Upon hearing my words, the Empress hesitated for a moment, then with a look of determination, she spoke to Blanche, the head maid..
“Summon the chief physician. Tell him I need to see him urgently.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Blanche nodded to the Empress and hurriedly left the bedroom.
In that moment, an ominous premonition crept into my mind.
Blanche, who had always stayed by the Empress’ side without a moment’s rest, was now personally leaving her duties to seek the chief physician.
‘If there’s a connection between the chief physician and Blanche.’
Blanche must not go alone to the chief physician. Under no circumstances could she be left alone with the chief physician.
Glancing at Julion, I noticed that he was observing Blanche’s retreating figure.
Without further delay, I spoke up.
“The chief physician would dismiss anyone who approaches him right now. I’m not sure if Blanche can bring him quickly.”
“Then I cannot go personally. It might be an infectious disease. A royal cannot take such a risk.”
“In that case, what if His Highness the Crown Prince accompanied her? Even if the chief physician could ignore me and Blanche, he might not ignore His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I subtly implied that the chief physician was ignoring me, which was indeed true.
If I were to go, the chief physician would likely come up with various excuses to stall time.
But Julion is different. He held authority almost equal to that of the Emperor at the moment.
As if he had read my thoughts, Julion immediately nodded.
“That’s right. I will go with her.”
Julion promptly turned and walked briskly down the path Blanche had taken.
In the quiet bedroom, the Empress’ long sigh reverberated, filling the space.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. If using this medicine is really poisonous, then what should I do…?”
The Empress’ fingertips trembled more and more, as if the pain was growing stronger.
It seemed this was the first time she had gone this long without medication.
“Your Majesty, feeling pain is also a sign that your nerves are not completely dead. It’s a positive sign, so please don’t lose hope.”
“A positive sign……? Does that mean it can be cured?”
“We’ll need to conduct a thorough examination to know for sure. So, Your Majesty, please allow me to examine you.”
The Empress’ brows furrowed even deeper.
She closed her eyes and pressed her temples as if in constant agony, then let out a faint sigh.
“Mmm. First, let’s confirm with the chief physician.”
Before long, there was a commotion, and Julion returned accompanied by the chief physician and Blanche.
Of course, Blanche, with a stern expression, stood behind the Empress.
Her steps were composed, but somehow she looked uneasy.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
As if sensing the tense atmosphere, the Chief physician quickly sensed something was amiss and immediately prostrated himself in front of the Empress upon entering.
“I suddenly lost my vision, so I couldn’t visit Your Majesty for a few days. Please forgive me… I…”
“Is it true that you also contracted the same disease as me?”
Before the chief physician could finish his sentence, the Empress spoke up.
At the sound of her sharp voice, the chief physician flinched and shuddered.
“No, Your Majesty. It’s just that my vision has been impaired, but I certainly—”
“Pull back the curtains!”
Once again, the chief physician was interrupted.
The empress gestured to the maids by the window to draw back the layered curtains that blocked out the light.
Despite the fact that this would cause her terrible pain, the empress’ orders brooked no hesitation.
“Your Majesty, if you do this, it will have a negative impact on your eye disease… Cough!”
The chief physician tried to stop her, but he couldn’t finish his sentence as the bedroom became brighter with each layer of curtain drawn back.
He screamed in agony, clutching his eyes and trembling all over.
In the bright light, the physician’s face looked like a mask, covered in hardened traces of medicine that he had not wiped away from his eyes.
His entire body was swollen and puffy.
It seemed that he had used the medicines in a hurry without thinking about their compatibility.
‘Anyway, it wouldn’t have had any effect.’
The physician’s symptoms were caused by the medicine I had made.
The jasmine tea Zenid had brought to the chief physician’s office had a mixture of medicine I made.
It was a type of poison that caused a symptom where looking at light would cause pain and make them helpless. It would naturally detoxify after about a month, but of course, during that time, the patient would have to suffer from unbearable pain that could not be easily suppressed even with painkillers.
It was nothing compared to the pain the Empress had been writhing in for over a year.
“What’s wrong, chief physician.”
The empress looked down at the struggling physician with her eyes half-shut.
Her gaze, contrary to his reddened eyes, radiated an icy chill.
“Please… the curtains!”
“The curtains? Didn’t you say you couldn’t see well? If so, you need some light to see better.”
“Your, Your Majesty…!”
“Still not enough? Lit a candle and bring it close to the chief physician.”
It was hard enough as it was, but if they held the candle up to him, I thought he might faint from the pain.
The chief physician’s body trembled and he slammed his face onto the floor.
“I have committed a grave sin, Your Majesty!”
