Verfall takes her to his villa where he makes sure she has everything she might need, also spoiling her greatly as usual. Ash acts as usual, pretty much dead inside.
He takes her to her room and puts her to bed. He sits next to her and holds her hand. "Have you taken all your medicines this month?"
"I have..." Ash avoids his gaze.
"Had they ended up delaying your medications..." Verfall narrows his eyes.
"They did not. I told them...they took them from my room..."
Verfall kisses her forehead, sending a shiver down her spine. "Have some rest now."
Ash lays down under the blankets, staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. "...would it be possible...to return to Guyun, to Cloud Retainer?"
He doesn't appreciate the question at all. "Why?"
"I was...learning something interesting from her, magical engineering." She is not exactly good at it, but she is trying to learn regardless.
"If you have interests getting deeper into magical subjects, I'll be your mentor myself." He got way too worried to send her anywhere.

Ash can hardly manage to sleep. During her time with Zhongli she couldn't have her medicines for days and realized she was not feeling bad, but much better, not just physically, also slowly regaining a normal appetite. Of course, she doesn't plan to show any chance, but even her memories are less and less blurry.

Ash keeps trying to gather informations but there is nothing in particular yet and she is afraid what might happen if she didn't achieve anything, that's why she decides to try her all and approach Cloud Retainer again. She fears she could be suspicious, but at the same time, she has a very natural pitiful vibe.
She aims to head out but she suddenly feels someone touching her wrist. She freezes completely. "...Ash..." A manly, deep voice, sending a shiver down her spine.
She doesn't manage to turn around to face him. "W..what is it..."
She hears him approaching very close until she feels his warm breath against her ear. "Don't be afraid, my dear...I am the only one you can trust. I'll never let you down, as long as you obey me."
She shuts her eyes, struggling not to cry. "Y..yes..."
Verfall runs his finger across her jawline while staring at her creepily. "Tell me what you plan to do and I'll settle things for you."

Ash approaches the guards at the gates, trying to explain if it might be possible to meet with Cloud Retainer. They refuse to let her in though, as she is no one to them and they weren't warned. Verfall happens to arrive about the same time, to go back inside the palace, asking what's the matter. ''Worry not, young girl. I'll bring your message to her and if she is interested, she'll meet you. Don't leave just yet.'' And said that, Verfall pays a visit to Xianyun's residence.

She returns to her room. She feels she just keeps failing and she still hasn't much in her hands. She fears what might come next but reassures herself by saying they still have a week before to report to Verfall.
It'd be too good to be true. After the time with Jing Yuan, Verfall returned to the palace, using dark magic to create a copy of himself to leave there while secretly going to meet his team.
It is not difficult to find them, since he is constantly monitoring their movements after the betrayal. He waits for them all to reach the inn before to make his appearance.

She continues her investigation but the only promising meeting was with Xianyun so far, even if she is not fully sure. She wonders how can she come across her again, should she look for her, inventing a lie? She needs to be sure she didn't lie just to get that hairpin.
She returns to her inn room, feeling exhausted. More than usual. She realizes it is that time of the month, so she gets her medicines and takes the first vial. After that, she is forced in bed for a day and takes the second and third vial, starting to feel a bit better until things find a stability again. She doesn't know exactly what sickness is affecting her, but Verfall's medicines seem to keep things stable, so she keeps taking them. He never fails to send them regularly.

Once back on her feet, she heads out, throwing the empty vials in the trash.

She is on her own, after a while. She has to deal with it alone, achieving something useful too to not disappoint. She is very unsure what to do but for now, she wanders around the palace, pretending to be lost. She eventually approaches your character with an excuse. "Excuse me...do you know where I can leave an offering to Rex Lapis?" She has been careful what she heard in the streets and their God is definitely a popular topic.