The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint - Chapter 59

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈

Chapter 59: The Ball of the Stars (5)

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* * *

“What did you just say, Young Master Nihirit?”

“I said I would give the two of you a child.”

The twelfth prince’s gaze fixed on me.

It was a familiar look.

I had received plenty of looks like that in the Red-Light District.

“Wait, what? We can have a baby?”

You came across all kinds of stories while treating patients in the Red-Light District.

Prostitutes who wanted to put their past behind them and begin a new life.

Gangsters whose penises had been cut off.

Interspecies couples who wanted to overcome the differences between their races.

All sorts of newlywed couples quietly visited my clinic.

Then they returned home together, carrying babies wrapped in swaddling cloth.

“Doctor... Aren’t you... a healer? Just what can this profession called doctor do?”

Wangcho would stand beside me, looking utterly dumbfounded whenever he saw it.

Of course, not every story ended happily.

This was not such a gentle world.

But I was certain the prince and his wife would have a happy ending.

The prince’s sexual function was normal, and the Princess Consort’s condition was treatable enough.

‘And I already have all the ingredients I need. I don’t even need to develop anything new.’

That was why I had made such a bold declaration.

Naturally, the prince and his wife, who knew none of this, still seemed unable to grasp what I meant.

“...”

The prince’s mouth opened halfway, then closed again.

His lips moved like a goldfish’s before his voice finally emerged.

“...Let us speak in private.”

Edmund rose from his seat.

The prince turned his back to us and headed for the small reception room.

“Wife. Come with me.”

The Princess Consort, who had been standing frozen like a statue, finally managed to move at her husband’s voice.

I stood as well and glanced at Charlotte.

Before I could say anything, she was already preparing to follow.

Judging by her expression, she was intrigued by the commotion I had caused.

Still, Charlotte seemed to be holding back her words.

And so, we followed the prince and his wife across the banquet hall toward the small reception room.

“Come in.”

The small reception room we entered behind the prince was a modest chamber with two magic-stone lamps on the walls and a pair of sofas facing each other.

As we stepped inside, the Royal Guard knight who had followed us shut the door.

Click.

The instant the sound of the door closing echoed through the room, Edmund turned his back to us.

The prince remained silent for a while, facing away.

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“I was on the Southern Front.”

His voice came from behind his back.

“For three years. I stood upon the Black Iron Wall and watched countless corpses pile up at my feet.”

His shoulders shifted faintly as he drew in a breath.

“On the battlefield, one witnesses countless tragedies. How people die. What expressions the dead wear. How those who survive spend the rest of their lives.”

“...”

“That is why one learns to remain calm in the face of most tragedies.”

Only then did Edmund turn around.

I had expected anger, but his face instead bore deep exhaustion.

“In time, you naturally learn to be tolerant even of careless words thrown out by immature young masters who have never experienced a battlefield. If you know there was no malice, you usually let it pass.”

Edmund’s gaze shifted to Charlotte.

“I also saw the two of you do something to my wife’s glass just now. Cooling her drink as a prank was harmless enough, so I did not think much of it.”

Edmund looked back at me.

His voice dropped by a tone.

“However, what you said is not so easily overlooked.”

Edmund took a step closer.

“Young Master Nihirit. Do you know how it feels to send away the tiny life that came to find us?”

Tiny life.

The moment that phrase left his mouth, the Princess Consort’s shoulders flinched.

“Every time her belly grows, we cannot bring ourselves to use the name we gave the last child again. We bury it in our hearts, praying that this time, just this once, we will meet a healthy child. Then, with trembling hearts, we give the child a new name. Do you...”

The prince’s voice, which had remained composed until then, began to shake.

And forgetting even his formal speech, the man poured out his raw resentment at me.

“Do you think you have the right to speak of that tearing pain...?!”

“One does not need to experience every tragedy personally to understand its pain, Your Highness.”

My voice cut Edmund off.

Before the prince could continue after losing his momentum, I spoke plainly.

“How many babies do you think have slipped through my fingers, Your Highness?”

“...”

The prince’s mouth closed.

The flow of the conversation had passed to me.

“Of course, I have not experienced that tragedy myself. But those who watch tragedy unfold beside someone also bear a part of it. As those small burdens pile up, one day they become a grief no less heavy than theirs.”

Edmund’s eyes shifted faintly.

“I see more than ten pregnant women a day. Over a year, I meet thousands of children. And among them are children I had to send away without even getting to greet them.”

“...”

“There are couples for whom even daring to promise hope must be approached carefully. Why do you think I dared to say such a thing to Your Highness?”

Edmund did not answer.

But the fact that his tightly clenched fist had loosened told me enough.

