Episode 103. Throw Away All of the Princess's Clothes
The doctor arrived at the mansion exactly four hours later.
When the doctor arrived, not only Mrs. Betty but even the maids nursing the Princess felt a great sense of relief.
If the doctor had been later, Noah would undoubtedly have gone to the royal palace, grabbed any doctor who was 'idling around' by the collar, and dragged him in.
Noah stood by Olivia's side with only his outer clothes removed, not saying a single word, and just staring at his feverish wife's face.
The maids had to care for the Princess while enduring his icy gaze. Even the sound of wetting a towel was cautious, yet no one dared to dissuade him.
Especially when the Princess, who seemed to be losing her fever after taking fever reducers, started coughing, it even felt as if a bone-chilling cold was sweeping over her.
Mrs. Betty practically ran to escort the doctor to the Princess. Whether the Prince had instructed her to let her in without knocking or not, Mrs. Betty dared to open the door to the Prince and Princess's bedroom without permission.
“Please come in.”
The doctor swallowed hard at the rapid whispers and the intense silence felt from beyond the door.
In a space where dim lamplight and darkness mingled, a Prince stood with his back to the moonlight streaming through the window, while a figure lay on a massive bed. Within the pitch-black silhouette, like a beast hiding in the shadows, only the Prince's eyes gleamed, holding a light.
The doctor struggled to hold back his trembling hands as she quickly approached and bowed her head.
"I apologize for the delay, Your Highness."
"Let's get the medical examination over with quickly."
"Yes."
From his deeply subdued voice, one could clearly feel how much he was suppressing his temper. The doctor quickly washed his hands and approached the Princess.
"When did Her Highness take the fever reducer?"
"She took it once 4 hours ago, and took it 1 hour ago as her fever rose again."
“Since when has she been unconscious?”
"Since four and a half hours ago."
The first answer was given by Mrs. Betty, but the second came from the Prince.
The doctor calmly and coolly examined the Princess's condition.
"Have she never mentioned pain before?"
In response to her question, Mrs. Betty chose her words for a moment before speaking.
“Lately, her appetite has been gradually decreasing. She mentioned that she feels tightness in her chest...”
Then, Noah, who had been sitting in the chair until then, suddenly stood up and lifted Olivia's dress himself.
“Your Highness!”
Noah, having rolled up her clothes below her chest regardless of whether the two were surprised or not, pointed with his finger at the area near her ribs, which was still bruised a deep blue.
"Isn't it because of this?"
The doctor met Noah's fiercely upturned eyes, then quickly lowered her gaze to her finger. In an instant, her eyes widened.
“No, how could this be in Jer Highness’s body...?”
As the surprised doctor examined Olivia's upper body, Noah finally took a step back.
The Princess's upper body was covered with marks of having been tightly constricted. The marks were present not only on her chest but also on her back and abdomen. After examining the marks for quite some time, the doctor finally reached a single conclusion.
“Is this... a corset mark?”
"Yes."
As Mrs. Betty, who was assisting with her treatment, nodded, the doctor let out a deep, long sigh and lowered the hem of the Princess's dress.
"It seems Her Highness wasn't used to the corset, was she?"
Noah, who was standing behind with his hands in his pockets, answered the question.
"It hasn't even been a month."
"When did she start complaining of chest tightness?"
“The whole time she was wearing it. Because she said she would endure it and get used to it.”
"Did she cough?"
As soon as the question was finished, the Princess, who had been closing her eyes as if dead, coughed up.
“Cough, cough.”
And at the same time as coughing, she curled up her body as if in great distress and let out a faint groan.
Noah quickly approached Olivia and pressed his palm firmly against her chest. The furrowed brow of her pain straightened out for a brief moment.
"She has been coughing for two hours."
As Mrs. Betty quickly added, the doctor nodded as if she understood something.
As Olivia’s coughing subsided, Noah sat up and suddenly felt a strong urge to smoke. He roughly ran his hand through his face and signaled to Mrs. Betty. As Mrs. Betty quickly disappeared out the door, the doctor delivered her diagnosis with a troubled expression.
"It seems like it is pleuritis."
“Pleuritis?”
"It is also known as 'corset disease." When a corset severely compresses the abdomen and chest, the internal organs are pressed and pushed upward. This compresses the lungs, making breathing difficult, and in severe cases, leads to inflammation. Typical symptoms include pain with every breath, coughing, and fever."
"So you mean it must have hurt every time she breathed?"
“Yes. She probably did.”
Just hearing the words made him feel suffocated.
Frightened by the Prince's downcast expression, the doctor quickly added.
“I will stay at the mansion and look after Her Highness, Your Highness.”
The Prince gazed intently at the Princess.
The elegant features felt chilling, like those of a devil. As the silence dragged on, the doctor felt her breath tightening.
