Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 43
The Queen’s Palace and the Crown Prince’s Palace were quite a distance apart, so I rode in a carriage to get there.
“You need to get off here.”
The carriage stopped about 100 meters from the Queen’s Palace.
“Unless you’re a nobleman above a baron or from the royal family, you can’t just ride in. The Queen can’t stand noisy entrances.”
This was a new rule that Demyr made up. It’s absurd discrimination, but it’s a world where social status reigns supreme, so what can I do?
As a baroness, I suppose I have to endure this.
If I knew it was going to be like this, I should have asked for an earldom. I disembarked, musing over these ridiculous thoughts. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant, and the path was enjoyable.
A 100-meter walk wasn’t that far.
Am I too early?
I checked the time. There were roughly about 15 minutes left until the appointed time. In the Joseon era, that’d be time for a cup of tea.
I felt a sense of ease settling in. As I relaxed, I began to notice things I hadn’t seen before. Well-maintained landscaping, benches scattered around, and a person lying on the ground…
“Hmm?”
I stopped walking. It felt out of place in this serene and peaceful atmosphere. I thought of passing it by, thinking it might be a mistake, but my sense of duty as a medical professional kicked in.
“Just a moment, Jamie. Let’s stop by there for a moment.”
“Over by the bushes? Is it urgent?” Jamie lowered her eyes. Her gaze landed below the abdomen, asking if I needed to use the restroom urgently.
What kind of person does she take me for! Do I look like someone who’s going to pee in the middle of nowhere because I’m in a hurry?
I’m an upstanding, law-abiding woman.
“No, it’s not that,” I said firmly and hurriedly headed for the bushes.
“If it’s not urgent, let’s just go. What if we’re late?”
“I still have some time.”
It didn’t take much time to confirm.
If what I saw was real…
I’ll just do first aid and run to the palace. I’ll leave the rest to Jamie.
No patient abandonment in my book. And if I’m short on time? Run!
Gathering up my skirts, I dashed. Iwas a pretty good runner, thanks to the training I’d gotten from chasing after Helios. I entered the gardens, which, unlike the straight walkways, twisted and turned like a maze.
“What exactly did you see? Is there anything there, anyway?”
It was hard to see anything from the outside as I walked through the garden.
For a moment, I wondered if I’d made a mistake.
“Cough, cough.”
Pained groans reached my ears.
“Doctor.”
This time, it wasn’t just me who heard it. Jamie grabbed my arm from behind.
The sound came from behind us.
As our eyes met, we both retraced our steps.
Between the well-manicured landscaping, we discovered a man lying there. He was obscured by the rounded, sculpted shadows of the landscaping, which caused us to miss him at first glance.
I immediately checked the man’s condition.
“Hey, do you see this?”
The man groaned, clutching his stomach. He opened his eyes, perspiring profusely.
“…An angel.”
“He must have hit his head when he fell,” I said, a bit embarrassed.
When I looked at Jamie, she nodded in affirmation. It felt kinda bad that she agreed with me right away.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My stomach, hngh, my stomach, it feels like someone punched me in the gut.”
Between gasps, the man described his symptoms in detail. I could feel his will to live. He was a remarkable patient.
“I’m a doctor. Can I perform a quick examination?”
The man, in a brief moment, seemed to worsen, barely nodding his head.
“Jamie, let’s lay the patient flat,” I instructed.
The man was writhing like a caterpillar.
“Okay, I’ll hold his legs,” Jamie said, moving to the man’s feet, while I grabbed his shoulders to stabilize his upper body.
Simple abdominal pain.
“…!”
I jerked my hand up.
What did I just see?
“What are you doing? Don’t let go,” Jamie said.
“Huh? Oh, yes, I should hold on. Let me hold the patient,” I replied.
I must have been seeing things.
I refocused and pressed down on the man’s shoulders once more.
Simple abdominal pain.
The words appeared unexpectedly.
“Cough, is it serious?” the man asked while I held his shoulders, not saying anything.
“No! Not at all.”
I was more surprised to see the words than by the patient’s condition.
It’s being activated even though it’s not His Highness?
It was the first time this had happened.
Is this another level-up?
