It was a picturesque castle.
Jude, who had laid the baby on a nice bed, kept fidgeting and pacing around.
Outside, countless nobles who were considered the backbone of the empire were gathered.
It was only after he arrived here, driven by the sole obsession of showing the child to Dorothea, that he realized how great she was.
'Will they really look after me?'
The healer, who was known in this area, pretended not to notice them with a cold face when the nobles seemed to have little interest in the woman.
'Yeah, that's a natural reaction.'
Even if he searched his pockets, there was no sign of a penny, and even if he received a favor, he had no way of repaying it.
His eyes darkened as he looked down at the child with a gloomy face.
'Maybe this is it.'
It was a feat just to have made it this far.
When he went up to the capital and told the people about his son's situation and the series of strange events, they were terrified and tried to stop him.
Even those who didn't know him well shook their heads and said he was crazy when they heard the news.
“Heylan...”
The hand stroking the child's hair, which was as fluffy as rags, trembled.
The moment his eyes filled with tears as he looked at the child, there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me."
A young but polite girl's voice was heard, and soon it was Dorothea Highclere who peeked her head out through the open door.
Jude, who had been staring blankly at her with his mouth open, only came to his senses when the doll-like Dorothea stood before him.
“Ah, Miss...!”
He knelt down before Dorothea with a trembling voice, took off his shabby hat, bowed to her, and opened his mouth.
“Please... please, just look at my child, Miss. The child is cursed by the wicked kingdom bastards, huhuhu!”
He took out the evidence he had shown Marilyn and handed it to her.
Dorothea, who had examined the kingdom's emblem, headed to the bed with a faint smile.
The child's face looked very strange for someone who was sound asleep.
Dorothea had been aware of the child's condition since the woman arrived there.
'Someone took the child's life away.'
When she got closer and checked, it became even clearer.
The child's soul was still there, but its color was pale, almost transparent, and it lacked the freshness characteristic of a living being.
Dorothea, who had been looking into the soul that was parched like a dry field in midsummer, unable to replenish its lack of energy, finally opened her mouth.
“He’s definitely been ‘cursed’ by someone. But I can help him open his eyes again.”
A flash of delight crossed Jude's face at Dorothea's words.
There was no reason not to believe Dorothea, since the little thing Marilyn had been carrying had opened the child's mouth for a moment.
He cried out, sobbing.
"Thank you!"
“...But why should I do that?”
Jude looked up at Dorothea, wondering if his ears were deceiving him.
The doll-like noble girl with a gentle voice and affectionate face was asking him with a smile.
Why should she help this child?
“That’s, that’s...”
“No matter how suspicious the Kingdom of Rohen was, the testimony of two commoners is not enough to prove anything. Even if they did something suspicious, His Majesty would not have any intention of breaking the alliance between our two countries that he has worked so hard to forge for your sake.”
Jude's face turned pale, but instead of stopping, Dorothea continued to say the rest of the story, cruelly and bluntly.
“Even if I work hard to save the child’s life, if he opens his eyes and spreads nonsense, and if something goes wrong with the alliance with the Kingdom of Rohen, I will be accused of offending His Majesty and suffer a loss.”
There is no need to mention that the Emperor of the Empire has great trust in her and that he is trying to check the Empress Dowager's power at this time.
Jude hit his head on the floor at Dorothea's continued silence.
“Until the day I die, I will never mention anything about the Kingdom of Rohen. I can even control that child’s mouth. If you will have mercy...”
“I didn’t want you to bow your head to the ground. I don’t like it when people do that. I just wanted you to come up with a reason why I should help you.”
Jude's heart burned at the sound of her feminine voice.
No matter how many times he looked into that little face, he could never figure out what she wanted.
His voice trembled like a tree branch shaken by a fierce storm.
“I will help you with anything, anything I can.”
Dorothea nodded, sitting on her chair, her chin resting on her hand, looking at the child's pale, frozen face.
“Fortunately, unlike His Majesty, I do not have any particularly favorable feelings toward the Kingdom of Rohen. Whether the alliance falls apart or not is none of my concern.”
“...”
“They touched the only ‘valuable people’ in my life.”
That too, several times.
How many arrows are pointed at her can she endure?
If just keeping her mouth shut brings peace to her and her surroundings, that wouldn't be a bad thing.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’ve already crossed the line by ruining your grandmother’s health, and now you keep reaching out to climb over the family wall.”
Jude just kept his mouth shut and waited for the muttering that he couldn't understand.
It was a heavy and deep silence that was bearable, even though cold sweat poured down like rain because he could find some hope in her words.
“Furthermore, it is so good at running away that whenever I think I’ve caught it, it breaks off its tail and runs away. It’s so annoying to me.”
Dorothea reached out and lifted Jude's body, who was still bowing his head.
Her blue eyes, once filled with boredom, had a strange, strange quality to them that she displayed whenever she was interested in something or engaged in something.
A soft voice reached Jude's ears.
“If I’m going to expose the nonsense of the Rohen Kingdom, I need clear ‘evidence’ and ‘witnesses.’ Something much better than yours.”
"Yes, yes."
Dorothea told the man, who nodded as if possessed, the 'answer' he should take.
“If you can risk your life and pull out the ‘body’ instead of the tail, I will help the child. At the very least, I will ensure the child’s safety. In the name of the Highclere family.”
From the beginning, Dorothea's attitude was practically set in stone.