“...Can you stake your name on what you said?”

“If that can give the two of you hope, I would gladly do so.”

The moment I finished speaking.

“...Young Master Nihirit.”

A small voice, almost too faint to hear.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the Princess Consort.

The woman, who had not spoken a single word since entering this room, had finally opened her mouth.

“I heard what happened at House Bellheim.”

Her voice trembled, as though speaking itself was difficult.

“I heard you solved an unsolved case and treated the count’s daughter. Then...”

The Princess Consort pressed her lips together for a moment.

“Can you... help me too?”

I nodded without hesitation.

Of course, medicine did not offer one-hundred-percent certainty.

No matter how hard you tried, tragedy could always come.

But if this bravado could make a patient feel better, I could put on airs as many times as necessary.

‘Still, the chances are ninety percent. That is enough.’

That was what the misunderstanding-story buff was for, too.

So I answered with certainty.

“Yes. I will help you.”

Something trembled in the Princess Consort’s eyes.

Something that seemed ready to overflow clung to her lashes.

Before the dam burst, I drove in the final nail.

“However, let us correct one thing first.”

I looked at the prince and the Princess Consort side by side.

“A miscarriage is not an illness.”

Academically, it was classified as a disease.

But in clinical practice, miscarriage was categorized as a phenomenon rather than an illness.

“And it is certainly not anyone’s fault.”

“...”

“It simply means the two of you need more prayers and effort than most people to meet your child. So saying that I will cure you would not be appropriate.”

What had been clinging to the Princess Consort’s eyes fell.

Without a word, the prince took hold of his wife’s shoulders.

He pulled her close to his chest and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Then he quietly closed his eyes.

I waited in silence for a while, until the two of them had gathered their emotions.

* * *

How much time had passed?

The prince removed his hand from his wife’s shoulder, took a breath, and looked at me.

Only then did I begin what I had yet to say.

“Normally, I would wait until the diagnosis is confirmed before discussing this, but I will tell the two of you in advance.”

Strictly speaking, discussing a treatment plan before confirming a diagnosis was something that had to be handled carefully.

But couples who had suffered four miscarriages could be exceptions.

They needed hope first, so they could eat well and take care of their health.

“First, several tests will be necessary.”

The condition I suspected was somewhat complicated, so quite a few tests would be needed.

First, there would need to be a urine test and a blood test.

I needed to see whether there was foam in the urine and how quickly the blood clotted.

But above all, one test was most important.

“And a syphilis test will be necessary.”

“...Syphilis?”

The prince’s brow twitched.

Only then did I realize my mistake.

My habit of blurting things out without context had surfaced.

I hurriedly corrected myself.

“I am not saying that I suspect Her Highness has syphilis.”

“Then why is such a test necessary?”

“There is a test used for syphilis. It was originally created to react to syphilis, but interestingly, it can react to certain other illnesses as well.”

“Could you explain that more simply?”

“When a magical beast wave comes, you sometimes use siege weapons. It is like that. It is not their original purpose, but they are useful, so you use them anyway.”

“I understand.”

That was a relief.

The syphilis test I had decided to use on the Princess Consort was the Wassermann test.

The Wassermann test was a method of testing for syphilis using a substance extracted from cow hearts.

However, despite being created to diagnose syphilis, it had the flaw of reacting to other diseases as well.

Because it could produce false-positive results for syphilis like this, it had fallen out of use by the modern era.

But this time, I needed that flaw.

‘Because I need to diagnose a rheumatic disorder.’

The Wassermann test had had a tremendous influence on rheumatic disease research.

Through this test, researchers discovered anticardiolipin antibodies, one of the diagnostic criteria for patients with rheumatic disorders, and eventually went on to diagnose new rheumatic diseases.

I was making use of that history.

“Considering Her Highness’s symptoms, there is a strong possibility that the syphilis test will react as well. That is why the test is necessary.”

“How fascinating. There is such a use for it. Where did you acquire such knowledge?”

“Let us call it a secret art.”

I held up my index finger before my lips and smiled.

At the mention of a secret art, the prince did not question my knowledge further.

“If all these tests match my expectations, we will understand Her Highness’s condition.”

“So there is an illness... No, a cause?”

“Yes. But it does not mean Her Highness’s body is weak or that there is anything wrong with her.”

Strictly speaking, the Princess Consort’s condition could be classified as a disease.

Its name was antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

It was a type of rheumatic disease in which autoantibodies in the blood formed blood clots inside the vessels.

That was also why the Princess Consort had miscarried.

Blood clots had blocked the umbilical cord, preventing the child from receiving nutrients and causing the child to die.

But since I had just said it was not an illness, I held back from explaining the diagnosis.

