"—Freda! You’re still at the Marquisate? What in the world is going on? Weren’t you supposed to leave for the capital with the Second Princess? I heard you’re causing trouble, using the gold coins I gave to the Marquis as leverage!"
“N-no, it’s not like that...”
Freda sat demurely in front of the crystal orb, now completely shriveled like a scolded child.
Since this wasn’t a high-end two-way communication but a recorded ssage, the fact that she cowered like that ant the Duke must be seriously strict.
"—The Third Princess herself sent a letter. I went through all the trouble of establishing friendly relations with Moonlight Palace, and now you’re going to ruin everything over a asly ten thousand gold coins? Return ho imdiately!"
Pop. The projection ended, and Freda pouted.
Asella had sent a top-grade ssenger falcon to the Duke with a report on what was happening at the Marquisate.
Though she used refined wording, the ssage essentially boiled down to: "Your daughter is hitting on my fiancé. Do you not have any sense of decorum?"
Three days later, Asella received a reply filled with apologies, and Freda must have gotten a ssage too. I’d been keeping watch on her ever since she ran out in the middle of breakfast.
“See? I told you I was right.”
Asella declared triumphantly.
“So the young lady really did act on her own, without the Duke’s knowledge. How did you know?”
“As the mistress of Moonlight Palace, I’ve been in communication with the Duke. He’s not the kind of man who would intentionally create a situation that puts you, his benefactor, in trouble.”
So she’d already finished politically profiling the Duke. As expected of Asella.
“Besides, the Duke is waiting on the delivery of dicine for his knights. The ten thousand gold coins were an advance. Making unhappy would only devalue that advance—he has no reason to do so.”
“Wise as always.”
“Of course.”
Freda, thoroughly scolded by the Duke, trudged toward us like a defeated soldier.
“I didn’t realize His Highness cherished his physician this much. I’ve been insensitive. I apologize.”
“If you get it now, then go. We’ve no further business.”
“How heartless. Poor doctor, though. You’ve really gotten on Her Highness’s bad side.”
“Are you saying I should feel bad for him? Ahaha.”
Perhaps because she’d already claid victory, Asella radiated confidence.
“Foolishness and boldness often go hand in hand. Young lady, you will never lay eyes upon my ‘scenery.’”
“What the heck is that supposed to an?”
Freda grumbled, gave Asella a curt bow, and spun on her heel.
Her attendant and bodyguard followed her.
Honestly, I was just grateful she was leaving quietly from the Marquisate.
In the end, this was a better outco than drafting a contract—so long as Freda was out of the way, I could freely use the ten thousand gold coins however I wanted.
“Young Lord, we’ll still need another eight thousand.”
“According to the plan, yes. It’ll be used gradually over three years, so there’s no need to rush the funding.”
“I’ll prepare it. Don’t worry about it.”
Asella declared confidently.
I had to admit—it was reassuring.
“Oh, Lady Freda. Are you returning ho now?”
My father, passing by with Neria, spotted Freda and addressed her.
“Yes. I’m heading back to the Ducal estate. I’ve caused enough trouble.”
“Not at all. It was an honor to host soone of such refinent. ...Hm? Are those tears in your eyes? If you’ll allow , please use this.”
Father offered her his handkerchief.
Freda paused, then slowly accepted it.
“Thanks to your kindness, I leave with nothing but fond mories. Now that I think of it, the only reason I was able to stay here comfortably was because you looked after so thoughtfully.”
“It was only proper hospitality for a guest of your standing.”
“You truly know how to make soone feel welco. By the way, Marquess Gotberg—if I may ask, I believe your wife passed away?”
“That’s correct. She grew weak after giving birth to our son.”
“Oh, how very tragic.”
“It’s all right. It was long ago.”
Freda stepped closer and lightly brushed his arm.
Uh-oh. This vibe is definitely heading in the wrong direction.
“Young Lord, are you really going to just watch that?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
If it got any worse, I was ready to step in and physically kick her out. I rolled up my sleeves.
Freda looked up at my father with dewy eyes.
“It must be difficult managing everything alone. You’ve got the vast Marquessate to oversee, a training center to run, and two children to raise.”
“I have many capable subordinates to assist . And my son has grown into a fine young man who handles his duties well.”
“Still, don’t you need a wife to manage the social scene? What do you say, Marquess?”
Whisper. Her fingers traced across the back of his hand.
A lunatic stepmother was about to spawn right before my eyes. I couldn’t allow that.
Just as I moved forward, Father responded.
“I appreciate your concern, but there’s only one woman I hold in my heart. I have no intention of taking another wife.”
His firm tone left no room for doubt.
Perhaps realizing this wall would never break, Freda let go of his arm and took a step back.
“...I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“To empathize with so deeply—you’re a truly compassionate lady.”
Wait... Did Father not even realize Freda was trying to seduce him?
She wasn’t even in the running for “woman” in his mind, so the thought hadn’t crossed it.
“How can soone be that dense? Unbelievable.”
“Young Lord, are you really the one to talk?”
“What?”
It was just a mutter, so I didn’t get why Asella suddenly snapped at .
