Chapter 42
“I’ve heard there are also issues with the psychological aspect. We shall proceed with that treatment in parallel once you have grown somewhat accustomed to the rehabilitation.”
There was a subtle malice mixed in Andrew’s words.
‘There are issues.’
That phrase kept catching in her ear. It was an expression that could never be used if Agnes were not a Duchess in name only.
‘It wasn’t just my imagination.’
Agnes bit her lower lip firmly.
Well, it was to be expected. This mother and son appeared to have an extraordinary affection for the Valheim family; there was no reason for them to be favorable toward her.
However, Andrew’s deceptive attitude did not matter. As long as her legs could heal, such things were not a problem for Agnes. She was not in a position to lay out complaints simply because someone disliked her.
Even if it were a hope fainter than a loose thread, Agnes wanted to grasp it if she could see the string. No matter what it was.
As Andrew leisurely opened his bag, small instruments that looked sharp sparkled in the light. Why were such things in a house-call bag……?
Agnes unconsciously swallowed a tense breath at the sight of the unfamiliar objects.
“May I personally check the wounds on your legs?”
“Yes.”
Having received permission, Andrew, wearing medical gloves, lightly pressed down on her right calf.
Simultaneously, he tossed out several questions—whether she felt sensation, whether she could apply force, and so on.
“It is just as I expected.”
Andrew, having finished the basic examination, nodded as he removed his gloves.
“The nerves are dead, but the muscles are still alive. However, if things continue like this, degeneration will begin.”
“Degeneration?”
“If you do not move, the muscles will wither away. Therefore, we will increase movement so that the muscles can function properly.”
Andrew instructed Agnes to move her legs for more than two hours a day. After dinner, she was to stand up from her wheelchair and practice walking while holding onto the railing.
“In addition, I intend to wake the dead nerves by providing strong stimulation.”
Agnes’s head slowly tilted. Andrew’s words were the opposite of the diagnoses she had heard until now.
Even if one performs rehabilitation, do not exceed a certain amount of time. Above all, be careful not to put strain on the legs for the rest of your life. Everyone had said so.
And that warning still remained deep inside Agnes’s mind. Therefore, she naturally had no choice but to raise a question.
“But wouldn’t overdoing it actually put a burden on the legs?”
When she asked in a cautious voice, the bridge of Andrew’s nose wrinkled subtly.
“It seems another doctor has told you that.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Of course, there is logic in those words—if you intend to live the rest of your life leaning on a wheelchair, that is.”
Andrew let out an artificial sigh.
“If that is what Miss Agnes wants, I will not force the matter.”
At the end of his words, a ‘but’ was hidden so as not to be heard. That quiet sarcasm lingered in the air.
Agnes lost her words for a moment. Medicine was a world she did not know well. As much as she lacked knowledge, she also lacked conviction. If it were a matter of looking at financial statements to weigh profits and losses, she could have reached a clear conclusion.
‘……Which side is right?’
As Agnes’s silence grew longer, Andrew’s expression changed ominously.
“Since you do not seem to trust my treatment, we shall act as if this never happened.”
Andrew’s voice took on a sharp edge. He seemed quite offended.
“The Duke told me to look after the Duchess as the top priority even in his busy schedule…… He will be quite disappointed to hear this news.”
“Does the Duke also know about this treatment method?”
“Yes, well. As I told you earlier.”
Thud.
Andrew shook his wrist as he closed
the lid of his bag in dissatisfaction.
That small sound echoed exceptionally loud in the room.
“I will tell the Duke personally. That Miss Agnes has refused the treatment.”
At those words, Agnes’s heart plummeted.
The mention of Lionel being disappointed—that single phrase gripped her heart before her reason could.
‘I can’t let that happen…….’
What if Lionel thinks she ignored the kindness he showed for the first time? And if, because of that, he returns to being the terrifying person he was when they first met……
She felt she could hardly endure that. Her mind became a tangled mess. The words of her previous doctor also came to mind.
