Chapter 66 The Healer
‘I’ve never healed from an injury this severe before, so it’s hard.’
Her fatigue level rose sharply. Her hands began to shake, and a cold sweat broke out all over her body. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, but she couldn’t wipe them away because she had her hands on the affected area.
Killion, who was beside her, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Their gazes tangled in the air.
“Thank you,” she said.
‘…Thank you.’
Veronia exchanged a brief glance with Killion before turning her attention back to healing her patient. The blood in his leg had stopped flowing, the gaping wound was slowly closing, and his mangled leg was beginning to resume its original shape.
“Ugh… ugh!”
A sharp groan escaped the child’s mouth as the shattered bones were reattached. But it was only for a moment, and he fell asleep again.
After what seemed like an eternity, Veronia finally stretched her back and lifted her head, looking up at the child.
“You said to borrow, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“How is your leg? Does it still hurt?”
“No. My leg doesn’t hurt anymore.”
When the parent heard the child’s answer, tears poured from his eyes like a waterfall.
“Oh, my God!”
“Thank you, thank you so much!”
Veronia watched the parents for a moment as they thanked her with tears streaming down their faces, then turned her attention back to the child.
“Billy, would you like to stand up then?”
“…”
The child slowly pushed himself up. Cheers erupted from the onlookers as they watched him stand on his own two feet.
“Wow! He’s alive! He’s alive!”
“His broken leg is healed, he can even walk!”
“That healer is amazing! He saved a mortally wounded child, and in such a short time!”
“What a wonderful woman!”
The onlookers began to clap in unison. Some whistled with joy, others wiped away tears of emotion. What had been the scene of a terrible accident just moments before was now the scene of a celebration.
Veronia turned to the child’s parents, oblivious to the commotion around her.
“That’s all I can do for you,” she said, “I’ve tended to the severe wounds on your stomach and legs, but your shoulders and arms need healing, and you’ll have to go to the nearest temple for that now.”
“Yes, I understand, I will do that.”
“Thank you for saving our little Billy, we will never forget this favor!”
The child’s parents were clasping Veronia’s hands and thanking her again when a colorfully dressed man pushed his way through the crowd to stand beside them.
Instantly, all eyes turned to the man. It was Caspian. Killion immediately bowed his head in respect.
“His Highness, the Prince. Are you still here, Your Highness?”
“I am.”
Caspian nodded slightly at Killion, then turned directly to Veronia and the child. Veronia’s face stiffened beneath her hood. Tension rushed through her as her fears were realised.
‘Calm down, I don’t want to look nervous and arouse suspicion, I need to stay calm!’
Veronia gritted her teeth as she repeated to herself. The child’s parents were also nervous about the fact that it was His Highness.
“Meet His Imperial Highness.”
“…Meet His Imperial Highness.”
The parents bowed in a shaky voice. At the sight, the onlookers began to stir again.
“Did you hear that? Didn’t they just say, ‘His Highness’?”
“Oh, my God! His Highness has traveled all the way here!”
“Judging by his young face, he must be the youngest prince!”
The people were even more excited than before, as it was their first time to see the direct imperial family so close.
The excitement of the onlookers reached Caspian’s ears. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled triumphantly.
“I’m sorry for your accident,” he said, “but I’m sure you’ve been through a lot.”
Caspian walked over to the parents and took their hands in his, speaking softly.
“Thank you. Your Highness.”
“Ahhh, thank you.”
After greeting the child’s parents, Caspian’s gaze turned to Veronia.
“I have watched you in action. You did an excellent job!”
“I did what …I could. Thank you for your favor, Your Highness.”
Veronia shook her head even harder. Desperately hoping that he would pay no more attention to her.
But her wish was not granted. Caspian spoke next.
“Are you a priestess? What temple do you belong to?”
Veronia was taken aback by the question.
‘If I answer that I’m not, they’ll be surprised and ask more questions.’
But she couldn’t lie and say she was a priestess. It was better not to tell a lie that would be so easily discovered.
Veronia was fidgeting, unable to answer right away.
“I caught the damn pickpocket!”
