DMEC | Chapter 15

Eliza’s eyes widened in 4ed3503b2d surprise. A carriage adorned 97eebcf384 with the white ae925d130c rose of the 164263efd5 Ragnus family…e85622daa5050d06

The emperor 165d8a4521 had summoned 067569d415 him.979bc47a717d1a64

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Eliza wasn’t directly responsible c2a2f54e9d for the emperor’s care; 5601bcbae8 he was more like 9adb6fc7a3 a merchant—someone who tended c709237dd8 to the people working 4833998843 in the palace and be64a50e91 the nobles, while also d79a90176e running a private clinic 16cd62d878 outside.92ca9fe21bf03e91

Even among doctors, there 2e7cfc90e3 are different levels. So why me? Are they trying 6a362c3983 to promote me?2059df72974fbbca

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But if I d757e365b9 get promoted… I acc55fc7f3 won’t be able aa592ff14f to run my 2a21a5d951 profitable clinic.2c51b55951860f79

With these thoughts 576bc534a8 swirling in his e4dee6cfc8 mind, Eliza arrived a7b9454a90 at the Central b8a9ae3a5b Palace—specifically, at the d6a6ebef00 emperor’s bedroom.7758c1c7f4cde01e

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It was his first c182e9f473 time seeing the splendid e8e70ca413 Central Palace, and his 7041a8f060 eyes darted around in f3863a182d awe. After a f704d07beb moment, the 95b88cfa34 door opened e60c7a5620 without anyone 9227f070e7 pulling it, 794c8f7e78 revealing a f6b0252a9f dazzlingly handsome b34a66cf23 man sitting c7b319c432 on a cc68b634a5 red velvet 9daa320654 chair engraved cf17fc2d6b with a 6505d8f94a white rose.eb213f3abfaffdcf

It was Emperor a7ac8c28dd Joel Ragnus.a47ba2abee4f77fd

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Freshly bathed, he af7a2b6dc4 wore a white beeabc0520 bathrobe and the 5108c31046 emperor’s signature white 55818e145a silk gloves, sipping a3c0070d49 on a drink. As he beckoned a3d0885e0b Eliza over with 39a5b77d80 a finger, Eliza 5a24429bc5 suddenly found himself afb54cd253 pulled forward—as if 119b4c1e11 by an invisible 4f57dd57d8 rope—until he was 0231cbce2e standing right in 8601ac672d front of the 9f3c1f8570 emperor.1666c3d423778c14

Eliza gasped in 4db06a8fc0 fear, but Joel cac27f4deb Ragnus continued drinking d847e56d69 without much reaction 1fb8016e33 and spoke.ac34b09f67759337

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“You need to take care of my child for a while.”e5b591437acf2e93

“…Pardon?”85553135a549dcac

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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.65483e7533aeff44

“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.”baa608578d988757

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The emperor, who had 39f3444191 been speaking smoothly until 90a2c20d98 then, looked at the 17c7eb4c8f box and spoke in 00d6ac7b87 a sullen voice.b164212e0416fa6b

“This box contains leather shoes made by Planko… I have to say that Alexander the knight commander gave them, not me. Absolutely.”b76917927f858931

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Isn’t it usual to a7f7ffd5fb say the emperor gave cf339a2760 it? That alone eca6bd01b3 would make aea36397f9 the ladies deb46ed6f6 squeal with 1506f584f8 delight.4429ca1c29bd7bed

The women who frequented ec7de4258c the emperor’s bedroom each 63b4cfe13f month received gifts from 932a7b6a5e him, cried, and left. But this 0fa450679b time, the 2bcd51180b box contained c6f3e46328 shoes—for a 2baafaf59c young boy.a5428515f244cbb0

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Shoes for a young ec43d80392 boy… The Northern Palace.a433a2025572ecfc

Water Palace.6415ec2ad7739bc2

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There lived a 22a72a0c7f person who was 09145d79a7 like a legend. Or rather, someone whose b688beac56 existence was uncertain—even to f29836bd22 the palace staff.389a6109698d9eb7

It was ef184cadee the queen.fee65c5438a904ac

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Why was the emperor 74993cfbfa asking him to treat 9a6dc6a61c the queen’s injury in 64e91627ac this weather?e6025029b908d2ba

Why was d4d88bef59 he calling e89f598a31 the queen aca476f43f his child dcd4ecb1af in such 3958b5dc0f an embarrassing 88b6861485 way?03dac84793c87614

