“Light the anesthetic! Bring hot water, and prepare the knife! And from my bag, the needle, ah no. Bring all of my bags!”
Leber shouted urgently.
“Which bag?”
“All of them! Everything in my room!”
As Regina ran out, Leber laid David on the bed.
“His condition is not good.”
Leber said while pressing various parts of David’s abdomen. David was barely breathing, unconscious.
“It’s internal injury.”
“How serious is it?”
Elise’s face was very dark as she asked.
“…I’ll have to open to know.”
“Open? What?”
Karan, who had been listening silently, raised both eyebrows. Elise nodded, grasping Karan’s hand as if to tell him not to interrupt.
“Leber, please do everything you can.”
“I can’t guarantee the outcome.”
Leber was already nervous, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.
It was the first time Leber showed weakness in treating a patient.
“You’ve practiced a lot, haven’t you?”
Leber had been consistently researching surgery on injured animals. He had saved many animals that way.
Pigs, cows, goats, bears – the types were diverse.
“It shouldn’t be different just because it’s a human.”
Though it would actually be very different, Elise kept speaking to encourage Leber.
“And you don’t need to take responsibility for the result. Whatever the outcome, I’ll take responsibility.”
“No, I’ll take responsibility.”
Leber’s lowered gaze lifted. His eyes moved past Elise and fixed on Karan.
“From now on, all medical procedures you perform are initiated by my order. I’ll protect you in the name of Tetris.”
Karan patted Leber’s shoulder.
“Don’t think of the person lying on that bed as a prince. Think of him as a stranger and treat him.”
Leber gulped. Strangely, Karan’s words, spoken in an indifferent tone, gave Leber great strength.
“Can I do this?”
If just one more person believed in him.
Leber looked at Elise with desperate eyes.
“There’s no one in this world who could do it better than you.”
If Elise said so.
Leber’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly.
“I’ll try.”
Just as he made his decision, Regina appeared, carrying and wearing bags.
“Huff, huff, the bags!”
As soon as Regina put the bags on the floor, Leber began to move.
“Everyone, please leave. Regina, can you help me?”
“O-Of course!”
Leber’s eyes changed suddenly.
Karan and Elise’s eyes met.
They both thought that maybe, he could survive.
****
Leber didn’t come out of the room for over half a day.
Elise anxiously guarded the hallway, while Karan kept busy, contacting Tyllo and Lange about matters related to David.
“Elise, have you eaten?”
Karan returned after roughly finishing his work. When Elise shook her head, his brow immediately furrowed.
“Let’s go eat.”
He grabbed the wrist of Elise, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa in the hallway.
“Later. I have no appetite.”
“You need to eat even if you don’t have an appetite.”
“If I eat now, I’ll throw up.”
The smell of blood permeated the hallway. Thinking that it was the smell of human blood, David’s blood, not monster blood, made her nauseous.
Karan looked at Elise’s pale face with concern and sat down next to her.
“Your Highness, at least you should go eat.”
“How can I eat when you’re not eating? But don’t feel burdened. I ate something simple while working.”
Even knowing it was a lie, Elise didn’t urge him to eat anymore.
She knew Karan was just as troubled.
“Elise, do you know anything about the situation inside?”
“Regina comes in and out occasionally. To ask people for hot water. We’ll have to wait until Leber comes out to ask…”
“Should I go in if you’re curious?”
“No! Leber said absolutely not to come in. He said there’s a risk of infection.”
Karan, who had no knowledge of medicine, just nodded.
For a while, the two just stared at the tightly closed door.
“I’ve locked Iris in the underground prison.”
“Ah…”
She had momentarily forgotten about that, worrying about David.
Come to think of it, there were many things that needed to be dealt with. Elise felt very sorry for leaving it all to Karan.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I should have pulled myself together and taken care of these matters.”
“I’m the prince, Elise. A crime occurred in a place that’s practically our country’s territory, so I should handle it. I’d give you the authority if you want, but now… it’s better if you rest a bit.”
Karan stroked Elise’s face, which had become gaunt in just half a day.
His hand smelled of ink. Elise unconsciously leaned towards Karan. She was subconsciously avoiding the smell of blood.
Noticing this, Karan gently pulled Elise’s head towards his neck.
