Roman untied the string on the scroll he was holding.
Then, in a serious tone, he began to read its contents aloud.
“From this moment, Petron Limone and Adelia Limone are granted the right to examine the young lady. Since her condition is poor, examination time is limited to 20 minutes per day. After the examination, submit a treatment plan on the parchment provided. Time limit: two days.”
“……!”
My eyes trembled at the word “two days.”
Diagnose a complex illness accurately in just two days—without proper equipment or modern medical knowledge?
And the time allowed to actually see the patient was absurdly short.
“If the treatment plan is not submitted within this period, or if the plan is incorrect…”
Roman’s Adam’s apple moved slowly as he paused. His aged but sharp eyes didn’t waver.
“…Both of you will be punished.”
Dad couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up immediately in protest.
“That’s absurd! This is an abuse of authority!”
I lowered my head and rolled my eyes in thought.
Is the young lady’s condition really that bad? So bad that they have to do this…?
Just then, Roman responded.
“I believe there’s some misunderstanding. This is the Duke’s territory. That means, here, the Duke’s family has authority equal to the Imperial Court of Asent.”
He spoke smoothly, clearly very used to handling objections like this.
“Also, Viscount Petron and Lady Adelia, you have already set foot in this land. As you know, the Duke’s estate has its own independent judicial authority.”
His piercing gaze shifted to both Dad and me.
‘Independent judicial authority.’
It was true. The dukedom, which guarded a vast border area, had legal autonomy due to frequent invasions.
But even so, the Duke’s family wasn’t supposed to abuse that power whenever they pleased.
More importantly, nobles punishing other nobles? I’d never heard of that.
Are the other nobles just stupid? Why did no one resist this?
If it became public that doctors were being imprisoned or killed here, surely it would’ve caused a major scandal.
I suddenly had a feeling there might be an even deeper trap behind all this.
“Do you have any further questions?”
Dad looked momentarily dazed, then spoke with determination.
“If we refuse treatment and leave, will we still be punished?”
Roman smiled calmly and answered,
“That would mean you’re declaring yourselves unfit to practice medicine. In that case, all your past medical work would be considered fraudulent—and punished accordingly.”
“……”
Everything about this was absurd. But what was more absurd was how this society used class and status to justify all of it.
Seeing Dad’s overwhelmed expression, I quickly began thinking.
Okay, stay calm and think this through.
Chade, the young lord, said we’d be punished if there were “issues” with the treatment plan.
If there are issues…
That’s when a question crossed my mind.
…How exactly is Chade planning to judge whether a treatment plan is right or wrong?
So far, no one had successfully cured the young lady—not even the royal physician.
That means there’s no known “correct” answer yet.
Something’s definitely off.
So then why demand a treatment plan at all?
Could it be…
My heart dropped heavily. I could feel it racing.
…If we fail to cure her, he’ll use the treatment plan as evidence to punish us?
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
Wow. What a maniac.
At this point, I had to admit it.
He’s not just smart—he’s dangerously clever.
From the start, Chade’s plan was to shield himself from blame by using the doctors’ own written statements if the emperor questioned him.
Which meant we just walked into a carefully laid trap.
…No wonder Dad ended up dying in the original story.
Right now, there was no escape other than successfully treating the young lady.
I shook my head quickly. I couldn’t be pessimistic yet. I needed to talk this through with Dad first.
“Um, Mr. Roman. May I speak with my father for a moment?”
“Of course, my lady.”
With his permission, I tapped Dad’s arm and leaned in to whisper.
“Dad… doesn’t this seem strange to you?”
Dad looked like he was still in shock, unable to process everything.
Well, I guess anyone would be panicking after accidentally bringing their daughter into a death trap.
But now was the time to pull together whatever mental strength we had left.
I quickly whispered my thoughts into his ear.
“Think about it. We haven’t even been here for two hours, and they’re already talking about punishments. Isn’t that suspicious? Like they’re targeting the doctors on purpose.”
“Hmm…”
That seemed to snap Dad out of it a bit. He nodded slightly in agreement. Encouraged, I continued.
“And the really strange part is—who exactly can judge whether our treatment plan is correct or not?”
“……!”
Dad’s emerald-green eyes widened. He began thinking fast, rolling his eyes back and forth.
I gave him a sly smile and finished my point.
“If there really was someone who could judge whether our plan is right or wrong, wouldn’t that person just treat her instead? So they must have some other reason for collecting these treatment plans—something unrelated to actual healing.”
His eyes lit up and met mine.
I smiled brightly at him, and he, after a short pause, nodded firmly—like he’d made a decision.
Honestly, I wanted to speak up and take the lead.
But realistically, I knew it was impossible for a 17-year-old girl to take charge in a situation like this.
At the very least, we need a clear answer from them about what they plan to do with the treatment plan.
Dad called Roman in a firm voice.
“Mr. Roman.”
“Yes, Baron?”
“If we submit the treatment plan, will someone actually review it?”
The question instantly made the atmosphere go cold.
I looked up at Dad in surprise.
Whoa. I didn’t think he’d go that hard from the start.
“Of course. It will be reviewed and judged personally.”
Roman, after a short pause, replied with a relaxed smile. But Dad shook his head firmly.
“No. You clearly mentioned earlier that there might be punishment involved.”
Dad sighed quietly and continued.
“That means punishment is already prepared. Doesn’t it?”
“……”
Roman didn’t respond. Or rather, he seemed unsure how to answer.
But Dad didn’t let up.
“Of course, we’ll do everything we can to examine the young lady and find a treatment. But how can we trust that our plan will be judged fairly, when it seems like there’s no trust in doctors at all here?”
It seemed even Roman couldn’t refute that point. After some thought, he finally spoke slowly.
“……What exactly are you requesting?”
Dad responded without hesitation.
“First, I would like the young lord to review our treatment plan in front of us—and confirm he’s doing so. I usually go over everything with the patient’s guardian before treatment anyway, to ensure full understanding.”
Roman froze for a second, then gave a faint smile and asked,
“……And what else will you be asking for?”
