: The Doctor

The sunlight blinded me when I opened my eyes. Looking around, I realized I was still in the house in the western region..

The door swung open, and Prince Fraser stepped into the room. Prince Fraser? I was surprised to see him. Wasn't he supposed to be at the market, selling the fish he caught?

He approached me and took a seat beside me on the bed, gently grasping my hands. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

   I stared at him, stunned. Prince Fraser, what are you doing here? This isn't how it's supposed to go. This is out of the script. You should be with Princess Paislee, not me. Speaking of her, where is she? Is she alright?

Prince Fraser snapped his fingers in front of me. "Csille?" I turned to him. "You're probably wondering why I'm here. My father, the King, has concluded my second training. We'll be returning to the capital in a week."

   Ah, yes, I recall now. Following the shooting incident, the King instructed Prince Fraser to return to the capital. He was concerned that if Prince Fraser remained here, the Crown Prince's safety would be at risk. Good thing Princess Paislee took the shot for Prince Fraser, or else Prince Fraser would be the one who's in critical condition right now.

   I only remember now. My mind was foggy upon waking, causing me to forget the events after the shooting.

I meet Prince Fraser's gaze, and he looks back at me. "How about you? How are you feeling? You weren't injured, were you?"

   Prince Fraser shakes his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Farren took the bullet for me, though. He's still in unstable condition at the moment. We're just waiting for the ship to arrive so we can return to the Capital."

"He's unstable?"

How? As far as I remember, Princess Paislee didn't get shot in a fatal position, so why is she in a critical situation right now?

Prince Fraser sighs. "Yes, Farren's appendix was hit by the bullet, and he lost a lot of blood. There's no doctor available to perform the operation here. We're waiting for a doctor from the capital. So, his condition is unstable at the moment."

   "When will the doctor arrive here?" This doesn't make sense. Princess Paislee shouldn't be in an unstable condition. In the novel, Princess Paislee was also shot in her appendix, and she also lost a lot of blood. However, her condition remained stable. Why is she in critical condition right now? Is there something I'm missing?

   "Tonight, I just hope he could hold on longer."

Prince Fraser holds my hands and looks straight into my eyes. "Csille, why didn't you listen to me? Look, what happened to you. I was scared when I heard from the Count that you lost consciousness. Please don't scare me like that, Csille." He then leans his forehead against mine.

Holy moly! Prince Fraser, what on earth are you doing? The female lead risks her life just to save you, and here you are flirting with the villainess? This doesn't make sense.

I could feel my heart beating so fast now. Oh god! No! Ysavel, please don't tell me you're developing feelings for the Crown Prince. No! You know best what will happen to Csille. Don't you dare. And for goodness' sake, he's still underage. No, please, no!

"Csille?" Prince Fraser's voice jolts me back to reality. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head. How could I be okay? After what you did, how could I possibly feel alright? "I'm probably still in shock from what happened. But I'm glad you're okay. Did they catch the culprit?"

Prince Fraser sighed. "Yes, we did. However, he was just a henchman. The real culprit is still at large."

It's exactly like in my novel. They only caught the henchman, and despite their efforts to make him talk, he still wouldn't reveal the mastermind behind the incident.

"Don't worry. We'll find who it is."

He smiled at me and softly ran his hand through my hair. "I hope so. By the way, how's your head feeling now?"

Head? What happened to my head? I reached up and noticed the bandage. Did I hit my head on something?

   "You forgot?" He takes hold of my hand as I touch my head. "Don't touch it. You hit your head on the flagpole when the Countess pulled you to safety. That's why you lost consciousness. The doctor examined you and said it's just a minor concussion. You just need to rest for a while."

    I hit my head? Did I include something like this in the novel? I don't recall detailing what happened to Csille after the gunshot. So why did it happen

    "Csille?" I gaze at Prince Fraser, noting his exhausted appearance, as though he hadn't slept all night. Is he alright?

"I understand. You should take some rest first. Take a look at yourself. You probably look worse than me."

    He gently holds the hand that's nudging him out of bed. "Alright, alright. I'll go. I also need to check on Farren."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost a day. Why?"

   Almost a day? I look at him. It's just a day, but why does he look like this? Don't tell me he really didn't sleep the whole night?

   "Did you sleep?"

   "I couldn't. How could I sleep when my fiancée is lying unconscious and a trusted friend of mine is still unstable?"

   My heart races at the mention of the word fiancée. Easy there, heart! I understand your true owner has feelings for Prince Fraser, but please, don't act up if I'm the one in control. You're only adding to my confusion.

   "So you really didn't sleep the whole night?" I lightly slap his arm. "Someone took the risk to save your life, and here you are risking your health. Go, get some sleep first." I gently push him out of bed.

He grasped the hand I was using to push him and held it tightly. "I didn't sleep the whole night because I was worried sick about you. I was scared you might wake up at midnight, terrified of the incident. So, I decided to wait for you to wake up."

Is what I'm hearing true? He didn't sleep the whole night just to ensure I wouldn't be terrified when I woke up?

Prince Fraser, why are you so kind to Csille? To the villainess? Shouldn't you despise me? You're supposed not to care for me. But why?

"Rest well, Csille. I'll come by later after I've rested. Please don't wander around and just stay in the residence for now, alright?"

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I missed what he said, so I just nodded in response.