“Rest a bit, Elise. You can sleep if you want. I’ll wake you immediately if anything changes.”
“I can’t sleep.”
As Elise’s lips moved, Karan’s jaw tightened.
Karan’s desire has no tact. It stirred inappropriately, unable to read the situation.
Fortunately, Karan’s reason functioned normally. He satisfied his desire by gently patting Elise’s shoulder.
“But Your Highness, is it alright to leave Iris alone in the underground prison when she can use magic?”
It was in Elise’s nature to be unable to rest even when told to. The situation also made it difficult for her to relax.
“The underground prison in Dex has a device that restrains magic. It was a bit tricky to activate because it’s old, but it’s still usable. It should be able to restrain her for at least a week.”
“And after that?”
“By then, we should have an answer about her treatment from either Bedrokka or the Ivory Tower. If not…”
Karan had written precisely in the letter sent to Lange:
-If there’s no reply within a week, we’ll decide her treatment according to Tetris law.
Karan secretly hoped no answer would come. Bedrokka was more lenient towards criminals compared to Tetris.
“That is, if His Highness David’s surgery ends safely.”
“Yes.”
“I want to meet Iris.”
“Alright. But with me.”
With the magic restraint in place and him accompanying her, Elise shouldn’t be in any danger.
“I wanted His Highness to go as well.”
Karan gently stroked Elise’s head as if praising her.
There was something special about his touch. It made Elise feel a little more at ease.
How much time had passed?
The sound of the doorknob turning weakly was heard. Then the door opened.
“…It’s over.”
Leber came out with his front stained red. He barely uttered the words before collapsing.
“Leber!”
Elise and Karan jumped up. Leber shook his head to stop them from approaching.
“Just… got dizzy. I’m fine. I’m fine, but… Your Highness, could you move me to the next room? I think I need to wash up.”
Although he said he was fine, Leber was in no state to even stand.
He had concentrated for almost a full day while standing. Everything had depended on his hands.
Not only was he physically exhausted, but the pressure had been immense.
His memory was patchy. He wasn’t sure if he could even recollect the surgery.
Clicking his tongue, Karan picked up Leber.
“Wow, to think I’d be carried like a princess by Your Highness… Your clothes will get dirty, don’t bill me for the laundry later.”
“You’d keep your mouth open even if you fell in water.”
Karan clicked his tongue at Leber, who was chattering away as his eyes were closing.
“That’s… right…”
Despite saying he needed to wash, Leber lost consciousness right in Karan’s arms.
Karan laid him down on the bed in the room right next to where he had operated on David.
“We should call someone to wash him.”
Elise pulled the bell cord. Servants rushed in, filled the bathtub, and began washing Leber.
Despite this, Leber didn’t wake up. He was completely unconscious. Next, Regina fainted. Just before losing consciousness, she left one sentence.
“The doctor said no one should go in.”
Though they were very curious about David’s condition, they couldn’t go against Leber’s words.
“The urgent matter is settled, so let’s rest a bit too, Elise.”
After entrusting Regina to the servants as well, Karan took Elise’s hand and led her out.
Elise reluctantly followed him, continuously looking back.
‘Please be safe.’
She offered the earnest prayer she had made thousands of times before.
****
Elise washed up and had a light meal. Though she hadn’t wanted to eat due to lack of appetite, Karan fed her, helping her finish half a bowl of soup.
After barely persuading him that she didn’t need to eat more, they headed to the underground prison.
When they opened the rusty iron door leading to the underground prison, a distinctive moldy smell wafted out.
That smell dredged up memories Elise had buried deep.
For a moment, her vision went dark. Elise took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Careful.”
Karan grabbed Elise’s arm. Elise turned to look at him. Seeing his steady gaze, her pounding heart calmed down.
Only then did Elise realize how extremely tense she had been.
“Thank you, Karan.”
She was truly grateful he was there.
Elise tightly grasped Karan’s hand and headed downwards.
The smell and structure of the underground prison were very similar to where Elise had been imprisoned.
However, there was one completely different thing. This time, it was Iris who was locked up, not herself.
As they got closer to the prison, angry howls became clearer. The unpleasant sound stopped when Elise stood in front of the iron bars.
“Iris, how are you holding up?”
Elise looked down at Iris. Just as she had been looked down upon in the past.
