I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 26
While Kazen was diligently clearing away the furniture under instructions, Lenette quickly cleaned the spot where dust had accumulated beneath it.
After finishing all the tasks she requested, Kazen entered the room and stopped abruptly upon seeing her kneeling and scrubbing the floor.
“Does this even work?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cleaning. Is it really necessary to go this far?”
“It doesn’t directly cure the patient’s illness.”
He leaned against the doorframe, standing at an angle, quietly looking down at Lenette. It seemed like he was wondering why she was working so hard if that was the case.
With a sigh, Lenette stood up.
“But at least it can prevent additional diseases from occurring.”
“Additional diseases?”
“Yes.”
Placing the cloth she had used as a mop near the bucket of water, Lenette washed her hands in the clean water and approached Kazen again.
“I suspect the patient—”
“Mahart.”
“Excuse me?”
“The patient’s name is Mahart.”
“Oh…”
Oh dear. Now that she thinks about it, she hadn’t even confirmed the most basic information when dealing with the patient.
“Mr. Mahart seems to be suffering from pneumonia right now.”
“Pneumonia.”
He didn’t seem completely ignorant about diseases.
‘That’s unexpected.’
In the medical practices of the Tazetra Empire, there wouldn’t be a significant distinction between a common cold and pneumonia.
But the surprising thing was that this was not the end.
“Then it will be difficult to treat.”
Lenette looked up at him with wide eyes.
“You understand well?”
Kazen shrugged once and looked around the room.
“So, what’s the reason for this cleaning?”
“Pneumonia doesn’t have a direct treatment method. We have to wait for the body to overcome it. All the physician can provide is ‘supportive care.'”
“Supportive care?”
“Yes. It literally means creating an environment in which the patient can recover. Additionally, it also aims to prevent other diseases as much as possible.”
“Why prevent other diseases?”
“Um.”
Lenette paused for a moment, pressing her lips together as if contemplating.
Then she picked up an object nearby. She turned over a medium-sized glass and began to speak.
“For example, let’s say you’re a lord defending a castle. This overturned glass represents the castle you need to protect.”
This time, Lenette lightly tapped the glass with a small pebble-like statue.
“What do you think would happen if a weak enemy attacked like this?”
“If it’s not a formidable opponent, I would manage to defend the castle without much trouble.”
“That’s right. But—”
Lenette placed other small figurines around the glass.
“If they attacked simultaneously, it would be a different story, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, because the forces would be dispersed.”
Even small enemies that were not difficult to defeat would become challenging when there were many of them. In severe cases, you might ultimately lose the castle.
Understanding Lenette’s analogy, Kazen squatted down and placed his hand on the glass.
“Then this glass is Mahart, and the small statue that attacked first is ‘pneumonia.'”
“Um. No.”
Kazen raised an eyebrow and looked at Lenette.
She turned her head around, searching for something. After a moment, she seemed to find the perfect item, jumped up, and returned to sit down.
“Such a small statue cannot represent pneumonia. It needs to be something like this.”
Saying this, Lenette placed a cast-iron pot on top of the overturned glass.
“The glass can withstand the weight of the pot for now, right? Mr. Mahart is in a similar situation.”
“But we don’t know when it might collapse.”
“Exactly. The glass’s durability might be better than expected, allowing it to hold the pot until the end, or it could collapse soon. It entirely depends on the glass’s durability.”
Kazen silently stared at the glass underneath the pot. After a while of intense observation, he suddenly picked up a statue and tossed it toward the glass.
Fortunately, the cup did not wobble.
Then he threw two more, this time a bit harder.
The cup shook, and the pot rattled.
“If minor illnesses come flooding in while he’s suffering from pneumonia, it would definitely be dangerous.”
“That’s right.”
“So today’s cleaning is to prevent other statues from attacking while Mahart is fighting that pot?”
“Exactly. You’re quick to understand.”
Kazen rested his chin on his hand, quietly looking down at the glass supporting the pot.
“It’s interesting, but it’s a strange logic.”
That would be the case. The correlation between cleanliness and disease prevention is unfamiliar even in the Ecaron Kingdom, the origin of modern medicine.
‘Moreover, there probably isn’t a theoretical framework laid out for the principles of supportive care.’
As Kazen stood up from his seat and brushed off his hands, he said,
“You’ll understand if you observe just how accurate the medicine in that neighborhood is.”
