I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 80

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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80

Chapter 18. Our Hospital Right Now (6)

This time, I was the one who got scolded.

Throughout hearing the story about how I participated in the auction, how the twins got me the invitation, and how I brought this man here, Renate remained very quiet.

His expression was so cold that I was initially scared, but then when he said nothing, I hoped maybe he wasn’t as angry as I thought.

‘Renate always has a somewhat cold expression anyway.’

I don’t know why a smiling face is scarier. The more I spoke, the deeper his smile became, and now he was smiling very brightly.

It’s the kind of smile that should have sparkles or flowers scattered in the background… but why do I see visions of a fierce blizzard swirling around?

“So? Tell me more.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

He was easily five times scarier than when he wasn’t smiling. I was completely speechless. I had a premonition that if I spoke carelessly, nothing good would come of it. This was instinct.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what else you did?”

“Renate… are you angry?”

Even I thought it was a weak move, but being scared made me naturally more polite. Ignoring Raven’s incredulous stare, I tilted my head and asked in a whisper.

This works one hundred percent on Father, but it was completely useless on Renate.

“Of course not. Why would I be angry?”

That’s exactly why it’s strange. It doesn’t seem like something to be angry about…

Renate was serious about rescue work. Though he appeared colder compared to Ron, he must have been very concerned about the one person he couldn’t save. He definitely wouldn’t dislike that I saved someone.

“But you seem angry, so…”

“The child I’ve cherished and protected since she was little.”

“…”

Ah, this is a landmine. I can see my parents’ faces behind Renate’s. Ugh, guilt pang.

“Ignored my words about not doing dangerous things.”

“Re, Renate? It wasn’t dangerous at all… Mother and Father gave permission too.”

“You hide your bare face even in the hospital, yet you went around with the conspicuous twins and even Evelyn hanging all over you?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, and you took your fiancé there too and beat up the organizers.”

“I didn’t mention that part, so how did you know…”

It was Lili. I remembered Renate having a friendly conversation with Lili. That traitor.

“We didn’t get caught! I saved this person too! Who told you to exclude me anyway?”

“We could have found a way to save him even if you had stayed put.”

“You don’t need to say it like that! After all my effort!”

“That’s exactly why it wasn’t something worth risking your safety for!”

“…”

It was unfair of him to say that.

I straightened my hunched shoulders a little. I felt a bit hurt that Renate dismissed my efforts, but I was even more touched than hurt.

Anyway, Renate too, though he pretends to be indifferent, is really soft on me.

“Shana, answer me.”

“Yes, I understand. I won’t do dangerous things!”

I gave a vague response to Renate’s request to absolutely never do such things again, then clung tightly to his arm. Renate looked at me as if he had no choice and gently flicked my forehead so it wouldn’t hurt.

Affection welled up inside me. I resolved that in the future too, I should help him even if it means taking some risks. Of course, next time I absolutely won’t get caught.

“But it really wasn’t dangerous. Raven got all the money back too. Right? Rav…”

I was walking to the inpatient ward arm-in-arm with Renate when my body suddenly tilted to the side. Raven had grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

I flailed briefly trying not to let go of Renate’s arm, but it was useless.

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

“What were you thinking, clinging to another man in front of your fiancé?”

“Another man? Who?”

Raven pointed at Renate with his chin. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Renate isn’t like that, you know? And it’s a fake engagement anyway.”

“Fake or not, an engagement is an engagement, Shana.”

His pronunciation was slurred because he spoke through gritted teeth.

“You know Renate is like an uncle to me.”

“Uncle or whatever, don’t cling to him.”

“Really…”

“If you’re going to hold onto someone, hold onto my arm.”

“Forget it.”

Really. While I was exasperated, Raven’s sulking was so amusing that I just laughed it off. Renate was also watching Raven as if observing an entertaining show.

Well, he suddenly appeared after so long and is acting foolishly. I was a bit embarrassed.

Ah, really, when I was little – though it’s ages ago, eleven years – I could have responded just like Renate, finding it amusing and retorting back!

“I don’t have a hobby of lusting after a child I’ve watched since she was a baby.”

That’s exactly right. Moreover, when Renate first saw me, he was around sixteen to seventeen years old by beastmen standards. He was about the same age as Father and Mother. So to him, I was just a tiny little child.

‘The path to the inpatient ward feels incredibly long today…’

Why do I already feel tired…?

The inpatient ward was quiet. Evelyn was sitting beside the person who was still asleep. Evelyn greeted Renate warmly when she saw him, but only gave Raven a cold nod. My child is so honest…

“I can’t use my healing power right away, but the medicine works well. Once the medicine improves his condition to a certain extent, I’ll break the curse all at once and treat the rest.”

“You don’t need to overdo it. If he can be healed with medicine, then treat him with medicine. We’ll handle what we need to do on our end.”

Renate was good in every way, but he was too modest for his own good.

“Do you know when he might wake up?”

“He’s in a deep sleep right now, so he’ll probably wake up this evening or tomorrow.”

“I see…”

“You could say thank you, you know!”

I put my hands on my hips and lifted my chin. Finally, praise time had arrived. Instead of words, Renate placed his hand on my head and gently stroked it.

This is why I cause trouble and rebel. Hehe.

Renate said he would bring the sleeping person’s companions in the evening and left, asking Evelyn to take care of the patient until then. I decided to go home early with the empty medicine bottles.