Besides, no one in this world would understand the name of the disease even if I told them.

The prince must have noticed that my words were somewhat contradictory.

But perhaps he understood my consideration, because he let it pass without asking further.

“Again, there is nothing wrong with Her Highness. You simply need a little help from medicine.”

“Can you tell us what medicine you intend to use?”

“Yes. It is a medicine called heparin.”

Heparin.

It was the medicine Eri was taking as well, a medicine that dissolved blood clots.

With this, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome would be easy to handle.

The problem was blood clots blocking the umbilical cord, so dissolving them would resolve everything.

At those words, the Princess Consort leaned toward me slightly.

Hope had appeared in eyes that had once been soaked in resignation.

The prince, on the other hand, perhaps because of his military background, did not seem quick to believe it.

“Heparin? I have never heard of it.”

“Would it help if I said it is a medicine the Merkuer Trading Company sells only to healers?”

But that hesitation lasted only a moment.

Perhaps because he was from the Southern Front, he nodded as soon as he heard the Merkuer Trading Company’s name.

With the couple convinced, I summarized the plan.

“Beginning tomorrow, I will visit Your Highness’s secondary palace once a month. I will give you the medicine each time, and if you continue taking it...”

I paused briefly.

The two of them had both leaned forward.

Feeling burdened by their stares, I pulled back slightly and finished what I had been saying.

“...good news will come to you as well.”

After I finished, silence filled the room for a moment.

Then Edmund broke it by rising from his seat.

“Thank you.”

He took both my hands.

The problem was his grip.

Perhaps because he was a soldier, he seemed to think I would be like other soldiers.

The force of his grip was no joke.

I barely managed to keep my expression from crumpling.

“Thank you, truly...”

Still, as I watched the prince bow his head again and again, the pain seemed to disappear.

‘Who would have thought I would live to see the top of a royal’s head?’

This was why I practiced medicine.

The pure gratitude you received as one human being from another, transcending status.

The high from it was no joke.

There was no medicine for a high like this.

It was why I got abducted into trauma surgery.

...Damn it. I should have been content with thoracic surgery.

Anyway.

“Your words are more than I deserve, Your Highness. Then let us return to enjoying the banquet...”

At that moment, Edmund released my hands and turned to his wife.

“My dear. Go back first. I have something urgent to discuss with Young Master Nihirit.”

“?”

What was this?

Was he going to ask about his wife's condition more specifically, away from her?

Most husbands who wanted to speak with me privately at times like this did so for that reason.

So I also quietly spoke to Charlotte.

“Please head back first.”

“All right.”

Perhaps Charlotte had read the atmosphere as well, because she obediently left the room.

On her way out, the Princess Consort looked at me once more with reluctant eyes, then left the reception room under the Royal Guard knight’s guidance.

Once Charlotte and the Princess Consort had left the room, only Edmund and I remained inside.

The prince watched me for a while without saying a word.

Then his legs began to shake.

With both hands gathered before his knees and his gaze lowered to the floor, the prince spoke to me.

“Sir Julian.”

“Your Highness, I am not worthy of such a title...”

“Sir. I have a request.”

“...”

The prince raised his head.

The moment our eyes met, I had no choice but to fall silent.

There was a desperation in his eyes that no adjective could describe.

“The truth is... As that kept happening one after another... Um... That...”

Edmund’s gaze shifted slightly away from me.

A man who had likely faced tens of thousands of magical beasts on the battlefield without blinking could not meet my eyes now.

Was he about to say something serious?

I composed myself and waited for him to continue.

At last, the prince forced the words out.

“My wife and I... lately, at night... we have not really...”

Ah.

“My love for her has not changed. That much is certain. But I am afraid the same thing will happen again... That anxiety... So, that...”

“You do not need to say any more.”

Right.

After experiencing such a tragedy four times, it made sense that his confidence would suffer.

Of course. Naturally.

But whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, there happened to be an excellent medicine for the prince.

“Do not worry, Your Highness. As it happens, there is a good medicine.”

“Medicine? There is medicine for something like this too?”

“I am also the clinical trial supervisor for the Merkuer Trading Company. That means I know of several medicines that have not yet been released to the public.”

“Do you mean... that medicine?”

“...You know about it?”

“It is already famous among those in the know.”

What?

Why had that leaked out this far?

What kind of internal security were those Directors running?

Just as I thought I should straighten out the trading company’s internal discipline sometime, the prince tightly grasped my hand.

Even more desperately than when he had thanked me earlier.

His eyes shone.

More brightly than when he saw the gun earlier.

It was the liveliest expression he had shown all night.

“Then this will be quick. If Your Highness is all right with it...”