Doctor Hailey

As Faello’s eyes widened, Hailey suppressed a chuckle and stifled a dry cough.

“Our father… I mean, Count Salisbury visiting the blacksmith and these people being taken to the prison, what’s the connection?”

Hailey modulated her tone.

“Then… are you really the heir of the Salisbury family?”

Hethos paused.

Hailey grinned.

“Is the naive noble lady more high-handed than I thought?”

“It’s not that.”

Hailey’s eyes lit up as she watched Hethos avoid her gaze.

A relaxed smile graced her features.

“Indeed, the Salisbury family boasts a noble lineage.”

“Are there people who don’t know that the Salisbury family is a noble lineage in the Empire?”

“I notice your tone has become quite polite.”

Hailey’s lips curled.

“I’m usually polite.”

“Yes. Yes, you are?”

“Anyway, what brings you to this prison?”

“Me?”

Hailey chuckled. Me?

She just touched her own forearm. It felt awkward to use the title she always heard.

“What do you usually call me?”

“Um, nothing.”

She waved her hand.

“Why are you here? Were you arrested and brought here? No, I asked first!”

Hailey leaned through the bars and addressed the newly arrived prisoner.

“Did you say your name was Faello? You were brought here because of our father, right?”

“Well, it’s not necessarily because of the count… I mean, it’s because of Count…”

“No, this guy! What’s your crime? Why are you hesitating so much?”

Hailey frowned.

The noise was so loud that she almost instinctively covered her ears for a moment.

“My ear hurts.”

“I’m sorry.”

She held out her hand to Faello, apologizing instead of addressing Hethos.

No need to bow so low.

“No, it’s okay. Anyway, Faello, right?”

“Yes. It’s Faello, Miss.”

She nodded.

“What happened to Dad?”

She was really curious.

Her father wouldn’t persecute commoners under his authority.

The Salisbury family domain was considered a paradise for commoners.

Taxes were minimal, and they offered extensive support to the commoners.

It would be hard to believe that she was imprisoned because of Count Salisbury.

“The count is innocent!”

“Well…”

“The count is innocent!”

“No…”

Hailey tried to speak further, but Hethos intervened and silenced her.

She closed her mouth.

“Faello! Snap out of it!”

She narrowed her eyes at Hethos’ words.

“Ugh, there’s nothing wrong! Nothing is wrong.”

“Faello! It’s okay! Pull yourself together! Quickly!”

Hethos’ voice grew louder, but Hailey refrained from covering her ears.

“My stomach, my stomach hurts!”

An attack followed by sudden abdominal pain from overwhelming fear.

“Faello! Hey, guard! Guard!”

Hethos’ cry echoed through the prison.

A guard walked briskly down the corridor.

“Guard! Get the warden at once!”

Hethos yelled.

Hailey didn’t take her eyes off Faello.

Full body convulsions, foaming at the mouth…

“Put him down, please.”

Hailey told the guard.

“For me… Did you just say that?”

“Yes! Put him on his side!”

The guard nodded in surprise.

He turned Faello’s body to lay him down.

“He’s breathing, but this looks like something more… demonic.”

Hethos glared at the guard’s words.

“Demonic! That’s not it!”

“It must be demonic. People possessed by demons have fits like this!”

The guard stepped away from Faello.

“Not demonic, so don’t worry.”

Hethos’ eyes widened in response to Hailey’s words.

“I am Doctor Hailey. Remove his tongue, patient. It shouldn’t be blocking the airway!”

“Ahh! It’s a demon! A demon! The demon is here!”

The guard shouted in horror.

She glared at the guard in frustration.

“Shut up and open the door!”

“Right now…”

“Open the door!”

Epilepsy.

In Korea, the term “epilepsy” had long been abandoned due to the social stigma that fostered hatred.

Demon possessed!

In the Empire, where medical standards were much lower than in Korea, epilepsy patients were often treated as possessed by demons or cursed by witches.

Once labeled as demon-possessed or cursed by witches Before succumbing to epilepsy, they were often condemned to execution or fatally beaten by others.

“He’s just a patient! Not possessed by a demon! You brought him here while you were beating him!”

Her voice grew cold.

“No, no!”

“I saw you kick him! And you’re not the warden, do you know what happens when you casually talk about demons?”

The guard’s face paled. She pointed at the castle.

“Quickly!”

The guard hurriedly approached and opened the door.

She pushed the guard aside and went over to Faello.

He was on his side, but his airway wasn’t properly secured.

Without delay, she secured Faello’s airway and stabilized his breathing.

His body twisted, fingers and toes curled up, a telltale sign of an epileptic seizure.

She removed Faello’s outer clothing.

She tried to remove his pants, but the belt wouldn’t come off properly.

“Undo this!”

“Oh, um… yes!”

Quickly, Hethos unbuckled Faello’s belt.

With time, his seizure gradually subsided.

With a sigh, Hailey wiped the sweat from her brow.

“It should be okay now.”

She then locked eyes with the guard.

“It’s because of your attack.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Enough, just go. Inform my father properly and then inform me.”

“Yes, Miss.”

The guard bowed and, watching Hailey carefully, slowly got up and left the prison.

“He’s leaving without locking him up again.”

She chuckled.

“Thank you.”

Hethos said.

Hailey looked down at the unconscious Faello.

“Not the first time, is it?”

Hethos remained silent.

She locked eyes with Hethos.

“Is this a recurring event?”

“This is not the first time.”

Hailey swallowed her words.

She could make any diagnosis for the patient, even knew the treatment methods, and had performed the same operation countless times.

But here, in this realm…

There wasn’t much she could do for epileptic patients.

Facing such situations unexpectedly made her feel discouraged and anxious.

Dr. Kim Hyejin never approached an operating table with the intention of giving up on a patient, no matter how difficult the procedure.

A doctor never gives up on a patient. That’s a doctor’s duty.

The same was true for Dr. Hailey.

There must be a reason why this patient was brought to her.

“When he wakes up, do you remember anything?”

“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.”

Hailey nodded, clenching and unclenching her hand.

Countless patients had been saved by these hands.

Countless patients had died because of these hands.

Could she operate here? Had she studied anesthesiology instead of focusing solely on surgery…

Hailey found it ironic that she was now regretting her past choices.

“You’re the first one to say that my brother… isn’t possessed by a demon.”

“Because he isn’t.”

Hailey locked eyes with Hethos.

“In the future, please answer my questions truthfully.”