Doctor Hailey

Kai darted past Hailey before she could catch him, already out the door.

“Your Highness!”

She called out, but Kai was already too far away. David and the two guards followed him outside.

“Lady Hailey.”

Lihael approached her with a slightly tense expression.

“His Highness looked unwell. Will he be okay?” Hailey asked.

“He’ll be fine.”

“When I saw him last night, he didn’t look well either. I should have done a check-up then…”

“Lady Hailey.”

Lihael’s voice interrupted her, and she widened her eyes in surprise.

“Yes?”

“You’re not an official doctor yet.”

Lihael’s words pierced her like a needle.

She staggered slightly, her grip on the stethoscope loosening. It rolled across the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

She sat on the bed naturally, pressing her temples with her fingers.

Lihael wasn’t wrong.

There was only one way to become a doctor in the Empire: graduate from the Medical Academy. The diploma was the medical license.

She had enrolled this year and was about to graduate after passing the exams in just one year, having been allocated a private research lab typically reserved for top graduates.

Her medical knowledge and experimental results had overwhelmed the professors from the start. No one doubted her skills as a doctor.

But…

“I was just surprised, realizing I’m not officially a doctor yet.”

She had always seen herself as a doctor.

Her past life’s memories were so vivid, and not performing surgeries in this life felt oddly unfamiliar.

“Really? Since you passed the exams, I understand. You must have been eager.”

Lihael said, surprised.

“Yes, I guess I was too eager.”

She laughed awkwardly.

She had always stepped forward with the mindset that a doctor couldn’t ignore a patient, whether it was Paelo, Tersa, or the Crown Prince.

She had proclaimed herself Dr. Hailey, yet she wasn’t officially one, which surprised and embarrassed her.

She picked up the stethoscope from the floor, thoughts of the suddenly disappearing Crown Prince filling her mind.

Why did he leave so abruptly when he was receiving treatment?

“Why did His Highness leave so suddenly?” Hailey asked.

Lihael pondered deeply, lost in thought.

She waited patiently, knowing that Lihael, who knew the Crown Prince better, might guess the reason for his sudden departure.

She mentally reviewed her actions, wondering if she had made a mistake during the treatment.

“Ah, I see!” Lihael exclaimed.

Hailey’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Do you know the reason?” she asked eagerly.

“I’m not sure, but Kai tends to be very shy.”

“Shy?”

Hailey tilted her head. How did shyness relate to running out during treatment? Her eyes were filled with confusion.

“Honestly, I’m not sure either.”

Lihael scratched his head.

Hailey sighed softly. Even if they figured out the reason now, there wasn’t much they could do. She was just worried about the Crown Prince’s health, having not properly examined him.

She hadn’t done much of a check-up or listened to his symptoms properly. He clearly looked ill. She decided to ensure a proper examination if she got another chance to see him.

***

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Kai shook his head, closing his eyes tightly against Hailey’s persistent image.

Yet, her eyes, filled with concern, wouldn’t leave his mind.

Her voice still echoed in his ears.

Kai placed his hand over his heart, taking a deep breath. His heart was racing too fast.

“David.”

“Pant, pant. Yes, Your Highness.”

David’s voice came from behind. Kai turned to see him catching his breath.

“You ran so fast to get here… Pant… It’s hard for me to keep up.”

Kai squinted at the distant resting place building.

When did I run so fast to get here?

He placed his hand on his chest and nodded.

‘I must have run here in a panic.’

David caught his breath and stood before Kai.

“Your Highness, are you really alright? I was surprised that Lady Hailey Salisbury seemed to notice your condition.”

Kai’s face hardened.

His health was a top-secret matter.

Just as the Emperor’s health was publicly known as always being good, so was the Crown Prince’s.

Any concerns about the Emperor’s or Crown Prince’s health could have unpredictable consequences.

“She seemed to notice?”

“I don’t think so. She seemed like a bit of a quack. A fraud?”

Kai frowned at David’s words.

“A quack? A fraud?”

“Yes. She tried to take your clothes off using some strange device.”

Kai was speechless.

He remembered her words just before she touched his forehead.

***

“Please lift his upper garment.”

***

Her calm eyes as she said that came back to him.

‘Did she… ask all patients to do that?’

Kai shook his head.

No, that couldn’t be.

It was hard to believe that Lady Hailey Salisbury from the prestigious Salisbury family would do such an embarrassing thing in the name of treatment.

“David.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Has Lady Hailey Salisbury graduated from the Medical Academy?”

“She’s about to graduate early. The Salisbury family is an influential one, and we’ve been receiving regular updates about her. It seems she really intends to become a doctor.”

David continued.

“A noble lady, especially the sole heir of the Salisbury family, becoming just a doctor…”

“David.”

“Yes.”

David quickly shut his mouth.

Kai furrowed his brow.

She hadn’t graduated yet, so she wasn’t officially a doctor. It was illegal for non-doctors to perform medical treatments in the Empire.

And… nobles rarely sought treatment from doctors, preferring the church when they were ill.

‘But what if other men…?’

***

“Please lift his upper garment.”
“Your Highness, are you alright?”

***

Her innocent expression and calm demeanor as she touched his forehead flashed in his mind.

“No!”

“Huh?”

Kai shook his head and clenched his fist.

“David! Bring Lady Hailey Salisbury to me!”