How long did they endure that hellish silence?
Finally, the Prince opened his mouth.
"So, you're saying she got sick because of the corset."
“Yes? Yes, yes.”
As the startled doctor quickly nodded, he unbelievably let out a chuckle.
“...”
Beneath the hand covering his eyes, one corner of his deep red lips curled upward. The doctor quickly lowered her gaze. Then, looking at the Princess who had fallen asleep, feverish, she prayed inwardly.
"Your Highness, you must recover quickly. Quickly."
Noah, who had been rubbing his hot eyes with his hand, ran his hand down his face and languidly gave an order.
“I have instructed that the room next to the bedroom be prepared, so please stay there. I will be here tonight, so please visit periodically to check on the Princess’s condition.”
Then the doctor quickly grabbed the medical bag.
“I will grind the medicine into a suitable consistency for Her Highness to take. Please wait just a moment, Your Highness.”
"Yes. Tell them to bring the head maid on their way out."
"All right."
The doctor hurriedly left the room like someone fleeing from hell. Then she quickly whispered to Mrs. Betty.
"He says to bring you in."
Mrs. Betty entrusted the guidance to the maid standing beside her and hurried into the room.
When she entered the room, the Princess's dress and corset were carelessly tossed on the floor.
As Mrs. Betty looked at him in surprise, Noah opened his mouth.
“Make sure the Princess’s corset is never seen again. Discard all dresses that require a corset to be worn. Whether for royal events or anything else, the Princess will never wear a corset again.”
His gaze was fixed solely on the Princess.
"All right."
“And while I was away, Countess Timberlin...”
As he trailed off, she felt a sharp, murderous intent that seemed to pierce the skin.
Although Noah was sensitive, he had never plunged the household into terror. However, the way he was now felt precarious, as if he would explode at the slightest provocation.
The moment Mrs. Betty swallowed hard, he spoke up.
“Even if she comes looking, make sure not a single hair of hers enters my house. Olivia must not hear her voice either.”
Mrs. Betty nodded with a determined expression at the Prince's command.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
"Please go pick up the medicine given by the doctor."
"Yes."
Mrs. Betty hurriedly picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and left the room. She was disoriented by the violent pounding. Her back was damp with cold sweat.
She whispered as she handed the Princess's clothes to a maid nearby.
"Burn all of Her Highness's corsets and dresses tomorrow."
"Yes?"
"Don't ask."
The maid quickly picked up the Princess's clothes with a serious expression and walked away.
A terrifying silence enveloped the entire mansion.
Mrs. Betty took a deep breath and earnestly hoped for Her Royal Highness's speedy recovery.
And at the same time, Mrs. Timberlin's gray eyes came to mind.
It seems like you... They are in big trouble.
You should have done it in moderation.
What do I do now...
The moment a chaotic silence descended, like the aftermath of a storm, even Mrs. Seymour was suddenly frightened.
In particular, the Prince clearly saw through that this was a 'Shine Party,' and didn't he check the faces of the attendees one by one with a spine-chilling, beast-like gaze?
It was around the time she started to fear that there might be retaliation from the royal family.
“What do you mean, ‘what should I do’? You are deeply mistaken, Prince. To think we would suggest a Shine Party when this place is here.”
The Marchioness de Letium rose from her seat with an elegant movement, pulling her hat down. At that moment, the desperate gazes of the noble ladies fell upon her.
Countess Timberlin, who had been sitting slumped over, hurriedly stood up and nodded.
“Y-yes, that’s right. A Shine Party?! Oh, sister-in-law. Please, please come with me and explain to the Prince...”
The Countess trailed off at the Marchioness's cold and heartless gaze. Marchioness Letium stared at the Countess with her sharp lips tightly pressed together, then slowly began to speak.
"Countess Timberlin."
“..."
“What explanation? We merely ran into each other by chance. So what explanation do I need? Are you explaining that I was in the same space as Her Highness?”
“Oh, sister-in-law...”
"However, it would be right for you to apologize rather than explain yourself, Countess."
Marchioness Letium let out a barely audible sigh and approached Mrs. Timberlin.
“If there is a problem, it would be that Her Highness’s etiquette teacher was at another table, leaving Her Highness alone.”
At her resolute attitude, the Countess of Timberlin slowly sank into a swamp-like despair, while the other ladies brightened up and kept nodding their heads.
“Of course. When did we make a promise to meet?!”
Mrs. Seymour also felt a sudden sense of relief and quickly approached the Marchioness de Letium.
Mrs. Timberlin, her face dark with grief, glared resentfully at the Marchioness while trembling. However, the Marchioness had no intention of taking on the responsibility.
"Go apologize to the Queen rather than the Prince. I found that would be a better choice."
Then, with a relaxed attitude, she turned around and swayed out.
