DMEC | Chapter 15

Eliza’s eyes widened in surprise. A carriage adorned with the white rose of the Ragnus family…

The emperor had summoned him.

Eliza wasn’t directly responsible for the emperor’s care; he was more like a merchant—someone who tended to the people working in the palace and the nobles, while also running a private clinic outside.

Even among doctors, there are different levels. So why me? Are they trying to promote me?

But if I get promoted… I won’t be able to run my profitable clinic.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Eliza arrived at the Central Palace—specifically, at the emperor’s bedroom.

It was his first time seeing the splendid Central Palace, and his eyes darted around in awe. After a moment, the door opened without anyone pulling it, revealing a dazzlingly handsome man sitting on a red velvet chair engraved with a white rose.

It was Emperor Joel Ragnus.

Freshly bathed, he wore a white bathrobe and the emperor’s signature white silk gloves, sipping on a drink. As he beckoned Eliza over with a finger, Eliza suddenly found himself pulled forward—as if by an invisible rope—until he was standing right in front of the emperor.

Eliza gasped in fear, but Joel Ragnus continued drinking without much reaction and spoke.

“You need to take care of my child for a while.”

“…Pardon?”

The emperor wasn’t known for his kindness. He picked up a box wrapped in luxurious silk from the table and handed it to Eliza, speaking clearly.

“My child is currently alone in the northern Water Palace. He’s severely injured his foot, making it difficult for him to move, and proper treatment is impossible, so by now, it’s likely infected.”

The emperor, who had been speaking smoothly until then, looked at the box and spoke in a sullen voice.

“This box contains leather shoes made by Planko… I have to say that Alexander the knight commander gave them, not me. Absolutely.”

Isn’t it usual to say the emperor gave it? That alone would make the ladies squeal with delight.

The women who frequented the emperor’s bedroom each month received gifts from him, cried, and left. But this time, the box contained shoes—for a young boy.

Shoes for a young boy… The Northern Palace.

Water Palace.

There lived a person who was like a legend. Or rather, someone whose existence was uncertain—even to the palace staff.

It was the queen.

Why was the emperor asking him to treat the queen’s injury in this weather?

Why was he calling the queen his child in such an embarrassing way?

And why was he giving new leather shoes to the queen?

Eliza didn’t understand any of it, but he wisely chose not to ask questions.

He simply replied, “Yes, yes.”

The emperor, looking at Eliza with narrowed eyes—eyes that seemed to view him as nothing more than a flaky merchant—slammed the box lid shut and spoke in a sharp voice.

“You must never reveal to that child that I am Joel Ragnus. Understood?”

It was an absurd lie.

Allowing him to enter the Northern Palace, bringing shoes from Planko—which even nobles found hard to obtain—and then claiming it was from Alexander, the knight commander? It had to make sense!

Eliza, trembling in fear, couldn’t bring himself to lie and spoke in a shaking voice.

“But in this country, there’s no one with such a striking appearance—blond hair and emerald eyes—except Your Majesty. And the queen would know that better than anyone.”

Unable to put into words just how famous the emperor’s appearance was, Eliza lowered his gaze. The emperor tapped the desk. The sound mixed with the rain pouring outside.

The emperor, resting his chin on his hand, stared out at the rain-soaked Emperor’s Forest to the north for a long time, before leaning back to look at his loyal friend, cousin, and blood relative—Alexander.

The emperor’s eyes gradually narrowed.

Although not perfectly blond, Alexander had dirty blond hair streaked with brown, and his eyes were a bright green that, in the right light, could appear emerald.

He had inherited the Ragnus family’s signature blond hair and emerald eyes…

“Hey, Eliza.”

The emperor called Eliza. As Eliza cautiously raised his head, the emperor pointed his thumb at Alexander, who stood behind him, and spoke with a natural smile.

“Alex also has blond hair and emerald eyes, right? He’s my cousin on my father’s side, so it’s not a lie.”

Eliza and Alexander, the knight commander, remained silent.

It was hard to say that Alexander resembled Emperor Joel Ragnus. Their appearances and coloring were far too different.

Alexander tied his messy blond hair—mixed with brown and gold—into a single ponytail, and his beard was so full it covered his chin from ear to ear. He was so large that people called him a walking bear, and anyone could recognize him as Alexander the knight commander just by the sound of his armor echoing from the palace entrance.

