The Quack Lady - Chapter 72

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

Episode 72

Ditten had a different appearance from the Duchess, but strangely enough, she had a similar personality to her.

Even the tendency to hide things when something happened.

“At first I thought she might be hurt because she hid Demian’s matter, but when I thought about it carefully, I realized that probably wasn’t it. Mother isn’t that kind of person.”

“…”

“She always asks first, doesn’t she? Why we hid something.”

At those words, Brien nodded slightly.

“That’s right. And if it was a reasonable explanation, she would eventually understand everything.”

At those words, Ditten smiled sadly.

“She probably thought Sister would understand. Sister is always bright and positive.”

Brien nodded quietly.

It was always Brien’s role to connect Ditten and Selian.

The two of them always pretended to lose to Brien’s persistence, and Brien was well aware of this fact.

Even if Selian had fallen ill…

‘She must have thought I would accept it positively…’

It seemed she had fallen short of expectations.

However.

No one in the world can remain detached in the face of their parent’s death.

“So Sister, this time let’s ask. Let’s ask why Mother made such a choice.”

“…”

Brien nodded quietly.

Yes, this time it was their turn to ask their mother.

* * *

“Dementia really seems like a cruel disease. I feel like nothing’s wrong with me, but the world changes. Not to mention the people around who have to watch it.”

My colleague who had been in charge of dementia patients clicked her tongue and shook her head.

I couldn’t understand those words back then.

Because there’s no disease in the world that doesn’t hurt.

However, I had to acknowledge it.

That dementia is more painful than any other disease in this world.

…Memories exist, but recollections have disappeared.

“You must have been shocked too.”

“…”

“As if it never existed. I can’t remember anything.”

“…”

Grandmother said those words with a sad smile.

I couldn’t say anything to her.

“I want to make sure they don’t feel my absence in every moment.”

“I want to have a good farewell.”

The disease wouldn’t wait for her.

The Duchess’s wish, which had risen like an afterimage, was also turning to ash and disappearing.

“…I gave Brien an irreparable wound.”

She was more worried about her daughter than shocked about her own memory loss.

The words that she could pass away from complications while swallowing water right now, that we don’t know when or how she might get worse, rose to my throat.

I wanted to tell her to take care of herself first, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Living a life with limited time.

I wanted to ask why she wasn’t taking care of herself, but I swallowed it down.

Instead, I made a final request to her.

“Please tell them before you lose any more memories.”

“…”

“You need to give your daughter a chance to prepare for farewell too.”

I was taught not to interfere in a patient’s life.

I was taught to respect the patient’s choices.

I was taught not to be easily swayed by the patient’s emotions.

However, faced with the situation unfolding before my eyes, all of that felt meaningless.

“Whatever Grandmother’s choice is, I will respect it. As long as it’s not a choice to give up on life.”

“…”

“But the Grandmother I’ve been watching keeps trying to let go of hands. Whether it’s my hand or your daughters’ hands.”

It was presumptuous. I should have been scolded, but the Maid didn’t stop my words.

No, to be precise, she buried her face in both hands and cried incessantly.

“To have a good farewell, you need to give the other person a chance too. If you just make them wait, they’ll get tired. They might even blame themselves.”

“…”

“If you don’t speak, no one will know. Rather, because of actions meant not to hurt them, they’ll end up getting hurt even more.”

There are many types of farewells that don’t consider the other person.

Among them, farewells based on misunderstanding often leave deep regret.

This follows like shackles for a lifetime, tormenting those left behind.

“If you’re doing this for your daughters… you need to help them be able to send the Duchess off completely.”

Every day felt like walking on thin ice.

This wasn’t just for the patient.

“For my sake too…”

I spoke to her as if pleading.

It was the sin of having interfered in her life and death.

“…”

She couldn’t continue speaking for a while.

Silence flowed for a long time.

I waited for her resolve to form.

“…”

Eventually, she gestured toward a nearby maid.

“…Bring Brien here.”

* * *

The deeply settled smell of death wouldn’t easily fade.

The space that should have been full of fragrance was filled with the smell of alcohol and herbal scents.

It was while we were waiting for Brien like that.

“The Marchioness and Countess are here.”

At the maid’s words, my gaze and the Duchess’s crossed in mid-air.

Through the door that opened in the meantime, the sisters revealed themselves.

‘Even Ditten?’

But perhaps it was actually for the better.

I stepped back and yielded the space beside the Duchess to them.

As I was about to leave, Selian weakly grabbed my wrist.

It meant for me to stay nearby.

“Ditten? What brings you here…”

“…”

“…”

The two daughters couldn’t easily say anything despite facing their mother.

Just from their glistening eyes alone, I could fully feel what their hearts must be like.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to worry you.”

It was a plain statement.

The Duchess calmly opened up about her condition as if resigned.

“I thought I would die soon, but after taking the medicine Rtemeia made, I gradually got a little better.”

“…”

“So I became greedy. I had this foolish greed, thinking that if I didn’t say anything, I could live as if nothing had happened.”

She looked at her empty hands and laughed hollowly.

Her hands were trembling finely as if they had lost their way.

Seeing this, her two daughters shed tears as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“If I had known it would come to this, I should have listened to Rtemeia.”

“….”

“I should have told you all in advance.”

She smiled faintly with a face full of regret.

“…It’s okay even now. Mother.”

“We’ll take good care of you. Just like you did for us.”

“….”

“So please be a little more greedy. Please stay with us a little longer. Not yet… not yet.”

Brien desperately grasped the Duchess’s hand.

Following her, Ditten also took her hand and said.

“Not yet… we’re not ready to let Mother go.”

Even though I had seen this sight countless times, I never got used to it.

The sight of women who had been so noble and elegant crying like little children.

The sad smile the Duchess wore as if resigning herself to everything.

So I quietly closed the door and came out to not disturb their time together.

“Rtemeia.”

“Tenoa?”

As soon as I closed the door and came out, Tenoa slowly approached and asked.

“Wait, do you have time?”

* * *

The place Tenoa guided me to was a walkway located behind the Marquis’s mansion.

It didn’t feel like it was overgrown with trees and grass.

“Is this all crystal?”

The walkway that looked as if jewels had been embedded in it even gave the feeling of walking down a long virgin road.

“Yeah. The Marquis’s mansion was made by carving out a huge cave.”

I was staring blankly at the transparent floor when.

“It was really amazing.”

“Hm?”

“The surgery, I mean.”

He added more words while fidgeting a little.

I let out a half-hearted exclamation of acknowledgment.

Because I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was incomplete.

“Still, it wasn’t completely successful.”

“But it was really amazing. Healing people, I mean.”

“Healing….”

Those words made my head even more complicated.

Did I really do something that could be called healing?

In the end, she didn’t get better.

Could such a grand word be applied to just buying Grandmother a little more time?

“I think there will be many more interesting things happening in the future.”

Faced with his pure curiosity as a medical student, I couldn’t continue speaking.

‘Interesting things.’

I think I was like that at first too. It was fascinating how people got better when medicine was used.

But as time went on, that weight became burdensome.

When I was stabbed by a patient at the end, I felt not just misery but even betrayal.

“Tenoa. This work shouldn’t be done for fun….”

“Why? Saving people’s lives is something not just anyone can do.”

“…?”

Something felt off about those words.

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