~Chapter 22~
Just then, there was a knock at the door and the butler’s voice was heard.
“What is it?”
The door opened suddenly, and the butler called them.
“Young Duke, and your friend. The Grand Duchess is waiting and invites you to have breakfast together. Also…”
The butler trailed off and looked at their hands, which were still tightly held.
“Why? Do you have something else to say?” Dane asked.
“…No, sir. You two seem close, and it makes me happy.”
‘We really are attracting attention,’ Camilla thought, remembering the servants whispering in shock as they walked through the hall.
Even Marie had looked flustered when she saw them.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
When the dining room doors opened, the sunlight poured in and the table was set with neat dishes.
The Grand Duke was away at the palace, so only the Grand Duchess was there. Camilla and Dane walked in, side by side.
Their hands were still tightly held.
The Grand Duchess’s cold gaze passed over Dane and landed on Camilla.
“It’s not proper to be so close so early in the morning.”
“Mother.”
Dane spoke as if to stop her and continued,
“I’m only following my friend’s advice and the prescription from our house doctor.”
The Grand Duchess’s face changed.
“I heard Miss Mowin is a genius with medicine. But did you really tell a young girl about your illness?”
Her reaction was sharp, and Dane’s face tensed for a moment.
“You know how dangerous it is if the wrong person hears about this!”
“Grand Duchess, please listen to me. I won’t do anything like that,” Camilla said.
Dane probably expected Camilla to explain the new treatment method with medical reasons.
But instead, Camilla let go of Dane’s hand, blushed, and quickly walked up to the Grand Duchess.
She whispered shyly,
“Actually, Grand Duchess, I admire you so much!”
“…What?”
“You’re the author of the paper, ‘The Heart’s Valve and Life’s Door: A Grand Study on the Mechanisms of Opening, Closing, and Squeaking!’ I was really moved by it.”
Camilla’s eyes sparkled as she showed the yellow book she was holding.
The Grand Duchess looked shocked.
‘That’s my thesis from 20 years ago!’
She had written it 20 years ago and wanted to burn it and forget it ever existed.
In her past life as a graduate student, Camilla once heard a joke:
What’s the best way to embarrass a professor?
Read their thesis from their student days.
Camilla was doing exactly that—embarrassing the Grand Duchess in the most perfect way.
“No one ever compared heart valves like you did. And your idea that ‘the heart, like a squeaky door, needs oil’ is genius!”
“T-that was just when I was young and foolish…”
The Grand Duchess lost her usual sad look and blushed, stammering.
“No—wait. Miss Mowin, how did you know I was the author?”
“Because Dane said you were the best doctor in Escalus. There’s only one person like that.”
On the yellow cover, the author’s name was clear:
Author, Doctor Renin.
Her name showed up in all the medical books the Baron gave Camilla.
She was once famous for charity work, known as the best doctor in Escalus.
“Don’t be silly. The author is a man.”
Camilla smiled.
“Gender isn’t important. If you were a woman doctor, wouldn’t it be safer to use a man’s name? Besides, Dr. Renin fits you perfectly.”
The Grand Duchess’s lips trembled.
“Don’t flatter me. Even if it’s an old thesis, do you really understand it?”
“Of course,” Camilla said.
“Then tell me: what does it mean that the heart needs ‘oil’ when the heart rate drops?”
The Grand Duchess wanted to test her. If Ain were here, he would’ve stopped her.
But Camilla answered slowly,
“When the heart rate drops, the heart’s contraction gets weaker and the risk of arrhythmia increases. The ‘oil’ is a metaphor for the things that help prevent that.”
That was correct.
The Grand Duchess hadn’t looked at her thesis in years because it was so full of metaphors.
‘I wasn’t clear enough.’
But Camilla understood it perfectly.
“Also, the best part was how you said electrolyte balance is important for stabilizing an irregular heartbeat.”
Camilla even got the main point, hidden in all those metaphors.
‘She’s so young, but understands so much!’
People had called Camilla a genius pharmacist, and it seemed true.
Even though she hadn’t liked her husband’s idea of using the Mowin family’s medicine during childbirth, she thought maybe she should reconsider.
But then she caught herself.
‘Wait, what am I thinking?’
The Grand Duchess had tried her best, but her son never improved, and her heart was troubled. Being pregnant made her illness worse.
Even though she was a famous doctor, she couldn’t fix herself and became obsessed with death.
‘There are too many rumors about the Mowin family. And Camilla is said to be weak and illegitimate. She’s just trouble for Dane.’
Even if Camilla was talented, the Grand Duchess couldn’t trust her.
‘I shouldn’t admire her talent—I should keep her away from Dane!’
“You’re very talented, but that’s not a reason to know Dane’s secret.”
Camilla answered bravely, not backing down.
“Even if I help him get better?”
The Grand Duchess’s eyes widened.
Camilla glanced at Dane, who handed her the diagnosis from his coat.
“Please look at this, Mother.”
“Wait, this is…”
“It’s the diagnosis Camilla wrote last night about my heartbeat.”
“Last night? You mean—!”
“We were playing cards at dawn, and I had an attack. She saw it and helped me.”
The Grand Duchess quickly read the diagnosis, shocked.
‘Yes!’ Camilla cheered to herself.
The Grand Duchess would definitely understand what this diagnosis meant.
As her face twisted in surprise, Camilla smiled secretly.
‘There’s real improvement in his heartbeat?’
“Why?”
“Last night, when she held my hand, my heartbeat calmed down. It wasn’t just comfort—it was a real change.”
“What?!”
Camilla pressed her point.
“When the Young Duke feels someone’s body heat, his pain gets better.”
The Grand Duchess’s hands trembled.
“Even in your thesis, you guessed that warmth helps the heart work better.”
‘Of course, my knowledge from my past life is different, but this is a new illness—I had to use what I know.’
“My idea worked,” Camilla said firmly.
The Grand Duchess looked at Dane.
He nodded simply, agreeing with everything.
“I want to use this effect to create a real cure. Please let me stay by his side.”
“Body heat…? You mean the answer was in my silly old thesis from 20 years ago?”
The Grand Duchess was so shocked she staggered. The maids rushed to support her.
Camilla and Dane were just as startled.
“Mother?!”
“Are you okay?”
The Grand Duchess gasped for breath.
“No, it can’t be. I’ve held his hand so many times and it never worked. Why would it work now?”
She closed her eyes, remembering all her failures.
“Please calm down, Grand Duchess!”
“The idea I once gave up on… it worked?”
Camilla was shocked.
‘She’s having a panic attack!’
