I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 216
Fertina’s grip on Iruel’s collar tightened, and he could feel a faint tremor in her hand. In response, a faint smirk curved the corners of Iruel’s eyes.
“What is it that you really want?”
“What?”
“You can’t seriously just be in love with me, and you’re turning down free herbs. What do you actually want?”
“I told you, I really do like you, Sir Iruel.”
“Ah, so you’ve chosen the path to ruin. It’s not too late. Miss Fertina, you’re a good person—find someone better.”
“But the person I like is you, Sir Iruel.”
“Then stop liking me! You’d be better off liking used tea leaves. At least those could be turned into compost!”
A woman confessing her love, and a man dismissing her confession—could there be anything more absurd?
The two of them were in the middle of their bickering when—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid knock on the door interrupted them. Startled, they both jumped.
Fertina instinctively ran to the door without so much as asking who was there.
“Doctor! My child!”
As soon as she opened the door, a distressed man grabbed Fertina’s arm. In his arms, he was holding a young child, face flushed and feverish.
With one swift move, Fertina took the child from him and kicked the door shut, hurrying towards the bedroom without a second of hesitation.
“Sir Iruel!”
“Yes, yes?”
“Get the Cytiro and Biorna from the carriage!”
Laying the child on the bed, Fertina called out urgently.
“Huh? What? Which ones?”
“Two spoons of Cytiro, one of Biorna! Hurry!”
The urgency in her voice left no room for questions.
Still somewhat bewildered, Iruel sprinted to the carriage, flinging open the door with such force it nearly broke off its hinges, and began rummaging through the bags of herbs.
“Here!”
“And one cup of boiled water!”
The moment she had the herbs, Fertina issued her next command. Iruel grabbed a cup from the side table, transforming it into a magical vessel.
The instant the water boiled, Fertina tossed in the herbs and reached under the table for a basket filled with various vials. She grabbed one containing a green liquid.
The potent smell pricked at Iruel’s nose, making him grimace and even gag slightly—it was likely a sacred healing elixir. He hadn’t been prepared for the stench.
Ignoring Iruel’s reaction, Fertina poured the elixir into the mixture.
“Sir Iruel, do you still have enough strength to use magic?”
“Y-Yes! I’m perfectly fine!”
“Cool this enough for the child to drink safely.”
Fertina handed the concoction to Iruel, her movements quick and precise. The strong odor hit him again, making him want to drop the vial, but he bit his lip and endured it.
If he messed this up, the child lying on the bed would…
Drawing from the magic stone of Demon King Audixus, Iruel cooled the mixture instantly. Taking the vial, Fertina made a final check, then carefully poured it into the mouth of the weakened child lying on the bed. There wasn’t a single wasted second in her actions.
Time passed slowly.
Eventually, the violent coughing of the child started to calm, and their small chest, which had been heaving painfully like shards of glass were caught in their throat, finally settled into a gentle rhythm.
“At least we’ve passed the worst of it.”
At Fertina’s words, the father’s tightly clenched hands relaxed, his grip on his child’s hand loosening in relief.
“Let him rest like this for tonight. I’ll make more medicine and send it over tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Doctor. Truly, thank you… I promise I’ll pay for the treatment later! My older brothers were all taken away to the demon subjugation campaign, so we haven’t been able to tend to the farm properly. Because of that, we’re short on money…”
“It’s all right.”
Fertina managed a tired smile, hiding her exhaustion.
“You can pay later. It’s really fine.”
“Thank you, thank you…”
The man, holding his child tightly, bowed to Fertina several times before finally carrying the child out.
“Phew.”
Only then did Fertina sink onto the bed, as if her energy had finally left her.
“What was that just now?”
Iruel approached Fertina, asking cautiously.
“What else? Just a patient.”
“Is it normal for patients to just burst into a doctor’s home in the middle of the night?”
“Right? Why do illnesses insist on showing up in the middle of the night?”
She rubbed her eyes with one hand, fatigue clearly overtaking her as the tension left her body.
“That child has been experiencing seizures now and then due to malnutrition since he was very young.”
“Poor kid.”
Iruel frowned involuntarily. Seizures from malnutrition? And he was still just a little child, already going through so much hardship.
“Since he’s still so young, I couldn’t use strong medicine, so I always relied on Cytiro. But as you know, Cytiro only grows in the Empire. It’s usually imported to the capital, making it hard to get. The supply I brought last time had run out, too.”
With a slight chuckle, Fertina continued.
“Thankfully, you happened to have Cytiro, Sir Iruel.”
It finally dawned on Iruel why Fertina had shown so much interest in the herbs. She had a patient who genuinely needed Cytiro.
“Ah, sorry for asking so much so suddenly. It was a bit chaotic.”
“No worries. You were saving a life… Though now that I think about it, I could’ve just used my magic to heal him.”
“No, magic is only good for physical injuries at best. It wouldn’t have helped with seizures.”
Fertina sighed lightly.
“By the way, Sir Iruel… would it be all right if I use a bit more of the herbs tomorrow?”
“Of course. My mother always told me to listen well to doctors.”
“……”
Fertina silently gazed at Iruel. Her eyes sparkled beneath her drooping, exhausted eyelids.
Under her intense gaze, Iruel slowly leaned back.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Sir Iruel, I like you.”
“Good night, hah…”
Trying to turn a deaf ear to Fertina’s confession, Iruel leaned back in his chair.
Still somewhat tipsy, it wasn’t hard for him to drift off and lose himself in sleep.
