Chapter 6
No matter how many times you see someone die, you never really get used to it.
Lionel sat on a bench in the sunlit garden, staring blankly ahead as memories of the past drifted through her mind.
Saying goodbye to her loving mother.
And both in her previous life and this one, she had watched patients take their final breaths in hospitals more than once.
Even so, Lionel had never managed to become familiar with the word ‘death.’
“Doctor Frencia!”
Someone called out to her from the far end of the garden.
It was Kaylen Brexter, who had finally gotten out of bed a few days ago after having the tube removed, and Ailey.
“How are you feeling, Kaylen?”
“My chest still feels a little uncomfortable, but I’m perfectly fine otherwise. And thank you for taking such good care of Mr. William.”
“I only did what I was supposed to do.”
Lionel then turned toward the little girl.
“...Ailey. Are you leaving now?”
Ailey nodded. Her eyes were badly swollen from crying.
“I wanted to say goodbye before I went to boarding school.”
“Yeah. Thank you for coming. I wanted to say goodbye to you too.”
“I... I’ll study really hard.”
Ailey clenched her small fists.
“I’ll study hard and become a wonderful doctor just like you. When that happens... will you let me work as your assistant?”
Lionel smiled warmly.
“That’s a wonderful dream. I’ll be cheering for your future.”
After saying that, Lionel reached into her clothes and took something out.
It was a small pocket watch decorated with delicate craftsmanship.
“Ailey. Do you know something?”
Lionel continued in a gentle voice.
“When someone precious to you dies, they say your sadness turns into a huge rock that presses down on your chest.”
Ailey quietly listened.
“At first, the rock is so heavy that it hurts enough to make it hard to breathe. But as time passes, little by little, that rock becomes smaller.”
Lionel looked into Ailey’s eyes.
“And eventually, it becomes a tiny pebble.”
Ailey’s expression grew sad.
“Then... does the pebble eventually disappear?”
“No. It doesn’t disappear.”
Lionel shook her head.
“Instead, you carry that smaller pebble in your pocket for the rest of your life.”
She placed the pocket watch in Ailey’s hands.
“Look. I’ve already turned Ailey’s sadness into a small stone for you.”
Lionel gently closed the girl’s fingers around the watch.
“So don’t stay sad for too long. You have to eat well and laugh as much as you can. I’m sure your father in heaven will be happy when he sees you smiling too.”
Lionel sincerely hoped for only one thing.
May this little child’s future be peaceful.
Her parents’ deaths had been something Lionel could do nothing about.
She only hoped that Ailey would not suffer because of them for too long.
Ailey stared down at the watch for a moment.
Then she suddenly threw herself into Lionel’s arms.
Despite her small body, the force of the hug was surprisingly strong.
“Doctor... thank you so much. I love you.”
Lionel hugged her tightly.
“I love you too.”
The two remained in each other’s arms for quite a while.
Eventually, Kaylen carefully called out to Ailey.
“Ailey. The carriage is waiting.”
Ailey finally let go.
She took Kaylen’s hand and walked away with the light steps of a child.
Lionel continued watching her back until she disappeared from sight.
Then she spoke without turning around.
“You can come out now, Your Grace.”
Blasion stepped out from beneath the shade of a tree.
His gaze followed the road Ailey had taken as he approached Lionel.
“You could have said goodbye to her too, Your Grace.”
“I don’t waste my emotions on unnecessary things.”
Lionel gave him a knowing look.
“You say that, but I already know you decided to pay all of Ailey’s tuition and living expenses.”
“...Kaylen told you?”
Blasion’s expression darkened.
“I don’t remember ever giving him permission to run his mouth about useless things like that.”
He spat out the words and began walking away in long strides.
Lionel followed him, naturally turning it into a walk through the garden.
As she looked around at the strange flowers and plants, Blasion suddenly spoke first.
“When did you prepare that watch? It looked quite expensive.”
Lionel answered casually.
“Oh, that?”
She smiled faintly.
“It belonged to my late mother.”
Blasion abruptly turned toward her.
“Your mother’s keepsake?”
“Yes.”
“You gave something like that away? Why?”
“Well...”
Lionel answered as though it were obvious.
“Because I’m going to die today.”
Blasion’s steps stopped instantly.
Lionel stopped as well.
For a long moment, the two simply stared at each other.
“Did you forget? Our agreement was that you would only keep me alive until Mr. William passed away.”
She had even thought about asking him to cremate her body afterward.
And although she did not particularly want to, she supposed someone should send a letter to the Frencia Baron family too.
She almost brought it up.
But the atmosphere suddenly felt strange, so Lionel wisely kept her mouth shut.
Blasion’s purple eyes were staring straight through her.
“How old are you?”
“Me?”
Lionel blinked.
“I’m twenty.”
“You only recently became an adult...”
Blasion’s eyebrows drew together.
“Then why are you so calm about dying?”
His gaze sharpened.
“Just what exactly are you?”
Lionel shrugged.
“What do you mean, what am I?”
She replied casually.
“I’m just a doctor.”
A doctor who happened to have memories from a previous life.
Blasion frowned.
“...No.”
He shook his head.
“The doctors I’ve met until now were nothing like you.”
He continued in a cold voice.
“They refused to admit when their skills were lacking. Whenever a treatment failed, they rushed to claim that it was punishment from the gods.”
His expression grew bitter.
“Some of them even demanded ridiculous amounts of money while claiming they would cure someone.”
Lionel gave a bitter smile.
That kind of person was nothing new to her.
She had seen plenty of them in medical school and in hospitals.
“Ah... yes. I’m sure doctors like that exist.”
Her expression became serious.
“But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat me like one of them.”
Lionel looked directly at Blasion.
“At the very least, I don’t play around with people’s lives.”
