Doctor Resignation

“So… You’re doing fine. Is that what you mean?”

Roman drank his tea in front of the Duchess pretending to be okay, but he felt like burning. He thought all his plans were going accordingly well and steadily, but one day, Erhan suddenly left for the far south.

He didn’t know how embarrassed he was when he heard that fact. In addition, five years have passed since the trade was cut off, and it was impossible to try anything.

“Yes. Once the sea road opens once again, he will be back then. It is said that the Crown Prince has made a complete victory.”

“That’s great.”

He couldn’t do anything about it. He answered with a smile thinking. Even the prince came back alive from the pirates’ lair.

“Is it true that he’s healthy there?”

“From the news, I think he’s definitely much better than when he’s here.”

“Did the assistant girl do all of that?”

“Yes, she’s a very good and very trustworthy kid.”

Unlike the Duchess, who said she wasn’t worried, Roman had to hide his impatience. The attempt to poison the Duchess was also caught midway, and for five years he looked for opportunities, but he failed to bring in a new spy.

Not only that, but the boundaries surrounding the duchess became so thorough that it was difficult to utilize the standing spies. It was frustrating that he couldn’t even touch Erhan, but now he’ll be back as an adult…

He couldn’t let this go any longer.

***

I was stuck in the lab for a quick paternity test all morning, and Diel burst in with the door open.

“Lise!”

He gasped for breath and shouted my name, so I turned around frowning.

“What?”

“You were right.”

“I’m always right. But what do you mean?”

“Prince Jade eventually wiped out all the pirates!”

Diel sat in front of me looking quite so thrilled.

I put down the herb I was analyzing the ingredients with and nodded slowly.

I remembered that Jade, the crown prince, had completely defeated all the pirates.

‘Prince Jade… Was a very capable person.’

The Casseus estate had tremendous wealth and military power. Frederick quickly used this estate as a base for the rebels, and shortly afterward, he was suppressed by Prince Jade.

‘But he was a person who had no mercy.’

The person who sentenced me to death was also Prince Jade.

No, to be more precise, I was the person who was sentenced to death after he ordered something like, ‘Get a list of all the people who helped with the rebellion.’

Of course, Prince Jade probably didn’t know that I existed, and he just put me on the beheading list because I was a doctor at the rebel base.

‘But I don’t want to become like that again.’

He was even one-eyed when I saw him from afar at the end. According to what I heard, when he wiped out the pirates, the wounds he had suffered in the battle still hurt at that time.

‘I better not get involved with that.’

I shuddered at the thought of the terrible underground prison.

Spring was coming anyway. In other words, it meant that Erhan had already been in Irvia for five years. Now, the sea route will re-open and letters could be sent again.

“They’re operating the route again as soon as it’s cleared up.”

“That’s great news.”

I was eating well and doing well. I wasn’t this tall before my regression, but I had just grown up similarly to what I did back then. My brown hair was still quite long and curled, and now I was wearing dresses for ladies.

The Duchess also used to say that I am not a little girl anymore, but rather like a noble Young Lady, who is getting married. Of course, I tried not to miss this flow of time.

There is not much time left until the rebellion takes place in earnest. In the meantime, Erhan and I became adults.

Erhan will return, he will inherit the Duchy safely and of course, without any sickness and a healthy body. Like I’ve been keeping the Duchess safe for the last five years.

Never should this territory fall into the hands of the rebels nor Baron Ishid and Frederick.

After a long time, I was already attached to all of the people here. Frederick was a brutal man who even killed Viscount Perelman.

Of course, Diel also couldn’t have survived.

At first, my goal started as a representative of the love for humanity, but now there are so many precious people that I started to desperately think of and I had to keep them safe somehow.

“By the way, Lise. Are you okay with the new maid?”

Jenny, a maid who has been by my side for a long time, reluctantly left the Castle, saying that her mother was in a critical stage a month ago.

She was originally from Viscount Perelman’s village, so her hometown wasn’t here either. Well, it was also time for her to retire because Jenny’s age was already quite old and she was a person who knew Viscount Perelman’s childhood as well.

A new maid came in but I was a commoner anyway, so I didn’t really need a maid. I wasn’t even a child anymore. I just need some help to get my hair trimmed or get dressed, and it was done.

“Well, everyone is the same no matter who comes.”

My new maid, Esther, was originally in charge of cleaning and tidying up the bedding in the Duke’s Town House, but she was chosen because she was quite good with her hands.

“But I definitely like her hair care skills,” I said, twirling my curly brown hair that was only up to my chest.

“Didn’t she cut it much cleaner than Jenny?”

“That’s right. By the way, Diel, it’s a good thing that you came.”

“Huh?”

Oddly enough, Diel had a talent to always come when I wanted to do something. It was a good reflex for an excellent assistant.

“This is a letter I wrote to Jenny, so please mail it well, and go to the Zipree auction market early tomorrow morning.”

“Zipree auction market?”

“Probably the dragon’s claw will be on the auction.”

I said while recalling old memories. In the past, I was very interested in paternity reagents, and I have been collecting news from the medical world.

I heard that another researcher who bought the Dragon’s Claw at a high price has developed a method of paternity testing that has fairly high accuracy and quick results.

At that time I didn’t have the money to buy the dragon’s claw.

The researcher who later joined the rebels died after encountering the prince’s army, so there was no way to figure out how to do that new test anymore. Dragon claws were so rare and expensive that they didn’t even appear at the auction house.

It was said that in this auction alone, this was a product that came out after 14 years.

“Buy it.”

The bottom line was that in the end, I had to buy and study it. In the meantime, I tried hard to use other materials, but there was no substitute for the dragon’s claw.

It took too long to wait until the researcher developed it anyway, and there was no way she could dissuade him from joining the rebels in the future.

“Money…”

“Put it on Viscount Perelman’s tab,” I replied neatly.

Viscount Perelman told me to use whatever herbs I wanted for my research.

‘Strictly speaking, the dragon’s claw is not a medicinal herb, but still, with how much money the Viscount has, this will be nothing.’

Besides, he didn’t say anything about my expenses. Rather, he was worried that I would ask for something from the Duchess.

So I said without remorse. Diel also nodded as if he asked for something useless.

“A letter to Jenny and an auction tomorrow morning.”

He muttered once more and then replied vigorously.

“I have to listen to my friend’s request.”

“…Okay,” I replied with a bloody smile. “Please, my friend.”