Doctor Hailey

“…Your Highness?”

Hailey blinked and rubbed her eyes.

‘Is this real?’

She attempted to kneel, but her vision swayed, and her body floated unsteadily.

“Are you okay?”

A low voice whispered in her ear.

But her head throbbed and her ears were ringing. The cold dawn breeze vanished, replaced by a warm presence enveloping her.

Whether it was due to long-standing fatigue, her breath became short.

Behind the crown prince’s face, she saw a yellow sky, twinkling stars, and a purple moon. Strange, just a moment ago, the night sky was pitch black…

Kai had one arm around her waist, supporting her collapsing body.

If it weren’t for him, Hailey would have lost her balance and fallen to the ground.

Hailey brushed her reddening cheeks. She felt so hot it seemed her face might explode.

She tried to focus her scattered thoughts.

‘I’m so dizzy. Is it vasovagal syncope? Low blood pressure? Anemia? Malnutrition? Oh, no, anything but that. Not now. Get up!’

She tried to stand quickly, but oddly, she couldn’t muster strength in her legs.

“My Lady, you don’t look well.”

Kai gently pulled her closer.

Finally, Hailey managed to stand upright again.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

She quickly stepped back from Kai.

“You don’t need to adhere to formalities right now,” said the crown prince.

Hailey resisted the urge to nod vigorously.

“Thank you.”

She steadied herself again.

“What happened to your neck?”

Kai’s cold voice pierced her thoughts.

“What?”

Under Kai’s fierce gaze, she stepped back, touching her neck.

The sharp pain made her frown.

“Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing. A small incident in the prison.”

Hailey waved it off.

The spear barely pricked her skin, after all… It was more of a scratch, and the guard had actually shown leniency.

‘Considering everything, I couldn’t have argued if they mistook me for an escapee.’

She took a deep breath.

“Your Highness, you should probably leave now without any guards,” said the captain of the guard standing next to the crown prince.

Hailey’s eyes filled with curiosity. The crown prince wasn’t alone.

“The captain is right. We can inspect the prison tomorrow. And Lady Hailey.”

“Yes!”

She responded.

“What are you doing here?”

The prince’s even voice left Hailey momentarily speechless.

“Weren’t you temporarily imprisoned? This place holds first-class criminals, so why are you here?”

A first-class prison?

Her heart pounded. Without calming down, she felt like her heart might explode.

First-class prisons were for heinous criminals!

So, what about the flimsy locks? The security was incredibly poor.

Suppressing her thoughts, she forced an awkward smile.

“I entered the prison with the investigation team. I just found out this is a first-class prison. And the reason I’m out here is because of an emergency patient.”

Her voice grew calmer the longer she spoke.

One fact stood out as most important.

“An emergency patient?”

“Yes. If not treated promptly, he will die. Even though he’s a criminal, basic medical care is necessary, isn’t it?”

Kai nodded.

“You’re right, but it’s doubtful there’s a healer for criminals.”

“A healer is not needed.”

“Captain, do we have any doctors checking on the prisoners?”

“No.”

The captain glared at Hailey, who ignored his obvious displeasure.

“Healers or doctors are not needed. We need sugar, salt, and clean water.”

Hailey said firmly.

* * *

Hailey ran back to the prison.

Though her breathing grew labored, she didn’t slow down.

“Slow down!”

The guard’s voice called from behind, but she ignored it.

Reaching the first-class prisoner facility, she went inside.

She descended the stairs to the underground prison without hesitation.

Despite the darkness, she relied on the occasional torchlight to take two or three steps at a time.

“Nadia!”

Hailey called out loudly.

Nadia emerged from the prison and approached her.

“Where did you go…”

Nadia trailed off.

Following Nadia’s gaze, Hailey turned to see the guards panting behind her.

“Give it to me.”

Hailey frowned at the guards still catching their breath.

She grabbed the items from their hands and turned back to Nadia.

“Where’s the patient?”

“Oh, I’ve counted the numbers, but…”

“No, the urgent patient. Didn’t you call him ‘Chulsa’?”

“Chulsa! Yes, he lost consciousness after vomiting a few times.”

Hailey brushed past Nadia.

The patient was already showing severe dehydration symptoms.

‘Oral rehydration solution… should be effective.’

The cell door remained open.

As Hailey entered, the prisoners stepped away from the patient.

She knelt beside the patient.

“Sir! Can you hear me?”

“Chulsa! Answer! It’s a doctor!”

At their repeated calls, he groaned in response. Thankfully, he wasn’t completely unconscious.

Hailey gently lifted him.

“Hold him up.”

She told the other prisoners.

They quickly approached, propping the patient against the wall and holding him up.

Clean water mixed with salt and sugar could create an oral rehydration solution.

Hailey carefully opened the patient’s mouth.

She gently poured in small amounts of the solution.

“He drank so much water already.”

Nadia’s voice said.

“This disease is caused by contaminated water.”

“We burned blankets to boil water, but the dehydration continued…”

“Dehydration isn’t just about lacking water. It’s an electrolyte imbalance that needs correcting.”

Hailey explained. Nadia tilted her head.

“Electrolytes?”

“I’ll explain it slowly. How many more patients are there?”

Nadia clapped her hands in realization.

“About ten in this prison. Chulsa’s the worst. Three are in severe condition, five are progressing, and two just started vomiting.”

“Good. Start giving oral rehydration solution to the severe cases first.”

She stepped out of the cell.

“Nadia, help the guards give water to the patients. Help those with unclear consciousness drink slowly, and let those who can drink by themselves.”

“Got it.”

Nadia nodded.

“Is Chulsa okay?”

“Is he really going to be cured?”

Voices of worried prisoners filled Hailey’s head, making her dizzy again.

“Quiet! There are many patients! Stay quiet so we can focus on treatment!”

The prisoners fell silent.

When she first entered the prison, they were throwing insults, but now…

“Nadia, after giving the solution to severe patients, please help the guards check the whole prison.”

“The whole prison?”

“Yes. We need to identify all the sick ones. Others might show symptoms soon.”

“It’s contagious, right? The disease is spreading?”

Hailey nodded.

“Yes, so everyone must work together to overcome it. Everyone needs to honestly report their condition. Having Nadia and the guards will help them speak truthfully.”

She recalled her conversation with the crown prince and bit her lip.

“I’ll go back up now.”