The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12
* * *
By the time Ryu Jin and I returned to Byeoldang, dusk had nearly fallen.
I led her into the room and offered her the warmest seat first.
But she remained rigid on the very edge of the cushion, her whole body locked tight with tension.
She looked as though she might bolt the moment someone raised their voice.
“Just wait a moment.”
I retrieved the Medicine Box from the drawer.
I gathered everything quickly—water for cleaning the wounds, clean cloth, medicinal solution for disinfection, and salve to ease the bruising—and returned.
Then I sat down in front of her again.
“Let me see your hands.”
Ryu Jin’s eyes widened.
“I… beg your pardon?”
“They need treatment.”
“I’m… perfectly fine, Miss.”
I watched her quietly.
“You’re not.”
At those words, Ryu Jin’s lips sealed shut.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly extended her hands.
Up close, they were in terrible condition.
Her palms were scraped raw, thin lines of cuts crossed the backs of her hands, and bruising—yellowed and spreading—marked the insides of her wrists.
I cleaned the wounds as carefully as I could with the damp cloth.
“Tell me if it stings.”
“It… doesn’t sting, Miss.”
Another lie, of course.
The moment the medicinal solution touched her skin, her fingertips trembled faintly.
But Ryu Jin clenched her teeth and made no sound.
I pretended not to notice, spreading the salve thin, then wrapping the back of her hand with clean cloth.
I tied the knot firmly enough that it wouldn’t slip loose, but not so tight it would cut off her blood.
Once the bandaging was complete, I glanced at her wrists and the base of her neck.
“You’re hurt elsewhere too, aren’t you?”
Ryu Jin’s shoulders flinched.
“No, I’m… not hurt, Miss.”
“Liar.”
Ryu Jin said nothing more, and I didn’t press her—not because I didn’t want the truth, but because what she needed now wasn’t interrogation. It was reassurance.
What she needed now was peace of mind, not an interrogation.
“For today, we’ll leave it at this. We’ll check the rest tomorrow.”
After a long silence, Ryu Jin looked up at me carefully.
“Miss, you…”
“Hmm?”
“You really are strange, aren’t you?”
I smiled softly.
“How so?”
“I’ve… been thinking about it for a while.”
The way she spoke suggested she’d seen me before, or knew something about me from before.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Ryu Jin explained carefully, gauging my reaction.
“You’re the only one who doesn’t correct the way I speak, Miss.”
Ryu Jin’s accent was distinctive, likely because she’d grown up in the slums of the northern quarter.
The servants of Yak Ryeong Ga, a distinguished house, would have looked down on her for it all the more.
I answered without hesitation.
“What does the way you speak matter?”
Ryu Jin’s pupils trembled slightly.
“I heard you work exceptionally well. That’s enough for me.”
I looked directly at her as I continued.
“From now on, you’ll be my Dedicated Personal Attendant.”
“Your… pardon?”
“Regardless of how you speak or where you come from, you’re warm-hearted, strong, and capable—and that’s exactly the kind of person I need.”
“How did you ever come to… see that in me, Miss?”
“I just… felt it, I suppose.”
I smiled at her—a small, genuine laugh.
“From now on, I’m counting on you. Ryu Jin.”
Ryu Jin went rigid, as if her breath had stopped.
After a long silence, she finally parted her lips.
And in a very small, fractured voice, she answered.
“……Yes. Miss.”
Her lower lashes grew damp as she bit her lip tightly.
* * *
That night.
Once Ryu Jin confirmed that all the attendants who shared her quarters had fallen asleep, she carefully opened the door and slipped outside.
She moved along a familiar route toward the rear of the Main Hall, gliding into a corridor where few eyes ever ventured.
From her robes, she drew out the thin Short Sword she kept hidden.
Click.
The blade slid free from its sheath with a low, sharp ring.
Ryu Jin seemed pleased by the sound—her lips curved upward for a moment.
‘Well then, shall I refresh myself?’
She had long made a habit of passing by in secret, watching the swordsmen train.
She memorized their movements, then practiced alone each night, three or four times a week.
Ryu Jin steadied her breath and planted her feet firmly.
Once.
Twice.
Swish, swish—
The blade parted the empty air.
Precise angles.
An unwavering arc.
Though no one had ever formally taught her, her body moved with the fluidity of water.
She could never forget a sword’s trajectory after seeing it even once.
And in those moments when she wielded the blade, she felt transformed—no longer a worthless orphan, but someone precious and free.
Whoosh!
After her final strike, Ryu Jin sheathed the Short Sword and let out a quiet laugh.
Whisper, whisper.
The leaves she’d cut with her blade fell cleanly in half to the ground.
‘I’ve reached the level I aimed for. Under normal circumstances, I’d be preparing to leave by now…….’
If her secret sword practice was discovered, harsh punishment from Yak Ryeong Ga was certain.