The doctor arrived at the mansion exactly four hours later.
When the doctor arrived, not only Mrs. Betty but even the maids nursing the Princess felt a great sense of relief.
If the doctor had been later, Noah would undoubtedly have gone to the royal palace, grabbed any doctor who was 'idling around' by the collar, and dragged him in.
Noah stood by Olivia's side with only his outer clothes removed, not saying a single word, and just staring at his feverish wife's face.
The maids had to care for the Princess while enduring his icy gaze. Even the sound of wetting a towel was cautious, yet no one dared to dissuade him.
Especially when the Princess, who seemed to be losing her fever after taking fever reducers, started coughing, it even felt as if a bone-chilling cold was sweeping over her.
Mrs. Betty practically ran to escort the doctor to the Princess. Whether the Prince had instructed her to let her in without knocking or not, Mrs. Betty dared to open the door to the Prince and Princess's bedroom without permission.
“Please come in.”
The doctor swallowed hard at the rapid whispers and the intense silence felt from beyond the door.
In a space where dim lamplight and darkness mingled, a Prince stood with his back to the moonlight streaming through the window, while a figure lay on a massive bed. Within the pitch-black silhouette, like a beast hiding in the shadows, only the Prince's eyes gleamed, holding a light.
The doctor struggled to hold back his trembling hands as she quickly approached and bowed her head.
"I apologize for the delay, Your Highness."
"Let's get the medical examination over with quickly."
"Yes."
From his deeply subdued voice, one could clearly feel how much he was suppressing his temper. The doctor quickly washed his hands and approached the Princess.
"When did Her Highness take the fever reducer?"
"She took it once 4 hours ago, and took it 1 hour ago as her fever rose again."
“Since when has she been unconscious?”
"Since four and a half hours ago."
The first answer was given by Mrs. Betty, but the second came from the Prince.
The doctor calmly and coolly examined the Princess's condition.
"Have she never mentioned pain before?"
In response to her question, Mrs. Betty chose her words for a moment before speaking.
“Lately, her appetite has been gradually decreasing. She mentioned that she feels tightness in her chest...”
Then, Noah, who had been sitting in the chair until then, suddenly stood up and lifted Olivia's dress himself.
“Your Highness!”
Noah, having rolled up her clothes below her chest regardless of whether the two were surprised or not, pointed with his finger at the area near her ribs, which was still bruised a deep blue.
"Isn't it because of this?"
The doctor met Noah's fiercely upturned eyes, then quickly lowered her gaze to her finger. In an instant, her eyes widened.
“No, how could this be in Jer Highness’s body...?”
As the surprised doctor examined Olivia's upper body, Noah finally took a step back.
The Princess's upper body was covered with marks of having been tightly constricted. The marks were present not only on her chest but also on her back and abdomen. After examining the marks for quite some time, the doctor finally reached a single conclusion.
“Is this... a corset mark?”
"Yes."
As Mrs. Betty, who was assisting with her treatment, nodded, the doctor let out a deep, long sigh and lowered the hem of the Princess's dress.
"It seems Her Highness wasn't used to the corset, was she?"
Noah, who was standing behind with his hands in his pockets, answered the question.
"It hasn't even been a month."
"When did she start complaining of chest tightness?"
“The whole time she was wearing it. Because she said she would endure it and get used to it.”
"Did she cough?"
As soon as the question was finished, the Princess, who had been closing her eyes as if dead, coughed up.
“Cough, cough.”
And at the same time as coughing, she curled up her body as if in great distress and let out a faint groan.
Noah quickly approached Olivia and pressed his palm firmly against her chest. The furrowed brow of her pain straightened out for a brief moment.
"She has been coughing for two hours."
As Mrs. Betty quickly added, the doctor nodded as if she understood something.
As Olivia’s coughing subsided, Noah sat up and suddenly felt a strong urge to smoke. He roughly ran his hand through his face and signaled to Mrs. Betty. As Mrs. Betty quickly disappeared out the door, the doctor delivered her diagnosis with a troubled expression.
"It seems like it is pleuritis."
“Pleuritis?”
"It is also known as 'corset disease." When a corset severely compresses the abdomen and chest, the internal organs are pressed and pushed upward. This compresses the lungs, making breathing difficult, and in severe cases, leads to inflammation. Typical symptoms include pain with every breath, coughing, and fever."
"So you mean it must have hurt every time she breathed?"
“Yes. She probably did.”
Just hearing the words made him feel suffocated.
Frightened by the Prince's downcast expression, the doctor quickly added.
“I will stay at the mansion and look after Her Highness, Your Highness.”
The Prince gazed intently at the Princess.
The elegant features felt chilling, like those of a devil. As the silence dragged on, the doctor felt her breath tightening.
