The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

As soon as I mentioned Acella’s debuff, she clearly had a wary expression.

Did she not want others to find out?

But as her attending physician, I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t notice, so I pressed on with my questions.

“Your Majesty, do you ever experience stomach aches or nausea?”

“None.”

Wow, she’s quite adamant.

I expected that from Acella, who had already said there was nothing wrong.

I couldn’t tell if she was putting on a show or if she was just used to the pain after so long.

“Do you ever have severe episodes?”

“…Hmm?”

From the way she’s pretending not to know, it seems to be bravado.

There’s no need to poke at something she doesn’t want to talk about and risk upsetting her.

“If that ever happens, please take this.”

I handed Acella a bottle of painkillers. It was a small glass vial, meant for tiny chunks of magic stone, quite sturdy for its size.

“What is this?”

“It’s a painkiller. If you take it when the pain is severe, it should help significantly.”

“Is that really true?”

Seeing her doubtful expression, Lucy the head maid chimed in.

“Your Highness, if I may, may I say a word?”

“Go ahead.”

“At the physician’s exam, when the teacher gave this medicine to a knight with serious injuries, he answered that the pain disappeared.”

“…Hmm.”

Acella gently tipped the vial with her fingertips, and the painkillers rattled inside.

“Prince, if you’re making bizarre assumptions on your own, you’re mistaken, so stop.”

“Your Majesty.”

I leaned closer to Acella with a serious expression.

“You mustn’t lie to me as your attending physician. It’s my duty to accurately assess your condition.”

Even if I’m a quack, I wanted to be a little stubborn as a doctor.

Acella seemed to contemplate my words for a moment, maintaining her blank expression before she pocketed the vial.

“First, I’ll keep this. But, Prince.”

“Yes?”

“There shouldn’t be any unfounded stories circulating about me within the imperial family.”

It was a somewhat serious command.

She meant to keep her illness a secret.

For Acella, who sincerely aims for the position of the next emperor, illness is a deadly weakness.

If her bravado stemmed from that reasoning, it makes sense.

“Of course. It’s the physician’s duty to keep patient information confidential, even if there’s a sword at my throat.”

Acella seemed satisfied with my response and nodded.

“I’ll conclude today’s examination. If there are no issues with your blood pressure, we can consider your mana levels normal. You may continue with your activities.”

I mixed the remaining blood of Acella with the prepared mercury and disposed of it.

As I packed my bag and stood up, Acella called me.

“Prince, you wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

“Certainly not. Why would I?”

“Did you gain that knowledge from your talent?”

Her sharp golden eyes pierced through me.

She was asking if I inferred her pain because I acquired a talent in exchange for my own ailments.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. Although that medication was indeed prepared through alchemy.”

In the silence, Acella’s gaze remained on me.

“Leave.”

I bowed respectfully and turned to exit Acella’s room.

Phew.

I lightly brushed my stomach that felt tight from the standoff with the princess.

Just now, the lie I told was not as a physician, but as Acella’s betrothed, Lars Gothberg.

That much should be fine.

*

A few days had passed since I started my role as the attending physician.

“I’ll be tagging out for my shift to provide escort.”

Tanya, who had become proficient in her duties, reported from the inner palace office.

“Do you need me to clean up?”

“I know where everything is.”

The office was already cluttered with several medical tools that I had prepared ahead.

Tanya seemed unhappy with the little room to maneuver on the floor during an ambush situation.

During the day, Tanya escorted me. Bruno took over at night. They had agreed to switch shifts periodically.

With two shifts, there were no weekends, and I told them to take breaks when we were in the palace, but they never listened.

Tanya insisted that it was her duty to remain by my side.

“Today, there are no unusual signs from Acella.”

She made a report while jotting down notes.

Blood pressure and health conditions remained stable.

I checked her diet, but it was heavily unbalanced in nutrition, so I was considering suggesting a new menu.

However, I needed to consult with the imperial kitchen, which would take some more time.

First and foremost, Acella was quite a picky eater.

With such a little habit of nibbling, how did she manage to grow so well after ten years?

She wasn’t an elf, nor was she sustaining herself on mana.

“She must be feeling sick.”

It was certainly sneaky of her.

If it suited her, it fit, but now that she had become my patient, I couldn’t help but worry.

I absently started to imagine.

A young princess born into the imperial family.

Four years old, or maybe three. It could even be since infancy.

Gaining magical talent while acquiring her illness.

That too, accompanied by considerable pain.

In an environment where she had to maintain dignity and decorum, she shouldn’t show weakness for even slight pains.

If a member of the imperial family behaved in such a manner, it would degrade the dignity of the entire royal family.

Even if it was the weakest faction, she was still a legitimate successor.

In reality, Acella was someone who would become the next emperor, so I never perceived her as weak.

Acella’s biological mother, Empress Camilla, had an intense thirst for power.

Given the situation, it would make sense that Acella would see it as natural to not show signs of pain.

Otherwise, she might have accepted the pain as a natural occurrence.

