The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

“Royal Princess, let’s talk a little more.”

Lishe said softly, sliding up the bedcover to approach Acella.

Acella’s sensitivity had heightened due to being alone for a long time. Lishe intruding into her space and her voice disturbing her was already pushing her stress levels over the edge.

“…You said you were leaving.”

“Well… if I leave it like this, I feel like you’ll never get better, Royal Princess. How about some counseling? It helped me calm down when I had headaches.”

“What are you thinking?”

Acella didn’t believe Lishe’s pure intentions. She was keenly aware of human emotions. Her insight was far superior to that of any wild animal’s instinct to sense danger.

In reality, Lishe was starting to feel a vague irritation towards Acella.

The reason was simple. It was Lars.

“…Well, I like you, Royal Princess. I don’t want to see you in pain.”

“Why?”

“You brought me to the Moonlight Palace. Honestly, I was having a tough time back then. So I want to help if I can….”

That too wasn’t a lie. Lishe hadn’t fully sorted her feelings. The mix of positive and negative emotions towards Acella was confusing her.

“…Hmph.”

Acella mocked Lishe with her haggard eyes.

“Yeah, you were the great hero. Must be nice, since your thoughts and actions are the definition of justice and righteousness. Some of us are just born as mistakes no matter what choices we make.”

Each word jabbed at Lishe’s pride like a needle.

“I don’t always pick the right answers either. I’ve been especially feeling that lately. I ponder more about what the right choice is.”

“Feeling confident, are we? No, is it arrogance? That’s why you dared to offer me counseling.”

Acella rolled her eyes in disdain.

“What do you know?”

Lishe couldn’t respond to that question.

She wasn’t a doctor who studied medicine like Lars. It was quite impossible for her to treat Acella’s mental state with proper counseling.

…She just wanted to have a conversation.

—“Don’t get caught in Empress Acella’s trap. Don’t get involved, don’t even talk. When the opportunity arises, cut your life short without suspicion. That’s the way for Lars.”

—“Why? Um… it’s a secret. Don’t ever tell Lars.”

—“Empress Acella is…”

Lishe recalled the warnings Charles had given countless times.

Talking to Acella made her realize that she and Acella were completely different types of people.

Still, maybe if they talked a little more, they could understand each other.

“That’s not what I meant. I just wanted to talk. I only hope you can come back to how you used to be, Royal Princess… That’s really not actual counseling. That’s something Teacher Gothberg can do…”

“I told you not to say that name.”

Acella’s voice pierced Lishe’s eardrums coldly.

How many times had her words been interrupted?

Lishe’s patience hit its limit.

She knew Acella had a special relationship with Lars. She could fully comprehend the loss of him.

But.

You’re not the only one who lost a precious person.

Besides, Lars wasn’t even dead. It wasn’t far; they could meet with just a little trip to the north!

Lishe forced a smile and said, “Don’t worry. The teacher is doing well. I heard the general hospital is about to officially open…”

“I told you not to say that!”

SLAP!

In an instant, Acella jumped up from her seat and slapped Lishe across the face.

“Hah, hah.”

With just that amount of movement, Acella struggled to catch her breath. Anger flooded her eyes as she glared at Lishe.

“…Ha.”

Lishe was stunned.

That ambush neatly cleared her mind.

She realized the reason she had both gratitude and an inexplicable irritation towards the Royal Princess she admired.

It was jealousy.

A sense of overwhelming unfairness surged within her.

She could no longer hold back.

—RECOGNITION!

In a split second, she lunged at Acella, knocking her onto the bed.

“What are you doing! Let go!”

Lishe grabbed both of Acella’s wrists, rendering her utterly incapable of resisting. It was hard to believe she was a member of royalty, such a frail body.

Without even having time to relish that touch, Lishe yelled with indignation in her heart.

“Teacher didn’t choose me!”

Acella’s eyes reflected a fierce Lishe’s expression.

“She chose you over me! Why are you sulking all alone when that’s the case!”

The very reason Lishe was angry at Acella was that.

When she asked him to come along, Lars chose Acella over her.

When Charles disappeared, Lishe felt a sense of unease that had never before enveloped her.

Just like when her parents abandoned her to go off on a voyage.

Like when the plague spread and everyone in her village died.

Everyone around her just left her behind.

There were moments when she doubted she was destined to be a hero, but rather a grim reaper.

That’s why she wished Lars, the one person she could rely on and respect, would stay by her side until the end.