Freda sighed heavily through her nose and shook her head.
Then her eyes stopped on sothing.
Neria, standing slightly behind Father.
“Oh my, Miss Neria.”
“I’m a woman.”
Neria imdiately erected a ntal barricade, having grasped Freda’s intent.
But Freda didn’t give up. She smiled and leaned down to make eye contact with her.
“Is gender really an issue? The North is so conservative, isn’t it? In the West, we...”
“Now, now, young lady. Allow to escort you to the teleportation gate.”
I finally stepped in to shut her up, then had Bruno imdiately drive her party out of the mansion.
As I watched the tail end of the procession, I sidled up to Father.
“You said there’s only one woman you love, right? But Neria and I are half-siblings.”
“Hmm... I’ll explain that later.”
Father dodged the question and excused himself.
***
A few more days passed as Neria and I reviewed and finalized the business proposal.
To prevent problems, we set it up so Neria would hold final decision-making power for the business, and Father would serve only as an advisor.
Neria was still young, but definitely more reliable than Father.
She studied economics diligently and was learning the ropes by watching how Father worked.
And if she ever couldn’t decide on sothing, she’d report to imdiately.
anwhile, Asella enjoyed her break in her own way. It never felt like she was slacking.
ssenger falcons arrived for her ten tis a day, and ever since Freda left, she’d been reading and practicing magic without skipping a beat.
Of course, that didn’t an she stopped bothering .
“Young Lord, make bubble tea.”
“Young Lord, it’s cold by the window. I’m sleeping on the inside.”
“Young Lord, I want to go for a walk. Co with .”
Seems she’s a little too excited to be out of the Imperial Palace. Her energy was off the charts.
Maybe I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} made her diet too healthy. I was starting to regret it.
“But still, lying around like this during the day is such a luxury. I never dread of it back at the Palace. You wouldn’t know—you’re always lying down.”
Max, lounging in the courtyard, let out a lazy bark in agreent.
She never had ti to play with Max at the Palace.
I tore off so jerky and tossed it to him. His heavy body shot forward like a cheetah, catching it mid-air and chewing enthusiastically.
As I scratched his snowy chin, I opened my status window.
―――――――――――
○ Alchemy C
· Enhancent C – Property Alteration B
· Compression C
· Synthesis C – Extraction C
· (Unlearned)
○ dicine C
· Diagnosis B – Blood Test C – X-ray C
· Prescription C
· First Aid C – Surgery (Basic) C
· (Unlearned)
―――――――――――
‘My EXP gain is slowing down.’
Starting with alchemy.
The property alteration I used to develop new dicine had reached B, but the rest were crawling along like worms.
If I could advance further in alchemy, maybe I could even create a panacea.
‘Though probably not before the ending.’
I checked one new ssage.
[New skill in dicine is waiting to be unlocked.]
[Skill na will be revealed soon.]
In addition to [Prescription Issuance] from the prescription route, three more skills were preparing to unlock.
I hoped for more detailed diagnostic or advanced surgical skills.
Hugo had a hard ti identifying Asella’s curse, so I needed more leads. And during the curse removal surgery, I’d need ergency procedures ready—more skills would definitely help.
‘I could unlock them quickly if I got more surgery experience, but I rarely get the chance to operate.’
Surgery was practically illegal in this world, so there were few opportunities.
And I had to raise my surgery rank to access higher-tier skills in the sa branch.
I still volunteered regularly whenever I had ti, but it was mostly prescription and first aid work.
‘No need to rush.’
Now that the Emperor was using my dicine, the spread of modern healthcare was just beginning.
Better to prepare at a steady pace than screw it up by rushing.
Just as I was about to get up from the warm sunlight, I heard a commotion in the distance.
It was coming from the front gate of the Marquisate. A loud voice rang out, and I decided to investigate.
“Please, just open the gate once! Is it really that hard?!”
“This is the Marquis’s residence. You can’t co and go without an appointnt or authorization.”
The guards were arguing with a man.
“Doctor, shall I go see what’s happening?”
I nodded at Tanya’s suggestion.
“Please step back. We can’t have any more disturbances.”
“This is a matter of life and death! I heard the royal physician is here! Please!”
Tanya soon returned and briefed .
“A commoner from the Marquisate. He heard you were here and ca in desperation. Says there’s a critically ill patient.”
“A patient...”
That word got moving before I even thought.
I strode straight to the front gate, past the iron fence, and faced the man.
“What about the patient?”
“Oh, Young Lord. Apologies for the commotion. This man just wouldn’t listen...”
I held out a hand to stop the guard and allowed the commoner to speak.
Drenched in sweat—he must’ve run nonstop to get here.
“Speak. What kind of patient?”
“G-Gotberg-sensei! P-please! My wife... she hasn’t been able to give birth for over a day now!”
The man dropped to his knees and pleaded with .
“Please save my wife!!”
A difficult labor.
I popped a candy into my mouth and gave orders.
“You there. Prepare the carriage. Tanya, bring my house-call bag and gown. And call Chloe.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and pass a ssage to the nurse.”
“What should I tell her?”
I emphasized clearly.
“Tell her to prepare for surgery.”
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