Chapter 79
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 79
The appointed time was drawing near, and I needed to hurry.
Grace's carriage, having slipped away from the Orphanage, made straight for Notia's Hospital.
"Welcome, Grace."
The moment Notia saw Grace, she circled around her in a complete inspection.
Only after checking for any signs of limping, hunched posture, or bandages on her hands and feet did she release a relieved sigh.
"You haven't contacted me in so long—I was terrified you'd finally collapsed. Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
"I'm sorry, Notia. I... I'm not sure if you saw the article, but I've been rather preoccupied."
"Oh! So the interview was telling the truth then? Goodness, you've truly fallen into a passionate love? And with Duke Lucas Black no less?"
Notia's pretty eyes widened like saucers, and she covered her mouth in astonishment.
This was troublesome—I could neither deny it nor confirm it.
Unable to muster any proper response, I simply sat down with an awkward laugh.
"Say something, Grace."
"Ha ha..."
"Why won't you speak? Could it be...?"
In that instant, Notia's eyes—which seemed incapable of growing any wider—opened even further as she stared at me.
Her gaze traveled from my face to my neck, across my chest, and down to my abdomen, where it refused to budge.
Realizing her implication, I quickly clutched my stomach and shook my head vigorously.
"No, no, no! That's not it!"
"You can be honest with me, Grace. Besides, any examination would reveal the truth anyway."
"There's nothing to reveal! There isn't even the tiniest thing to find!"
"Is that so? Really? How strange then. Why rush into marriage?"
"Well, we're both of age, and we've been discussing this for quite some time..."
"Hmm?"
Notia's eyes narrowed with lingering suspicion.
Unable to keep my mouth shut any longer, I finally spoke the words aloud.
"A passionate love, yes... I've fallen into a passionate love."
I don't even understand it myself.
So this is what falling in love feels like.
"Ha, ha ha. Ha ha..."
I laughed, surrendering to the emotion entirely.
Though still skeptical, Notia seemed comforted by the sight of my laughter.
She spent a considerable time examining my body for any abnormalities.
Seeing my improved condition, Notia's expression brightened considerably.
"You weren't bedridden at all—you must have been recuperating somewhere. Your health is excellent. Your breathing is stable, your complexion is radiant. Most notably, your digestive system has become remarkably healthy."
It wasn't inaccurate, given that I'd been living a life close to convalescence at the Black Family Estate.
I'd been worried the curse transferred to my arm might have caused complications, but it seemed there were none—a relief indeed.
"Notia, actually, I came here today because I need a favor."
"What is it?"
Notia put away her examination instruments on the desk as she spoke. Grace took a deep breath and broached the subject she had prepared.
"Could I take the materials I've been collecting all this time?"
"Grace..."
"I'm not saying I want to do anything right now with the wedding just around the corner, but I think I should start preparing nonetheless."
Notia stared blankly at Grace for a moment before nodding vigorously.
"Just a moment."
Notia entered a small room adjacent to the examination chamber. The sound of rummaging echoed before she emerged carrying a thick bundle of papers.
"Oh... there's more than I expected."
Grace laughed as she saw the thickness of the stack Notia brought out.
"It's proof of how many times Grace has been injured."
Notia excitedly set down hundreds of pages with a thud.
"Finally, my meticulous record-keeping is going to shine.
Notia grinned and spread out the papers organized by date, symptoms, and anticipated aftereffects.
With detailed notes and occasional illustrations interspersed throughout, they formed a perfect, utterly flawless collection of evidence.
* * *
"Here you go. Please be sure to come, Notia."
"Of course. Thank you for inviting me. No matter how busy I am, I'll make time that day and skip my appointments."
Notia accepted the invitation Grace extended with a firm nod.
Notia was an exceptionally skilled physician.
When she finished school and completed her medical apprenticeship, many noble ladies had wanted to take her into their service, but she refused them all and came to this hospital instead.
"If I became a personal physician or attending doctor exclusively for the nobility, I'd only be treating a limited circle of people. Since I worked hard to learn, I wanted to put my skills to broader use, so I came to the hospital."
Notia, who spoke with such casual frankness, was somehow different in character from the people Grace had met thus far.
That's what made her appealing, and that's how they had grown close.
Someone slightly different, and therefore slightly criticized.
Someone who was told she didn't fit the times, an idealist who never considered reality.
