Chapter 13
Then, I asked the nice chubby doctor.
“Have you all been to the north?”
“Of course. We’ve taken turns. Until Ulysse, who went home after he heard about your news, returns.”
At her words, my gaze turned to the arrogant man.
“So why didn’t that guy go there?”
“Wha- Hey! How dare you talk down to-”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a doctor. Can’t you see this?”
When he fluttered his white cape, I opened my mouth.
“Is that so? I have no idea. I thought you’re just a pervert when you stroked my wrist as you pleased.”
At my words, the doctors scowled and the knights’ hand headed toward the sword in their waists.
The arrogant man who noticed it urgently made an excuse.
“I’m just…examining you!”
“Then change your method. That was very off-putting. Don’t you see that none of your colleagues are doing that?”
When the arrogant man muttered inaudibly, the other doctor came to support me.
“Bernard. It’s true that you’re being discourteous. Apologize now.”
“You shouldn’t make your patient feel uncomfortable.”
Having endured his rising anger, he opened his mouth with a distorted face.
“…I was just trying to check your condition. Let’s say that you just don’t know about it. Now that it comes to this, let’s try to understand each other and move on.”
“Fine. I understand.”
“No, but why are you still talking down to me!”
“You. You don’t know the meaning of ‘understand’, do you?”
I spoke firmly to the angry man.
“As if I don’t understand you enough. You judge me as if I’m a product. You talk down to me first! I even let you touch my hand.”
“….”
“So don’t ask for courtesy, either.”
The man burst out laughing as if he was amazed.
“What the…”
“Just answer me. I asked why you didn’t go to the north, didn’t I?”
The arrogant man answered with a tone as he was looking down at me for being stupid.
“Isn’t it obvious? The Dojino Knights trained intensively. Besides, there was a war recently. If I leave, the knights and soldiers will be left unattended.”
You even went as far as lying, huh?
It’s true that the knights had a high training intensity.
‘Because I’m the one who initiated that training.’
It meant that it was very rare for the knights to get hurt unless they were beaten by me.
“Do the knights and soldiers of the palace often get hurt?”
When asked to confirm the truth, the knights shook their heads.
“No, we were already adjusted to the training and the palace has His Highness.”
It was the same as before. When Signus held his sword, nobody would ever be injured or died.
Let alone that now he was a tyrant.
Furthermore, the knights kept nourishing their bodies to prepare for the upcoming attack from the enemy country.
“…It was just a minor factor. There were so many things that kept me busy.”
I chuckled at the arrogant man’s lame excuses.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Now I understand.”
“…What?”
“The one who wants to attract the royal family in order to get himself a seat. I know that it’s you.”
The bastard returned what I said with a scream.
“What do you know? I have my reasons to stay in the palace!”
“Seems like you have zero comprehension. You’re the one who doesn’t know anything.”
I give a piece of information to the bastard who was putting on a face as if I was talking nonsense.
“We received a letter from the north while Ulysse was at home. Asking him to return immediately. I mean, even a skilled doctor doesn’t have enough hands to do everything at once, right?”
I kept looking at the mailbox for fear of letters from the palace.
The letters for Ulysse were so many that it was enough to fill the mailbox twice.
“It’s obvious that we’re lacking manpower, but why are you staying here? I’m very curious, you know.”
“…I can’t leave my spot in case something happens!”
“But you’re not the only doctors here. I’m sure it wasn’t such an unsteady system where it will collapse if one person leaves the spot. It’s the palace medical department, after all.”
I turned to the doctors when I saw the arrogant man shaking.
They stood there whilst blinking their eyes.
“Have you heard the news? I heard there was a big fuss in the nearby town.”
When I talked about Ulysse’s urgent inspection not too long ago, the chubby doctor replied.
“That’s right. Some madman smuggling the hallucinogen out of town. But how did you know that?’
“Because Ulysse took care of it.”
I looked at the arrogant man and said.
“He had a hard time alone because he had to handle all the rampage caused by intoxicated people.”
“Alone?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the arrogant man.
“Bernard, didn’t you go to support him?”
“……”
“What the hell did Ulysse do in the nearby town alone when his sister needed him the most!”
“Tell me what happened!”
I watched his reddening face and said.
“He must be really busy. It’s a great opportunity for him to get noticed by the royal family while Ulysse and all of you are gone, after all…”
“…………”
“So how did it go? Did you succeed?”
My smiling face and question shook the arrogant man’s lips.
“…Is what my lady says true?”
The other doctor’s face turned cold.
“Did you really try to get rid of us and took all the credit for yourself?”
“…How disappointing.”
“I knew you were greedy. Still, we trusted you.”
The arrogant man’s face turned pale.
“No! I…Damn it! What do you know!”
I retorted the man’s words right away.
“Why are you angry at someone else if it isn’t true?”
Of course, I had no intention to hide my laughter.
He shouted harshly with a flushed face.
