Chapter 115. Hoping It Would Be the Last Time
Rozan, the maid from the Dudain Baron's household, fell silent at my words about the treatment costs being high regardless of surgical difficulty. But from her gaping mouth and dazed stare, it was clear she'd understood perfectly. She just seemed at a loss for words, probably because she was only a maid.
Tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks in thick rivulets.
"Oh dear... you must be shocked. Here..."
I pulled a tissue from the box on my desk and handed it to her as she wept endlessly.
"Sniff... sob... My apologies, Count."
"No offense taken at all."
I hoped the young girl's tears would stop soon. Only then could we get down to the real business—money.
After a moment, her sobbing eased. Rozan took several deep breaths and slowly continued.
"I had a feeling, but I never dreamed you'd actually be able to treat the Lady... My emotions just overwhelmed me."
"It's fine."
Good—as long as it wasn't about lacking funds.
"The Lady... sees me, her maid, as her only friend. She thinks no one else will ever accept her because of her unusual appearance."
"..."
The young ladies from other families who screamed and fled at the Dudain Marquis's tea party. The maids who gossiped behind her back about how disgusting it was to watch her eat with her split lip. The mages who tried to forcibly remove her mask for treatment. And even Baron Dudain himself, insisting she not be ashamed of her cleft lip speech and face the world boldly.
Rozan's lips trembled as she bit them hard, recounting it all as if she'd endured it herself.
"Yes, then please bring the Lady in. We'll start the examination right away."
As her story veered into melodrama, I cut her off smoothly. I needed to check if it was just a cleft lip or if a cleft palate was involved too.
That way I can set the proper treatment fee.
I smiled inwardly, waiting for Rozan to fetch her, but oddly, she didn't budge from her seat.
"What's wrong? Does the Lady not want treatment?"
"N-no... It's not that, but I'm not sure if she'll take off her mask. I haven't seen her bare face myself in over five years..."
"That's fine. Just bring her inside."
"Mm... Yes, understood."
Rozan hesitated as if to say more, but nodded and stepped out, soon returning with Jelina cradling Res tightly in her arms.
—Miner, this kid keeps groping me. Can't I go down?
Res, nestled in Jelina's embrace, wore a sullen pout like he was dying of annoyance. His paws were empty, and his white fur was dusted with muffin crumbs—clearly out of snacks.
Blink—blink—
I blinked twice at the dejected Res staring up at me. That was my signal for refusal. Eat your snacks properly, and we can't end animal therapy now. Even talking beasts have to earn their keep.
"Lady Dudain, please lie down on this bed. Rozan, wait outside. Examinations are just between the patient... and the assistant labor."
"Ah, yes... Understood, Count."
Rozan glanced at Res before closing the door and leaving. I quickly prepped the sedation.
Then, flashing a bright smile at Jelina—who lay on the bed clutching Res with anxious eyes—I said,
"Lady Dudain. I'm a mage. But unlike the others, I can treat you without removing your mask."
"...Rweally?"
"Of course. Today it's just a simple check-up, no treatment. It might sting a little during the exam, but you can handle that, right? If it's tough, just hug Res tight."
—What're you saying, Miner! I'm suffocating already!
Res flapped his wings in fury from Jelina's arms, but I blinked three times. To him, it meant 'be quiet'—though really, it was 'shut up.'
"Alright~ It's just a little prick. Don't move—prick~."
"Hmmm..."
Jelina let out a soft exhale, while Res transmitted a telepathic cough. But within 30 seconds of the propofol injection, her head lolled to the side, and her grip on Res loosened.
"Miner, you look like a con artist. Not even a real mage."
Res, that ill-mannered rascal. After all I'd fed and raised him, here he was calling me a fraud.
"You'll understand when you grow up, Res. In this world, truth isn't always what matters most."
"What does that mean?"
I ignored his bratty glare, arms crossed, and nodded toward my desk.
"There's a chocolate bar in the drawer. Go eat that."
"Whoa! Chocolate? Got it!"
Of course, manners aside, Res was easy to handle. Big head or not, he was only five.
While the munching machine Res devoured his treat, I approached Jelina and carefully removed the mask covering her lower face.
Hmm... Fortunately, it's unilateral. Nose looks normal too.
Cleft lips are mainly unilateral or bilateral. Unilateral ones occur on the left in 80% of cases—not just cleft lips, but most congenital defects favor the left side. They can fully split to the nostril, have a cleft philtrum on one side, both sides split, or even subtle muscle separations leaving faint traces.
Smooth—
Let's see. Inside the mouth... No cleft palate?
Peeking into Jelina's mouth, her soft palate—the roof—was fine. Visually, cleft lip and cleft lip/palate might not differ much, but it affects surgery and health.
Full cleft lip/palate babies get lip repair around three months since the gap hinders nursing and nutrition. Palate repair follows about 15 months later, at one and a half years old.
No palate issue is a relief. Means no major surgery.
Palate clefts are also unilateral or bilateral. But it's not just the roof splitting—missing tissue warps the nose or lip, causing facial asymmetry. Teeth misalign, requiring orthodontics often.
"Miner, isn't the Lady's dad too harsh?"
As I finished the thorough exam and snapped detailed photos, Res muttered, having polished off the chocolate.
"How so?"
"I overheard you and Rozan. Baron Dudain told her disability isn't shameful! Don't just cower like an idiot—fight the world! And her mom said similar. That's too much."
Despite the closed door and hushed tones, Res's beastly ears had caught it all. Got to watch my words around him.
I shook my head.
"In my view, they're parents who did their best."
"Their best? How?"
Finishing photos and video, I set the DSLR back on the desk as Res gawked.
"In my old country, cleft lip/palate allowed legal abortion."
"A-abortion? Killing... the baby?"
Res shrank back in shock. I nodded.
"But what about the Initium Empire? They say it's fine to let a newborn die."
"Yeah... They starve 'em instead of outright killing... But still..."
Res hung with Cache or Ravi when I wasn't calling, so his common knowledge had grown. Maybe more than mine.
"That's why they're commendable. Legally no responsibility after birth, yet the Dudains steadily raised her."
"Hmm... I guess?"
"Not exemplary, but they tried their utmost."
Thinking of Korea soured my mood. Medicine advanced beyond this world, yet it stripped unborn rights.
Ultrasound at 10 weeks detects clefts...
Genetic risk: 8% if one parent has it, 16% both. But it's gene-environment interplay; can skip parents or appear anyway.
Can't blame abortion decisions lightly.
Though isekai'd against my will, as an orphan who'd thrived, I didn't champion abortion. Nor dismiss choosing parents' pain.
Puberty for a cleft child—precious, irises-of-eyes baby mocked as lisping, weird speech, ugly lip/nose. Social stigma shreds parents' hearts.
But bigger issue: even steeling resolve like Dudains urge isn't easy in Korea. Without money.
I handle all alone due to circumstances, but cleft lip/palate needs OB/GYN, pediatrics, oral/maxillofacial, plastics, orthodontics collab. Insurance covers under half surgeries.
Pediatric psych or speech therapy? Forget it.
Irrelevant for silver-mine-rich Lady Dudain. But her pain matched any cleft patient's.
I gently replaced her mask, hoping today was the last I'd see her wearing it.