In that sense, the two of them were subtly alike, and they both knew it.
"Actually, when Grace said she was collecting medical records, I wondered what good it would do."
Grace laughed at this revelation.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. How many people truly fit into this world? Especially since this hospital is one of the few with a female physician, we have many female patients. Most of them come bearing wounds they can't show anywhere else."
Grace understood perfectly, for she was the same.
Exposing one's bare skin to anyone other than a personal physician was somewhat shameful.
No matter how much of a doctor they were.
"Wealthy ladies can go to a personal physician or the Temple, but many can't afford such options. And most of them are society's vulnerable. They don't speak of it aloud, but many bear the marks of being struck by someone."
Notia shrugged as she spoke.
"I was frustrated, but truthfully, I was the same. I simply thought my role was to treat them well. Unconsciously, I accepted it as unjust but inevitable."
Since there were already so many such people, since it had always been this way, she accepted that it would continue to be so.
"I'm frustrated, but... it just ends there."
Without realizing it, she too had already resigned herself to the way things were.
She criticized but lacked the courage to act, and besides, it felt too troublesome.
Yet at that very moment, Grace Oellin came to her.
'From now on, whenever I'm injured, I'll only come to Notia. I'll keep detailed records of my treatments, shall I? After all, I need an expert's seal of approval.'
She had prepared a counterattack.
She did not yield. She did not simply accept.
Upon hearing Grace Oellin's words, Notia received a profound shock.
'So... counterattacks are possible too.'
It wasn't about accepting injustice and letting it end there—counterattacks were genuinely possible!
Whether such resistance wielded great power or not was irrelevant.
The act of resistance itself held the true significance.
"I've been recording all my medical consultations like this lately. Meticulously, carefully. Thanks to that, my private office is now overflowing with filing cabinets, but what does it matter? I love it. It feels like I've gained some solid backing. It's all thanks to Grace Oellin."
Grace Oellin stood dumbfounded at Notia's words.
She had done nothing.
Yet there were people thanking her, saying "because of you."
Grace Oellin felt strangely moved.
It was as though the entire world were telling her how proud it was of her growth.
...Her heart felt so very strange.
Grace Oellin left the hospital as if walking on clouds.
Her mind somewhat adrift, she collided with a woman entering the hospital, hood pulled deep over her head, cradling a child.
"Oh, miss!"
Julie, who had been following the silently hurrying Grace Oellin, gasped in surprise and caught her from behind.
"Waaaah!"
The woman tumbled backward, and the startled child in her arms burst into tears.
Grace Oellin, alarmed, quickly helped the woman to her feet.
As the robe fell away, a luxuriant cascade of pink hair spilled forth.
"Are you alright? I'm sorry. I was lost in thought and didn't see where I was going."
"N-no, it's... it's fine."
The woman kept her head bowed, repeating only that she was fine.
Her hunched back and the skeletal arms clutching the child spoke volumes.
The woman quickly tried to pull her robe back on and stand.
But when she fell, she must have twisted her leg, and she gasped in pain, sinking back down.
"Oh dear, you've hurt your leg? I'm so sorry, it's my fault. Julie, would you hold the baby? Here, take my hand. I'll help support you."
"N-no, I... I'm... I'm fine..."
The woman shook her head frantically, clearly flustered.
But her leg hurt far too much to move, leaving her no choice but to accept the support.
With the child in her arms, there was simply nothing she could do.
'Where has Torres gone?'
She glanced back anxiously, but for some reason, he was nowhere to be found.
"Do you have companions? Should we wait here? Is it very painful?"
It was a gentle voice she hadn't heard in a long time.
The woman—Carol—lifted her head, which she hadn't realized she'd been bowing, and looked at the woman before her.
'Ah....'
She was a woman with a face as radiant and clear as sunlight breaking through after dawn rain.
So beautiful, so dazzling that Carol couldn't tear her gaze away.
There was a time, long ago, when I too possessed such effortless beauty....
Perhaps that was why.
Suddenly, the hand of the woman supporting me became far too conspicuous.
And an inexplicable anger surged within me.
I couldn't tell if it was anger directed at that woman, at myself, or simply an overwhelming sense of injustice welling up from somewhere deep inside.
"Don't—don't concern yourself with me!"
Carol, seized by something that erupted in an instant, pushed Grace away.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org