When Liliana left the garden, back at the banquet hall, the Empress’ control was reaching its limit.
“Why do we have to be confined like this, Your Majesty?”
“The imperial palace is vast, yet all these nobles are supposed to be hiding as if they were dead just because a fire broke out in the palace infirmary!”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. If the way to the main entrance is dangerous, can’t we just go through the north or south entrances?”
The Empress felt uneasy because, to some extent, what they were saying held truth. Had Julion not explicitly forbidden entry and exit from the banquet hall, the nobles would have been dismissed much earlier.
‘What on earth is the problem…’ The Empress herself wondered, but without knowing the situation, she couldn’t act rashly.
At that moment, the doors of the banquet hall opened, and a welcoming face appeared.
“Julion!” With Julion’s arrival, the Empress felt a sense of relief.
“What happened to the fire?”
“Everything has been extinguished.”
People sighed with relief, and the Empress herself let out the breath she had been holding.
“Thank goodness. Can we let the people out now?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of things from now on. Please rest.”
Having said that, Julion summoned the knights guarding the banquet hall.
The nobles rushed out, acting as if they had been denied their freedom for a long time. If the banquet had proceeded normally, they would have eaten and drank here of their own volition. It’s funny how they acted so differently just because they were restricted from going out.
Zenid and Natya were mixed in with the stream of nobles pouring out like a tide.
“Natya, can you walk?” Zenid asked worriedly as she helped Natya up, staggering from dizziness.
Natya’s dark circles had been blue for some time.
“……I’m fine.”
The corners of Natya’s mouth twitched as she smiled. Zenid, with a dark expression, tightly hugged Natya’s shoulders.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
After Liliana left, it took me some time to gather my emotions. As I stepped outside, Hemion seemed fidgety, as if there’s something she wants to say to me.
“We can talk about the details later. There’s still a lot to do.”
“The situation at the banquet hall has been resolved. Let’s go back to the palace and rest, Your Highness.”
I frowned at Ares’ casual words. “What are you talking about? We should go to the infirmary.”
“What, you mean now?”
“They could probably use our help right now.” In fact, I wanted to run to the infirmary from the beginning. Now that the urgent matter was resolved, I needed to go to the infirmary and assist.
“Huh… you might end up ruining your health.”
Ignoring Ares’ sigh, I turned to Hemion. “You should come with me for now. Stick close to Sir Ares.”
“…….”
“And, Sir Ares, if we happen to encounter people, make sure to hide Hemion well.”
Ares, who always appeared unexpectedly and was adept at discreetly following me, should be skilled enough to hide Hemion without a problem. Ares clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied but didn’t refuse.
With that, we hastened our steps toward the infirmary. To get from the garden to the infirmary, we had to pass through the main entrance of the imperial palace. There, a bunch of nobles were going out.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“We came to enjoy the banquet happily, but what kind of chaos…”
“Wait, isn’t that Her Highness, the Crown Princess?”
“Where? No… what’s with that ragged person?”
The nobles who spotted me looked at my attire with bewildered eyes. Behind them, I saw familiar faces.
“Zenid!”
Thank goodness. I thought it would be good to go to the infirmary with Zenid, and now we meet like this.
I greeted Zenid with joy, but her expression seemed uneasy. Then, I noticed Natya, being supported by Zenid.
“Your Highness, Natya isn’t in good condition.”
“What happened?”
“She’s been struggling to breathe ever since you left, and now she can barely walk…….” Zenid trailed off as she explained when she noticed my hand.
The cloth Julion had wrapped around it was stained with blood.
“Your highness, your hand…!”
“It’s okay. First, let’s focus on Natya.”
Zenid tried to say more, but I urgently examined Natya’s complexion. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were unfocused.
I gently touched Natya’s shoulder and spoke. “Natya, try to breathe slowly.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry…”
Natya’s body felt like a hot stone. Cold sweat was forming on her forehead.
As Natya took a deep breath along the path of my touch,
“Your highness, I…”
Her face turned white, and in an instant, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
“Ahh!”
“Oh my goodness, someone collapsed!”
“Shouldn’t we call a doctor?”
“With all the chaos in the infirmary, who should we call?”
The nobles around who were retreating together muttered as if they were watching a spectacle.
Even though one person’s life was at stake, people seemed indifferent, considering it someone else’s problem.
I laid Natya on the flat ground. Her rough breath that was present just a moment ago had now become silent. Placing my hand under her nose, I could barely feel her breath.
‘It’s dangerous. She’s been exposed to the smoke from the fire and is mentally overwhelmed.’