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And why 28d7335982 was he d250103b23 giving new 09b2b4715e leather shoes b9787c6214 to the 3df5a79672 queen?5af62ccfbc1eb7fa

Eliza didn’t 0d3b5adb7f understand any 348b45d465 of it, a844098a9f but he 360f84643c wisely chose 83ced46346 not to 3e08624f17 ask questions.3b8fb851d90698a1

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He simply replied, 28be703cd8 “Yes, yes.”ef950bdaf7fcd6d4

The emperor, looking at 7cb247e61f Eliza with narrowed eyes—eyes 90dc407a49 that seemed to view 5a6b91d87a him as nothing more bb17deb239 than a flaky merchant—slammed 4c3bbe1816 the box lid shut 4d40be8f60 and spoke in a d46d3e10fd sharp voice.803d290730c252c2

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“You must never reveal to that child that I am Joel Ragnus. Understood?”7ce81eb83c3e2a74

It was an fdf74494fa absurd lie.57b26641ba5e71fa

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Allowing him 97c1903743 to enter 1666638858 the Northern d1a4d18254 Palace, bringing 51c48b3958 shoes from f82e757a2a Planko—which even ba40a8e3c0 nobles found 78903df6b7 hard to 69f8b44a55 obtain—and then b32a7cffed claiming it 42246783e0 was from 486e91703f Alexander, the e5d20849a9 knight commander? It had eca9219dd0 to make d5024ec173 sense!890cb2f159351e02

Eliza, trembling in fear, 1bbaf456c4 couldn’t bring himself to 03bc8af680 lie and spoke in d733bc7b56 a shaking voice.5de7bbfb3a1d783a

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“But in d1d02bde67 this country, 280d33680d there’s no 2b0aaea1b3 one with 6aa28ddc47 such a eecf713eff striking appearance—blond a58e0a81fe hair and f2884c76d3 emerald eyes—except d408d0cfea Your Majesty. And the a625fbd3d6 queen would 300b99e069 know that 24127dc206 better than 5627db7c57 anyone.”468d028d0911ad76

Unable to put 90adefb5eb into words just 42b8f54708 how famous the b367f41543 emperor’s appearance was, b256f162a5 Eliza lowered his 5e232d5906 gaze. The emperor e8477e87c1 tapped the 54e25a5ac6 desk. The sound mixed 3867b03c17 with the rain 8a6ffad9f5 pouring outside.d53d219b13506e05

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The emperor, resting 38452195a6 his chin on d5d46c6a83 his hand, stared f96552f44d out at the 72c6a0df91 rain-soaked Emperor’s Forest eba380059d to the north b0f03152a9 for a long c948b57242 time, before leaning 4967c60805 back to look 49059c1da3 at his loyal 9b742956fc friend, cousin, and 4c80865866 blood relative—Alexander.2f53f62b11b0e541

The emperor’s eyes 9bebd3fc88 gradually narrowed.51efddadbebda46c

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Although not perfectly blond, c812450a68 Alexander had dirty blond 5e98aa50d6 hair streaked with brown, 112521b873 and his eyes were 94a7799167 a bright green that, 713b0d4d6f in the right light, 7f8b2841ae could appear emerald.292320ebcb68a159

He had inherited 8f60b990a1 the Ragnus family’s 146c933dee signature blond hair 060e92c77d and emerald eyes…e15462635e288b90

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“Hey, Eliza.”8613cc744f8f6e6f

The emperor called 47911ea65f Eliza. As Eliza 5291180f14 cautiously raised dceeee9cfa his head, ad5885f1b4 the emperor 1240502c65 pointed his c1abdbbe05 thumb at a6e8bdeda2 Alexander, who 195c276fa9 stood behind a81046382e him, and b6e42c754e spoke with b64716457a a natural bc6c2441a4 smile.9524ad67ee3010f0

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“Alex also has blond 89ab32fb68 hair and emerald eyes, 7f2285f72d right? He’s my ddc5ca06f2 cousin on ea3d8081c4 my father’s d6408a0f01 side, so 9a0438364c it’s not 4848230770 a lie.”ec1dbc653c4a58f5

Eliza and Alexander, 79e56c3f22 the knight commander, a61e4d84ae remained silent.c02fc6e52553e296

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It was 8abc5bd293 hard to d656e72567 say that 6a623a5de6 Alexander resembled 5557c5d34a Emperor Joel ee4bf2d7b1 Ragnus. Their appearances and coloring ec05886d10 were far too different.6efac81a3cd9629e