“Unless a new treatment method emerges, there is no way to fix it.”
If those words were the reality, the choice before her eyes right now might be her last chance. Yes. Even if it is a single thread, let’s grab it. Had she not made up her mind to do so?
There was no way a person pushed to the edge of a cliff had any options.
“No, I will receive it. However, I want to know the treatment method in more detail. What kind of method is ‘waking the nerves’?”
“Ah, if it is that, it is not difficult.”
Andrew’s expression softened instantly. He slowly lit a lamp.
As the lamp light flickered and cut through the darkness, Andrew pulled a tool out of his bag as if he had been waiting. It was a medical metal rod with a round stone attached to the end.
“Nerves wake up when given stimulation. Even if they seem dead, the body regains its memory when strong pain is applied. Although there are few cases yet, there are certainly instances where it has been effective.”
And he followed up with a confident assertion: “And Miss Agnes will also become one of the cases where this treatment succeeded.”
With those words, Andrew brought the tip of the rod near the flame. In an instant, the surface of the iron turned red.
“It might feel a bit warm, but it won’t be very hot.”
Agnes said as she unconsciously backed away.
“Wait, that is—”
“You just need to follow my lead from now on.”
Andrew smoothly covered her words. And he lowered his hand.
The short ‘hiss’ sound made by the heated metal as it cooled spread through the room.
As Andrew said, it wasn’t hot. It wasn’t warm either. It just felt like she was observing someone else’s leg turning red.
But seeing the blisters rising over the mangled scar, she felt she should apply ice.
Belatedly, Agnes shook the bell, but the door did not open. Contrary to the claim that servants would enter if the bell was rung.
No one.
Not a single person responded to the bell Agnes rang. Not until one more scar was added to her already scar-covered leg.
“I am told the etiquette teacher and the doctor have arrived at the mansion.”
The moment he received the report, Lionel lifted his head for a moment.
Under the grey sky, the wreckage of the blown-up bridge still stretched out wide.
In case there were any clues linked to Rebelt that had been dropped, Lionel had been personally inspecting the past front lines for several days, from the Sercadia territory to this place.
After staring at the blackened riverbank for a long while, Lionel took off his leather gloves and muttered shortly.
“Simon will be pleased.”
Kalt, who was beside him, looked up.
“Pardon?”
“Now that Nora has returned, he’ll be happy that his workload has decreased.”
It was a remark that was nothing more than a dry observation. Kalt nodded shortly in agreement.
And he continued to deliver news of the mansion. It was about how Mrs. Nora had taken charge of managing the mansion’s servants while also holding the position of head maid she previously held.
He said that just like before, every detail of the house would pass through her hands.
It was information Lionel already knew well. Because it was he who had called Nora back to the position of head maid in accordance with the late Duke’s will.
“I heard she is touching up the interior decoration of the mansion a bit.”
“Tell her to do as she pleases.”
“I heard it’s been quite some time since Miss Agnes started her treatment as well. Would you like to hear the details?”
Kalt slightly showed the report filled with dense medical terminology.
“What for?”
Nora was a person who had guarded the Valheim family for a longer time than Lionel himself. Her loyalty to the ducal family was exceptional.
He wondered if there was any need to add words to what such a person was doing. Since the old parts needed to be touched up anyway, he thought it was a gain to be relieved of a bothersome task.
Andrew, too. He had brought him from afar specifically because he heard that Agnes’s legs could not be fixed with the Empire’s medical arts.
The statement that he values autonomy in treatment methods was a bit bothersome, but as long as the results were good, it was enough. As it always was.
In Lionel’s world, a long-winded process was merely unnecessary noise that hindered efficiency.
“I’m sure they’ll do a good job on their own.”
Lionel muttered while tapping the stack of reports in Kalt’s arms with his finger.
For him right now, more urgent and productive tasks were piled up like mountains. Among them, the details regarding Agnes’s treatment could not be a priority.
“Instead of reporting such useless things, make a more productive report.”
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