Satisfied with my response. He helps me lay on the bed first before he leaves the room. It takes me a moment to process his words, and when I come back to my senses, he's already left.

Prince Fraser, what am I going to do with you?

____________

"Miss!" A maid was surprised when she saw me walking down the hallway of the house. She glanced behind me, perhaps searching for a nurse or another maid.

I motioned for her to be silent and help me. My head was still throbbing, and I felt dizzy. It was likely because of the concussion.

The maid hurried over and supported me. "Miss, where are you going? The Crown Prince insisted that you shouldn't wander around. Let's return now, Miss." She kept glancing around nervously, probably afraid of Prince Fraser.

I can't blame her, though. Who wouldn't be afraid of the Crown Prince? He's a royalty and the future King of the Vrawyth Kingdom. Disobeying his orders is akin to disobeying the King.

"Don't worry. Prince Fraser is resting now. He'll probably sleep for an hour or two. Let's go. Help me find where Farren is staying."

   The maid stops walking and looks at me. "Sir Farren? The one who protected the Crown Prince?"

I nod. "Yes, that's him. Do you know where he is? I need to find him."

   The maid glances around before guiding me to the room at the end of the hallway, just one room away from mine. "Miss, this is where he is staying. The room beside this is occupied by the Crown Prince."

Crown Prince Fraser? He's staying in the Lauretré residence? Even Princess Paislee? I tried to remember if I ever wrote about this. I think I did, although I didn't elaborate on it much in the novel.

   The maid opened the door and help me get inside the room. I requested her to stand guard outside, ensuring she'd warn me if anyone approached the room. Prince Fraser would be furious if he discovered I'd left my room without permission.

Once alone, I approached the bed where Princess Paislee lay. She appeared pale, and I noticed a bandage on her abdomen.

   Hold on, if she sustained an abdominal gunshot wound, the doctor is likely aware of Princess Paislee's true identity.

It could jeopardize the storyline!

Finding the doctor who treated her and ensuring they maintain confidentiality is crucial. Additionally, speaking with the surgeon scheduled to operate on her is essential. If her secrets are revealed this early, it could disrupt the development of her relationship with Prince Fraser.

   If her secrets were exposed, war would become unavoidable. This isn't the right time for conflict. I must take action regarding Princess Paislee's identity.

"Ysavel, don't try to go against what you have written. It will happen no matter how much you try to change it. It will happen. You can never change their destiny. You can never change your destiny."

I suddenly recall the things the silhouette man mentioned in my dreams. I couldn't alter their fate? Yet, in my novel, Princess Paislee's identity remained hidden. Reflecting on it, I didn't consider the possibility that her gunshot wound could expose her identity. It's a loophole in the storyline.

No one exposed the Princess's identity in the novel. So, will it remain true? Will the doctor not grow suspicious about why Princess Paislee chose to cross-dress as a man? I doubt it, especially considering it's involved with the Crown Prince's life.

I heard a knock on the door, and a few seconds later, the maid's voice came from outside. "Miss, the doctor is coming this way. Hurry up. I'll try to distract him."

I was about to stand up when an idea suddenly came to mind. It wouldn't hurt to test the waters, right?

I could hear another urgent knock on the door. "Miss, you need to come out there. I don't think I could hold him that much longer."

"Just let him in," I replied.

A minute later, I heard a conversation outside the room, then the door opened. A man in his late fifties entered the room. As the doctor came in, the maid quickly closed the door and stood watch outside.

"Greetings, Lady Lauretré," the doctor said, removing his hat and placing it over his chest as he bowed his head. "I didn't realize you were visiting Mr. Farren. Are you close to him?"

My eyebrows quirk with his response. Mister? He still calling Princess Paislee mister even though he knows that he is a female. "Mister?"

He approaches the bed and checks the Crown Princess's pulse. "Yes, Mister Farren. Is there something wrong with what I said, Lady Lauretré?"

I could sense a chill running down my arms. Why do I feel like those words carried a hidden meaning? He knows, doesn't he? But why is he pretending not to know anything? This is suspicious.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I was just curious why you're using honorifics for him?"

Honorifics like "Mister" or "Sir" are typically used to address individuals with a special status or position in society.

"Mister Farren saved the Crown Prince. He is now considered Prince Fraser benefactor. How could I just addressed him with his name only?"

That seems reasonable. However, I still have a feeling that something isn't right.

"Doctor, did you discover anything concerning with him?"

The doctor gazes at me briefly. "Well, of course, he was shot and has lost a significant amount of blood as a result."

    I shake my head. "No, that's not what I meant. Is there anything else wrong with him aside from the gunshot wound?"

    The doctor shakes his head and looks at Princess Paislee. He knows something for sure. I saw his lips quirk upwards. There's one thing I just don't understand. Why did he act like he didn't notice anything wrong? Why didn't he reveal Princess Paislee's disguise?

  "Is there something I should know? He appears completely fine aside from the fact he's still unstable due to his gunshot wound."

   I shake my head, feeling uncertain about what to do. This situation doesn't seem right, but I'm unsure if I should press him for information. If I do, what if he's genuinely unaware of anything unusual and I inadvertently expose Princess Paislee's secret? On the other hand, if I don't force him for answers, could he pose a threat to Princess Paislee in the future?

   I was deep in thought when the door suddenly opened, and a voice called out, "CSILLE!" My heart skipped a beat as I realized who it was.

Oh no, this can't be good.