Alexander tied 0e8644308a his messy 4f8aeaebe6 blond hair—mixed 5bfc9ded2f with brown 5bb8335b2e and gold—into 9affe78841 a single e8f604dab4 ponytail, and 313dc7f599 his beard ec48cf67de was so 55aea0eaf7 full it 32dbce006f covered his c55c511c46 chin from be3d783ea7 ear to ee02e0d251 ear. He was so 371c433308 large that people 4272c27ff8 called him a 04c05eefe6 walking bear, and ae7b8b01d5 anyone could recognize f1f89928e0 him as Alexander 5862a6215e the knight commander cce6bbb0e1 just by the 170ee7dc0e sound of his 1ff64a3734 armor echoing from 6279fbd7ef the palace entrance.b6e8876c2fcdb1b0

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In contrast, Emperor 74492818b4 Joel Ragnus was 4030d1db73 like a living 219299fe3e god—a man so fa6b9ed006 beautiful and splendid 311a0ced52 that he was 8c8c580b1b said to be b881758d7e unmatched.ac7e70af40fb75f9

When he smiled, 500d437499 it felt like 4a5018a677 the sun was 7b27cfe1ce shining, even on 791013845c a rainy, gloomy 36bf840d9a day.3147ea7572e4e47e

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“…Pardon?”c2d70370fba3d62a

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.49c5132e25846f50

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Eliza muttered 04073d6ef2 as he 5ece0242b6 looked at 4f4bcc3a64 the two 9b068be15b men.9725f226a43482d1

“But my conscience won’t allow…”bb328cf580000dbb

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“Conscience? That’s a conscience you keep for your patients, not for my identity, right? Just make something up, say I’m Alexander.”1ee367aaf74a6e0d

The emperor 52fc4fa482 waved his b8258b7be6 hand dismissively, f4447f1ae8 resting his 2d47ca6da0 elbows on 911b718b16 his knees 2df96f22ec and leaning 8e80e5d5de forward. His slightly upturned ddaa2a6b3b lips made him a614c439b1 look like a 59b08bf2d5 threatening back-alley thug.37d3bc5b6386103b

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“His foot f097ac06f9 is badly 62974ea50a injured. With the 6a7f0a4f4d rain, his cf6cdb2e21 skin must 51d01853db be inflamed, d071f99f8c and pus 7e597487b6 will form. Treat that. And since I 5877f0b0e5 brought these pretty b6a80d03aa leather shoes, you 5989f97f44 must—absolutely—say that Alexander, dfaa31eebf the knight commander, 48ae7aaa6a gave them. Got it? And don’t forget to 9ac7ad03e3 praise Alexander the knight ccb8b5dce1 commander.”1d61892f0b373dc3

Eliza from the palace 76824fe981 widened his eyes at cd40fd1842 the elegant leather shoes cb9281a9ce the emperor handed him. He touched them aacd6845b8 with his thumb, 30dbc252d5 feeling a texture 26fb0b298b as soft as 22216ab1be silk. The leather was so 400b104b4b smooth it slid effortlessly b68b0b683d beneath his fingers—evidence of 1b052843e1 how many times the 027d409656 craftsman had tanned it.b4dd0d2650cb4006

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As Eliza’s 2c73234837 eyes sparkled dc7b25ee4a at the b20bc01b70 exquisite leather, 1a00c0dafc the emperor 46a7c30c63 stomped his d6a92fcdd3 foot to b6e9547eaf regain his 1388c4cd71 attention. Joel pointed at a187aa65c5 himself with his b9be2e5453 index finger and 76c5c3808f spoke in a a9c1a2ed61 disinterested voice.95e6367c233a7735

“Make sure to say I gave it.”70e4948a7593f6d8

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“Yes, Your Majesty…”b715c379a13c7b3a

The emperor, d2b64d1f6c true to c33bd63333 his fiery 987f8af0a1 nature, got 3bd330dca0 angry.f4610e4e41e114e0

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“No! I said 2fc7af3948 they’re leather 6fca2c167a shoes given eb60663ea3 by Alexander, 435ce77193 the knight 0806d9a1e1 commander! If you say e049fcd421 Joel Ragnus gave 5a4c2bf5fe them, that child 6adc52b0b8 will gladly accept! The one 357898e215 who cast 71fc9009a8 the shackle 54ae3ea7f1 magic and ff7840b014 trapped him d4dab2363e there for 9968a766ea ten years—that dcde5a46cd child will 4cbc5f8d19 easily… Ugh!”3eab381f38a757db