It was also natural that stress might accumulate.

“…So what of it?”

That didn’t justify the evil deeds Acella had committed, though.

I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest victim of her actions.

“Right now, I’m just doing my duty as her attending physician.”

Finally, I had a chance to live as a doctor.

I didn’t want to ruin it by getting swept up in emotions.

Whether I disliked Acella or felt a bit sorry for her, I decided to put those trivial feelings aside for later.

“If the pain is a price for her talent…”

This could very well be an incurable condition like my own debuff.

But what if it wasn’t?

If it were a disease or symptom that I could cure…

If I could eliminate the pain that served as her debuff through medicine, then just as I had thought, her magical talent would likely disappear as well.

I could completely break her before the golden witch was born.

“That’s no small sin.”

What would be Acella’s diagnosis?

I still couldn’t know for sure since diagnosing doesn’t work, so I need to observe Acella more.

So, for the time being, I remain vigilant watching over Acella’s every action.

It was necessary for my role as her attending physician, and Acella seemed to understand.

“After all, she is my patient for now.”

It was the duty of an attending physician to ensure the comfort of the patient.

“Unless a skill stronger than diagnosis appears, I won’t know.”

I checked my status window.

―――――――――――

○ Medicine D

A skill that treats subjects based on modern medical knowledge.

· Diagnosis C

Partially understands the patient’s condition.

· Prescription C

The treated patient’s condition improves a bit.

· Emergency Treatment Mastery D

Can provide emergency treatment slightly faster.

· Blood Test D

Checks the detailed information of the patient’s blood.

―――――――――――

My diagnosis and prescription ranks have both risen to C.

It’s about time for a new skill to unlock.

“Now I have to choose a skill tree.”

As I touched the detailed information, the skill map opened.

The first three basic skills I received were:

[Diagnosis], [Prescription], [Emergency Treatment].

From these, branches of similar skills awaited to be unlocked.

[Blood Test] is a skill branched from the [Diagnosis] route.

The next skill I unlock will be either from the [Diagnosis] route or the Emergency Treatment route.

I could easily tell where the two unselected spots were glowing.

“The [Prescription] route, I suppose, relates to pharmacists, while the [Emergency Treatment] route might improve my dexterity.”

Since alchemy was included in the prescription side, I decided to prioritize low importance.

“Surely, I should begin with unlocking the [Diagnosis] tree first.”

I need to accurately assess Acella’s condition to put measures in place.

“The blood test was CBC, right? It was a skill that needed modern medical equipment.”

If that’s the most versatile testing technique…

“I guess X-Ray Imaging is next.”

Would lasers shoot out of my eyes?

It would be a monster of epic proportions.

A chuckle escaped my lips.

Well, X-rays indeed have a shorter wavelength than ultraviolet rays, so they wouldn’t be visible.

“Teacher, it’s about that time for work.”

At Tanya’s words, I stood up.

*

The imperial palace is a place where high-quality manpower is wasted unnecessarily.

Whenever Acella takes a step, dozens of people hustle around with a clack clack sound.

I was attached to Acella like a bodyguard, but she already had a knight escort and Tanya as my escort, creating a bizarre scene.

Then again, thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely useless. Job creation is important.

“Acella, keep your shoulders back. Put some strength in your eyes! Your concentration is slipping!”

However, Acella’s daily life was painfully boring, making it hard not to yawn.

After breakfast, Empress Camilla began Acella’s education.

After lunch, the lessons continued.

And after dinner? Of course, more education.

The topics included imperial studies, political science, decorum, dance, equestrian skills, and more.

I have no idea for what purpose, but the intensity rivals that of the strictest mothers in Gangnam.

Gangnam, or was it Gangbuk?

It’s been so long, I can’t remember well.

It was incredibly Spartan with no breaks whatsoever.

After finishing the dinner education, the teacher showed the test answers that Acella completed today to the Empress.

Empress Camilla’s eyebrows twitched as she approached Acella, who had just finished her day.

“Today’s performance is quite poor. It seems your vacation at the Marquis’ home was too long.”

How poor could it be?

When I sneakily glanced at the exam Acella had completed, she had only gotten two out of thirty questions wrong.

…Isn’t that pretty good?

Standing rigid before the Empress, Acella maintained her expressionless demeanor, but I saw her gulp as her throat twitched.

Now that I think about it, the only person Acella can’t properly act against is Empress Camilla.

I’ve never seen Acella take a submissive stance before… but in front of Empress Camilla, she seems to get unusually nervous.

For someone like me seeing this for the first time, it felt refreshing.

“Everyone leave. I’ll take Acella to the workshop.”

At Camilla’s command, the attendants and knights immediately twisted and left the room.

Only Tanya and I were left, standing bewildered.

And then, at that moment.

[No. 058: Magical Torture 48% → 62%]
[Undergoing Changes]

One bad ending’s probability was increasing.

“You again.”

Now, the numbers feel strangely welcoming.

Yeah, I was almost sad that it didn’t show up earlier.

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