The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 65: First Surgery (1)

Morning at Moonlight Palace. Asella began her day following the same routine as always.

Lately, things had been relatively peaceful.

Well, even if you called it peaceful, she was still buried in work as one of the imperial heirs. That part never changed.

The biggest factor was that Tojin Palace had collapsed after Georg’s exile, finally giving her some breathing room.

Camilla had, for all intents and purposes, been placed under house arrest by the Emperor. She couldn’t take a single step outside Tojin Palace.

Moonlight Palace had begun establishing direct channels with various nobles, and as an ally of Mokhwi Palace, it was growing steadily stronger.

Asella should have felt more at ease than ever.

But of course, that wasn’t the case.

“Y-your Highness. I-I’ll be taking your blood pressure nowww!”

Asella let out a sigh when she saw Chloe trembling like a leaf again.

“It’s you again today?”

“Y-yes, y-yep! I’m s-sorry! I’m so, so sorry for showing up like this!”

It had already been a full week ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) since Chloe started handling her morning and evening checkups. What had started as occasional visits had become daily occurrences.

And that fact was beginning to irritate Asella in an oddly specific way.

“What’s the doctor doing these days?”

“H-he’s, um, volunteering... in the refugee camps...”

“He’s doing that to himself on purpose, huh.”

If her personal physician was doing external work, it was bound to cause a stir. It wasn’t necessarily bad—after all, it would only elevate her name and the prestige of Moonlight Palace.

Shouldn’t I be his priority? He’s my doctor.

When was the last time she’d had a private conversation with Las?

...At the social party, she thought.

The incident in his room the following day—Asella was trying to forcibly erase it from her memory.

Since then, things had been... awkward. Like she was avoiding talking to him altogether.

What if he completely misunderstood what happened?

Sure, she had barged into his room on her own, but she hadn’t expected it to turn out like that.

Maybe I shouldn’t have pretended to be asleep.

He’d touched her face all over like it was nothing.

Even called her by name. Hey, Asella, he’d said.

He dared to say her name?

And that hoarse voice, freshly woken up, nothing like his usual flippant tone.

...They were engaged, after all.

Was Las planning to keep calling her that after marriage?

What the hell am I even thinking?!

It was a political engagement. She’d only agreed because it created an opening to work with the Gotberg Marquessate. That had always been the point.

Asella shook her head furiously.

What was even more infuriating was that Las hadn’t shown the slightest reaction to what had happened that day.

I told him—clearly—that he should start acting like a fiancé.

This man never did anything she wanted unless she spelled it out.

Asella unknowingly pressed her lips together tightly.

Idiot. Stupid.

Back at the banquet hall, he’d spoken as if he’d give his life for her—and now he hadn’t even shown his face for days.

...Well, he had risked his life a few times, technically.

She flexed her fingers absentmindedly and brushed against Chloe’s wrist.

Her gaze slid down the girl’s arm, lightly grazing the skin that had once been flaky and cracked from overwork.

“Eep! Y-your Highness?!”

“...It’s different.”

Asella muttered the words, not even knowing what she meant by them.

Yeah. Nothing like that was going to happen again. That day... that was just... the doll didn’t cut it. She’d needed something bigger to calm down.

Whether Las came for checkups or not, he could do whatever he wanted.

“Gyaah! Gyaaah!”

Chloe yelped as Asella unconsciously pinched her hand, but the princess didn’t even notice.

After the morning checkup, Chloe cross-checked the chart and nodded carefully.

“Your blood pressure’s a bit higher than usual... but by the doctor’s standards, you’re still cleared for activity.”

“What’s the doctor doing today?”

“U-um, he has something important at the Imperial Clinic...”

“Important. Of course it is.”

“I-it really is! There’s a patient... I’m assisting in surgery later.”

“Surgery?”

The unfamiliar term piqued Asella’s interest.

***

“I’ve secured payment for the Death Dragon corpse.”

Tanya dropped a heavy coin pouch onto the table. It hit with a loud thump.

“That didn’t take long. Good work.”

“It’s a rare material—high in demand. As you requested, the heartstone has been stored separately.”

The Death Dragon’s heartstone was a valuable item. It might be necessary for Asella’s future surgery, so they weren’t selling it.

“Okay. Let’s stash the gold as an emergency fund.”

“An emergency fund?”

“Yeah. You’re not seriously planning to go running to Asella and report it, are you?”

“A knight would never divulge their lord’s secrets under any circumstances. What I see and hear during escort duty may as well not exist in this world.”

“I like that.”

It was a cardinal sin for a bodyguard to ever speak of their master’s private affairs. Just grounds for immediate dismissal.