I felt sorry for leaving Evelyn alone, but she firmly said she’d rather not have me suffer as well.

“Time to go home, time to go home!”

The joy of finishing a fulfilling day!

Self-employment for the wealthy, with no overtime!

If I wait just a few more years, I’ll be able to enjoy a cold beer too. While going back and forth to the manor was enjoyable, I was starting to think about independence.

‘It’s too comfortable and nice though…’

I had neglected my life as a noble lady so much that now I didn’t know how to go back to it. That’s what happens when you spoil me too much.

Grandfather and Grandmother had thoroughly taught me proper conduct and etiquette, but honestly, I preferred being free.

Since they let me do whatever I wanted, didn’t that make me avoid the role I should properly fulfill as their daughter?

I was more familiar with life as Shana the healer rather than as the Duke of Wentworth’s daughter.

I wanted to continue living that way. Preferably while traveling too.

Since I was currently engaged to Raven, I figured I’d have to make one debut that wasn’t really a debut. Then I could disappear again claiming poor health, and say that breaking off the engagement would be better since becoming empress with an unhealthy body would be too much.

If Raven safely becomes emperor, Seth’s contractor who wants to kill him would give up too.

‘Then I could leave this hospital to Lili and go to Grandfather.’

Since Lili was such a capable child, she would make good use of the medicine I’d send.

However, what bothered me was whoever wanted to kill me. Mother said the Lepoer Family was targeting me, but judging from the hints Seth occasionally dropped, it seemed like someone from the Demon Clan was looking for me.

Seth was a liar so I didn’t know how much to believe, but precisely because of that, his words contained hidden hints everywhere.

‘Your parents will lose their strength someday too.’

He spoke as if the Lepoer Family had actually been used by someone else. By someone who hated this power I possessed. And he knew who that was too.

“Shana.”

“Hm? Oh, Raven. Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment. What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why?”

Raven had been following along quietly but then turned to look at me. I thought he might be sulking because I’d been lost in thought for too long, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

He had been quiet like this all day.

‘He was always like that. Not much of a talker and doesn’t share much about himself.’

Raven stared at me intently. His quietly settled golden eyes were so beautiful that I couldn’t help but hold my breath, unable to resist being captivated even for a moment.

This is why I can’t just laugh it off anymore, this is why I can’t treat him like a child anymore.

“You looked more enjoyable than I expected.”

“What did? Oh, the hospital? Right. Even though we don’t have many human patients, it’s lively every day.”

Since there are so many permanent residents… Sometimes it felt like sitting in a high school classroom.

“Everyone seemed to like you.”

“Well, Lili says I’m being taken advantage of…”

“From what I could see, it looked like they were deliberately getting hurt just to see your face one more time.”

“Come on, surely not…”

They’re not that foolish… I wanted to believe. They wouldn’t be, right?

“Seeing a bear beastman famous for being aggressive wait his turn quietly without picking fights with anyone was a spectacle you couldn’t see anywhere else.”

“He’s just a problematic gambler. You saw that.”

“The twins who follow you around, and the maid who acts meek despite it not suiting her at all, have gotten worse than before. It seems you’ve managed to tame an entire pack of wolf beastmen who are supposedly hard to tame.”

“…That’s a misunderstanding…”

Raven shrugged his shoulders. Even though he looks a bit fierce, he’s the type who rolls over and acts cute. And taming an entire pack – that’s quite an exaggeration.

It makes it sound like I’m leading an army of beastmen… What would I do with taming and leading them anyway?

“Thanks to that, I got a good understanding of how disadvantageous my situation is.”

“…Who are you fighting against…?”

What’s all this talk about being called? Surely he’s not planning to fight the beastmen. Surely not.

“Because I need to make you choose me over all of that.”

“….”

“Well, I have no intention of giving up. No matter how long it takes.”

The atmosphere was far too serious for joking around. Leaving me unable to follow the conversation, Raven continued.

“How much I regretted not keeping you instead of returning you to Wentworth when you were five.”

“…That would have been a crime….”

“I know. I’m saying that even when you seemed like just a talented individual to me, I wanted to monopolize you. Even as a child who didn’t know what love was, I knew that I had to have you.”

“….”

My face right now must look absolutely ridiculous. I couldn’t figure out what expression to make, so it just froze in an awkward state.

Well, I wasn’t dense enough to miss the meaning behind those words….

Even if I had missed it, I couldn’t ignore it because Raven was being far too serious. In other words, he was sincere. I realized why he had only been watching me all day today.

Raven smiled softly and approached me, carefully reaching out his hand.

It was a hand different from mine, much larger. Long fingers with prominent knuckles intertwined with my fingers, then gently pulled me as he lowered his head.

The small sound of lips touching and parting rang as loud as thunder.

I watched as he kissed the back of my hand and remained frozen for a moment, then only came to my senses when he raised his downcast eyes to look at me, quickly pulling my hand away.

Raven obediently released my hand and stepped back. Then he looked at me and smiled slightly.

“I succeeded in making you conscious of it, so I suppose I’ve barely reached the starting point. Even though it took eleven years.”

That wasn’t a face I knew, but one I had never seen before—very gentle and affectionate. And very persistent and obsessive. Could these be descriptors that could be expressed simultaneously?

‘I can’t breathe….’

Even amid the dizziness, my face was burning hot enough to notice.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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