Chapter 34
“Don’t worry. I value patient confidentiality. I won’t tell His Majesty anything you don’t wish him to know.”
That one sentence brought more relief than anything else.
Pri, who had hesitated until just moments ago out of fear he might tell the Emperor, finally leaned back and relaxed.
“I can trust you… right?”
“Hoho. Of course. Then, could you tell me what’s wrong?”
“It’s not much… I just suddenly collapsed. It didn’t last long, only for a little while…”
Jeren listened to her story, then fell into thought for a moment.
“Any other symptoms?”
“Sometimes… my chest hurts.”
Worried that Seth might panic, Pri kept glancing at her as she carefully described her symptoms. As expected, Seth sighed deeply and started making a fuss.
“You never mentioned chest pain… Is it hurting right now, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine. Not at the moment.”
“Still, just in case…”
At that moment, Jeren intervened.
“This won’t do. Head Maid, please step outside.”
“Pardon? But…!”
“For the patient’s sake.”
Normally, Pri would have stopped him—but not today.
“Please, Seth.”
Mumbling to herself, Seth gave up more easily than expected.
“Sigh… Then you must tell me what treatment you receive later.”
“I will, Seth.”
“You promise.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not allowed to say something different later.”
Only after getting several reassurances did Seth finally leave. Even as she stepped out, she cracked the door slightly, still clearly worried—but Pri sternly called out.
“Seth—.”
“…Understood.”
“Hoho. I didn’t expect the Head Maid to distrust me like this.”
“It’s not that. Well then… please examine her properly.”
Only after hearing Jeren’s grumble did Seth bow and close the door with a thud. When that sound faded, the doctor finally opened his bag.
“Other than what you mentioned earlier, is there anything else bothering you?”
“When I collapsed… my vision went blurry and my ears felt clogged. The chest pain happens fairly often… and I’ve been having strange dreams as well…”
“Hmmm…”
Jeren examined Pri for quite a while.
He ran several tests a competent physician would perform, his expression turning rather grave.
While he did, he asked her a number of questions—whether she had been overexerting herself, exercised too suddenly, or if she felt any unusual pains elsewhere. As he spoke, Pri responded more thoroughly than ever before.
“How were you before this?”
“I’ve never really been sick. I’d even say I was quite healthy.”
“Is it something you’re reacting badly to? Food, perhaps…?”
“No! I’ve been eating well and living comfortably.”
Worried he might misunderstand, Pri quickly added to her answer.
Only the deep hum of Jeren’s thoughtful voice remained. Her heart began to race anxiously—was something wrong with her body? Was it because of Intellia?
Then, as if reaching a conclusion, Jeren gave a soft smile.
“Other than general weakness, I don’t see anything specific. Since you didn’t have chest pain before and haven’t overexerted yourself since arriving here… I think we’ll need to observe a bit longer.”
“Is that so…”
“I won’t report this time to His Majesty, but I will have to in the future, regardless.”
Pri’s eyes froze.
She didn’t want fake concern. If he found out, she feared she’d end up expecting something from him again… and that fear weighed on her.
“Then let’s just say I’m here for a regular check-up, not a diagnosis. A periodic health check at the Head Maid’s request. That should be a good enough cover. Hoho. It works out well—I’ve been feeling guilty for getting paid without doing any real work.”
Seemingly pleased with himself, he chuckled and nodded before pulling out a small medicine bottle from his bag.
“I’m glad I brought this just in case. It’s a tonic to strengthen weak bodies. I take it myself too.”
Though Pri had never had a grandfather, Jeren resembled the affectionate grandfather figures she’d read about in books. Somehow, he made her feel safe—warm, even.
Talking with him felt like sitting beside a fireplace. Though they didn’t exchange deep personal stories, she felt emotionally comforted. A gentle smile appeared on Pri’s face.
“Since we’re on the topic, why don’t we take it together?”
He pulled out another identical bottle and cheerfully tossed it into his mouth. Seeing his inviting smile, Pri hesitated, then did the same.
A burst of fresh strawberry flavor filled her mouth.
Most medicines were bitter or tasteless, but this one tasted surprisingly good.
As she blinked in surprise, lips slightly parted, Jeren rustled around and held out a candy.
“Here’s a candy.”
“…Candy? I’m not a child, you know?”
“Still, you should always have a candy after taking medicine. Medicine tastes bad, so this helps.”
Chuckling warmly, he popped one into his mouth as well.
Like a duckling following its mother, Pri instinctively followed suit.
Just as the strawberry flavor of the tonic began to fade, the candy took over.
It was strawberry-flavored too.
“I’ve never had medicine that tasted this good. Not that I’ve taken much medicine in my life…”
Back in the Ezan Kingdom, whenever she fell ill, her family would scold her, saying, “You’ll get better quickly anyway.” As a result, Pri rarely saw a doctor—and had hardly taken any medicine.
“Which proves I’m an excellent physician. I even made medicine this tasty.”
He was similar to Cashy in that he easily struck up friendly conversation.
But unlike Cashy, Jeren never made people feel burdened. Even now, he had taken the medicine first so Pri wouldn’t feel awkward or hesitant.
He gave off a feeling that wasn’t rooted in affection or duty—just a naturally kind personality.
‘He’s just a cheerful person by nature.’
Despite his age, he didn’t feel old at all.
Then—
Still swirling the candy in his mouth in front of the Empress, Jeren finally closed his bag.
“If you didn’t take much medicine even back in your home country, then I suppose you were quite healthy.”
“That’s not exactly it. I did get sick, but I recovered quickly. Would that help your diagnosis?”
“Of course.”
Strangely, it was true. Even when she had a burning fever, it subsided quickly. When she had painful, drawn-out coughs for days, she still got better.
Pri added these facts about her health.
Most of her illnesses would resolve within a week.
“So, the chest pain you’re experiencing now has lasted over a week, then.”
“Yes.”
“I see. Thank you for sharing.”
“No, thank you.”
With that, Jeren hoisted his bag and stood.
“I’ll have the rest of the medicine sent to you.”
“Okay.”
“I look forward to seeing you again, Your Majesty.”
With a wide grin that made his long beard twitch, Jeren bowed deeply.
“Oh, um… one more thing.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“You probably won’t know, since it’s not your case, but… my sister is here. She saw a different doctor and asked for some medicine, but His Majesty refused to give it to her. I was wondering… do you happen to know what it was?”
“Hm…”
Seeing Jeren’s firm expression, Pri felt her hope waver.
“I understand. You said you value patient confidentiality.”
Though disappointed, Pri respected Jeren’s principles. She twiddled her fingers and bowed her head slightly.
“Sleeping pills.”
“…Sorry?”
“That’s not patient information, so it’s fine.”
“What do you mean it’s not patient information?”
“She kept requesting sleeping pills despite having no medical issues. The attending physician was quite troubled. Since she was being unreasonable, I figured it was okay to share. All the palace physicians know about it anyway.”
Hearing the answer so easily made Pri feel slightly embarrassed.
“Sleeping pills, huh…”
“In the end, His Majesty ordered they be given to her, so she’s receiving them daily now…”
Jeren trailed off with a gentle smile and closed eyes.
“That’s all I can share as a doctor. But if Your Majesty is curious, perhaps you could learn more through someone else. You are the Empress of this Empire, after all.”
“Ah…”
“If that feels too awkward, you can always act under the guise of a concerned younger sister. Now then, I’ll take my leave. I may be just an old man, but I hope I can continue being of help to Your Majesty.”
He bowed slowly, then straightened.
“Thank you. See you again.”
“Ah, and this is a gift.”