So before that could happen, she’d made her own plans to depart this place.
For that reason, she’d endured all manner of mistreatment and beating, waiting for her moment.
But then…….
‘Why did she save me?’
It had been utterly unforeseen.
The only daughter of the Minor Head of Household who had rescued her.
Ryu Jin had heard rumors about the young lady who lived in Byeoldang from time to time.
“Her temperament is so peculiar.”
“No, the woman who brought Yak Ryeong Ga to this state!”
“They say she throws things at the servants day and night.”
“Her face is so ugly, they say you can’t even bear to look at her sober!”
The servants often gathered in the Dispensary while brewing medicine to spread gossip about the young lady.
They all spoke of her as having a foul disposition, a wicked nature, and features so hideous as to be almost unbearable to witness.
But the young lady who had come to save her was different from what everyone said—somewhat different, or rather, very different indeed.
‘She’s so small…… and so white and soft-looking.’
Ryu Jin swallowed hard.
‘Could she have known about me?’
Perhaps she had.
Just as Ryu Jin had overheard gossip about the young lady, it was possible that the young lady had, in turn, caught wind of or glimpsed something about her.
‘That small, white, beautiful young lady…… knew about me.’
That fact alone made her heart race in the strangest way.
Ryu Jin clenched her teeth.
‘But why?’
Why would she save her, and why did she treat her so kindly?
Was she truly needed?
What could she possibly know about her from merely catching a glimpse?
‘If she finds out I can wield a blade, she’ll punish me too.’
However much she’d saved her, there was no reason to keep covering for her by breaking household rules over and over again.
‘And… she seemed so fragile.’
Yet whenever the image of the Young Lady crossed her mind, a strange uneasiness crept in unbidden.
‘Everyone hates her so much… What if something happened to her in that small body of hers?’
Ryu Jin found herself unconsciously moistening her dry lips with her tongue.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, wrestling with the decision, then suddenly opened them wide with resolve.
“I’ll put off leaving for now.”
An unexpected situation had arisen, so postponing was only prudent.
Ryu Jin tucked the Short Sword into her breast.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the Byeoldang where the youngest Young Lady lay sleeping.
Her heart settling with an unfamiliar emotion she’d never felt before.
* * *
Several days later.
“Young Lady, we’re all set!”
“I shall attend to you, Young Lady.”
“Good, then let’s go!”
Having prepared early that morning, I set out for the Marketplace accompanied by Ryu Jin, my Dedicated Personal Attendant who’d grown considerably closer to me in recent days, and Heo Jin Byeok, whom Grandfather had assigned to me.
The bustle of people hurrying to and fro, the scents of countless ingredients and medicinal herbs, even the aroma of food so delicious it made one’s mouth water.
A kaleidoscope of sights unfurled before my eyes all at once.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’
Though I’d lived a long life, I’d never been out to a marketplace before.
Walking even a short distance left me breathless and prone to collapse, so it was only natural.
“Try this before you go!”
Gulp.
The scent of street food tickled my nostrils, and saliva pooled in my mouth almost of its own accord.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never freely enjoyed anything but rice gruel all this time…’
Perhaps I could eat such things now?
Before I knew it, I was standing there staring blankly at the glittering array of delicacies.
“Young Lady? What are you looking at?”
Ryu Jin peered at me closely and asked.
“Oh, huh? Nothing at all! We should go! Let’s get the needles first!”
Startled, I hastily hurried ahead, walking as briskly as I could.
Like someone befitting a Head of Household—dignified and imposing!
I was walking forward with confidence, concealing the fact that I’d been tempted by the snacks.
Not long after, I realized my hands and feet were moving in rhythm together, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
“Young Lady, have you come to look at needles?”
Just then, a merchant called out to me.
I nodded and approached the stall.
“Which would you prefer? How do you like these Silver Needles or Iron Needles? If you buy these, I’ll throw in two more!”
As I examined the needles carefully, Ryu Jin drew close beside me.
“Wow, they’re so shiny…”
True to her love of blades, she seemed to adore anything sharp, her eyes sparkling like a cat’s.
“Do you like them?”
“Yes. They’d be perfect for piercing. And with two more added, how about these?”
Ryu Jin spoke something rather sinister while her eyes shone with needless innocence, but I shook my head firmly.
“Silver Needles are too soft, and Iron Needles can develop rust poison.”
Tap.
I flicked the tip of a needle lightly with my finger.
“I’m going to take a brief nap, so you handle the patients. Understood?”
“Don’t you dare tell anyone!”
In my previous life, Yeon Do Pyeong had often shirked his duties and foisted consultations on me without my knowing.
Of course, that was only after my condition had improved somewhat.
Through several lives, I’d come to face patients directly and tried many kinds of needles myself.
Thanks to that, I knew well what made a good needle.

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