warning came just then: “Be careful, don't get too close! She will scratch and bite! It's happening again! Ah...”
"Mr. Lann," Roxanne asked, regaining her composure, "why would Mrs. Lann want to hurt James?" While she had seen many manic patients, she remained puzzled. In this altered state, it seemed another consciousness had supplanted the patient's own. What kind of consciousness had taken over Yennefer's body?
Some scientists theorized that mentally ill patients might confuse personalities from different dimensions, resulting in incoherent speech and bizarre behavior.
Before Jones could respond, Robert and several other psychologists entered. Robert nodded calmly. “Allow me to explain from a psychological perspective. In her current state, Ms. Thompson likely imagines herself as her twin sister, Sheba Thompson, due to past trauma. As for the reason, Mr. Lann hasn't detailed it with us. And why she would hate her nephew? I'm afraid only Mr. Lann knows.”
After he finished, all the doctors looked at Jones. A sinking feeling gripped Lucian's heart. The rumor from years ago seemed true. He vaguely recalled James mentioning the incident—in Xendale, before the Lann family moved to Horington.
The Thompson sisters had met Jones around the same time, both falling for him. Jones chose Yennefer, the elder sister. Sheba, the younger sister, initially seemed to accept the situation, but her outward acceptance masked a deep jealousy. Her evil thoughts consumed her; she even plotted to poison her sister, hoping to disable Yennefer and take her place beside Jones.