Chapter 17 

Rita’s heart was still soft—it hadn’t been long since she re-entered society.

Luckily, it didn’t seem like she had said anything wrong. Cedric spoke up as if to excuse himself.

“I was kind of out of it back then.”

“I could tell,” Rita replied.

That made sense. The forest was big, and it was the border between the kingdom and the duchy, so he might’ve been confused. Plus, Cedric was in terrible shape back then.

Rita quickly accepted the explanation and felt a bit regretful.

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have mentioned that I was from the Ludencio Kingdom…’

That was one more personal detail she had unnecessarily revealed.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is—it was really hard to get here. I had to make a big decision. That patient’s condition was so strange. I thought, ‘I have to help him somehow,’ and that’s what brought me here.”

When Rita leaned forward to speak more earnestly, Cedric frowned slightly. But he didn’t move away. Rita didn’t even pause to breathe as she kept talking.

“It’s the kind of pure heart a true doctor has! That strong sense of duty led this weak little body across the border just for the Duke’s health!”

“That’s obviously a lie,” Harun cut in.

But Rita quickly kept talking to stop him.

“The point is, I left my home behind and came here for you, Your Grace. You have to remember that, okay? Please remember that.”

She clasped her hands and looked very serious.

Cedric nodded reluctantly.

Then Rita coughed a little and lowered her voice.

“Ahem. Well… in the process, I may have done something a little illegal.”

“Illegal?”

“Not a big deal! Just something small. Really small.”

“A ‘small’ crime that could cost your life if caught? Can a crime really be small?”

“Geez, just listen first!”

Rita smiled innocently and continued.

“People like me—skilled but with no backing—are always in danger.”

“So you committed a crime to escape that danger?”

“Exactly. I was hiding really well, but then someone showed up…”

It was true, in a way. She was hiding—from everyone. And someone did show up, which triggered the whole situation.

“So could we maybe… add a clause to the contract that says you’ll protect me no matter what happens? Losing someone like me would be a loss for you too, you know.”

She mumbled something about wanting a proper backup plan, and Cedric and Harun looked at her like she was absurd.

But Rita didn’t care. She needed that protection. Otherwise, she could end up caught by people from the kingdom.

Only if it was clearly written in the contract would they really protect her. Words meant nothing—only paper mattered.

She shivered as she thought about the people who had chased her. Just remembering their faces made her feel sick.

Then her eyes met Cedric’s. His weren’t cloudy with pain—they were deep blue, calm, and endless.

She stared into his eyes for a moment and then smiled.

“Then… I’ll cure your illness, Your Grace.”

Silence filled the room.

Sunlight entered through the window and moved slowly, until it reached Cedric’s seat.

Harun looked like he wanted to say something, but Cedric raised his hand to stop him.

Rita couldn’t tell what Cedric was thinking. Even after she offered to cure him, he didn’t look happy.

Finally, Cedric spoke.

“I’ll pay you 500 gold coins a month as a bonus.”

He didn’t even mention her offer to heal him. Rita blinked, confused.

“My conditions are simple. First, you become the official doctor of the duchy. Second, you’ll do your best to reduce my symptoms regularly.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“Once the first condition is met, I’ll agree to all your terms. But I won’t include a clause about full recovery. That’s for your own sake.”

Cedric was a generous employer, but this bothered Rita. She frowned.

“Why not?”

She was confused. Without the healing clause, it would actually be easier for her. But it didn’t feel right.

She needed to offer something big in return for her safety. That was the kind of world she came from.

Unfair contracts always ended in disaster.

To earn the right to be protected, she would have to heal Cedric’s illness.

‘A life for a life.’

That was the rule she made when she left her old hut.

As Rita stayed silent, clearly unhappy, Cedric finally said something shocking.

“Because it’s not an illness. It’s a curse.”

Her thoughts froze.

“A curse?”

“Yes. Even the best doctors and priests couldn’t fix it.”

That wasn’t surprising. What surprised Rita was that Cedric truly believed it was a curse.

‘…So he really thinks that.’

She had guessed people might call it a curse. That was common. If it couldn’t be diagnosed or cured, it was easier to just call it a curse. That way, it made more sense.

Rita saw a flicker of hopelessness in his expression.

“You seem to understand. Then let’s—”

“No. It’s an illness.”

“What did you say?”

Rita looked him in the eye.

“I said, it’s not a curse.”

In this world, there were gods.

Because there were gods, there was also divine power. Sometimes, priests even performed what seemed like miracles. This was a world with a single, all-powerful deity.

People believed that those blessed by the gods received divine power.

But Rita didn’t think it worked like that.

‘Does God really care that much? Honestly, I doubt it.’

She had said it many times before. Her classmates used to tell her to stop blaspheming, but her opinion never changed.

Sure, divine power might exist. But it didn’t mean the god favored anyone specifically.

“Your illness is just that—an illness, Your Grace. I doubt the god has enough interest to bless or curse individual people. He’s not that petty.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“He’s the one god, right? Do you know how many people are in the world? To Him, we’re probably just well-cared-for ants.”

Unless Cedric had deeply offended the god somehow, she didn’t think divine punishment made any sense.

Cedric didn’t agree.

“That’s just your opinion.”

“It might be.”

Rita smiled and nodded.

“But I’m telling you—the symptoms you’re suffering from are definitely a disease.”