If she wants to open the heads of those annoying things and look inside, she definitely needs a body, and it also has to include a reason that will satisfy the Emperor of the Empire.
That requires throwing out some tempting bait.
This man was the most reliable bait of all.
'It's easy and convenient to give grace. But I need an earnest attitude to do the work without fail, without risking my life.'
To bring about desperation, this level of deal had to be made.
Fortunately, Jude's eyes showed determination, as if he wasn't that stupid.
He had an expression on his face that said he would do it a thousand or ten thousand times, risking his life and jumping into danger to save a child who was already half dead and about to be given up on and raise him to be a healthy child.
Dorothea smiled in satisfaction at the change in momentum from a moment ago.
“Then I will ask for your help in the future.”
Please bring me the results I want.
***
At that time, Benny, the therapist, was glancing at the room Dorothea had entered with a very anxious look.
The reason he half-ignored the existence of the men, even though he knew of them, was because he needed to clearly know who the 'guardian' was who protected them more than they did.
Judging from their shabby appearance alone, the man was nothing more than a parasite waiting for someone's mercy, so there was no reason for him to bother dealing with him.
'At this point, it would be right for the great Lady Highclare to call me.'
Since she's a young girl, she probably doesn't want to deal with common therapists?
His eyes took on a look of displeasure.
Even so, there was no one as outstanding as him around here.
Are they just a few old men who touch herbs and dirty expensive people who have only a little bit of divine power and pretend to be priests?
'No matter how great a person you are in the capital, you will eventually find me here.'
He snorted inwardly and bowed to the nobleman in front of him.
“Where, are you feeling better?”
“Oh, every morning I would feel so heavy and out of breath that I could barely move, but now I’m fine. That’s great.”
“It’s because the medicine is made from very rare and expensive ingredients. It has to be very valuable because you have to go into the forest and gather it yourself, and a skilled healer like me has to process it on the spot.”
“How come someone as great as you stay here? Huh?”
He was trying to please the smiling nobleman, but he quickly ran to Kiel when he saw him in the distance.
“Count Spencer!”
A look of annoyance crossed Kiel's face, who would have called him first more gently if it had been a normal situation, but it quickly disappeared before Benny could even notice.
“Ah, Benny. You were treating these guys.”
“I just wanted to lighten the load a little for those who have taken on important roles with their poor skills.”
Kiel smiled brightly.
“That’s very like you.”
It was a sarcastic remark that the smell of money coming from those in power was incredibly strong, but Benny's face brightened as he failed to notice the sarcastic remark.
Kiel Spencer was the first person to recognize his 'usefulness'.
If it weren't for him, Benny wouldn't even have known that he could be such an amazing therapist.
By the way, for some reason, Kiel Spencer's attitude doesn't seem very friendly today.
As Benny rolled his eyes at the single-minded face, Kiel spoke softly.
“I hear a voice calling for you.”
When he turned his head, he saw the nobleman who had just 'treated' him walking quickly towards him again.
“Listen, Benny. Sell me all those precious elixirs.”
At Count Jubel's words, who had come before he knew it, Benny barely managed to suppress the corners of his mouth that were about to burst and shook his head with a feigned seriousness.
“This... is something I made myself and its potency will diminish after a certain amount of time. Keeping it may not be of much help.”
Of course not. It's just a mediocre pill made from mugwort leaves and cinnamon.
In reality, what took away the pain was not the pills, but the unidentifiable fruit in his pocket and the cane he was holding.
“I can’t help it if you say so.”
Count Jubel's eyes were filled with regret as he regained his appetite.
What's unfortunate is that the same goes for Benny.
If only he didn't have to make excuses like this every time to hide the fact that the elixir he makes doesn't work.
“I am sorry for my lack of ability.”
“No, well... this alone is amazing.”
Benny lowered his voice and asked Count Jubel, who nodded as if he had no choice.
“By the way, I have a question. Could you please answer it for me?”
“Huh? Why is that?”
“I saw the group that had suffered greatly on their way here, being hunted by hunting dogs and wild animals. I heard that there was a young child who had come with the father, but I had never seen him before...”
At Benny's question, Count Jubel's eyes immediately turned cold.
“There is no need to speak to him. He is just a peasant who ran away from his land.”
“But I heard that the child is sick.”
“Well, don’t people just burst into tears and show pity and sympathy to anyone who asks for something even a little bit? I heard that the Lady Highclare's friend picked them up on the street.”
Benny's eyes lit up.
It was precisely the Lady Highclare who was important.
A girl with great power, who can meet His Majesty the Emperor without hesitation, receive important assignments directly from him, and travel with the Prince.
If he could just get close to her, he might not have to bow down to the nobles and try to please them like he does now.
'If I'm lucky... I might be able to enter the palace.'
Benny's eyes sparkled with ecstasy as if he were dreaming.
He quickly fixed his expression, sounding sorry, thanks to his adeptness in acting as a 'therapist who isn't a therapist' for a long time.
“I wish I could see that kid...”
“I thought she was only good at it, but she's actually quite kind-hearted. If you want, go and take a look. I can just tell the Lady Highclere about it. If you treat the child, she’ll probably treat you quite generously.”
“Oh, I don’t expect that kind of treatment. It’s just my destiny as a therapist to take care of sick children.”
The foolish stone-thrower slowly took one step at a time toward his grave.
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