As the scorching summer passed, autumn began to set in, with the maple leaves starting to fall a bit earlier than usual.
“Feeling good today. I’m a bit worried about the reduced meal intake, but if there’s a menu that catches my interest, I’ll prepare it.”
Acella was now being taken care of by Nightingale, who had become her attending physician.
The reason I wasn’t doing it was simple—when a relative handles the medical treatment of family, the probability of accidents increases severalfold.
On the other hand, there’s no statistic suggesting that medical accidents caused by relatives from the future are on the rise. Acella had once said, “What isn’t observed might as well not exist.”
Of course, it didn’t feel like a saying that fits this situation, but who cares?
That was the reason I had pushed Nightingale into this role, but I had other intentions too.
I secretly hoped that since Nightingale was struggling to interact with Acella, the two of them would become a bit closer.
The reason I got closer to Acella myself was partly because she was my attending physician.
“What did you prepare for lunch today?”
“Salmon steak and orange pudding. Natural vitamins are good during this time.”
“Do you like pudding too?”
“Hmm, chocolate is nice as well…”
“I like it too. Bring some secretly so we can eat together without Lars knowing.”
In fact, the two of them began to talk a bit more often.
It looked good all in all.
I was also continuously teaching Nightingale about medicine.
However, she still hadn’t performed a single surgery on her own.
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry…!”
I was startled when she trembled with her hands just before the scheduled surgery. In the end, I had no choice but to take over that surgery myself.
“Nightingale, there are many ways to participate in a surgery even if you’re not the lead surgeon. You can take charge of the respirator or assist the anesthetist.”
“…No, I want to do it myself.”
There seemed to be some psychological issue there.
I devised a plan.
To give her the most realistic experience possible, I decided to bring in a dying demon for her to practice surgery on.
The Thunder Tribe Guards often hunt demons, so there’d be no problem sourcing materials, and a strong demon can survive for at least an hour even in a state of near death.
With the escort knight Paula accompanying us, there would be no chance for accidents.
I thought practice was the answer. Nightingale was startled at first, but perhaps feeling less resistance compared to working on a human, she successfully made an incision with the blade.
“Ugh! This feels weird. The flesh is so thick…”
“Looks like whoever taught you did well.”
“Ugh…”
After several practice sessions, Nightingale’s gaze quickly changed.
After cutting into her fifth goblin, she stepped out of the hut and took a breath before asking me.
“You seem to have quite a bit of skill. How about it? Are you ready to enter the real thing?”
“Hmm… I still don’t know. No matter how much I try, my surgeries still feel fake…”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well…”
Nightingale stammered her words.
I held her hand. It was the perfect size, similar to mine, and I had kept my nails trimmed for when I needed to wield a blade.
“What are you so worried about?”
“…About Dad.”
Nightingale cautiously broached the subject.
“Has he ever failed a surgery…?”
“Have you ever lost?”
“No, right?”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
Nightingale took a deep breath.
“I have… once.”
A brief confession.
A long silence followed.
But it was clear what kind of emotion Nightingale wanted to convey within that silence.
“Did you do your best?”
“…I don’t know. If that was the best judgment at the time.”
“Then that’s the right answer. You did everything you could, so it’s not your fault.”
“Even so, to the doctor, the patient is just one among many, but for the patient, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime surgery… my dad used to say that.”
That’s something I might say.
It’s fundamentally true.
But that doesn’t mean to give up and blame a failed doctor.
What should be done when a medical accident happens, like with Nightingale?
Is it right to abandon the path of a doctor out of guilt for a patient?
If Nightingale had continued to practice, perhaps she could have succeeded in more surgeries.
Such hypotheticals are meaningless and lack definitive answers, spinning in circles.
Yet, there’s one thing that is certain.
“You’re an excellent doctor, Nightingale.”
I stand by my family.
If there are beings who can make me ignore reason and logic,
Neria and my father are the same.
Even if Acella were to go crazy and threaten to destroy the world,
As family, I would want to be there for her.
The same goes for my future daughter.
“Just imagine how many people these hands can help.”
Nightingale’s hand gently overlapped with mine.
The warm touch proves she is undeniably present here.
“…If you put it that way.”
Nightingale nodded.
“I’ll trust you, Dad.”
*
Time passed a little more, winter.
On a dark night, Acella sat in front of the fireplace, basking in the warm fire.
“Lady, it’s time for you to sleep.”
At Paula’s suggestion, Acella shut the magic book she was reading.
Struggling to put the book down on the table, Nightingale rushed over to help her.
“Thank you.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Nightingale beamed her comforting smile.
Acella found this atmosphere, which had become familiar, quite pleasant.
Her belly was noticeably swollen. With that came many restrictions. Nightingale was always the one to care for her, even before anyone else.
As an attending physician, she never left Acella’s side.
Whoever taught her did a great job.
“Want to listen?”
“Is it okay?”
With a racing heart, Nightingale pressed her ear to Acella’s belly.
The soft lace texture tickled her fingertips.
Cautiously, so as not to hurt anything, she listened closely.
Thump.
“…It kicked!”
Nightingale exclaimed, startled, her smile wide.
Acella, seeing her reaction, couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“What do you think? You’re looking at yourself inside.”
“It’s amazing… Thanks to Mom, I’m having all these strange experiences. Can I hold you when I’m born?”