How long did they endure that hellish silence?
Finally, the Prince opened his mouth.
"So, you're saying she got sick because of the corset."
“Yes? Yes, yes.”
As the startled doctor quickly nodded, he unbelievably let out a chuckle.
“...”
Beneath the hand covering his eyes, one corner of his deep red lips curled upward. The doctor quickly lowered her gaze. Then, looking at the Princess who had fallen asleep, feverish, she prayed inwardly.
"Your Highness, you must recover quickly. Quickly."
Noah, who had been rubbing his hot eyes with his hand, ran his hand down his face and languidly gave an order.
“I have instructed that the room next to the bedroom be prepared, so please stay there. I will be here tonight, so please visit periodically to check on the Princess’s condition.”
Then the doctor quickly grabbed the medical bag.
“I will grind the medicine into a suitable consistency for Her Highness to take. Please wait just a moment, Your Highness.”
"Yes. Tell them to bring the head maid on their way out."
"All right."
The doctor hurriedly left the room like someone fleeing from hell. Then she quickly whispered to Mrs. Betty.
"He says to bring you in."
Mrs. Betty entrusted the guidance to the maid standing beside her and hurried into the room.
When she entered the room, the Princess's dress and corset were carelessly tossed on the floor.
As Mrs. Betty looked at him in surprise, Noah opened his mouth.
“Make sure the Princess’s corset is never seen again. Discard all dresses that require a corset to be worn. Whether for royal events or anything else, the Princess will never wear a corset again.”
His gaze was fixed solely on the Princess.
"All right."
“And while I was away, Countess Timberlin...”
As he trailed off, she felt a sharp, murderous intent that seemed to pierce the skin.
Although Noah was sensitive, he had never plunged the household into terror. However, the way he was now felt precarious, as if he would explode at the slightest provocation.
The moment Mrs. Betty swallowed hard, he spoke up.
“Even if she comes looking, make sure not a single hair of hers enters my house. Olivia must not hear her voice either.”
Mrs. Betty nodded with a determined expression at the Prince's command.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
"Please go pick up the medicine given by the doctor."
"Yes."
Mrs. Betty hurriedly picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and left the room. She was disoriented by the violent pounding. Her back was damp with cold sweat.
She whispered as she handed the Princess's clothes to a maid nearby.
"Burn all of Her Highness's corsets and dresses tomorrow."
"Yes?"
"Don't ask."
The maid quickly picked up the Princess's clothes with a serious expression and walked away.
A terrifying silence enveloped the entire mansion.
Mrs. Betty took a deep breath and earnestly hoped for Her Royal Highness's speedy recovery.
And at the same time, Mrs. Timberlin's gray eyes came to mind.
It seems like you... They are in big trouble.
You should have done it in moderation.
***
What do I do now...
The moment a chaotic silence descended, like the aftermath of a storm, even Mrs. Seymour was suddenly frightened.
In particular, the Prince clearly saw through that this was a 'Shine Party,' and didn't he check the faces of the attendees one by one with a spine-chilling, beast-like gaze?
It was around the time she started to fear that there might be retaliation from the royal family.
“What do you mean, ‘what should I do’? You are deeply mistaken, Prince. To think we would suggest a Shine Party when this place is here.”
The Marchioness de Letium rose from her seat with an elegant movement, pulling her hat down. At that moment, the desperate gazes of the noble ladies fell upon her.
Countess Timberlin, who had been sitting slumped over, hurriedly stood up and nodded.
“Y-yes, that’s right. A Shine Party?! Oh, sister-in-law. Please, please come with me and explain to the Prince...”
The Countess trailed off at the Marchioness's cold and heartless gaze. Marchioness Letium stared at the Countess with her sharp lips tightly pressed together, then slowly began to speak.
"Countess Timberlin."
“..."
“What explanation? We merely ran into each other by chance. So what explanation do I need? Are you explaining that I was in the same space as Her Highness?”
“Oh, sister-in-law...”
"However, it would be right for you to apologize rather than explain yourself, Countess."
Marchioness Letium let out a barely audible sigh and approached Mrs. Timberlin.
“If there is a problem, it would be that Her Highness’s etiquette teacher was at another table, leaving Her Highness alone.”
At her resolute attitude, the Countess of Timberlin slowly sank into a swamp-like despair, while the other ladies brightened up and kept nodding their heads.
“Of course. When did we make a promise to meet?!”
Mrs. Seymour also felt a sudden sense of relief and quickly approached the Marchioness de Letium.
Mrs. Timberlin, her face dark with grief, glared resentfully at the Marchioness while trembling. However, the Marchioness had no intention of taking on the responsibility.
"Go apologize to the Queen rather than the Prince. I found that would be a better choice."
Then, with a relaxed attitude, she turned around and swayed out.
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