Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 13
02. A Turning Point, Once Again on Death Row
It’s been a year since I awakened to my new abilities.
During this time, Helios’s health has gradually improved. And just a month ago, he was officially declared to be in “recovery” from the royal physician, Ebony. Of course, since Helios’s illness cannot be specifically identified, the term “recovery” didn’t quite fit. However, he hasn’t had any symptoms for six months, so we’re optimistically considering him cured.
I agreed with the opinion of the royal physician, Ebony. Immediately upon receiving the recovery diagnosis, Helios returned as the Commander of the First Knights. Within just a week, he restored the discipline of the organization that had grown complacent in his absence. The nickname of the First Knights, the Sun Knights, was now more than worthy.
I was recognized for diligently caring for Helios and became a baroness with a modest estate, guaranteed a lifetime pension. So, it wouldn’t be strange if I suddenly decided to retire.
“I envy you,” Jamie said as she chopped dried herbs with a small pair of scissors.
I was in charge of organizing the herbs she had chopped into containers.
“If I say ‘don’t envy me too much,’ it would sound like I’m being ungrateful, right? And if I tell you that good days will come for you too, you might think I’m being flippant, right?”
In this world, being granted a noble title as a woman was not an easy task.
Actually, it’s not that much different from Korea but…
Opportunities here were even scarcer. Unless it was a specialized profession, there were few roles where women could excel. Physicians were also disproportionately men. The ratio of female doctors might have been around 1 percent. Moreover, for someone from the streets like me, becoming a doctor was like picking stars from the sky.
The reason I was able to become a doctor was because I was somewhat of a genius and I had a good mentor in Ebony, who stands atop the imperial medical world. For Rienna, encountering her in the slums was a stroke of luck.
And then I transmigrated.
What Jamie envied was an outcome created by a series of coincidences. Therefore, I didn’t want to complain about it or give soulless encouragement like “You can do it too.”
“Must be nice not to have any worries in life,” Jamie remarked, dusting off her hands after finishing today’s work.
After Helios’s symptoms disappeared, my workload had decreased significantly, to the point where I only had to work every other morning. However, that was purely from Jamie’s perspective.
Jamie tidied up the desk neatly and glanced at the clock, looking as though she was waiting for someone.
“It’s time for him to come in.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth that there was a knock on the door. Even though people were too predictable, Jamie flashed a formal smile as she opened the door.
“Good morning, Lady Rienna.”
It was Vincenzo. As he stood before me, he pulled out a small notebook.
“His Highness has requested your presence at the dinner tonight. What shall I tell them?”
“I’ll go.”
Vincenzo jotted something down in the notebook.
“Tomorrow evening, His Highness plans to join the knights for their evening march. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
The pen moved decisively, unmistakably adding to Helios’s schedule.
Jamie, who had been quietly listening to my conversation with Vincenzo, approached and asked, “Is it normal for the attending physician to check the entire patient schedule?”
It could be. Especially when it concerned Helios’s health. Anything that would affect his well-being, especially, should be discussed with his doctor before proceeding. However, now that Helios had fully recovered, it was peculiar for Vincenzo to seek my approval for Helios’s every move.
What’s with that? They ask me about what he eats, wears, even his sleeping time.
Thanks to that, my plan to be a salary thief[1] became distant and I was busier than before.
And Helios ensured that he didn’t skip any walks he used to take even when he was ill. Although there wasn’t much necessity for walks after his return to the knights, he still insisted on them.
“His Majesty wishes to take an afternoon stroll in the front yard.”
Somehow, my days became more tiring after he recovered.
I didn’t ask for this life…
¹ The Korean slang used here is 월급 루팡 which roughly translates to “salary Lupin”, referencing the fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. It is often used as a tongue-in-cheek way to refer to people who receive a salary but don’t have the workload to justify it.↩
