The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 40
“Where is the doctor?”
“Milto went to fetch him, so he should be here soon.”
Diart brushed his hair back after heating Lambert’s words. He had been disheveled since carrying Roeni who had just collapsed in the banquet hall.
He looked down at Roeni lying on the bed. Her face was extremely pale, and her cracked lips were stained with blood. Although he had thought she was a bit thin before, now she looked incredibly frail, as if she would disappear into the bed.
Her sunken eyes and the sweat running down her forehead made it seem like she would die if not for the blood. Diart unknowingly clenched his fist. In his eyes, only Roeni, who closed her eyes tightly and let out painful moans, existed.
She had recently suffered greatly, but he thought she had recovered enough to get up. It seemed like there was a serious problem with her body for her to collapse like this again.
What happened while he briefly left the hall after receiving a report that the whereabouts of the Sau clan had been found? Until he left, she had been perfectly fine.
Was it because of the argument with the group of noblewomen? Or was it the doing of that woman Adelia, who was putting on an obvious act? As Diart reviewed the banquet in his mind, his eyebrows suddenly narrowed.
‘Crown Prince Jarvis.’
Diart chewed on his canine teeth as he recalled him walking out onto the floor and holding Roenie’s hand. He had already disliked that man, but what bothered him even more was Roeni’s expression, who seemed to trust him more than him.
Diart’s nape stiffened at the thought of the two people who had stuck together and laughed so happily.
“Your Highness, the physician has arrived.”
Milto called from outside the door as he twisted his lips against the strangely boiling fire inside him. Fearing his sudden change in demeanor, Lambert answered on his behalf.
“Take him inside.”
No sooner had he spoken than Milto entered, accompanied by his physician. Diarte jerked his chin at the doctor who was preparing himself politely, as if to tell him to hurry up and quickly examine her.
As if that wasn’t enough, he felt an oppressive pressure from Diart that made it difficult for him to take a breath. The physician approached Roeni, who was lying on the bed without properly straightening his shoulders.
After taking a closer look at her condition, the doctor swallowed hard.
“This is definitely…!”
Genetically inherited or not, the fact that there was not a single common disease made the physician question the purpose of his existence while working in a remote village and barely earning a salary.
When he was called to the Duchess’s room for the first time, he had been confident that he could finally demonstrate his abilities in front of the Wheatons, a family whose genetics and lack of common ailments, who made him wonder about the point of being a doctor at all.
However, the Duchess’s condition was much more serious than he had expected, and he couldn’t even determine what illness she had, let alone do anything about it.
Since then, he delved into medical books day and night out of a sense of duty to treat the Duchess. In the end, he was able to identify a disease that shares the same symptoms as hers.
But he was perplexed about how to bring up this matter. Looking at him standing by the bedside with his arms crossed, he couldn’t muster the courage to mention the disease the Duchess was suffering from. The Duke’s gaze was too intimidating, and he watched like a hawk without blinking.
The doctor trembled as Diart frowned uncomfortably. Lambert, who noticed his mood, questioned the doctor.
“How is the Madam?”
“Well, that’s…”
The doctor hesitated while looking at Diart. His lips were tightly sealed, which was evidence that Roeni’s condition was critical.
“What illness is it?”
Diart asked, looking down at Roeni. The doctor swallowed a small sigh and explained the patient’s condition as calmly as possible.
“Madam is suffering from Puythan disease.”
“Puythan?”
Diart’s eyes wrinkled. He felt a certain pressure to explain it properly.
“The main symptom is unbearable dizziness and sometimes their legs give out, and they may also have a nosebleed.”
“That’s right! Madam often complains of dizziness, and she often feels weak in the legs, and her nose bleeds.”
“That’s right! Madam, she says she often feels dizzy, and the other day she suddenly fell to the floor!”
Lily, who was sitting on the bed crying, nodded her head and shouted.
Diart recalled Roeni, who had been in the training ground a few days ago, holding her nose with a blood-soaked handkerchief.
“What’s the treatment?”
“Well, that’s…that’s…”
The doctor couldn’t continue his words and hesitated. But he finally spoke with a regretful expression on his face.
“There is no cure.”
There was a moment of silence in the room. Diart was the first to speak.
