The Genius Physician Princess - Chapter 22

With trembling eyes, Lantus looked at Medeia and withdrew his magic.

A wave of relief washed over him.

He placed his shaking hand on his chest as a sign of respect.

“Honored to meet the owner of this land, Lady Medeia…”

Before he could finish his words, his vision swayed, and his knees buckled.

“Huff.”

He barely managed to brace himself against the ground, avoiding a disgraceful fall, but his legs had no strength left.

After several attempts to stand, Lantus finally gave up and knelt down, looking up at Medeia with a wry smile.

“You’re late. I almost died waiting.”

“The intruder who came without an invitation speaks well.”

“I apologize. The matter was urgent. I will accept any punishment.”

“Children are always selfish. They lock their doors but freely enter their parents’ homes.”

“Children?”

Lantus asked in confusion. Medeia, who had approached unnoticed, placed her hand on his torn forehead.

Infusing healing power into the still-bleeding wound, she smiled faintly.

“What else would you be to me? The days I raised you in my arms are still vivid as if they were yesterday.”

When Lantus awakened as a successor, Medeia was the one who took care of him.

Like a mother.

Other dragons occasionally helped, but none matched Medeia’s special care.

Lantus’s eyes trembled as he looked up at her.

Despite the long time that had passed, the warmth in Medeia’s affection made his eyes sting with emotion.

He held back tears and forced a smile as he spoke.

“I’m sorry to come to you in such a pitiful state… Mother.”

“A parent is just happy to see their child come, no matter the state. So, no apologies, just gratitude.”

“Thank you…”

He wanted to properly express his gratitude, but his vision kept darkening.

Medeia supported Lantus as he finally lost consciousness and fell forward, speaking gently.

“Take a good rest. When you wake up, everything will be fine.”

Chapter: The Son’s Lie

In the land of wizards, Wizardian, Dr. Ruben sat in his office, looking down at Yeo-ul’s request for a hospital tour.

“A child Lantus cherishes wants to visit the hospital.”

Normally, he would have accepted it without hesitation.

After all, he owed his new life to Wizardian.

But he couldn’t easily make that promise now.

His heart was in turmoil.

“I know I should, but I just want to run away.”

Next to the tour request was a small pair of children’s shoes.

Ruben’s eyes reddened as he touched the shoes.

“I’m sorry, Ed. I’m really sorry.”

The shoes belonged to his sixteen-year-old son, Edward.

The shoes he had given his son as a child were as clean as new, with pristine soles.

Because Edward hadn’t been able to walk for ten years.

Since he was six, Edward had shown increasingly severe motor symptoms.

The illness, which even the priests had given up on, had ruined Edward’s life.

Though it pained Ruben to see his son afflicted by such a terrible illness, he had managed to endure until a few months ago.

“If only I hadn’t slipped that day…”

Despite his physical pain, Edward had been an affectionate and cheerful child that everyone envied.

But after an accident a few months ago, he became a completely different person.

**Crash!**

“Aaah! Dad!”

“Ed, Ed!”

While pulling Edward in a cart, Ruben had slipped on a wet road and rolled down a hill.

Fortunately, Edward wasn’t hurt, but Ruben had suffered from the injuries for over a month.

He still had lingering effects.

Briefly relieved that Edward wasn’t hurt, Ruben was shocked when his son suddenly started hurling harsh words at him.

“What? A walk? Do you want to put me in that damn cart again? Are you trying to kill me for real this time?”

“I don’t even want to see your face. Get out of here!”

“I don’t care if I eat or not. Just leave me alone!”

“If you were going to take care of me like this, you should have abandoned me before we came to Wizardian! Why did you drag me away from Rhodiak?”

Ruben took off his glasses and covered his eyes with his trembling hand. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

Despite months of harsh words from his son, Ruben never got angry.

Because he felt like a sinner.

A sinner who had caused his son to be born with a terrible illness.

A sinner who had slipped and caused his son to be confined to his room.

“Haa. Hoo.”

After crying silently, Ruben finally picked up a pen.

-To Mr. Kite,

Yeo-ul’s visit will have to be delayed for a while. I recently acquired a new drug and am currently analyzing it. Please give me a few days to make arrangements.

It wasn’t a lie.

