Acella anxiously awaited Lars, who was in surgery.
“Your Highness, please sit down.”
“Enough.”
Ignoring even the head maid’s concern, Lars stood guard outside the surgery room.
What made him act so unlike himself?
He was in a commoner’s house, unable to maintain his poise, and it was hard to believe it was the same person she knew.
Had he been away from the Imperial Palace for too long?
No, Acella knew it wasn’t anything that simple.
‘It’s all because of Lars.’
He usually had such a carefree and frivolous demeanor.
But with a patient before him, he was a different person altogether, his eyes filled with determination.
On reflection, Lars always had a serious attitude when it came to work.
Even during her examinations, he never exchanged a joke like he usually would.
‘Huh? Is this the first time I’m seeing Lars at work?’
Now that she thought about it, Acella had never witnessed him at the inner palace or volunteering.
‘…Is this how he behaves outside?’
She felt as if she was discovering a side of Lars she hadn’t known.
Thinking about how he had firmly expressed his opinions, even to her, made her slightly shrink her shoulders.
Yet, Lars maintained his calm demeanor and didn’t lose his decorum. It was clear he understood that wasting time could irritate her—it was important to save lives after all.
As an attending physician and healer, his attitude was commendable.
Others might see Lars in a different light than she did.
This thought made Acella feel prouder rather than angry at him for leaving her in such a shabby hut this time.
Maybe that’s why she had unconsciously cheered him on.
‘Am I really cheering someone on?’
Thinking that made Acella feel inexplicably shy, and she vowed to make him pay for it double later.
—Waaah!
At that moment, the sound of a newborn baby’s cry echoed from within the room.
Acella was about to step inside when Tanya stopped her.
“Lady Tanya.”
“Your Highness, you cannot enter until the doctor comes out.”
Acella stepped back.
In fact, the cesarean section didn’t take that long; decisions must be made within ten minutes after the incision.
The subsequent treatment, however, took much longer.
Unaware of this, Acella became increasingly anxious and almost bit her nails.
A moment later, with a bang, the door swung open.
It wasn’t Lars, but Chloe. She shouted in a hurry.
“The, the mother is losing blood! We need someone to share blood…!”
In this world, the concept of a blood transfusion didn’t exist. Mixing another’s blood was something that could be associated with black magic rituals.
The expressions of the husbands and wives waiting in the corner of the kitchen turned pale.
But Acella, having undergone blood tests several times before with Lars, understood what that meant.
She spoke in a dignified manner.
“If you want to save the mother, it would be best to cooperate willingly. I promise on my honor.”
She pulled out her seal, a mark of the royal family.
“Th-that’s…”
“You’re of noble blood? I apologize for our ignorance!”
The commoners knelt down before Acella.
Normally, she would feel satisfaction from this show of status, but now her concern was with Lars’s surgery.
“Nurse, have them assist.”
“Uh, um, we need to check blood types first…”
The mother’s husband cautiously raised his hand.
“Please start with me. I’ll gladly offer anything if it can save my wife.”
Chloe pricked his fingertip for a blood test and nodded.
“A-type, lucky for us. P-please, come in! A-and, disinfect!”
The husband followed Chloe into the room.
30 minutes later.
Finally, Lars emerged, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Your Highness?”
Lars seemed surprised to find Acella waiting right at the door.
She looked him up and down.
“You’re covered in blood.”
“I just finished surgery. You might feel nauseous, so it’s better if you stay outside.”
“I want to see inside.”
“Ah, I can’t really recommend it…”
Lars managed a wry smile, but when he saw Acella glare at him, he stepped aside.
Acella entered the room, where the stench of blood hit her face like a punch.
The bed was drenched in red, and countless bags filled with waste littered the room.
It was the battlefield of a fierce struggle Lars had just fought.
The difference from a battlefield was evident; while there were only the dead there, here, new life had emerged.
“Ha ha, oh dear.”
The husband, who had entered first, sat beside another bed, cradling a small bundle.
A tiny bandage was on his arm, the very same Lars had used post-injection.
In the clean bed, the mother, with her belly shrunk, was sound asleep, a peaceful expression on her face. It seemed healing magic had also been used, evident from the traces of divine power.
Acella approached the husband and gently peeked at the baby inside the bundle.
“Oh dear, your…your Highness.”
The man panicked and lowered his head.
Before she knew it, Acella reached out both hands towards the bundle as if enchanted.
The baby did not look appealing.
It cried loudly, smelled bad, and grimaced like a little monster.
In a strange twist, the baby desperately reached out with its tiny hands, as if trying to grab something with its two tiny fingers.
“Such a silly thing.”
Acella involuntarily smiled softly, the corners of her mouth lifting.
*
The surgery was a success.