Natya’s fear of being in the spotlight prevented her from attending the banquet. However, she managed to overcome her fear and bravely came forward to share the dire situation with everyone, capturing the attention of all the nobles. It was clear that her heart was under significant strain.
If she had been in a healthy state without inhaling the smoke, she might have merely fainted for a while. However, the situation escalated due to inhaling the smoke. Moreover, it seemed she had inhaled more smoke than I initially thought.
I regretted not checking Natya’s condition beforehand, because if I had, she might have been fine.
“Zenid!”
Zenid, who seemed to be waiting, sat down with a stern expression and unfolded the medical bag.
“Rohiriel, are you okay?”
Julion, who knows when he arrived, asked from the side.
“It could be fatal if we leave it like this. She seems to have inhaled the smoke. We need to treat her immediately…”
Reading my anxious gaze, Julion calmly surveyed the surroundings.
“I understand. I’ll control the surroundings.”
“Thank you.”
Julion directed the knights to surround the nobles who were eager to witness the situation, forcefully keeping them away from me and Natya.
“Your Highness, give orders.”
While Julion was handling the nobles, Zenid, who had a composed expression, had prepared everything.
First, I took out a syringe.
“We need to get the toxins from the fire out of her system first. Philtemion, 5 milligrams.”
It was a good thing I always carried emergency medicines.
‘I hope I can resolve this with the medicines I have.’
With the Palace infirmary burned down, getting medicinal herbs would be difficult. Once I thought about the palace infirmary, all kinds of worries flashed through my mind.
Did the medicine storage room burn down too?
Did the physicians evacuate safely?
What happened to the research records?
‘Focus. First, I need to save Natya.’
The nobles standing at a distance watched with fiery eyes, and as soon as I took out the syringe, the murmurs grew louder. I could hear them cursing at me, accusing me of doing something terrible.
Ignoring all that, I filled the syringe with Philtemion.
“Disinfectant.”
I held Natya’s arm, and Zenid applied the disinfectant. Carefully, I inserted the needle and slowly pushed the plunger. The transparent liquid seeped into Natya’s veins.
Despite the murmurs around me, I continued without paying attention.
“Next, Lexomoid.”
Zenid handed me another syringe containing a yellowish substance. This time, I injected Lexomoid into her other arm. It would remove the remnants of the fire from her veins and allow her to breathe cleanly.
“Knife.”
I reached for the small knife I carry for medical purposes. With a single stroke, I sliced the tip of Natya’s finger. Though I didn’t cut too deeply, it might look quite strange to others, as blood dripped down.
“What in the world…”
“Was this the kind of medicine her Highness was practicing?”
“If she keeps doing that, the lady will die!”
Ignoring the commotion, I picked up the syringe again.
Zenid wiped up the oozing blood and applied the medicine.
“Lastly, Cabellotherium… two milligrams.”
Zenid momentarily hesitated but soon handed me the medicine bottle.
Cabellotherium.
It was a medication that relaxes the tension in the heart muscles and alleviates shock.
The treatment required precise execution, as the needle had to be inserted deep until just before reaching the heart, so there was no room for error. Even if the patient is unconscious, they might still writhe in pain, so someone had to hold them firmly.
“Your Highness, I will hold her.”
Zenid put down the things she was arranging and moved to sit near Natya’s head.
I shook my head. “No, Julion, can you help?”
I needed someone stronger than Zenid to hold Natya firmly. Calling out loudly, Julion, who understood the situation instantly, emerged among the nobles.
Without saying a word, he firmly grasped Natya’s shoulders.
“Is this how I should hold her?”
“Yes. Make sure she doesn’t move at all; hold her tight.”
“Don’t worry.” His firm reply gave me an unexpected sense of relief, and my tension eased.
“Alright, I’ll administer the injection now.”
Speaking words that no one knew who they were meant for, I directed the needle towards where the heart should be.
Zenid opened the front of her dress a bit to disinfect, making the process quick.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the sensations transmitted by the syringe. Piercing the skin, going beneath the dermis, through the muscle, and approaching the edge of the heart
The moment something was caught, I pushed the plunger in.
Although it was a very small amount, it took quite some time for all of it to be injected. Once the medication was fully administered, I carefully withdrew the needle.
“It’s done. I’ll start with the chest compressions.”
I casually tossed the syringe into the bag and climbed on top of Natya’s body.
Since the medication had calmed her heart, which had momentarily stopped due to shock, with a little external assistance, she would recover.
I placed my hands over Natya’s chest and began pressing down forcefully.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
……ten times.
And on the eleventh press.
“Ugh…!”
Natya’s breath, which had been stuck, erupted harshly.