He had recently obtained an ointment from the Eastern Continent, claimed to be a cure for syphilis, modified from mercury.

He planned to apply it to patients after analyzing the data.

Using the new drug as an excuse, Ruben staggered to his feet.

He wanted to say a few words to his son who hated him so much.

Even if all he got in return were curses.

* * *

It had been ten days since Yeo-ul arrived in Wizardian.

During that time, Yeo-ul played and played, wondering if it was alright to have so much fun.

She played board games with Kite, who was always visiting the mansion, and ate delicious food.

Though she often worried about Lantus, Kite would wave her concerns away.

“I’m in contact with him every other day. He’s doing very well, so don’t worry.”

Saying so, Kite was as enthusiastic about the board games as Yeo-ul.

Feeling somewhat reassured by Kite’s calm demeanor, she waited anxiously for Lantus to return.

Then the news she had been eagerly waiting for came.

A response that Dr. Ruben could accommodate her tour.

On the day of the hospital visit, Yeo-ul, who had been too nervous to sleep, asked Kite once more after arriving at the hospital.

“Kite, am I really okay? Do I look strange?”

For the twelfth time, Kite gave the same answer with a smile.

“Except for not spending too much on clothes and shoes, you look perfect. When Lantus returns, ask him to buy you even more expensive ones. Got it?”

“Yeah. I will.”

Today, Yeo-ul had dressed from head to toe in all new clothes.

‘First impressions are crucial if I want to convey my knowledge to Dr. Ruben!’

No matter how much knowledge Yeo-ul had, she was still just a child in appearance.

To gain Ruben’s trust, she had to look as neat and composed as possible.

Before entering the hospital, Yeo-ul carefully examined the building.

‘The hospital is smaller than I thought. It looks like a private clinic in Korea.’

Ruben’s hospital was a two-story brick building in a dull brown color.

Just in case, Yeo-ul asked Kite.

“Kite, is there a bigger hospital in Wizardian?”

“No. They’re all about this size. But this one is the biggest. It has a few inpatient rooms.”

“Isn’t the hospital too small for all the people in Wizardian?”

“Well, here, people don’t only get treated at hospitals. There are still priests dispatched from the Holy Kingdom, and wizards can treat themselves.”

Kite added that anyone who could use even a little mana could heal minor injuries themselves.

“Oh, I see.”

As Yeo-ul continued to look around the hospital, something caught her eye.

‘There’s a cart in front of the hospital. Is it for transporting patients?’

The cart was filled with straw, with a thin blanket rolled up on one side.

Yeo-ul’s eyes widened when she saw a name written on the corner of the cart.

‘Edward?’

She thought it was a communal cart for the hospital, but it seemed to have an owner.

“Yeo-ul, shall we go in now?”

“Gasp.”

Kite gently patted her shoulder as she tensed up again and smiled.

“You’ll do great today, so don’t worry. Do everything you want to do, and later we’ll enjoy the fireworks comfortably. Okay?”

“Okay. Hehe.”

* * *

Dr. Ruben was a middle-aged man with white hair and blue eyes.

He looked quite tired, probably because the hospital work was tough.

“Doctor, how have you been? The hospital looks even more impressive than before.”

“Haha. Thanks to all the help from Wizardian.”

After exchanging greetings with Ruben, Kite looked at Yeo-ul.

“This is Yeo-ul, who I mentioned, here for the hospital tour today.”

Yeo-ul, nervous, clasped her hands and bowed deeply.

“Hello, doctor. My name is Yeo-ul. I know you must be very busy, so thank you for taking the time!”

Seeing Yeo-ul speak so clearly, Ruben was a bit surprised.

Yeo-ul was much younger than he had expected.

‘I thought she’d be at least twelve if she’s interested in the hospital.’

Though her eyes were bright and intelligent, her small frame looked no more than six or seven at most.

Ruben’s gaze fell to the shiny new shoes she wore.

His eyes darkened.

‘New shoes.’

He couldn’t help but think of the shoes he had put away in the drawer, belonging to Edward.

Edward’s shoes, which had been clean for ten years, while this child stood firmly on her feet.

A bitter smile formed on Ruben’s lips.

‘I’m such a pathetic person. An adult, feeling jealous of a child.’

Being envious of a healthy child.

He thought he had grown used to it, but maybe not.