It was Onyx. He wrapped a length of rope around the pickpocket’s wrists and dragged him away. The pickpocket was a skinny man who looked to be in his early 20.
Instantly, the eyes of Caspian and the gathered onlookers turned to Onyx and the pickpocket.
“Here! This is the bag, right?”
Onyx asked, handing the bag to Princess Espin. She nodded vigorously.
“Yes, that’s right, thank you so much!”
“Well, that’s about it.”
Onyx shrugged his shoulders and flashed his an encouraging smile.
“Care to elaborate on what happened?”
“Eh? Who are you?”
Onyx, still not quite getting the hang of the situation, snapped back at Caspian, much to the consternation of everyone onlookers, including Caspian himself. How dare he be so disrespectful to the Prince!
Before things could get any more out of hand, Killion stepped in.
“This is Prince Caspian. Be polite. Didn’t we meet earlier?”
“Earlier? Did we?”
Onyx scratched his head, confused. He couldn’t tell if he really didn’t remember, or if he was pretending.
Still, now that he knew he was dealing with a noble prince, he had to be polite.
“His Imperial Highness.”
“…Yes.”
Caspian nodded and accepted his greeting, though he still didn’t like Onyx’s rude manner.
Veronia, meanwhile, felt her heart skip a beat as the two exchanged greetings.
‘Oh my…, to think that those two would meet like this!’
As far as anyone knew, Onyx and Caspian were half-brothers.
Onyx was the son that Sandra, now Empress Dowager, had secretly given birth to and abandoned before marrying the Emperor, and Caspian was the son she gave birth to after marrying the Emperor.
‘You two… have different hair colors, but you sure do look alike.’
Veronia held her breath, desperately hoping that no one would notice the resemblance.
“Okay, now can you tell me specifically what happened?”
Caspian asked the same question again.
“This damned pickpocket villain stole Her Highness Princess Espin’s handbag.”
The word ‘Her Highness’ out of Onyx’s mouth caused the crowd to stir again.
It was hard enough for royalty to see each other face to face once in a lifetime, but to have not only the prince but also the princess of a neighboring country in the same place? It seemed like a windfall day.
“Keep going.”
At Caspian’s urging, Onyx stifled a sigh and spoke again.
“I gave chase, because a thief has to be caught, but this one was pretty fast.”
Onyx said as he patted the pickpocket on the back of the head while he was tied up in ropes.
“He was running this way and that way, like I was watching him do somersaults. I’ve never seen anyone run so light and fast in my life. I was jealous.”
Onyx’s words were getting away from him. Onyx didn’t notice, but the faces of everyone listening began to twist.
Once again, it was up to Killion to clean up the mess.
“Let me continue, Your Highness.”
“As you wish.”
Onyx frowned, not liking Killion’s sudden interruption. But she kept her mouth shut, deciding that it was better than reciting the circumstances of the incident in front of the young prince.
“The carriage accident was also caused by this pickpocket: he jumped into the middle of the road, and a passing carriage, in its haste to avoid him, toppled over and ran over this child.”
Caspian’s face contorted grimly as he listened to Killion’s description of the situation.
“This, this… is not a simple pickpocket, I see. Not only did you steal the handbag of a neighboring country’s princess, but you caused a carriage accident and left it there.”
Thrusting his sword from its scabbard, Caspian continued.
“The child who was crushed by that carriage was near death. If it weren’t for this healer here, he would have died.”
The sharp tip of the blade prowled around the base of the pickpocket’s neck. The pickpocket seemed to realise the gravity of the situation. Instantly, a cold sweat broke out across his face like rain, and he began to tremble.
“Do you know your crime?”
Caspian shouted harshly. The tip of his sword pressed ever closer to the flesh of the pickpocket’s neck. The slightest movement would be enough to cut his throat.
The pickpocket cried out in tears.
“God, spare me! If I go to jail, I will go to jail; if I am punished, I will be punished; but spare my life… Please spare my life.”
“You’re a pickpocket as small as a worm, and you know your life is precious.”
Caspian chuckled in disdain.