Whether they were tears of pain or of some other meaning, the physician shed them profusely, imploring desperately.
“Indeed, it seems that I, too, have been suffering from the disease caused by aging; I have symptoms similar to your Majesty’s, and the light is so painful……. Therefore, I beg you to withdraw your order!”
The chief physician poured out his words like a machine gun, with tears and snot streaming down his face.
Only then did the Empress slowly close her eyes.
“Hmm… Why did you lie and say you couldn’t see well?”
“I did it because I was afraid Your Majesty might misunderstand and think it was a contagious disease.”
“Are you saying it’s not a contagious disease, then?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty. It is a simple disease caused by aging.”
Blanche, mentioned the words contagious disease and pleaded for seclusion immediately.
While she verbally denied it being a contagious disease, it was clear that it was a matter that would threaten the Empress significantly.
However, the chief physician insists it’s not a contagious disease. He even went so far as to hide his symptoms to prove his point.
Blanche and the chief physician may be holding hands, but their actions are different.
‘It’s not like they’re particularly close. It’s more likely that they’re in a temporary alliance.’
And that alliance was shattered by the chief physician’s sudden illness.
Blanche abandoned the chief physician.
From the expression on her face, it appeared that she was unhappy with the chief physician.
Her gaze towards the chief physician was filled with animosity.
It’s difficult to mend a relationship once it begins to deteriorate.
Fragments will continue to fall from the broken part.
I pondered how to make use of those fragments. Then, the Empress’s sharp voice broke in.
“I’m not even sure if it’s a disease caused by aging. The princess told me that a child as young as seven had the same disease as me.”
“Remember that the princess is not a specialized physician. If I had examined a 7-year-old child, I would have diagnosed them with different symptoms than yours, Your Majesty.”
“But you lied to me. If you did it once, why not twice?”
Certainly, the chief physician had lost the Empress’ trust and was continuing to lose it.
The Empress continued speaking.
“Furthermore, you mentioned that my case was rare. No one around me showed the same symptoms. However, since you have fallen ill in this manner, it would be reasonable to consider that it might be contagious.”
His words were accurate, so the chief physician couldn’t easily refute them.
All he could do was stubbornly claim it was a disease caused by aging and shed tears, hoping she would believe him.
“Your Majesty, if you remain exposed to the light for so long, it will undoubtedly cause a big problem. Please put aside your anger and close the curtains again to block out the light!”
“Seems like you’re having a harder time than me.”
The Empress ordered the curtains to be closed again and swiftly tossed the brown bottle of medicine that had been placed beside her toward the chief physician.
With a clatter, the bottle stopped in front of the chief physician. He swallowed hard upon seeing it.
“Use it.”
“Pardon?”
“This is the potion you made for me to use whenever I am in pain from the light.”
“W-well, yes. But why me?”
“Because you made it specially for me to use when the light causes me distress.”
“I’m all right…”
“You don’t look well, so use the medicine.”
At the Empress’ firm words, the chief physician picked up the vial with a trembling hand.
But he couldn’t bring himself to open it and instead lowered his head.
“Your Majesty, I’ve already taken some medicine. It’s not good to overdo it.”
“You told me to use it anytime I’m in pain, and now you’re saying it’s not good to use it excessively?”
“That’s …….”
“Or is there some other reason?”
“What do you mean by other reasons? No!”
“Then you should use it.”
The chief physician clenched his fist, clearly unsure of what to do.
Under the Empress’s cold gaze, the physician’s image was imprinted.
“Your Majesty, this medicine is specially made for your use only, so it’s not suitable for me.”
“For my use only.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Since your condition is severe, the medicine contains concentrated ingredients. However, in my case, the symptoms are still in the early stages, so I need to use a diluted version of the medicine.”
I had expected these words to come as a last resort.
Now it was my turn to step in.
I took out the bottle of medicine that I had prepared in advance from my pocket and approached the chief physician.
“So, based on the medical records that the chief physician provided, I’ve made a medicine for the initial symptoms, just as he prescribed.”
The Empress’s sharp gaze captured every bit of his hesitation.
With a gentle smile, I handed the Chief physician the bottle containing the light brown diluted medicine.
The chief physician seemed to be taken aback and could only stare with his mouth agape.
“Using the root of phenol and a diluted heptavalent mixture as a base, I added naphylym, nabullet, and nacillid. It’s in the same ratio as the medicine you first prescribed to Her Majesty.”
“That, that…….”
“Alright then, there shouldn’t be a problem. Your eyes are extremely red and congested. Hurry up and use it to feel better.”
The chief physician, with his eyes bloodshot from pain, hesitantly took the bottle with trembling hands.
