Chapter 4
Four in the morning.
Only the sound of shallow breathing could be heard in the room where the aide slept.
Blasion sat in the chair beside the bed, staring down at his own hand.
“Be quiet!! If you have nothing to do, at least hold his hand!”
He knew that woman had meant for him to hold his aide’s hand.
But he had deliberately ignored that part.
It had been strangely fascinating to watch those delicate hands wield a scalpel without the slightest hesitation.
He almost wanted to know how her body was built to produce such a thunderous roar from somewhere so small.
So he had taken that little hand in his own.
He wondered if perhaps she, too, was some kind of special existence like himself.
But—
…It was just a small hand.
Knock, knock.
As though interrupting his thoughts, a knock sounded at the door.
A moment later, a young man dressed in uniform entered the room. His black hair and blue eyes gave him a neat, disciplined appearance.
“Forgive me, Your Grace. We failed to stop the suicide again. However, just like the others, he used concentrated monkshood extract.”
Blasion recalled the sixteenth and twenty-third personal physicians, both of whom had killed themselves using the same poison.
Once could be a coincidence.
Twice could still be dismissed as chance.
But three times meant it was deliberate.
There had to be someone above them giving orders.
Having reached that conclusion, Blasion nodded.
“It is not your fault. Dispose of the body discreetly.”
“Your command will be carried out.”
The young man bowed his head, then turned his gaze toward the bed.
Feeling his stare, Kaylen slowly narrowed his eyes.
“…Everlain. I almost died.”
“So it would seem. More importantly, what is that tube sticking out of your chest?”
After hearing what had happened, Everlain’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’ve never heard of such a treatment. And isn’t that a distillation tube? She inserted something that isn’t even a medical instrument into your lung to drain the air… Was the person who performed the procedure an experienced physician?”
“No. She’s a young woman who only just turned twenty.”
“A young lady that age performed such an aggressive procedure?”
The usually taciturn guard knight stared in admiration at the tube inserted into his companion’s chest and the bottle of water connected below it.
Kaylen, who was lying at an angle on the bed, cautiously spoke.
“…Your Grace. Did she learn your secret as well?”
“……”
His silence was answer enough.
Kaylen spoke again.
“Are you going to kill her?”
The duke did not answer.
Everlain straightened his posture and stepped in front of him.
“Your Grace. She may be different from all the quacks who came before her. Perhaps you should consider it.”
“Consider what?”
“Formally hiring her as your personal physician.”
The duke’s eyebrow twitched.
Kaylen, who had been listening to his colleague, added his own opinion.
“I agree. Of course, I know how deeply Your Grace distrusts physicians, but… she may be able to fulfill the wish you’ve carried for so long.”
The duke lowered his gaze to his hand once more.
He could still hear that insolent little brat’s voice ringing in his ears.
“Why are you so slow?! Move! Hurry up!!”
A faint chuckle escaped Blasion without him realizing it.
The two subordinates exchanged secretive glances at the completely unexpected reaction.
—Did you see that?
—I did.
—He’s lived too long. He’s finally gone cra—
“…Everlain. How are William and Ailey doing?”
Everlain’s expression visibly darkened.
“Their condition has gotten worse since the last time you saw them.”
“Good.”
Blasion rose from his seat.
Neither Kaylen nor Everlain had much difficulty guessing what he intended to do next.
When Lionel opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.
As soon as she stepped outside, a maid guided her to the drawing room.
The duke was sitting on the sofa.
And in front of him sat beef jerky and orange juice.
“…Does this mansion have anything to eat besides beef jerky?”
The duke answered indifferently.
“If food can satisfy hunger, that is enough.”
“Ah. Right…”
So this was why there hadn’t been anything about meals in that ridiculously generous benefits package.
Apparently, her employer had completely lost his sense of taste.
Lionel suddenly missed the card her professor used to toss her every now and then, telling her to go buy herself something to eat.
She even missed the delivery apps that had been her only joy during triple consecutive night shifts.
Eating is such an enjoyable and important part of life, though. Does everyone become like this after living too long?
Lionel chewed the beef jerky with obvious dissatisfaction when the duke suddenly spoke.
“I will give you one more chance, Doctor.”
Gulp.
Lionel hurriedly swallowed the jerky.
The duke continued speaking without paying any attention to her reaction.
“There is a patient I want you to examine. He was a coachman who worked at this mansion for ten years. He has been seen by many doctors, but none of them were able to treat him.”
“What is the coachman’s name?”
