The Quack Lady - Chapter 70

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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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Episode 70

I couldn’t believe it.

‘Well, age doesn’t matter in the face of miracles.’

He smiled faintly and gave a small bow toward the girl, then spoke to the marquis.

“Then I look forward to meeting you again in a year.”

At those words, the holy knights behind him began murmuring quietly.

He turned around and spoke to the holy knights.

“In the end, God did not pass judgment. Our work here is done.”

His steps as he turned away were noticeably lighter.

* * *

As soon as the surgery ended, I headed to the marchioness’s bedroom to check on the baby and mother.

The spacious bed, the comfortable air and humidity.

Everything was as expected, but there was one thing that felt out of place.

‘Wait, why are holy knights coming out of here?’

My body instinctively shrank back because of the holy knights who had entered the marchioness’s room with the marquis.

‘Did they come to arrest me for performing surgery?’

It was entirely possible.

Even at the infirmary, I had to be careful about carelessly putting a blade to someone’s body.

I’d seen many cases where people were arrested for not being cautious about such actions.

Thinking that far, I finally began to worry a little.

I was subtly trying to avoid them when a holy knight’s gaze suddenly turned toward me.

I felt completely exposed under the blue eyes of the handsome blonde man.

‘Let me at least bow my head.’

Just as I was about to bow my head immediately.

‘Did he smile?’

He smiled faintly as if to say I’d done well.

‘What?’

Soon he led the group of holy knights out.

Only then did a sigh of relief escape me.

“By the way, I’m late with my greetings. Teacher, thank you so much.”

The marquis, who had approached at some point, bowed his head deeply toward me.

“Oh, no! I just did what I had to do!”

However, he shook his head and said.

“No. This gratitude cannot be expressed in words. You saved the marquis’s estate.”

He bowed his head once more. Feeling awkward, I quickly changed the subject.

“The surgery went well! You need to focus on recovery, and since the pain will be tremendous, please call me whenever needed and I’ll check your condition and administer medication.”

I said, pointing to the painkillers placed to one side.

“And since you had an abdominal surgery, you need to have bodily functions before you can eat. The organs might adhere to each other.”

“Adhere?”

“Yes. When you cut into the abdomen, the organs temporarily stop. We help recovery by restricting food intake until the organs find their proper places.”

“…”

“The signal for that is bodily functions.”

“Bodily functions meaning…”

“I explained that to the marchioness.”

At my words, the marchioness’s face flushed bright red.

“Dear, please tell me what these bodily functions are. I’ll help too.”

The marquis spoke to the marchioness with passionate eyes.

However.

“…Go.”

“Pardon?”

“Get out!”

She screamed as if extremely embarrassed.

The marquis, who didn’t understand, was promptly kicked out.

“Don’t let Rapid come near my room until gas comes out.”

She instructed the maids.

The maids nodded happily at her cheerful demeanor.

“We will do so.”

“By the way, isn’t Mother here yet? Why is there no word?”

“Someone went to escort her, so she should arrive soon.”

The duchess wasn’t the only one worried about her.

The marchioness had ordered the surgery date to be kept strictly secret.

It was a decision made considering the duchess would worry.

She smiled somewhat bashfully.

And soon handed the baby to a nearby maid.

As if mother and daughter shared telepathy, an attendant knocked from outside.

“The duchess has arrived.”

No sooner had the words ended than the duchess appeared.

The duchess, who appeared as the door opened, saw the marchioness leaning against the bed and immediately moved forward.

“Goodness! Brien! What is all this about!”

“Mother…”

Lady Brien leaned into the duchess’s embrace as if acting spoiled.

‘As expected, her daughter comes first.’

The duchess checked on Lady Brien’s condition before the baby.

Her eyes were full of worry as she stroked her daughter’s cheek and examined her body.

Then, a maid carefully held the baby and offered it to the duchess.

“Mother. Would you like to see the baby?”

Then, Lady Brien smiled brightly and gestured toward the maid.

The maid carefully placed the baby in the duchess’s arms.

Soon a gentle smile spread across her face.

“Goodness, Brien. Just like when you were little.”

The baby seemed to recognize her too, not taking its eyes off her.

Only then did a sigh of relief escape me.

‘Thank goodness. She must have taken her medication.’

Recently, as her cognitive impairment worsened, I too felt like I was walking on thin ice.

But seeing the baby nestled gently in grandmother’s arms, all that hardship seemed to melt away.

To see this moment.

That’s why I had worked so hard.

My eyes stung for no reason.

The warm air, the relief of completing a big task – everyone was breathing sighs of relief.

Until the duchess, who had been looking at the baby with a pleased expression, turned her gaze toward Lady Brien.

“…But whose baby is this?”

* * *

“Miracles and despair are separated by a hair’s breadth. Both happen suddenly, but their outcomes are complete opposites.”

Hospitals are places where miracles and despair coexist.

While miraculous things happen for inexplicable reasons, lives also end for equally inexplicable reasons.

Parkinson’s was more cruel than I had expected.

Grandmother’s most precious moment…

It finally stole it away.

Through my deeply bowed head, I heard the marchioness’s confused voice.

“What do you mean…? It’s my child.”

At the Duchess’s words, both the Marquis and the Marchioness—everyone present—froze in shock right where they stood.

The Marchioness forced a smile. However, her eyes couldn’t escape the tremendous shock.

“Your child…?”

But the Duchess was in the same state.

The Duchess looked around briefly.

After checking everyone’s expressions, she hesitantly stepped back.

“Ah, that… that’s right.”

However, the atmosphere that had frozen once couldn’t be salvaged.

“Mother, is there perhaps something wrong…?”

“I’m sorry, Brien. I’m not feeling well. I should go first.”

Before long, the Duchess fled from that place as if escaping.

The place left after her departure was quiet as if everything had frozen.

“What… is this about?”

The Marchioness carefully asked me.

Her voice was trembling finely.

Too fragile and delicate to accept reality.

“This is… too much. Mother just played a prank on me…”

Even as she spoke, she seemed to think it didn’t make sense and let out a hollow laugh.

The joy of successfully completing the surgery was brief, and my heart felt heavy, sinking down.

I too couldn’t be free from despair.

In the end, there was no choice I could make.

“…The Duchess had a disease. A disease that causes memory loss… It’s a disease that occurs as one ages.”

I explained about Parkinson’s as calmly as possible.

When I said that motor functions are gradually lost first, then memories are lost later, the Marchioness buried her face in both hands and wailed.

“…By the time I found out, it was already quite late. She had been taking medication continuously to somehow delay it, but… the disease progressed faster than expected.”

“…”

“At this rate, she’ll lose all her memories before long. The order of losing memories isn’t predetermined…”

I explained what would happen to her like a machine.

This was also the moment I hated most.

The explanation ended, but no one opened their mouth.

Only the Marchioness’s sobbing filled the room.

“Then… how much longer can she live?”

“I can’t give a definite answer, but… it wouldn’t be strange if she passed away tomorrow.”

Even the muscles for chewing and swallowing food were already deteriorating.

The rapidly progressing disease gave no time, as if refusing treatment.

Then, the Marchioness began muttering something.

“…That shouldn’t have happened.”

Finally raising her head, she spoke to me.

“Then how are you different from Methyla?”

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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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