Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine

 

 

“This knight suddenly collapsed in the corridor.”

 

“What on earth is this…?”

 

The chief physician muttered in bewilderment.

 

I was equally taken aback.

 

It seemed that the fallen person was none other than Ares, who until just moments ago had been assuring me to trust only himself.

 

“Wait, isn’t he Your Highness’ knight?”

 

As I approached, the chief physician reached Ares first and began to assess his condition.

 

“His fever is severe. Bring a damp cloth and a mobile bed!”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

The physicians scrambled to get Ares onto the bed, and the chief physician quickly began to examine him.

 

“His breathing is rapid. He has a high fever, yet his body is cold… how can the fever be high and his body this cool…”

 

The chief physician shook his head in disbelief as he checked Ares’ body temperature and pulse.

 

He listened to his lung sounds with a stethoscope, checked his hands, feet, and every nook and cranny of his body.

 

“Is this…… blood?”

 

There were bloodstains on Ares’s shirt.

 

There were also some at the corners of his mouth. There might have been an internal bleeding. 

 

The chief physician examined further with a serious expression and then instructed one of the attending physicians.

 

“It seems like there’s severe inflammation in the lungs. It’s compounded with exhaustion. In this case, we need to supply nutrients first. You, go fetch Lafa.”

 

“Yes, chief physician!”

 

Lafa was a common medicinal herb used to supply nutrients to the body when one was exhausted.

 

The chief physician called for additional herbs as well.

 

“Bring me some mushroom fragrance, Peridot root, and Lebiz stem as well.”

 

“Understood!”

 

They were all ingredients with pain-relieving, fever-reducing, and anti-inflammatory properties.

 

The attending physicians quickly moved to fetch the items the chief physician had mentioned.

 

The chief physician was about to quickly finish the examination and start treatment, but something was bothering me.

 

‘Why did he collapse in front of the restroom?’

 

He wasn’t an ordinary knight; he was one of Julion’s personal knights.

 

He even claimed to be much better than several other knights in skill.

 

Moreover, until a moment ago, he didn’t seem to have a fever at all.

 

On the contrary, he seemed full of energy.

 

However, to attribute his collapse solely to a cold and exhaustion seemed a bit odd.

 

Furthermore, there were traces of what seemed like internal bleeding.

 

“I’ll administer the medicine orally. Hold him steady.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Before I knew it, the chief physician had prepared the medicine and was about to administer it to Ares.

 

Just before the brownish liquid entered Ares’s mouth, I saw a faint hint of blood at the tip of Ares’s finger.

 

‘That’s……!’

 

“Chief physician, wait a moment. I need to confirm something.”

 

I urgently grabbed the chief physician’s arm.

 

The gazes of the surrounding attending physician were all focused on me at once.

 

“We are in a hurry, what is it?”

 

There was an unmistakable fluster in the chief physician’s voice.

 

Taking a seat in front of Ares, I spoke.

 

“Aren’t you considering the possibility that it’s not just fever and exhaustion?”

 

“What? What are you saying?”

 

“Well, I mean, I’m saying I want to examine him.”

 

The chief physician’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

 

He either didn’t understand my words or had no intention of moving, only blinking his eyes.

 

“Chief physician, step aside. I need to examine the patient.”

 

“No, Your Highness. What is this?”

 

The chief physician couldn’t even respond properly, his expression stiff.

 

While other physicians were also looking at me in disbelief, none of them moved to stop me.

 

I quickly started the examination.

 

I checked his body temperature and pulse directly.

 

Some time had passed, and there could have been changes since then.

 

Then I lifted his eyelids to check his pupils and inspected his hands and feet, the areas of concern.

 

“……!”

 

The blood gathered at his fingertips was more distinct than before.

 

Even though there were no obvious wounds, the way the blood seemed to seep through the skin in a congealed manner was strange to anyone who looked at it.

 

I told the attending physician who was nearby.

 

“Bring me a candle.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Didn’t you hear me? A candle!”

 

“Oh, yes!”

 

The attending physician hurriedly lit a candle and brought it over, looking puzzled.

 

“Your Highness, what do you intend to do with the candle…?”

 

The chief physician timidly asked, but I didn’t have the time to answer each question individually.

 

I immediately brought the candle closer to Ares’ face. 

 

And that’s when Ares’ eyelids lifted.

 

Thunk.

 

Thud.

 

A clear sound of droplets hitting the ground echoed.

 

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the source of the sound, and gasps were heard here and there.

 

The blood that had been pooled at the tip of Ares’ fingers was now oozing out in droplets onto the floor.

 

Without further ado, I handed the candle back to the attending physician and quickly made my diagnosis.

 

“This is a symptom of poisoning. We need to do a blood test, so bring me a syringe. And we should prescribe Saitrium as a first step.”

 

I reached out my hand to one of the nearby physicians, but nobody moved, even as I waited.

 

“What are you doing? I need a syringe.”

