Chapter 10
In truth, Rosen was trembling in front of her due to the pressure from his seniors. He alone knew that the woman before him was the precious guest the Emperor had carefully brought into his private chambers—and it made him feel wronged. But ultimately, under the silent intimidation of the senior healers standing behind him, he had no choice but to speak.
“W-What brings such an esteemed lady to this remote and humble place?”
The senior healers, who had been eyeing Seidin behind Rosen, grumbled at his words.
“Hey now, ‘esteemed lady’? How could you say that to a woman whose identity we don’t even know? And Rosen, calling this place ‘remote and humble’? How dare you demean the Healers’ Palace like that? We are the healers of the Great Empire of Daeshinsung!”
“That’s right. Even if what you said is true, it’s improper to say so in front of a stranger.”
“Even if our pay is poor, we must maintain our dignity!”
“Ahem!”
Though the Emperor consumed medicine like water, the true cause of his pain lay in divine power itself. Since the healers couldn’t cure the fundamental cause, all they were left with was a meager salary. If inside the workplace was a battlefield, then outside was hell.
Still, to care for His Majesty—the god incarnate—so closely? That alone was a great honor for any family.
As usual, the old men, acting far younger than their age, were about to continue their childish banter. But Seidin, who had been quietly observing them, nodded in understanding.
‘Yup. These guys are hopeless.’
Even without reading the original novel, she could tell just by their demeanor. These were the types who tarnished the image of hardworking subordinates—wage thieves, complacent and stuck in their ways!
With a quiet but firm anger, Seidin declared clearly:
“I am His Majesty’s new healer.”
“Huh?”
“What nonsense is this, appearing out of nowhere and saying such absurd things?!”
Before the healers could protest further, Seidin crossed her arms firmly. Just then, the early morning wind, still carrying the coldness of dawn, blew hard against her back. Her loosely tied silver hair unraveled and blew wildly in the wind, strands dancing and obscuring her small face. The healers who had been about to scold her fell silent, caught off guard by the sight.
A mysterious woman, suddenly appearing, claiming to be the new healer?
They could tell something was off. But people often relied on intuition.
‘Wait a second… isn’t her status probably higher than ours?’
These ten aging healers, who had done nothing more than obediently brew whatever medicine the Emperor requested, began to tremble in fear.
They were old men who instinctively bowed to those who looked noble. With just her fierce gaze sweeping over them, Seidin expressed her disapproval and scoffed.
“To be precise, His Majesty personally appointed me as his new healer yesterday. Since it’s still early, there wasn’t time to assign me a place in your palace. But from now on, I’m your superior. Isn’t that right?”
“S-Superior…?”
The healers, already overwhelmed by the presence of a woman who seemed more powerful and noble than them, began poking Rosen.
“Hey. Do you know anything about her identity?”
Rosen, who had fully grasped the situation, whispered back:
“Remember the rumors about the beautiful woman His Majesty brought into his chambers after returning victorious yesterday?”
“I thought that was just gossip from the maids…”
“Do you really think His Majesty, of all people, would openly carry a woman into his chambers in front of others if it were just gossip? Come on! He did it in plain sight—that means he intends to make her public.”
“Ooooh!”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Come to think of it, their handsome Emperor, despite his looks and body, had never once taken a woman. There’s no way he’d invite someone into his chambers so recklessly unless he was serious.
As the senior healers sighed in realization, Rosen dashed up to Seidin, who had been waiting for their response.
Seidin widened her eyes as she watched them whisper among themselves. Things were taking a strange turn.
Just then, in a dramatic tone, Rosen raised the stakes by revealing what would soon be common knowledge anyway:
“In truth, this lady is His Majesty’s secret lover!”
GASP!
“WAAAH! Your LAAAAADYYYYSHIP! It’s an honor to meet youuu!”
The group of healers all dropped to their knees. As the entire room knelt down in unison, Seidin was so dumbfounded by how absurd things had become that she gaped, then finally shouted:
“What are you talking about?! I’m not!!”
Naturally, the kneeling healers only praised the Emperor’s secret lover even harder, despite her loud denials. She nearly passed out from sheer disbelief.
It took Seidin over thirty minutes to convince them she wasn’t Luan’s secret lover. Of course, she wasn’t sure if they actually believed her—since most of what she said had been practically shouted at them—but at least she tried.
Completely drained from repeating herself so many times, Seidin looked around. There was a clear reason she had come to this lair of wage thieves.
She needed to check how obediently they were following Luan’s instructions and how they operated.
Eventually, Seidin reached the spot where Rosen had abandoned the ladle and widened her eyes. The potion had boiled down into a thick, black sludge. Who knew how long it had been boiling? She bit her lower lip hard. Her eyes gleamed sharply in the cold dawn air.
Then, as if afraid of this mysterious “secret lover,” the healers began whispering among themselves.
“She really is His Majesty’s healer?”
“I heard she’s a princess from Herace. But aren’t the Herace royals all dark mages…? And yet she studied healing?”
“Hey now. Even if the princess grinds weeds and calls it medicine, we’re in no position to argue. Just do as she says like always.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Rosen, among the group of shivering healers, thought to himself:
‘Uh… I don’t think this is right…’
And sure enough, Seidin, lost in thought, finally opened her mouth.
“You let the potion boil this long?”
“Huh?”
One of the healers, still not understanding the situation, blinked in confusion.
“W-Well, we’ll have to remake it, of course. But His Majesty prefers stronger potions. He suffers from unexplained pain in addition to insomnia…”
“Oh, so you’ve just been making the medicine exactly the way he asks for it?”
“His Majesty… a patient?”
The healers tilted their heads like toddlers just now grasping what she meant. It might’ve been cute—if they weren’t grown men hardened by the world. Seidin only furrowed her brow.
‘I want to fire them all right now, but I can’t. We need their manpower if Luan is to survive until spring.’
This winter, Luan’s symptoms would worsen. Until the true heroine arrived to heal him completely, they needed time.
Lost in thought, Seidin glanced around. There—a young man, clearly ashamed of his senior’s idiocy, had his head bowed. Orange hair, pale skin that didn’t tan easily, large green eyes. That was Rosen.
The only healer in the original novel who truly tried to “heal” Luan’s pain.
But in the end…
‘He was killed by Luan during one of his rampages.’
Seidin bit her lip anxiously. The real Luan wasn’t like that. He wasn’t someone who would kill a person trying to help him without reason.
Her eyes sparkled with resolve.
Turning these wage thieves into proper, competent professionals—
That would be her first mission.
“You, the young healer at the front—do you agree with me that His Majesty is in pain?”
Rosen flinched. Watching Seidin carefully, he swallowed hard. Then, as if making a huge decision, he nodded. Seidin smiled in satisfaction.
“Great. Then from today, I’m officially designating you as my direct subordinate. From now on, you’ll assist me diligently.”
“…Huh?”
To the bewildered Rosen, Seidin repeated herself:
“You’ve been promoted. Feel free to boss your seniors around.”
GASP!
And with a bright, cheerful smile, she added:
“Exactly the way I say. Got it?”
That is every noobie’s dream~