In contrast, Emperor Joel Ragnus was like a living god—a man so beautiful and splendid that he was said to be unmatched.

When he smiled, it felt like the sun was shining, even on a rainy, gloomy day.

“…Pardon?”

It was an absurd lie. They didn’t resemble each other enough to be guessed as cousins. One was a god, the other a bear. Eliza had no confidence, no confidence to lie.

Eliza muttered as he looked at the two men.

“But my conscience won’t allow…”

“Conscience? That’s a conscience you keep for your patients, not for my identity, right? Just make something up, say I’m Alexander.”

The emperor waved his hand dismissively, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. His slightly upturned lips made him look like a threatening back-alley thug.

“His foot is badly injured. With the rain, his skin must be inflamed, and pus will form. Treat that. And since I brought these pretty leather shoes, you must—absolutely—say that Alexander, the knight commander, gave them. Got it? And don’t forget to praise Alexander the knight commander.”

Eliza from the palace widened his eyes at the elegant leather shoes the emperor handed him. He touched them with his thumb, feeling a texture as soft as silk. The leather was so smooth it slid effortlessly beneath his fingers—evidence of how many times the craftsman had tanned it.

As Eliza’s eyes sparkled at the exquisite leather, the emperor stomped his foot to regain his attention. Joel pointed at himself with his index finger and spoke in a disinterested voice.

“Make sure to say I gave it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

The emperor, true to his fiery nature, got angry.

“No! I said they’re leather shoes given by Alexander, the knight commander! If you say Joel Ragnus gave them, that child will gladly accept! The one who cast the shackle magic and trapped him there for ten years—that child will easily… Ugh!”

The emperor clutched his chest, gasping as the heart pain flared up again. His head throbbed. The pain felt like sharp shards of glass were shifting inside his skull. Holding his head, the emperor frowned and muttered to Eliza,

“You must… say that Alexander the knight commander gave them.”

And then the emperor, unable to withstand the headache, fainted.

Alexander sighed with an exasperated expression, hoisted the emperor over his shoulder, and carried him to the bedroom.

That was Eliza’s last memory.

Unable to lie, he awkwardly tied the leather shoelaces and treated the right foot—sneaking glances at the queen’s beautiful face.

Surprisingly, the queen believed his words completely and looked at ease.

No—when he looked at the boy’s leather shoes, perfectly fitted on his left foot, and saw him blushing and smiling… Eliza couldn’t help but stare.

His gaze was so persistent that Anna, watching nearby, had to spill Lute’s long hair forward like a ghostly figure just to block it.

Snapping back to his senses, Eliza took out a large bottle from his medical bag. The label on the bottle simply read: Alcohol – Disinfectant.

Anna had gone to sell potatoes to get that…

Come to think of it, where did Melik go?

“Anna, ugh!”

The moment he called Anna, the sensation of the disinfectant touching the sole of his foot sent a tingling shock through his body. The pain brought tears to Lute’s eyes. Eliza, seeing Lute grimace in pain, swallowed dryly and pressed the disinfectant a bit more firmly.

“Ah!”

Pus and blood flowed from the dirt-smeared wound. Unable to bear it, Lute burst into tears, burying himself in Anna’s arms.

“It hurts… Anna, it hurts so much…!”

“Of course it does! You went out to the fields with such a wound!”

Anna, displeased with the doctor’s sinister gaze, tucked Lute’s face into her embrace. Unaware, Lute trembled his injured foot and spoke.

“But they’re precious potatoes…! If I don’t harvest even one properly… Ah!”

“The pus is severe. There’s no choice. I’ll squeeze it all out, disinfect it, and wrap it properly with bandages, so make sure it doesn’t get wet. Understand? Until I come every day to disinfect and bandage it.”

Eliza paused for a moment, looking at Lute’s slender, tanned leg, and spoke in a voice soaked with moisture.

“No fieldwork. Don’t dig up potatoes.”

At the doctor’s words, Lute peeked out from Anna’s embrace.

His disheveled black hair, flushed cheeks, and tear-streaked blue eyes…

Every part of his body looked as if it had been touched by the hand of the goddess of beauty—no detail made carelessly.

As he blinked, more tears spilled, and Lute parted his lips.