“No cure?”
“Puythan disease is an incurable disease.”
“Does that mean she has to suffer for the rest of her life?”
“No, that…Puythan disease can only last up to six months after manifestation.”
Gasps filled the room. Lily, who was shaking her head in disbelief, hugged Roeni and burst into tears.
“No! Madam!”
Lambert and Milto’s faces darkened. The doctor was ashamed to have to deliver such news.
Diart said nothing. His face showed no sign of sympathy for his wife, who had clearly been given a death sentence. But his gaze remained fixed on Roeni’s face, with her eyes tightly closed. He was trying to understand the emotions he was feeling for the first time in his life.
Roeni Wheaton was going to die soon. She could die before the divorce was even finalized. It was strange how this made his heart sink.
Although he had seen many people die and had even stained his hands with a lot of blood, this was the first time he had ever felt death as something that could touch him so closely.
“Madam! Hic, hic, what are we going to do about our poor Madam?”
Lily cried out. Milto turned away as if he couldn’t bear to watch, stealing tears.
“Is there really no way?”
At Lambert’s question, the doctor shook his head with a helpless expression.
“Puythan is an extremely rare disease that affects only a few people out of hundreds of thousands. It’s almost forgotten now. There are no symptoms until just before the disease manifests, and once it does, death comes quickly, so research is still lacking. So there is no cure. Among doctors, it is sometimes referred to as a punishment from God…”
“Shut up!”
Lambert cut off his words coldly.
“How dare you say such a thing!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
The doctor, who was babbling without realizing it, covered his mouth with both hands. He trembled and took a step back, even starting to hiccup.
“Find a way.”
“Yes, yes? Um…”
“Find a way to save her.”
Diart’s gaze, which had a strained expression, fell on Roeni, who seemed to be sleeping weakly, as though she would take her last breath at any moment.
Diart muttered to himself in frustration.
* * *
I stretched my body here and there, feeling much lighter than before I collapsed. After all, it was undoubtedly refreshing once it manifested. And I wasn’t as uncomfortable as last time, and I was able to wake up in just half a day.
It must have been due to the refreshing energy that spread throughout my body through my hands. Unlike the first manifestation, this energy lasted for quite a long time. I recalled the vivid energy that felt like someone was tightly holding my hand. It was such a pleasant feeling that I thought it would be okay not to wake up.
‘No, that’s a sure way to meet my demise.’
I shook my head. That sweet energy could be a sign of approaching death. Isn’t that why they give delicious food to death row inmates before they die?
“Lily, can you bring some chewable meat instead of this watery soup?”
I’ll eat well, build up my strength, and escape from these doomed protagonists. It’s not like I can avoid a bad ending just because I live a good life.
I shudder with goosebumps as I recall Adelia’s amazing performance before I collapsed in the ballroom.
‘No one is in their right mind. What kind of novel protagonists are these people?’
“Madam, are you cold?”
Lily put her hand on my arm with a surprised face.
I looked at her suspiciously. She was always taking good care of me, but her behavior since earlier has been over the top.
When she dropped the spoon and it slipped out of her hand, she turned her head with a trembling face. When she closed her eyes, she seemed to be suffocating and gasping for breath.
‘Why is she behaving like this all of a sudden?’
Even though I had been ill for a long time and got up just now, something was still off. She decided to light the fireplace in the middle of summer, and brought in a thick blanket stuffed with cotton; I grabbed Lily’s arm as she was leaving Busan1“부산을 떨다” means to do things in a hurried and busy way. It implies a sense of rushing around and getting things done quickly. There must have been a clear reason for this.
“Why have you been acting like this since earlier? Is something wrong?”
“Madam… Are you worried about me when you’re not feeling well?”
“No, it’s not that. I just…”
“Even God wouldn’t care for such a kind person… Hic.”
‘Huh?’
In the end, Lily burst into tears, and I looked at her helplessly. What’s wrong with her?
Lily covered her face with both hands and turned her back to me before shouting, “I’ll bring some firewood!” and running out of the room.
Left alone, I stared blankly ahead.
“What on earth is going on?”
Translator
- 1“부산을 떨다” means to do things in a hurried and busy way. It implies a sense of rushing around and getting things done quickly