Doctor Resignation

‘After attending the inauguration ceremony, it seems that now she likes Erhan more than Wederick, so she wanted to act alone.’

She had a very pretty face, but I didn’t have a good memory of her. I was busy in the clinic because she was the one who kept ordering me to make skincare medicine.

‘I remember she found out through some of her noble lady acquaintances that they got cosmetic reagents from me…. And even though people were dying, she made a fuss about it saying to procure it for her immediately.’

Thinking about Aaron, who wanted to impress Wederick’s fiancée and kept nagging at me, made me angry once again.

I want to use her somehow, but I couldn’t come up with the right method because of the limitations of my status. Having treated the injury neatly with a sense of duty as a doctor, I intervened calmly.

“It’s all done. I will immediately send an ointment that has an analgesic effect with the maid.”

She didn’t seem interested in me at all. However, it was still my duty to explain the symptoms and treatment to the patient. I was about to stand up slowly when.

“…What are you doing here?”

I turned my head with my back bent. Erhan was strutting along with a frown. 

Come to think of it, it was time for him to finish his morning training.

Betia quickly trimmed her dress and said.

“Greetings, Duke.”

It was a completely different tone from the one she was using when she was arguing with Lady Silvina earlier.

“Lady Silvina pushed me….”

Silvina interrupted in a fit of rage even before her words were over.

“No. It was Lady Betia who stepped on my foot first.”

He looked at me without even giving them a glance.

“Lise, what are you doing here?”

I stood up straight and said.

“I heard she sprained her ankle.”

“Somebody asked you to do it?”

His face hardened.

“Who the hell had the guts to ask you to look at a guest’s ankle?”

His voice was so grave that I felt the maid who called for me earlier shivering. The maid’s eyes were filled with fear and tears. There was nothing to be so scared of. She must be a very weak maid.

“I was just passing by. Anyway, she is a guest at the Duke’s Castle, and I am the assistant of the attending physician that’s why….”

“You’re not yet an adult, so you’re just an assistant, but in fact you….”

He pulled my shoulder and declared in a low voice as if speaking to everyone.

“You are my private doctor.”

Even Betia and Silvina, who were cursing at each other loudly, shut up.

“You don’t have to look at anyone else’s wounds. Let’s go.”

The maid bowed her head slightly, crying as she looked as if she was extremely grateful. 

There was no doubt that the atmosphere would be cold, but I tilted my head in wonder when even the noble young ladies remained quiet.

⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰

Erhan followed as I headed to the laboratory to send an ointment that had an analgesic effect to the maid.

“Lise, where are you going?”

“The lab. Well, I don’t go around much except in my lab and my room since I don’t have any close friends in the castle except Diel.”

I wasn’t very close to the maids either.

It was quite awkward to have a master-servant relationship with them since we were all commoners at the same time.

In fact, my position should be similar to the maids, but my status was a bit awkward because Ferelmen gave me a good room from the beginning and even gave me a personal maid.

Of course, I never really needed a friend in my life, so I did not put too much interest in it. Come to think of it, I also didn’t have the need for people in my past life.

I just thought of living well by myself, with neither parents nor friends. So when I was sentenced to death, I wondered if anyone would come to see me. But perhaps the loneliness of being alone still overwhelmed me, so I decided to find my parents in this life.

“I’ll take you there.”

He stood on the sunny side, giving me shade, and said.

“It’s too dangerous since there are a lot of outsiders.”

“It’s broad daylight, and we’re inside the Castle.”

“I had a nightmare.”

“And why would you escort me just because you had a nightmare?”

“I dreamed of Kane running at you with a hammer.”

He spoke seriously.

“It was a very terrifying moment for me. Next time, no matter what you say, I will definitely oppose it if it puts you in any danger.”

“My Lord, that’s….”

I was about to answer back when someone approached us suddenly. It was the first we’re seeing Wederick after a long time.