After extracting the baby, they thoroughly cleaned the uterus, sutured it four times, and took careful measures to prevent complications before stitching up the abdominal wall.
There had been a minor issue; the mother had lost too much blood.
In cases where a mother dies during childbirth, it’s often due to severe hemorrhage. Fortunately, her husband was the same blood type and they could transfuse immediately.
After all surgical procedures were completed, Chloe used healing magic to wrap things up.
Using magic for instant recovery was, of course, a lot better than natural healing.
Typically, recovery after a cesarean section takes about a week, while normalizing life requires about a month.
With the assistance of healing magic, two days would be sufficient.
She informed the husband about necessary precautions and stepped outside the hut.
“Ahh.”
Taking a whiff of fresh air felt revitalizing.
It was the first major surgery she had done.
“I never guessed I would perform an incision.”
Well, it was an experience that had to happen sooner or later, so it turned out for the best.
A lot was popping up on her status window.
[New medical skills are waiting to be acquired.]
[Unlockable skills: 3]
Upon checking, two popped up from the diagnosis route and one from the emergency treatment route.
“Oh.”
The diagnosis route included [CT Scan] and [MRI], which allowed for a more detailed inspection of the patient’s body compared to X-rays.
“I could help Hugo with his research.”
From the emergency treatment route, the next skill in the surgery category had unlocked.
“This one is essential.”
[Surgery (Laparoscopy)]
Laparoscopic surgery.
With just the right equipment, they could perform surgery by making tiny incisions without opening the abdomen wide.
This revolutionary method significantly reduces risks for the patient.
Acella had to acquire this skill for sure.
She figured increasing her medical experience in either route would let her learn it.
“And.”
For some reason, a bad ending had been deleted.
[No. 021: The Sin of Commoners 5% → 0%]
[Deleted]
It was an ending she’d only reverted previously.
Could it be that after today’s experiences, she somehow came to regard commoners more favorably?
“Prince.”
Speaking of the devil, Acella approached me.
“I apologize for today, Your Highness. I showed you an unpleasing sight.”
“No, it was entertaining.”
Acella answered, her blond hair swaying gently in the breeze.
“The commoners were delighted.”
“Well, it’s because both the mother and child are safe. That’s what counts.”
“Yeah. They looked happy.”
“Were you disappointed?”
“Why would I be?”
Acella shot me a puzzled look.
“I was just fascinated to see a newborn baby for the first time.”
“You were as ‘majestic’ as I could imagine.”
“Of course, that’s how I was.”
At my reply, Acella chuckled.
“Prince.”
“Yes?”
“Do you like babies?”
“I have a soft spot for them. They’re cute.”
“I see.”
I wondered what thoughts were swirling in her head.
Acella gazed at the drifting clouds for a moment before turning her body.
“Then let’s head back. Don’t forget we’re on vacation.”
“You remembered? I’m so grateful.”
“Of course. The price for stealing my time will be paid back properly.”
With that, Acella and I boarded the carriage heading back to the marquess’s estate.
The commoners repeatedly expressed their gratitude while trying to offer produce, but I told them to keep it and just spread my name around.
After all the effort to save them, it wouldn’t feel great if they starved for lack of winter supplies.
“Ugh.”
This time, unlike before, Acella climbed into the same carriage as me.
“Why didn’t you take the carriage you rode in earlier?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Acella answered as she sat next to me.
“The other carriage felt uncomfortable; the wheels seemed broken, and it rattled too much.”
“Is that so? I’ll have someone look at it.”
Just then, I glanced over at Tanya, who was sitting across from us, and she was wearing a sly grin.
She had this look on her face sometimes, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was on her mind.
*
About five days into the vacation, Acella once again became a bother, starting from the morning.
“Prince, let’s go for a walk.”
“You really love walks, don’t you?”
“But it’s snowing outside today.”
“Snow, you say?”
There was such a dreadful amount outside the Demon King Castle. I wanted to tell her she’d be able to build a Moonlight Palace with all that snow.
Well, since the system is inland, maybe it looks fresh without much of it.
I followed Acella out of the annex.
“It’s cold.”
“Of course it’s cold with the snow. The northern winters are extremely long.”
Acella was bundled up like an Eskimo snowman, yet she still shivered.
“No roses in bloom either.”
“This season makes it impossible. If any bloomed, it would be a miracle.”
We had stepped into the back of the annex, into the yellow rose garden.
Right now, it was more like a barren mountain than a rose garden.
“Why did you want to come here?”
“Because this is where I first met you.”
“That’s true.”
“I was curious about what I could see here.”
“You see anything?”
Acella gave me a devilish grin and pulled out her wand from her robe.
She had a look on her face as if she was up to something.
“Well, well, you’re not going to understand even if you see.”
Without giving me time to respond, Acella began drawing a magic circle.
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