To be honest, fighting terrified her.

Going to the Demon Realm, which was invisible beyond the horizon, and risking her life was overwhelmingly frightening.

It would’ve been better if she hadn’t been chosen as a hero at all.

Even though it was frightening to be called a hero, she had suppressed her desire to complain all this time.

Just once, she finally couldn’t hold back and got her confession to Lars coldly rejected.

That was all because of you.

Of course, Lishe knew well.

She understood how special the relationship between Lars and Acella was, so she had already realized she couldn’t interrupt their bond.

In that moment of rejection, she chose to fight alone without bothering Lars any further.

She followed in the footsteps of the most accomplished hero she knew, Charles.

But the very reason she was not chosen was the fact that the Royal Princess Acella, whom she could never hope to catch up to, was rejecting Lars in such a way, which filled her with irritation.

“How dare you…!”

Acella’s eyes sparkled with golden mana, vitality swirling within.

It was the same toxic energy that resembled her own life force.

“They say ignorance is bliss, but is that what makes you boast about being a hero? Your ignorance is off the charts!”

Acella had her own grievances as well.

What right did this girl have to say such things without any qualifications?

“You foolish, rude, country bumpkin! What do you know about safety? What do you know about Lars? You know nothing about me, yet you dare to spew such words!”

“I know!”

To silence Acella’s torrent of insults, Lishe spoke strongly.

“I know! I heard everything from my sister! I heard what you did to the teacher!”

“…What?”

Acella’s pupils shook.

Did this hero know of her secret, which she must have seen through her clairvoyance?

Cutting through Acella’s anxiety like a knife, Lishe spoke.

“I heard! That you’re a legendary wicked woman with no way out, that you’re a tyrant who would bring ruin to the Empire, that you would kill the teacher.”

“…Then why?”

Lishe closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them.

Her gaze was firm yet distinctly different from Charles’s.

Only then did Acella realize that Lishe had changed.

It was like when the Holy Sword resonated, showcasing a mature, complete figure.

…Come to think of it, she had been active as a hero for two years now.

She hadn’t seen her at all in the last year.

It was only natural she had grown to this point.

It was only herself who remained stagnant, clinging to Lars.

Lishe, unlike her, stood tall with unwavering expression, declaring,

“The Acella I met wasn’t that kind of person.”

Each word struck Acella’s eardrums sharply.

“I don’t believe in fate.”

She had forgotten.

Acella was certainly of the same opinion.

Surely… it must have been that way.

Tears began to flow down Acella’s cheeks once more, which she thought had dried from crying so much.

“…What should I do? Huh? How can Lars love me? How do I make him forget all those painful memories?”

Acella asked desperately.

She hoped Lishe would provide the answer she needed.

Wasn’t it the wisdom chosen by the world?
Surely that one line could be delivered.

After a brief silence, Lishe replied calmly.

“How would I know?”

Acella burst into laughter with disbelief.

Lishe seemed to suddenly realize her own words were awkward, scratching her lips and tilting her head.

“But I can do this.”

Saying that, Lishe gently embraced Acella.

As she felt the warmth spreading throughout her body, Acella remarked.

“Hero.”

“Why?”

“Your sweat smells strong.”

*

A short while later, the door to the second floor of the central hall in the Moonlight Palace opened.

It was a decorative door for distinguished guests that only opened when the owner of the palace appeared. The palace staff had almost forgotten how long it had been since it last opened.

The sight filled the hearts of those witnessing it with relief.

Tap tap, with footsteps, a figure stepped forward into the light.

“Moonlight Palace!”

The Royal Princess declared, her golden hair elegantly styled and dressed in ceremonial robes.

Today’s date was December 25th.

It was a somewhat special day for the Moonlight Palace.

“By this day, I announce that I have come of age according to imperial law.”

To welcome their lord with a pledge of loyalty, the knights raised their swords, and the attendants bowed.

Acella slowly surveyed them all.

This time and place should have unfolded in a different manner.

“No.”

She decided not to think like that anymore.

There was no point in lingering over possibilities of lost time.

What mattered was to create the future that lay ahead.

A ring glimmered softly on her ring finger.

It was the last proof that gave her hope, the reminder that she was still connected to Lars.

“Just one.”

There was one future she could firmly change for him.

The place Lars had struggled to reach all his life.

“I will take you there.”

Having finished her brief coming-of-age ceremony, Acella elegantly waved her dress and left the palace.

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