“Stop spouting nonsense!”
At his scream, I gestured to Leo.
Leo, who was restless, flew in like a wind and dragged the arrogant man.
“What the-! Why are you dragging me out?”
“This is my house. If anyone must go, it’s you.”
I even waved my hand and spoke provocatively.
“If you have time to chase after the royal family’s tail, at least let the knights have some nutritional supplements.”
***
There were two doctors left.
The rest of the doctors followed the arrogant man.
“I was surprised that you’ll be this frightening when you’re angry. As expected of Ulysse’s younger sister.”
My eyes widened at the words of the skinny doctor.
“Ah, don’t get me wrong. It was because I got too carried away.”
Still, I shouldn’t draw a lot of attention.
Especially, since I didn’t say anything nice at all because of that arrogant bastard.
“Bernard wasn’t like that at first. He was moderately arrogant just like an ordinary aristocrat. In fact, he was not bad. But he became more twisted after meeting Ulysse. How dare he act like that, that idiot. I’m ashamed as a fellow doctor.”
The chubby doctor also agreed with him.
“But you shouldn’t think of us the same way as him.”
I lowered my eyes when she spoke as if she was disappointed.
‘Because of that bastard, I looked down at the wrong person for no reason.’
Seemed like I needed to reflect on myself, so I tried to ask about what had been bothering me.
“Does Ulysse…has no friends?”
“No way. Everyone admires him.”
An admiration, is that it?
It was no different from admitting that he had no close friends to talk about his feelings.
I understood the doctors’ mind a little bit.
If I hadn’t poured my anger about my parents on the sword, I might have acted like that Bernard guy.
There were only good people by my side.
Although my most reliable friend became a tyrant.
‘I wish Ulysse had a friend like that.’
Being a genius was a lonely path, but it was going to be even more lonely if he was alone.
“In fact, there are only a few people who can approach Ulysse without hesitation.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s sensitive and cheeky.”
I looked at her with wide eyes.
The Ulysse who was always hard-working and never lost his smile was sensitive? Cheeky?
“But Ulysse is the coolest when he works. It’s always cool to see his neat face turned sharp. To be honest, he’s inferior in terms of his physical appearance when compared to His Highness Signus, but you know, there’s a thing called preference, right?”
She smiled awkwardly.
As expected, nobody could beat Signus when it comes to face.
“Your brother is Ulysse, your fiance is His Highness Signus. The captain of the security guard I saw earlier was also handsome. I’m jealous of you.”
You could just take them. Please.
“Ah, right. The engagement talks are supposed to be secret, right? Don’t worry. I’ll keep silent,”
I let out a loud sigh. A moment later the doctor exclaimed.
“Ah, right. There was a message from Ulysse! I almost forgot because of that foolish Bernard!”
After cursing at the arrogant man, she spoke quietly.
“Someone who left is coming back. It’s within three days, or tomorrow morning, at the earliest. So please get ready to leave the palace.”
I frowned when I was told to leave.
Ah, crap. I even threatened the aide to postpone my departure, but who the hell was coming?
***
Signus sat by the window and looked at the night sky.
Looking at the beautiful sight of countless twinkling stars, he picked up the glass again.
Knock-! Knock-! The aide came to the room.
As if he had gone through a very hard time, the old aide approached Signus’ feet and kneeled down.
“I went to Yeronimo residence as I was told.”
His hoarse voice trembled.
What was in the aide’s arms was a bill of expenses handed by the esteemed daughter of Yeronimo, who had threatened him calmly with a smile on her face.
He was thinking about how to tell His Highness, but then he heard a low voice.
“How is she?”
The aide who was thinking for a while about who he was talking about, answered quickly.
“The Young Lady looked very sick.”
Signus’ beautiful forehead frowned a little.
“Is she dying?”
“No, she’s not dying….”
“I told you to bring her in, didn’t I?”
In fact, he was threatened.
The aide, who was crying inside, said in an earnest voice.
“I couldn’t help it. She was unable to move, and her whole body looked like she was going to die.”
The aide, who desperately tried to find a way to live, glanced at Signus.
He looked as if he was thinking of something.
The aide, who was stammering, held out the paper in his hands.
“An-and I’m terribly sorry….but Yeronimo’s family asked for…”
The moment the aide clenched the paper with his trembling hands, it became noisy outside.
“Signus!”
Clank-!
The door opened and a weak-faced man came in.
The man’s gentle eyes touched the aide.
Then the aide, who saw him, greeted him with a nod.
“Lord Aslan.”
“Ah, you were in the middle of talking. I’m sorry.”
Aslan, the second prince of the empire, who was gasping as if he had been running, grabbed Signus’ hand and pulled him.
“If you’re not busy, come on out. Hurry!”
“What is it?”
Aslan shouted in a delighted voice.
“Our brother has returned! Damian is here!”
Damian, the missing first prince, returned to the palace.
It was a darker dawn than other days.