“William.”
“Ah…”
She had thought the situation sounded strangely familiar.
Now she understood why.
It was a name that appeared in the original story.
William Lexter.
He was like a father figure to the heroine after she arrived at this mansion, sincerely caring for her and looking after her.
Thanks to him, the heroine had quickly adjusted to life in the mansion and had been able to close the distance between herself and the male lead much more smoothly.
Judging from the situation, the original story hasn’t started yet… Then I should make sure to treat Mr. William properly. Otherwise, the heroine might have trouble later.
After thinking that far, Lionel spoke first.
“All right. Let me meet the patient first. I’ll examine him.”
“Doctor Frencia. Do you understand how serious your situation is?”
The duke narrowed his eyes at Lionel.
A cold aura radiated from his sculpted face.
“Did you fail to understand what I meant by giving you a ‘chance’?”
“Of course I understood. You meant that if I fail to treat William, you’ll kill me, didn’t you?”
This time, it was Blasion who fell silent at her matter-of-fact response.
Lionel shrugged once and continued.
“Well, I don’t want to die either… and I’m sure I can treat him. So let me see the patient first.”
Her confidence wasn’t completely baseless.
There’s no way an important supporting character dies before the original story even begins, right? Some genius doctor will definitely appear, treat him, and help him recover so he can meet the heroine later.
That was right.
Lionel wasn’t putting her faith in herself.
She was putting her faith in the irresistible force of the original story.
William had an important role as the bridge between the heroine and the male lead.
There was no way he would die.
And who knew?
Maybe that genius doctor was supposed to be her.
Perhaps this had actually been Lionel Frencia’s role in the original story all along.
“Then promise me something as well, Your Grace. Once I successfully treat William, you’ll officially hire me as your personal physician. And naturally, I expect four times the market salary.”
A short, “Ha,” escaped the duke.
Lionel couldn’t tell whether it was a laugh or a sigh.
Either way, one thing was certain.
He wasn’t going to kill her right here and now.
“Follow me.”
As instructed, Lionel walked behind the duke.
After passing through the long, luxurious corridors, Blasion left the main building entirely and headed toward a detached building connected to the garden.
They were around the middle of the garden when a door suddenly burst open.
A red-haired girl rushed outside.
“Your Grace, hello! But… who’s that big sister?”
The duke gave the girl a slight nod before explaining to Lionel.
“She is William’s daughter. Her name is Ailey. She is nine years old.”
He had a daughter? She was never mentioned in the original story.
While Lionel was wondering about that, Ailey spotted her bag and exclaimed,
“Are you a doctor?”
“Ah, yes. Hello, Ailey. My name is Lionel. Could you take me to your father?”
Ailey immediately wrapped both arms tightly around Lionel’s arm.
Her rosy cheeks and curly red hair made her incredibly adorable.
“Doctor, can men get pregnant too?”
“Huh?”
“My daddy’s stomach keeps getting bigger. I thought a baby was going to come out, but they said there isn’t a baby. And his face is black.”
Blackened skin.
A belly swollen like a balloon.
As the innocent child casually described her father’s symptoms, Lionel felt an ominous chill.
Ah… I have a bad feeling about this…
With that thought, Lionel entered the room.
“Daddy!! A new doctor is here! And she’s a big sister! She’s also really pretty!”
At Ailey’s shout, William, who had been lying on the bed, slowly turned his head.
The first things Lionel noticed were his pitch-black face and yellow eyes.
Then she saw his abdomen, swollen like a balloon.
The instant she did, Lionel froze in place.
Ah…
Images she had seen countless times during her gastroenterology rotation flashed through her mind.
Patients with darkened faces and pregnant-looking stomachs, wandering around like zombies while struggling for breath.
William’s current condition looked exactly like those patients.
Lionel felt her face grow hot.
She was so embarrassed she could hardly endure remembering herself from only five minutes earlier, arrogantly thinking she might be some kind of genius doctor.
“…Ailey. Could you go inside first for a moment? I need to speak with His Grace before I come in.”
“Okay, Doctor! I’ll wait for you!”
Thankfully, Ailey didn’t question her and obediently went inside.
Lionel quietly closed the door.
Then she turned to face the duke.
She drew in a short breath before raising her head.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
What in the world had made me so confident?
The moment someone like her, a person carrying memories from a previous life, became the duke’s personal physician, the original story had already begun to change.
Mocking her own foolishness inwardly, Lionel forced herself to speak in a calm voice.
“I… cannot save William.”
