Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Taming the Fake Lady (1)
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“Oh...?”
Abera, glancing back and forth between the wounds on my body and hands, covered her mouth with one hand as if utterly shocked.
It was a perfectly sensible, ladylike reaction. But knowing it was all calculated made even that gesture feel chillingly eerie.
“Ganeghan... these wounds...?”
She deliberately traced each one with her fingertips.
It felt more like she was verifying their authenticity than showing real concern, leaving my face burning. Yet she kept going, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Her beige hair, sleek and glossy from meticulous brushing. Golden eyes gleaming like the autumn sun.
Every feature was striking, no matter how many times I saw her. Just how many had fallen under the spell of that beauty?
“Young Lady Dia hates me quite a bit.”
“Th-then she did this to you?”
Abera’s eyes went wide as she asked.
Instead of replying out loud, I simply nodded a few times.
“What an idiot...! You should have gotten out of that room right away!”
Empty words from the heart. What a consistent lady she was.
I saw you head into Dia’s room with Sao in hand. And I’d already gotten testimony from Dia herself.
So Abera’s words didn’t sway me in the slightest.
“Calming the patient comes first.”
“Even so! Putting yourself through wounds all over your body like this?”
“Yes. That takes priority over everything.”
“No... this won’t do!”
Abera let out a sharp cry and suddenly threw herself into my arms.
Threw herself into my arms. Caught off guard by the unexpected move, even I panicked this time.
From her embrace came that familiar, seductive, high-class lady’s scent.
Not just sweet—no. A fragrance so intoxicating it might steal your breath away.
The saying “knowledge breeds worry” might have been made for moments like this. Here was this stunning woman in my arms, yet my mind filled with concerns.
...Should I push her away?
The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to act on it.
It was a natural progression, really. Abera was Dia’s sister, after all.
And as Dia’s sister, she was also the true power holder in this mansion. She commanded the servants with a word, and from last night’s events, she clearly had a substantial stash of drugs.
From now on, I had to bring Abera down.
I couldn’t do it alone. And for the goal of “saving Dia,” Dia herself was indispensable.
That meant ongoing treatment for Dia, so provoking Abera right in front of her wasn’t an option. That much hadn’t changed.
In the end, I put on an expression like it was too much for me and subtly stepped back.
My compromise. A way to humble myself while elevating the lady.
“No, Young Lady. You’re a noble lady, and I’m just a mere doctor.”
Abera puffed out her cheeks. They swelled up like little steamed buns, soft as they looked.
“Then you shouldn’t have done something so reckless!”
“It happens often. Compared to that, what Your Ladyship just did could be seen as rather reckless itself. Look at this.”
I pointed to the hem of her white dress with my fingertip.
What she wore was outrageously ornate and intricate, a white dress laden with frills.
The embrace had gotten blood on it—a blemish on jade. That’s what I was pointing at.
“Your Ladyship’s dress is dirtied now too. It could have ended with just me getting hurt, but things have gotten messy.”
Abera puffed her cheeks even more and stepped closer, just one foot—but enough.
“The problem is you getting hurt in the first place!”
Round and round on the same treadmill.
I figured it was time for something new, so I spoke up.
“Young Lady Abera.”
“...Yes?”
She looked up at me with those innocent golden eyes.
Our gazes met in the air, and as if on cue, I continued.
It might take a bit of courage.
“It’s just... you haven’t asked a single question about Young Lady Dia since earlier. It’s almost like...”
Could I strike at the heart without offending the lady before me? That was the key.
A cold sweat trickled down my back, but I kept my voice as steady as possible.
“...you’re more worried about me than Young Lady Dia.”
Hmm. Abera rolled her eyes aside from mine and stroked her chin with thumb and forefinger.
Was it my imagination? For a split second, the hallway air turned ice-cold.
Moments later, her golden eyes fixed on me again. The chill in the air had vanished without a trace.
“I trust you, Ganeghan.”
“Pardon?”
To my puzzled look, Abera just gave a warm, beaming smile.
“The man I trust went in to take care of Dia. Of course she’s fine now, right?”
“...Ah.”
She wasn’t one to take lightly, as expected.
A bit rattled by Abera’s unexpectedly shrewd response, I belatedly put on an impressed expression.
But Abera wasn’t done.
“And... why? What were you planning if I am more worried about you?”
One step, two. She kept closing the distance, pressing her body to mine. In response, I retreated one step, two.
Soon my back hit the hallway wall. Abera, smile playing on her lips, narrowed the gap further and slyly slipped one leg between mine.
Close enough to feel each other’s breath. I forced calm into my voice to avoid misunderstanding.
“No. It wasn’t said with any ulterior motive.”
“Then what?”
“I’ve stabilized Young Lady Dia for now, but I just wanted to stress how serious her condition still is. It’s vital to inform the guardian of the patient’s status.”
“As expected...”
She hooked her arm through mine. Her upper body clung to my arm.
The unique softness of a woman’s body wasn’t unpleasant—quite troubling, actually.
“You really seem like you’re from another world sometimes, Ganeghan.”
She murmured it almost like a whisper.
I met her eyes, urging her to go on.
“Like you know everything about Dia’s heart. Like you know everything about mine. You act that way sometimes. Isn’t it fascinating? Hmm.”
Her lips still curved up, but in her gaze, I sensed a serpentine slyness. More cold sweat was inevitable.
“I’m just doing what needs to be done.”
“Yes. Of course. So... there’s something I want to ask of you, Ganeghan.”
“Ask away.”
“Yes. A request from me—the one who worries about you even more than my sister.”
“I’d be happy to hear it.”
I had no choice but to say that.
I’d already ruffled her feathers enough.
Better to stay in Abera’s good graces ten times over than earn her dislike once. That was the prelude to any big move.
So I nodded a couple times. Her breath warmed my neck.
“I can’t bear to see you get hurt anymore. Quit as Dia’s personal physician. I’ll pay you five times what we agreed on.”
So that’s what this was. A ploy to run me out.
I couldn’t leave this mansion. But rejecting her outright would definitely earn her enmity. I knew that better than anyone.
“Understood. I’ll step down. But I won’t take the pay. I failed to complete my duty.”
“Oh...”
Only then did Abera’s face light up with a sun-bright smile again.
I mulled it over once more. I couldn’t leave this mansion.
Abandoning Dia like this would lead to nothing but a bad end.
So I nodded again and slipped a hand inside my coat pocket, fiddling around.
“A true lady like you worrying about me makes me want to do something in return. For example...”
My hand emerged with a vial of medicine.
The same clear one I’d given her arm before. Abera recognized it instantly, her expression turning faintly peculiar.
“I remembered you liked it last time, so I wanted to give you one more as a farewell. It’s the least I can do.”
Abera took two slow steps back.
Her face remained gentle, but I clearly saw her golden eyes flicker.
An awkward silence settled. Cold sweat ran down my spine.
But it didn’t last long.
“...Fine. But you have to take the severance I prepared.”
Her response broke the heavy quiet.
“Thank you, Young Lady Abera.”
I bowed, calming the strange tumult in my chest.
Tension, probably.
The dependency stat on this drug I’d pulled out was a whopping 8.
From here on, it’s a gamble.
With that thought, I’d also cranked the sensitivity stat to 6.
Now, through this drug negotiation, I had to secure my place in this mansion.