 

My words made the chief physician visibly uncomfortable.

 

“Your Highness, how can you consider using such a barbaric method?”

 

The test involves drawing blood and adding it to various medicines to see how they react.

 

The origin of this testing method came from my mother’s homeland, the Yalon Kingdom. I knew very well how valuable this medical practice was.

 

Having conducted numerous tests myself, I was well aware of its medical value.

 

However, the act of drawing blood by inflicting wounds on the body was considered quite barbaric and looked down upon in the empire.

 

As a result, medical practices in the empire often ended with external applications.

 

No one seemed willing to provide me with a syringe, so I turned to Zenid, who had been watching the scene awkwardly from the back.

 

“Zenid.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

“Fetch a syringe from the Garnet Palace. Quickly.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Since I never knew when something might happen, I always carried a syringe with me.

 

It was in my medicine bag, but I had left it in the Garnet Palace, thinking I might not need it inside the imperial palace.

 

The fact that I had a syringe in my palace surprised both the chief physician and the attending physicians.

 

Deciding to perform the treatments that could be done before Zenid brought the syringe, I continued.

 

“First, bring a Saitrium. Neutralizing the poison is our top priority.”

 

Saitrium is a well-known detoxifying agent with no side effects.

 

It was used for general detoxification purposes, although its effectiveness wasn’t particularly high.

 

Nonetheless, it was a versatile and readily available detoxification agent in times of urgency.

 

“For now, we’ll buy some time with Saitrium. During that time, I’ll work on creating an antidote.”

 

Upon hearing my words, the physicians exchanged uncertain glances with each other.

 

The chief physician protested with a panicked expression.

 

“Saitrium? No, Your Highness, that’s not possible!”

 

His firm and forceful voice made me feel as though my brain was rattling in my skull.

 

The chief physician continued to object.

 

“A knight being poisoned within the imperial palace? Impossible!”

 

Quickly explaining the diagnosis to the chief physician, who seemed not to understand the situation, I continued.

 

“Despite having a high fever, his skin is as cold as ice, his breathing is rapid. There’s also the presence of petechiae and the fact that his eyes have a gleam. Moreover, droplets of blood formed and fell from his fingertips when he lifted his eyelids. These are symptoms that appear when someone is poisoned by a specific type of poison commonly found in the southern continent.”

 

My explanation flowed forth, and the chief physician fell silent for a moment.

 

I continued with my explanation.

 

“Most importantly, he collapsed right in front of the restroom. If my guesses are correct, he collapsed while using the restroom. And if all my assumptions are correct, I can even identify the name of this poison.”

 

“But I’ve never heard of such poison…”

 

The chief physician’s pupils quivered as if an earthquake had struck.

 

I shouted coldly.

 

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean the poison doesn’t exist, does it?”

 

Yet the chief physician continued to hold onto his own diagnosis, which was hard to accept.

 

“Even if there’s severe inflammation in the lungs, it’s possible. I understand that you want to save the patient’s life, Your Highness. However, this should be left to me, a certified physician.”

 

“In that case, how would you explain the symptom of droplets of blood forming and falling from his fingertips?”

 

“That… I will perform another examination properly.”

 

It was a ridiculous statement.

 

He had no intention of actually listening to my words; he was simply being obstinate, prioritizing his own authority over proper medical treatment.

 

“So, you’re saying that even though you’ve never heard of the poison, if you perform another examination, you’ll suddenly know the name of the poison?”

 

“There is no such poison. There must be another cause…”

 

“Why on earth are you stopping me like this? If the poison I’m thinking of is correct, we don’t have time to waste!”

 

The chief physician’s cheeks were flushed. He sighed as if restraining his anger and spoke.

 

“Your Highness may not be aware, but if Saitrium is taken by someone who doesn’t have symptoms of poisoning, it can actually become toxic. He is a knight of the imperial palace, so you should handle this situation carefully, shouldn’t you?”

 

“Carefully examining and reaching a conclusion, that’s what you’re saying. Since the diagnosis of poisoning is certain, I should prescribe Saitrium.”

 

The tense standoff between me and the chief physician made the entire palace infirmary as quiet as if it had been submerged in cold water.

 

Indeed, when Saitrium was used by a healthy person, it could potentially become toxic instead of detoxifying.

 

However, in the case of Ares, poisoning was evident, and rapid treatment was crucial.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Amidst the confrontation with the chief physician, Ares who had collapsed began to convulse.

 

His trembling body emitted sighs from various parts.

 

“We can’t delay any longer. Bring me a Saitrium now!”

 

“Your Highness, are you really ignoring my authority? As the chief physician of the imperial palace, I cannot, under any circumstances, follow a prescription that would put the knight in danger!”

 

The chief physician showed no signs of backing down.

 

I decided to give up on further persuasion.

 

“Then I, as the Crown Princess, command you. Bring it immediately.”

 

A silence so profound that you could hear the blinking of eyelids settled over the infirmary.