Doctor Hailey

“Chief Investigator Grand. Prisoner Hailey, shut up and follow me.”

Wow, this is totally unexpected violence.

Hailey gently touched her burning cheeks.

Her cheeks burned so badly on both sides that she couldn’t even speak.

“Move. Follow quietly before I drag you like a dog.”

Hailey trailed after Grand, gently rubbing her burning cheeks.

Witnessing the use of force made further communication seem pointless.

When had she last been beaten?

Memories of her past life flooded back.

A cruel stepmother.

Kim Hyejin, who only got three strikes in surgery.

She had been beaten for no reason, raised without knowing who her parents were or where they were. She barely ate a spoonful of food without fear.

Fortunately, there was hope after she started school.

She clung to her studies, desperate to get into medical school and become a doctor.

She continued to live in madness: a life consumed by research and surgery.

Now reborn as Hailey, heir to the prestigious Salisbury family of the Empire, she was a noble lady who had never been beaten in her life.

Of course, she was a noble lady who had never been beaten in her life.

After remembering her past life, she overcame her confusion and began to think about happiness.

The mere existence of her parents brought her more joy than a wealthy life.

She learned love from them for the first time.

In this life, there was no need to study until death, and being a doctor wasn’t exactly a desirable profession in this world, but her decision to become a doctor again was thanks to her mother.

Because she couldn’t fix her mother with the medical standards of the Raven Empire.

Hailey wanted to raise the medical standards of the Empire.

It was a greater goal than any achievement in her past life, much more difficult and daunting in practice.

Countless people dying from minor illnesses also forced her to pick up medical textbooks.

Even in Korea, as a doctor, she couldn’t turn away patients in need.

But as a noble lady, it was an incredibly unique decision.

Ordinary noble ladies entered comprehensive academies to study nobility and various other cultural subjects.

Their connections from the academy naturally led them into high society.

Of course, for Hailey, that was just someone else’s business.

She didn’t even enter high society.

The Countess of Salisbury herself was not in good health and distant from high society, so there was no pressure for her to enter high society.

It was an ideal environment in which to study.

She never imagined it would turn out like this, not even in her dreams.

“Hurry up and come with me. This is your last warning.”

Hailey was about to follow Grand’s gruff warning.

One of the passing knights threw a box into the corridor.

Hailey clenched her fists.

“Don’t be careless with my things!”

While she couldn’t help being robbed, she couldn’t tolerate her research notes being torn up or everything she’d studied being burned.

“Chief Investigator!”

Hailey called out to him.

“I’ll allow you to take my things for investigation, but if you damage them, I won’t let it go.”

Grand sneered dismissively, “You don’t have to worry about damage. That’s my concern, not yours. Until I prove your guilt in court, I’ll keep them safe, so don’t worry.”

Hailey remained silent.

After all, she had kept the crucial notes separate at home.

The problem lay in the herbal proportions she had recently mixed…

She could recall them quickly. They were her own experiments.

She continued down the corridor, following Grand.

Students peeked their heads through doorways to observe, but none spoke or offered help.

Hailey nodded slightly when her eyes met theirs.

Some awkwardly lowered their heads, others hastily closed their doors.

Even at the Medical Academy, she wasn’t greeted warmly.

Most of the students were commoners.

As the heir to the prestigious Salisbury family, she naturally kept a certain distance from her peers.

Soon, Hailey and Grand left the Academy building.

Although the wind was cold, the sunlight was comforting.

“Since this may be the last time you see sunlight, shall we take a moment to enjoy it?” Grand chuckled.

Instead of answering, Hailey glanced up at the sky.

When had she last seen a sky this clear?

She had been holed up in the research lab for a while, immersed in anesthetic research, even taking her meals at her desk.

Feeling a sudden sense of injustice, Hailey turned her gaze to Grand.

“Please summon a messenger. I wish to contact my father. I want to tell him that I overheard someone lamenting the last of the sunlight. I long to hear my father’s voice.”

She couldn’t just obediently comply.

***

Speaking her mind boldly only earned her another blow. Three in all.

She understood well that the authority of the Imperial Investigation Authority was strong enough to intimidate even her, someone who remained indifferent to politics.

Massaging her swollen cheek, Hailey scanned her surroundings.

The prison felt oppressively dark and damp from her long stay.

Cold drafts emanated from the floor, and as she leaned against the wall, she closed her eyes.

“I need to operate on my mother as soon as possible.”

A small sigh escaped her lips.

How wonderful it would be if, like in her former life in Korea, everything was ready the moment she entered the operating room.

She was board certified in general surgery, neurosurgery, and thoracic surgery, and had performed countless surgeries at home.

However, in her past life, she abruptly left the hospital and joined a non-governmental organization. She couldn’t remember why.

Thanks to that, she became adept at handling emergencies, surpassing even most emergency doctors.

Her last memory of her former life was being shot while operating in an NGO tent.

It was a useless death, but she didn’t feel wronged.

Her only regret was not knowing the outcome of the patient she had operated on before her death.

Still, the surgery had been successful, leaving only the stitches.

Hailey’s voice rang out in the midst of the unexpected commotion, causing her to open her eyes and sit up slightly.

“Hetos! If you resist again, you won’t be able to go in quietly.”

Hailey chuckled softly. The name sounded familiar.

A short time later, a scruffy-looking man, accompanied by two prison guards, walked past her cell.

“What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?” one of the guards laughed, apparently familiar with the man named Hetos.

Looking closely at Hetos’ face, Hailey’s eyes widened in recognition.

Wait, if this is Hetos…

“I didn’t do anything! The blacksmith started a fight.”

“But why were you brought here?”

“I was dragged here right after I set up the forge, how should I know! The one who brought me here knows!”

“Hetos! Hetos! The blacksmith, Hetos!”

Hailey shouted loudly, causing all three to turn and look at her simultaneously.

Leaning against the bars, Hailey’s face lit up with excitement as she looked at Hetos.

“Dr. Hailey here! I’m from the Medical Academy. Oh, for now, I’m briefly associated with Hetos and the prison. Nice to meet you.”

Confusion filled Hetos’ eyes.

Hailey reached her hand through the bars.

“What… are you doing?”

“Let’s shake hands.”

After all this searching, to meet here in prison of all places!