I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 91



Episode 91. Golden Ring Around the Eyes (3)

Episode 91. Golden Ring Around the Eyes (3)

Istina and I stepped aside. We’d done all we could. Now that family had to figure it out on their own.

Medicine can cure disease, but it can’t fix a lack of communication and a broken family relationship. They’ll have to go find someone else for that.

Not me.

“So. Why do you think they did it?”

“I don’t know either.”

“If you were to deduce it?”

Hmm. There were a few clues, though.

First, none of the princesses knew that the third princess was adopted. So, it doesn’t seem like the conflict arose from her being adopted.

“The Duke and Duchess seemed like decent enough people, more or less. Why they raised their adopted daughter with such utter devotion, I really don’t know…”

Istina tilted her head, pondering.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“This is just a baseless guess, but maybe, out of all of them, the third one turned out to be the smartest?”

And Erzebet was the only one who didn’t fake any illnesses.

“Well, it does seem that way. Do you think the two elder princesses faked illnesses out of jealousy?”

Don’t see why that’s so important. If I had to answer, I’d say jealousy wasn’t the reason.

“If it was just jealousy, why bother faking? They could’ve just comforted themselves or badmouthed the third, saying she was worse off because she was sick.”

“Is that so?”

Actually, more than that. The first and second princesses, even after mimicking the third’s illness, weren’t really interested in her. That’s hard to pull off.

“If they hated her so much out of pure jealousy that they’d go as far as mimicking her illness… they should’ve been badmouthing their sister. Or at least tried to harm her directly.”

If they were really mimicking her out of envy. They should’ve said things like, *I’m sicker than her,* or *She’s making things hard for everyone.* That’d make sense, right?

It must have been something closer to mass hysteria. They witnessed their sister sick, shared some symptoms because of ergot poisoning.

Then they probably thought, *Oh, I’m sick too, being sick is normal,* and kept up the act, don’t you think?

Istina kept scribbling something in her notebook.

“Ergot poisoning, lead poisoning, mass delusion.”

“Wanna know a secret, Istina?”

Istina nodded.

“Yeah!”

“The important thing is the patient, Istina.”

“Ah. Of course, right…?”

It’s obvious, but it’s easy to forget what that means in a real clinical setting.

When doctors work, sometimes they reduce patients to a collection of diseases.

Our job isn’t just fighting illnesses, it’s sending the patient home healthy as a result. The latter’s way more important.

“You only study the disease to the extent it helps the patient. Right now, we need to be thinking about how to help the patient.”

Istina still looked like she didn’t understand what I was saying.

Unlike those two faking it, Erzsébet is still sick now. If there were questions about this case, it should be about *her*.

“Huh?”

“Instead of asking about the causes of a past lie, you should’ve asked about the patient who’s being admitted. Erzsébet is still sick.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry, but.”

Istina hesitated for a moment before putting her notebook back in her pocket. She looked a little apologetic. Whatever, forget it. Let’s get ready to head back to the hospital.

The third princess, Erzsébet, has to go back to the hospital with me and be admitted. We need to leave soon, but she still seems to have questions.

“Doctor.”

“Yes.”

“What is the disease I have? If possible, please explain in detail.”

“It’s called Wilson’s disease, it’s a disease where copper doesn’t metabolize properly and builds up in the body. When copper accumulates in the eyes, it creates golden rings around the iris, like you have.”

“Huh. I thought it looked pretty.”

“Whether or not it’s a flaw in your appearance, it’s caused by the disease.”

Erzsebet let out a small sigh, her troubled, golden eyes glinting.

“What’s the treatment?”

“There’s no real cure. Avoid foods high in copper, and take medication to regularly flush the copper out of your system.”

“That sounds difficult.”

“I wish I had better news.”

“That was a canned line, wasn’t it?”

Erzsebet looked at me triumphantly, as if she’d caught me out.

How did she know? It wasn’t a line I’d specifically prepared, but it was something straight out of a textbook.

“It’s a line from a textbook, yes.”

“I knew it.”

Erzsebet hesitated for a long moment.

“Does the doctor think we’re pathetic?”

“No.”

I didn’t feel that way about Erzsebet. The first and second princesses, who’d faked their illnesses, were a little…I did think that a little.

