Chapter 34
I had been subtly encouraging Chade to receive counseling for a while now, but he always turned me down.
So the fact that he was now asking me to speak informally to him—was a good sign. It meant he was slowly starting to trust me.
This is a very specific situation… If I, as the adult here, draw the line clearly, maybe it’s okay…
My mind kept wavering, but eventually, I began leaning in one direction.
Just because I spoke informally with him didn’t mean Chade would suddenly become dependent on me.
If I was careful, there shouldn’t be a problem.
So I told myself this was a noble sacrifice and nodded hesitantly.
“…Alright. I’ll speak casually.”
“Really?”
“But only on one condition. When I’m working as a doctor, you have to respect my authority.”
I raised a finger, thinking ahead to the possibility of counseling him in the future, and set a boundary.
Chade stared at me for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“Alright.”
He accepted it easily.
Even though I felt a little uneasy, all I could do now was hope this decision wouldn’t turn into a mistake.
I was trying to think positively when Chade added,
“Then I’ll call you Adelia.”
“…Huh?”
“We agreed to speak casually, right?”
His grin was so wide and cheerful that I actually felt a little guilty.
I still wasn’t totally on the same page, but I had said I’d do it, so I gave a reluctant nod and responded,
“Yeah… Chade.”
* * *
By the time I returned to Lily’s room, it was almost evening.
In the end, I hadn’t found anything in the vault that I wanted as a reward, so I just asked Chade for money instead of a jewel.
I did need some funds for research materials anyway. And it’ll take a bit more time before I can start selling the new medicine…
After walking around for so long, I was exhausted and collapsed onto the bed.
I raised the stethoscope I’d been holding and stared at it under the light.
It shimmered faintly in the glow.
I squinted and examined it carefully.
“Hmm… But I wonder if this thing still works?”
No need to overthink it—I’d just test it out.
Without hesitation, I plugged the rubber earpieces into my ears and slid the chest piece under my shirt.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Maybe because the body I was in was younger, the heartbeat was faster than usual. It sounded perfectly normal, textbook even.
Everything was fine… until—
Wait. What is that?
Suddenly, like lightning, an image of a human heart appeared floating in front of me.
A real-looking heart, pumping and beating as if it were alive.
I blinked in shock.
But the heart kept pumping in mid-air, like it wanted me to pay attention.
Did this stethoscope really miss me that much…?
I shook my head and slowly moved the chest piece over to the lungs.
Ssshhh… ssshhh… ssshhh…
Lung sounds are clear too.
But just as I started to focus—
“What the heck?!”
Another image appeared: lungs, moving vividly as if alive.
It wasn’t like a CT scan or an X-ray. It was a full-color, 3D image like something from a medical textbook.
I’d examined countless patients, but I’d never seen or heard of anything like this before.
It was as if the inside of my body was visible through the stethoscope.
I just stared into space, completely dazed, when—
[Blood pressure: 125/80 mmHg, Heart rate: 100 bpm, Respiration: 20, Temperature: 37.2°C]
Vital signs appeared clearly in front of me.
My mouth dropped open in shock. I ripped the stethoscope off and threw it to the side.
What… what just happened?!
As soon as the stethoscope left my body, the strange images disappeared as if nothing had happened.
But inside my head, I was way more shaken up than when I’d first discovered the stethoscope.
Was I hallucinating? Or am I already getting dementia…?
I started panicking and mentally running through every diagnosis I could think of.
Just then, Lily banged on the door from outside.
“Big sis, you in there? Let’s go eat!”
I looked between the door and the stethoscope, then quickly stood up.
Yeah… it was probably nothing. I’ve just been stressed out lately, that’s all.
“Okay! I’m coming!”
I wasn’t ready to accept what I’d just seen, so I decided to ignore it.
I’m not crazy… I’m fine… I’m totally fine…
That was the chant I repeated to myself.
* * *
“…lia!”
But the shock from the day before still lingered well into the next day.
“Adelia!”
“Huh?”
Lily suddenly shouted my name and pulled me back to reality. She looked annoyed.
“What are you thinking about so hard? You didn’t even hear me call you.”
“Oh, sorry…”
I gave her a sheepish smile and looked away.
Hadn’t I promised to be a trustworthy adult for Lily just a few days ago? And now I was like this.
“Hmph! I’m gonna go play by myself!”
She pouted and ran off to play in the dirt again.
As I watched her go, I suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.
“Something on your mind?”
It was none other than Chade.
He must have seen us in the garden and decided to join us.
“No, not really. I was just thinking about some stuff… Uh, I mean, since when were you—”
I caught myself using formal speech again. Speaking casually still didn’t come naturally.
I felt like I was getting dumber by the day.
Chade gave a small laugh and looked off toward the direction Lily had gone.
“I was waiting for you two to notice me, but neither of you turned around. Anyway… what were you thinking about so deeply?”
“Ah… just… stuff…”
I trailed off vaguely again.
There was no way I could tell him, “I saw my organs floating in the air with vital stats yesterday.”
“Stuff? …Are you thinking about going home?”
When I looked up, I met his golden eyes staring directly at me.
He looked calm, but just like yesterday, I could tell he was nervous that I might say I was leaving.
Right… I do need to go home soon.
I had research to do, and most importantly, my dad was probably worried sick.
It felt awkward to say it out loud, so I just shrugged. Chade’s face darkened slightly.
Then he looked away and asked,
“Wanna go for a walk?”
“Uh…?”
“There’s a patch of digitalis blooming really nicely over there.”
He glanced toward a corner of the garden. I glanced toward where Lily had run off to.
…It should be okay, right? There are maids around, so stepping away for a bit should be fine.
My head was already full of complicated thoughts, so I nodded.
“Okay… let’s walk for a bit.”
As soon as I agreed, Chade offered me his hand kindly.
* * *
The garden, just like the rest of the estate, was meticulously maintained even in its deepest corners.
It was perfect for switching my mind away from things and just admiring the flowers.
Wow… I wonder how much all of this cost. Landscaping like this would be super expensive back home, too.
Even in a noblewoman’s body, my commoner mindset hadn’t changed.
I kept comparing everything to money.
Just then, Chade’s steps started to slow. He spoke in a heavier tone than before.
“…This estate is big, but sometimes it doesn’t feel that big at all.”
“Huh?”
His comment came out of nowhere, and I just blinked in confusion.
“All direct heirs of the Ducal family have to live inside the estate until they become adults, for safety. And since Lily is a girl, even more so.”
“Oh…”
I nodded quietly.
It was true—this world came with restrictions, whether your status was high or low.
“But after our mother died, even this small world started falling apart. So much that I couldn’t even stop it.”
“…”
“Especially after my father was sent to the barrier wall under the emperor’s orders… things got worse. Our extended family started whispering that Lily was cursed. After that, Lily really did start getting sick.”
As he continued, I realized something instinctively.
He’s about to talk about himself.