The emperor clutched his 649cb2d349 chest, gasping as the 6b33cf9c09 heart pain flared up e7136b0842 again. His head throbbed. The pain felt a2ba0683b6 like sharp shards dbd61dbd39 of glass were a98e97eac1 shifting inside his 26ca2bcd59 skull. Holding his head, 7ccd19268d the emperor frowned 082fab660d and muttered to cd1a23cd45 Eliza,60c9db4d805c4557

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“You must… say d6ecf84975 that Alexander the 6f4d5c9f68 knight commander gave 7f27336cb2 them.”98b77fc72a203fd5

And then 3a44176d83 the emperor, 0b794e5c8f unable to f94636a23c withstand the 30e99817d8 headache, fainted.7121c601586dc68e

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Alexander sighed with an 464c35102e exasperated expression, hoisted the 8a084e9242 emperor over his shoulder, e10ea58e13 and carried him to cef34ed8e4 the bedroom.7d466cfb287c4a91

That was cbeb577b57 Eliza’s last 95b7f4bafc memory.6b0298b44e3c9563

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Unable to 72ef87f9b5 lie, he 833f5edbe7 awkwardly tied 9cf17b0b2d the leather 03371c7c95 shoelaces and cf06a219df treated the 2b88b4269d right foot—sneaking 304f0097e4 glances at 6c3a2ad1b0 the queen’s 4c5fd972f7 beautiful face.b27d7754c192dc5c

Surprisingly, the queen 98790c18f8 believed his words 32d93b27d1 completely and looked 344c7edc1a at ease.057ed80914be817e

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No—when he 64bb773ef2 looked at 22f816c20a the boy’s 81ed009c51 leather shoes, 2211993684 perfectly fitted 5818c72eac on his d66b3e749e left foot, d078f117fe and saw 64b83757e9 him blushing 4dbf18430c and smiling… ba38ea678b Eliza couldn’t bef2b1271c help but ebbe7786d3 stare.a58b8c30d6f9396e

His gaze was 919800f8de so persistent that 1deb324934 Anna, watching nearby, 3f804d1da9 had to spill 7c4a1e0999 Lute’s long hair fdb22d70d3 forward like a ccf5ffa758 ghostly figure just 9cf056d1ba to block it.2030cc3cdbf3e5c6

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Snapping back aa335d59c3 to his d6b46c73bd senses, Eliza e6d29232d5 took out f9ccebf4b8 a large b692661a11 bottle from 8236859081 his medical 897c0253f9 bag. The label on the c6e9b9ddce bottle simply read: Alcohol f19952875b – Disinfectant.53af1c00cfa3fcdd

Anna had 485b77f2d0 gone to c73ac14103 sell potatoes 7bab763ae4 to get 0d0116ba68 that…c98f88af01502df2

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Come to think of 890b07af24 it, where did Melik d3a36a83d1 go?cfed1450eafc5ca4

“Anna, ugh!”f9c28109466a1782

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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.856a39df3a560d4c

“Ah!”6b2b92dfd7245671

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Pus and blood flowed from the dirt-smeared wound. Unable to bear it, Lute burst into tears, burying himself in Anna’s arms.8bf697834612c23d

“It hurts… Anna, it hurts so much…!”0716afbd84609e10

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“Of course it does! You went out to the fields with such a wound!”291d5293ffc80462

Anna, displeased with the doctor’s sinister gaze, tucked Lute’s face into her embrace. Unaware, Lute trembled his injured foot and spoke.dc063db998f5c3c7

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“But they’re precious potatoes…! If I don’t harvest even one properly… Ah!”982abf98d5af1a04

“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.”6d59726144960096

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Eliza paused for a moment, looking at Lute’s slender, tanned leg, and spoke in a voice soaked with moisture.9767547d91c90438

“No fieldwork. Don’t dig up potatoes.”5a79863ef4e284a5

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At the doctor’s d910b5d74a words, Lute peeked 8165615023 out from Anna’s 03b150b189 embrace.47c0c60fa132d409

His disheveled 1d1bff6e9f black hair, 7dd96d43e3 flushed cheeks, 2af86c0c78 and tear-streaked 7af33b9e97 blue eyes…0e77de8cea783443

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Every part of his 2a8a81d4fd body looked as if 84696d61f7 it had been touched 51c02148d4 by the hand of b701456329 the goddess of beauty—no 87572c3ec9 detail made carelessly.3cce64850c5d4b80

As he a2b91a1369 blinked, more 89d093f4b8 tears spilled, ef19df31e1 and Lute 166d074381 parted his 6da8de1d40 lips.6982f51f24289d90

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