Just a little.

I see so many critically ill patients, it’s highly likely the moment I see them is the worst moment of their lives. It’s not right to make judgments based on their most vulnerable moments.

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“My sister, Emilie, once told me something. She said I was the smartest of the three of us, so it would be best if I became the next head of the house.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“I just want you to know. I don’t think my sisters were just faking being sick for attention…!”

“Okay.”

“You don’t seem to believe me.”

The first and second princesses are mentally ill, and the third princess has a neurological disorder. All three of them have recently been using drugs too.

It was hard to believe anything the princesses said anymore. It was an interesting story, though.

Could it mean her sisters were acting crazy to push the youngest forward? I think I heard something similar in the history surrounding King Sejong.

It was ironic, in a way.

The youngest, who they tried to push as the smartest, was actually adopted, and she brought in the tainted blood of a fallen family with genetic illnesses.

I can’t be sure if this is even true. It could just be the youngest princess’s wishful thinking. It’s a much cooler and easier narrative to understand if her two older sisters went crazy for *her* sake, rather than simply faking an illness, right?

“Do you want to be the head of the family, Princess?”

“Why?”

“Just asking.”

“What if I said yes?”

“After you’re hospitalized this time, I could tell the Duke you’ve completely recovered.”

“Ah.”

Is she an idiot?

I don’t know if she’s too young to think that far ahead, or if she just has poor judgment, but if the third princess’s illness is not going to disqualify her, my word is going to be essential.

“What do I need to do?”

“After you’re hospitalized, focus on getting treated, I’ll give you whatever you want, patient.”

Erzsebet nodded.

“Okay… wait, why are you telling me to get treated so savagely?”

“The people in your family. They don’t seem like the type to listen if you speak nicely.”

Erzsebet, hearing this, awkwardly avoided my gaze. Seemed she’d run out of things to say.

I’d been agonizing for a while because of these people.

They had several illnesses piled on, and all three had slightly different ones. Erzsebet looked back at me.

“Can they really get better?”

“Yes.”

Wilson’s disease isn’t a curable disease, but ultimately, all the symptoms appear due to the accumulation of copper in the body. You just need to remove the copper.

Administering penicillamine, which can remove copper accumulated in the body, and to avoid copper accumulation, they have to eat food with minimal copper. They also need to avoid things like alcohol that puts a burden on the liver or kidneys.

“It’s genetic, isn’t it? Isn’t it imprinted in their blood? Is it really possible to get better?”

“It’s not a cure. It requires management.”

“So, what do you do?”

Her tone was brusque. Truthfully, I also need to think it through a bit. I don’t always have every treatment for every illness memorized.

For example. I can’t immediately recall which foods are low in copper and which are high in it. I’ll figure it out when I get back to the Academy.

“Take your medicine diligently, avoid certain foods, and avoid alcohol and cigarettes since they’re bad for the liver.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s about it. What were you expecting?”

Erzsebet stared into the distance.

We soon arrived at the Academy. I got out of the carriage. Erzsebet, getting out behind me, stumbled as she was getting down.

That’s a symptom of Wilson’s disease too, how did I miss that? Motor skills are also an issue. I rushed to Erzsebet’s side, who was holding onto her knee.

“Are you alright? Should I help you?”

“Yeah. No.”

It looked like there was a risk of a fall, but I couldn’t exactly hold onto her if she didn’t want to be. I scratched my head a little.

“Well, you could get seriously hurt if you fall. If you get admitted, we can give you crutches.”

Erzsébet shook her head.

“Thank you. But I’ve always been like this.”

“That’s why you’re a patient.”

Anyway. We started walking towards the academy… and someone was waiting by the entrance of the academy. Holding a parasol.

“Teacher, you’re here.”

It was Mint. I bowed my head in greeting. Mint looked at me, then at Erzsébet limping behind me.

“Who’s that, a new grad student? Your lover?”

“She’s a patient. Watch your mouth.”

“Geez.”

Mint grabbed my sleeve and pulled me into the academy. With a patient having trouble walking. Should I just leave Erzsébet behind?

I turned to look at Erzsébet, and it looked like Istina was taking care of the patient, walking towards the hospital. Good thing.

Mint looked up at me.

“I was bored without you for a few days.”