Over ten people had already benefited from Lenette’s treatment. Nevertheless, his continued skepticism indicated that he was a cautious person.
“Oh, and.”
Seeing that Lenette seemed to have something to say, Kazen paused his steps.
“Do you have more to say?”
“Yes. About Mr. Mahart. I think it would be better if he stopped what he’s doing.”
“Are you telling me to stop being a gunpowder technician?”
Kazen’s question lingered, but Lenette did not respond immediately. A moment of contemplation arose.
‘It’s not just dust. Pneumonia doesn’t come from stone powder or dirt dust.’
For lung issues to arise, one would need to inhale many more toxic substances.
‘It’s not infectious pneumonia either.’
There were no pneumonia patients around Mr. Mahart, nor in the village at present.
‘He clearly works with gunpowder…’
She had already confirmed various circumstances while cleaning.
The real issue was whether to tell Kazen about this or not.
‘If Kazen is intentionally hiding the fact that Mahart is a gunpowder technician…’
There was no need to feign knowledge of that.
On the other hand, what if Kazen didn’t know that Mahart was a gunpowder technician?
‘…In that case, revealing the truth wouldn’t be wise either.’
A gunpowder technician is significantly more dangerous than a blacksmith or a stone worker.
Could it be that Mahart, as a gunpowder technician, is a “safe person”?
‘No.’
There is a high probability that someone not to be trifled with is behind Mahart.
It would be best to avoid entanglement with such a person, especially if he might flee soon.
‘I think that man is most likely to have a backing, but… That’s something we can’t know for sure.’
Regardless, the identity of Mahart must be kept thoroughly hidden.
“Yes. As for being a stone welder, even if pneumonia is completely cured, it’s not good to be exposed to dirt, dust, or stone powder in the long term.”
“That’s a problem.”
“Even if it’s a problem, it can’t be helped. We have to prevent unnecessary deaths, right?”
Kazen looked down at Lenette. He couldn’t gauge the mysterious emotion resting above his gaze.
But one thing was certain: at least he wasn’t wary of her.
“It’s up to Mr. Mahart to accept this. I’m just giving advice as a physician, so please convey it well.”
“Shouldn’t you say it directly?”
“It would be more persuasive if you, someone familiar with him, said it rather than me, a stranger, telling him he needs to quit his lifelong profession.”
Kazen chuckled at her words.
“You speak as if your calling as a physician is quite strong.”
Instead of responding, Lenette shrugged her shoulders, and as he left the room, he said,
“Well, at least try to say it.”
* * *
Mahart’s recovery progressed more quickly than expected.
“Breathing is normal, and he seems to have improved a lot.”
“It’s all thanks to you, doctor.”
The elderly man, who had spoken informally when he first met Lenette, was now treating her with utmost respect.
This signified just how effective Lenette’s treatment had been.
“What can I say? It’s thanks to Mr. Mahart for following my advice well.”
“Haha, you are so humble. To think such a person is Kazen’s bride, how fortunate he must be!”
Lenette responded with a formal smile, then organized her tools and stood up.
“But you’re still not completely healed, so you need to rest well. You must not work at all.”
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
As she stepped out of the house with her tools, Kazen, who was standing in front, turned his head.
‘He’s talking again today.’
Except for the time he helped Lenette organize the house last time, he had been outside the entire time.
The fact that he was always chatting with someone presumed to be his subordinate made it seem that the claim of having “work to do” was not a lie.
“You finished early.”
“Yes. His condition has improved a lot.”
Lenette glanced at Kazen as she spoke.
“It doesn’t seem to be highly contagious pneumonia, given that there haven’t been any other patients around this week.”
In other words, the cause of this pneumonia was entirely related to his “occupation.”
Noticing this, Kazen raised his eyebrows in concern.
“I can’t force him not to work.”
“Who said anything?”
“I thought I heard you say something just now.”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
As she casually shrugged her shoulders and continued walking, he let out a small laugh that sounded like a breath.
He then said something to his subordinate and caught up with Lenette.
“Where are you going?”
“Aren’t I going back to the palace?”
At her question, he strode forward and blocked her path.
“Do you want to go back to the palace?”
“What if I do?”
He glanced around before speaking.
“Since I’ve been working all week, I think I can afford to take a day off.”
He thinks he can afford to take a day off? Could it be… that he wants to show her around?
‘…No way.’
But sure enough, Kazen spoke a strange sentence.
“Have you ever tried street food?”