That was also why nobles could speak so freely around their knights.

“Still, preparing an emergency fund this early... You’re very thorough.”

“Not early at all. It’s always necessary.”

There would definitely come a time when he’d need to move without drawing Asella’s attention.

I clapped my hands to change the mood.

“Enough about money. Let’s check if we’re ready for the surgery. We’ve got all the materials?”

“Nothing missing from the list.”

Tanya took out the paperwork and began checking through the supplies one by one.

“Twelve mithril scalpels, specially made for surgical use in multiple sizes. Surgical bed. Green gowns. Five barrels of distilled alcohol you brewed for sterilization. And...”

Just as she neared the end of the checklist, Hugo spoke up from where he’d been quietly standing.

“Doctor, judging from the brief overview, this must have cost a considerable sum. Are you sure you’re alright with this?”

“Please. The Death Dragon corpse paid for everything and then some. We’ve got plenty of change left. Don’t worry.”

“...Hearing you say that is reassuring, at least.”

Hugo pressed his palms together in a gesture of prayer.

“I-I’m baaack!”

Chloe reentered the office after completing Asella’s checkup.

She’d been steadily training as a surgical assistant.

Everything was ready, at least within what was possible.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s begin the briefing.”

Chloe pulled the curtains and projected an X-ray through the crystal orb.

“Patient is a four-year-old girl. Peritonsillar abscess. One week of penicillin treatment already administered. I’ve judged that incision and drainage is necessary. Along with the abscess, we’ll remove foreign matter in the area through a localized excision.”

As I explained, Chloe carefully double-checked the chart she’d reviewed multiple times already.

“It’s not a particularly difficult surgery. I’m confident, so don’t worry. I’ll operate solo. Chloe will assist.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We’ve sterilized the operating room over the past few days. As I’ve said repeatedly: during surgery, no one is allowed in or out. Tanya, be ready for any emergencies.”

“Leave it to me.”

“What would you like me to do?”

Hugo asked, and I smiled faintly.

“There’s nothing you need to assist with for this surgery. Just say a prayer for Eri. Who knows—maybe someone up there is listening.”

I meant it casually, to ease the tension, but Hugo pounded his chest with both fists, steeling his resolve.

“Understood. I’m counting on you, Doctor.”

“Leave it to me.”

Surgery prep didn’t take long.

Chloe and I entered the sterilization chamber between the office and the operating room and changed into our gowns.

Hugo brought in Eri, who’d been waiting in the adjacent room. He soothed her gently so she wouldn’t be scared.

Chloe changed her clothes and brought her into the surgery room.

Normally, local anesthesia would be enough for a minor procedure like this. But children could thrash in the middle, which made general anesthesia the norm.

I prepared a sedative stronger than the painkiller.

I need to get the dosage exactly right.

It was my first time administering general anesthesia, so I was a little nervous. I fitted the breathing tube to Eri’s mouth and stroked her head.

“Eri, when you wake up, all the pain will be gone.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Just trust your doctor.”

“Okaaay.”

Even though I was masked and covered head to toe in green, the girl didn’t flinch. She obediently nodded.

“Let’s count together, okay? One, two, three...”

“Okaaay... fooour...”

Eri drifted into sleep.

I checked her status.

[Status: Sedated (92%)]

[Injury: Chronic Tonsillitis]

[Injury: Peritonsillar Abscess]

[Injury: Foreign Body Inflammation]

[Location: Neck]

Anesthesia successful. As long as it doesn’t exceed 100, it’s stable.

Chloe began prepping the surgical site. She secured Eri’s head to the bed to prevent movement, then inserted a device to keep her mouth open so nothing could fall into her airway.

I slid my glasses down. Fitted the secondary lens to increase magnification.

Click. Chloe illuminated the field with focused light.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath.

It wasn’t a difficult surgery.

Even if this wasn’t my field, I could do it.

No—I had to do it.

Chloe placed the syringe in my hand.

...No tremor at all.

That alone steadied me.

First, the preliminary step.

I carefully inserted the syringe into the affected area.

Started by reducing the abscess.

Pus began to flow, shrinking the swelling with each draw.

After several extractions, I judged it sufficient and handed the syringe to Chloe.

She understood perfectly and passed me the scalpel.

Custom-forged in mithril.

Light, razor-sharp, and rustproof.

I gripped forceps in my left hand.

Weirdly, the feel of the instruments fused with my senses.

Like my fingers were the scalpel.

I focused on the incision site, brought the blade to the tissue with extreme care.

[Skill Activated: Surgery (Basic) – C Rank]

“I’m beginning the surgery.”

― Slice

The cold blade slid gently into soft flesh.