“If the same person touches in the same space-time and causality gets twisted, both could vanish… I might witness an unknown phenomenon.”
“…Is that for real?”
“Just kidding. Who do you take after being this naive?”
With a devilish grin, she pets her eldest daughter’s cheek.
New relationships are always stimulating.
Becoming a wife, Acella found herself in a position where she always lost to Lars. It had been a while since she enjoyed teasing someone.
Through Lars, she learned about love for the opposite sex.
The sensation of a seed she didn’t even know she had sown now being nurtured by someone else’s sunlight and growing into a tree.
With someone sturdily supporting her from beside, she wouldn’t fall.
In contrast, the new emotions Acella felt now, it felt like rolling up fluffy cotton.
She never thought she could have maternal love.
As her belly grew, the sight of her adult daughter before her became increasingly adorable.
Her bad habit of wanting to torment those she liked was also coming back to her.
“Mom, should I go sleep now?”
“Sure. Since your dad isn’t home today, come under the blanket.”
“Me?”
“The attending physician must stay by the patient’s side, right? Or should I tell you to fall asleep alone with this belly?”
She cursed her dad for leaving on a trip while she was in her final month. Acella added.
Nightingale realized that her mom was a person who easily felt loneliness. At least in her experience, Acella had always been surrounded by Lars or others.
But now, she was slightly pleased that her mom wanted her more than anyone else.
“Oh, but…”
“What?”
“I’m not going to suddenly disappear, right? I didn’t hear how much time I have from Mom.”
“You’ve been given enough time as you need.”
Acella affirmed.
“I would have done so myself.”
She guessed that there must be a valid reason for sending Nightingale away.
Therefore, once that purpose was fulfilled, this brief encounter would surely come to an end.
It wouldn’t be too regrettable.
All she had to do was relax and wait for a while.
Being escorted by Nightingale, she slowly moved to the bedroom.
“It’s a shame to be back on the first floor.”
“The stairs are difficult to climb. Did you like the fourth-floor room, Mom?”
“It was a great room. It’s the only spot in the mansion where you can see the scenery beyond the East Wing. In the morning, it doesn’t get much sunlight, so I could slack off, and the flower garden shows best under the window. Lars picked the room well.”
“You really know a lot about Dad.”
“Of course.”
Acella felt Nightingale’s sentiments as praise, which made her cheerful enough to lift her chin absentmindedly.
“I know your dad best.”
“Do you love him that much?”
“Of course, I do.”
Acella replied without the slightest hesitation.
“Nightingale Gothberg, as the eldest daughter of Gothberg, you’ll be born with exceptional talents and advantages. But remember one thing, at least to me, you can be doted on.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t be loved more by Lars than by me.”
“…You told me too late.”
Hehe, Acella laughed teasingly.
“It was my first time too, so wouldn’t I be a bit clumsy?”
“I’ve never seen Mom say something like that.”
“Of course. Everyone is a bit clumsy at first.”
How long did it take to perfect walking as royalty?
Acella couldn’t help but recall her childhood.
“But if there’s one thing I hope you won’t forget, Nightingale….”
Clack.
Acella’s footsteps stopped.
Naiti knew that Mom wasn’t the type to stop speaking for no reason.
She quickly responded, supporting Acella who was about to collapse.
“Ugh.”
Acella couldn’t hold back a groan.
Drip, drip.
The floor where she sat was becoming soaked.
“L-Lady?!”
“Call an ambulance. A stretcher.”
Naiti calmly requested Paula. The mansion lights turned on, and the footsteps of the attendants quickened.
Checking the affected area.
The signs of imminent childbirth were overwhelming.
‘There are still more than ten days until the due date…!’
She had never heard that she had come out too early and put Acella in trouble. Naiti took out a handkerchief and wiped Acella’s sweat.
“Huuh, huff.”
Her breath was becoming rough.
Due to childhood experiences, Acella had developed a mechanism to dull pain.
It was her first pregnancy, so she hadn’t noticed the childbirth signs that had been approaching recently, nor had she conveyed them.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m right here.”
Naiti reassured Acella.
Perhaps due to the sudden wave of pain, she saw Acella’s consciousness fading.
Deciding that it wouldn’t be easy to move to the hospital,
Lars had prepared a delivery room inside the mansion just for this.
They moved there, and Naiti quickly discussed with the other doctors who arrived.
“Reverse presentation?”
“Dystocia is expected. We might need to prepare for a cesarean section just in case.”
It was suggested that surgery might be necessary since it was difficult for the fetus to come out through natural delivery.
If the dystocia continues for too long, both the mother and fetus would be in danger.
“How about the hospital director?”
“I’ve sent the communication sphere, but it’ll take at least three hours to hear back. Since he’s gone to the kingdom, it will be at least three days before he returns…”
Dad wasn’t around.
That fact weighed heavily on Naiti.
“If surgery becomes necessary, who will perform it?”
“It’s not a particularly difficult surgery, but…”
“The patient is Lady Gothberg…”
“Um…”
All the doctors seemed burdened.
Even the slightest mistake wouldn’t be tolerated in this surgery.
Naiti looked at her fingertips.
‘…Mom sent me to this time for a reason.’
Somehow, she felt a bit of understanding.
The trembling was gone.
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