“Erhan.”

Wederick looked at me for a moment and then smiled, reaching out to Erhan.

“Congratulations on your succession. I couldn’t talk to you yesterday because you looked so distracted.”

Erhan, who held Wederick’s hand, was much taller than him.

“Thank you.”

“It’s been a long time too, assistant lady.”

Not thinking of backing down despite Erhan’s short answer, Wederick smiled at me.

“I didn’t see you at the ceremony yesterday.”

“I don’t think it’s a place for me to go.”

“Why not?”

I snorted inwardly at Wederick’s kind voice.

“Why is it that ever since we were little, you’ve always been horrible to me except for Erhan? Every time we played, you only cheered for him.”

“That’s a matter of course. I am a person from the Duke’s Castle.”

I looked him in the eye and said.

“And back then, I was offended that Sir Wederick kept saying that Master Erhan couldn’t play the ball well, or he couldn’t run.”

I wanted to stimulate him in front of Erhan, so I smiled brightly and continued talking.

“He’s a person who can grow up this well, but you kept saying negative things about him. At that age, he was easily affected by people that were close to him.”

Wederick glanced at Erhan. I felt a little relieved by the somewhat tactless look on his face.

“How can I really think about my only cousin like that?”

He forcibly pulled the corners of his mouth and laughed.

“It’s all a joke.”

“To Sir Wederick, it must have been a joke.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“But was that also a joke to Master Erhan at that time?”

Wederick’s expression turned ugly to my sarcastic tone.

“My, my. Assistant lady, you better not cross the line.”

Erhan, who was calmly listening to our conversation until then, intervened.

“YOU‘d better not cross the line.”

It was a shockingly threatening voice.

My heart fluttered as I wondered if he had noticed in his own way that Wederick had abused him as a child. 

He continued, raising his eyebrows.

“I think I already made it clear before. Don’t be rude to Lise.”

‘No, why did my name come out of there?’

You were the one who was mistreated.

“Erhan.”

Wederick clicked his tongue, dumbfounded.

“Can’t you see that this commoner-born assistant treats me, an aristocrat, poorly?”

“Lise can do that. At least here inside my territory.”

The topic was going on a tangent even more somehow, so I also looked a little dumbfounded at Erhan.

“Because it’s the Dukedom of Cerceus, and I’m the owner of this place.”

It was a tone full of arrogance though he was just speaking naturally.

‘That’s right.’

I eagerly thought while observing the trembling Wederick.

‘And you could never take it away.’

“Well, no matter what you did to me in the past, it doesn’t matter that much anymore since Brother was also a kid at that time… However, never again say that Lise is just a commoner-born assistant, or something denigrating like that.”

Erhan’s profile, as he raised his head imperiously, showed clear anger. I don’t think he should be this angry, but I felt the air chill as if it was freezing.

“You, you….”

“The next time this happens, I will definitely set an example for you.”

He spoke coldly.

“The time you point out Lise’s position, Brother should also think of  your position.”

It felt like he was being accused to death.

It was a remarkable growth if I recall our old memories. It was not an intense confrontation, but it was full of Erhan’s cold energy.

If nobody laughs at this point in time, I feel like the air would become even heavier.

‘This is why the maids and Diel keep misunderstanding that Erhan is scary….’

It was then.

“Miss Lise?”

Someone called my name as if they were glad to see me, so I looked back.

“We finally met.”

“Huh….”

My eyes got bigger.

He was a man whom I never imagined I would see in this place.

“Sir Keynes?”

The doctor and physician of the Crown Prince, the one I spoke to when I treated Prince Jade’s eyes in the free city.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Keynes greeted Erhan and smiled at me right away.

“Are you here because of the succession ceremony?”

When I asked if he was from a vassal family that I didn’t know of, Sir Keynes shook his head.

“No, I arrived today as a guest.”

He spoke softly.

“I was sent by Crown Prince Jade.”