It was clear the restaurant had solid ratings.
However, it was another one of those trendy internet-famous spots.
Claire had been burned by places like this before.
If the food turned out to be mediocre, she would be thoroughly disappointed.
She quickly selected three dishes and a soup.
"I don't have any dietary restrictions, so go ahead and pick whatever you like."
She had gone with their signature items-two spicy dishes and one mild one. Meiko took the tablet and added two more signature dishes.
She ordered based on the top recommendations.
She had checked in with Sloane Sterling before coming, confirming that sticking to the signatures was a safe bet.
In total, they had five mains, a soup, and Golden Honey Toast for dessert.
The dessert arrived first. Claire grabbed a piece of the perfectly toasted, crispy bread and dipped it into the ice cream in the center.
She took a bite and nodded in approval.
It definitely wasn't a total disaster.
Trendy restaurants might rely heavily on hype, but they usually had at least one redeeming specialty.
Otherwise, no amount of marketing could keep them in business.
Since the dessert was a hit, Claire began looking forward to the actual meal.
The main courses weren't quite as good as the toast, but they were still decent. Claire thoroughly enjoyed her meal.
She had eaten breakfast early and was famished.
Meiko ate with practiced elegance, and Claire matched her refined effortlessly.
ners
It was a good thing they were seated in a private room; otherwise, they would have drawn an uncomfortable amount of attention in the main dining area.
Throughout the meal, Claire remained silent, and Meiko refrained from sparking up a conversation.
She had studied Solenian etiquette extensively, which included the golden rule of eating in silence.
Watching Claire enjoy the food with such an appetite ended up making Meiko eat far more than usual.
By the time she realized it, she was completely stuffed.
After finishing their food, Meiko rested for a moment before Claire formally checked her pulse.
The moment Claire felt her pulse, she instantly understood why Meiko hadn't wanted Sloane handling the diagnosis.
"When you had a miscarriage before, you didn't have a proper medical procedure to clear your uterus, did you?"
Claire's blunt question made Meiko freeze in her tracks.
Her mentor had warned her that traditional medicine was bordering on miraculous.
There was a reason Solenia's medical practices had survived for thousands of years.
But she never expected that Claire could detect a past pregnancy and miscarriage just by checking her pulse.
She had even pinpointed the exact missing post-care procedure.
Back then she had been undergoing intense, isolated training and hadn't even realized she was pregnant until it was too late. Afterward, she simply hadn't gotten the surgery.
no
Given her restrictive environment at the time, she kept putting it off until she eventually pushed it out of her mind entirely.
Now that her health was deteriorating, Meiko had started suspecting the old miscarriage was to blame.
She had only harbored suspicions, but Claire's words were basically an official diagnosis.
"Yes. My circumstances were... complicated back then."
She couldn't let anyone find out about the miscarriage. Going to a hospital in Solenia would leave a permanent medical record.
Seeking out a traditional practitioner like Claire was much more discreet.
"Given your current condition, you really should go to a hospital for a comprehensive check-up."
"You're showing severe signs of anemia. Were you aware of that?"
Meiko's face paled slightly. "Yes, I get dizzy occasionally. I've been taking iron supplements."
"Claire, can you help me fix this?"
"My periods are incredibly irregular, and the bleeding is always abnormally heavy..."
Meiko poured out her hidden agony.
Hearing this, Claire furrowed her brows. "You were far too careless back then."
"Furthermore, considering your
body's stage of development when the miscarriage occurred... you should know that it will be extremely difficult for you to ever get pregnant again."
Claire was simply stating the brutal facts.
She refused to sugarcoat a patient's condition.
But Meiko's situation was uniquely tragic.