Doctor Elise

Chapter 10

Part 2 An Unfair Bet-6

“Yes, you’re not wrong. That was the reason I had concerns, despite my fondness for you. Would you be able to carry out the duties of a crown princess well? I worried about that also.”

Surprisingly enough, there wasn’t a trace of anger in his words. If anything, he seemed pleased?

Elise lowered her head again. “You are correct, Your Majesty. I am far too inadequate for the role of crown princess.”

She was relieved to hear that the emperor had the same thoughts she did.

But the emperor didn’t have the same thoughts as her.

She wasn’t expecting what he said next.

“But many of my worries have been relieved after seeing you today.”

Elise hesitated. “Pardon?”

“From what I’ve seen of you today, I think you’ll make a wonderful crown princess.”

He continued in a pleased voice, “I have been astonished many times today. To think you would place your deepest desire aside to take another look at your own shortcomings. It must have been difficult. I’m very, very proud of you!”

Elise’s face turned ashen.

Things were moving in a weird direction somehow!

“T-that isn’t the case. I am really not qualified to be the crown princess. I’m very selfish, and I have a terrible personality, and—!”

She tried to recall as many of her flaws as possible, but the emperor cut her off.

“Enough. I understand what it is you want to say.”

“Your Majesty...”

“How old are you this year?”

“Sixteen, Your Majesty...”

The emperor turned his gaze out to the garden. There were many roses in various colors in full bloom.

“Sixteen years old. A truly beautiful and young age, much like this flower.”

Out of all of the roses, he looked at one that was just beginning to bloom. The rose had a deep red color within its bud, and it was sure to be very beautiful once it fully blossomed.

“I know what it is that you’re worried about. You must feel pressured by your responsibilities now that the title of crown princess is imminent. But there is no one who has no flaws. The most important thing is where you go from here. I think that if you continue the way you have today, you will be a great crown princess, and grow into a great empress as well.”

No! That’s not it at all!

She thought she would die of frustration.

The emperor had an endless amount of affection for her, as if he wore rose-tinted glasses.

What do I do? I have to break the engagement today.

She didn’t know when she would see the emperor again if she backed off today.

And once the engagement was announced, it would be impossible to take back.

What should I say? Should I just say I hate the crown prince now?

She bit her lip. Her head spun in an attempt to salvage this situation.

Just then, she thought of a way to cancel the engagement!

“Your Majesty, there is another reason why I requested to break this engagement.”

“What is it?”

She hesitated briefly. She was worried about his reaction, but she said it all at once: “The truth is... there is something I wish to do.”

“What is that?”

“I want to be a doctor.”

Silence fell yet again. There had already been so many silences. If the silences so far had come from surprise and shock, this time, it came from being flabbergasted.

“Elise... you want to be a doctor...?” her father stammered in a voice that seemed to ask if she was joking.

But Elise nodded. “Yes, Father. I want to become a doctor.”

“What kind of nonsense...”

Marquess Earl was developing a migraine from his daughter’s multiple unexpected actions. He had thought she had started to behave, but now she was causing an unbelievable incident before His Majesty.

“Young lady, is that true? You really wish to become a doctor?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“No matter how much I care for you, I won’t tolerate lying.”

The emperor looked right into her eyes. It was as though he pierced through her inner thoughts.

Elise’s gaze didn’t waver.

I did bring it up abruptly, but I do want to live my life as a doctor.

She thought of her life back on Earth.

The steel scalpel.

The pulsating arteries.

The happiness from saving a life.

Her heart fluttered as she thought back to her memories as a surgeon.

Though she had a soft, delicate appearance now that she had returned to Elise’s body, she couldn’t help the fact that she was a surgeon through and through. She wanted to feel the tension, and the rewarding feeling of saving someone caught between life and death, in this life as well.

“Oho, a doctor out of the blue.”

The emperor forced a laugh once he realized that she was being sincere.

“Marquess, did you know that the young lady had such a dream?”

“I had no clue...”

“A doctor. Yes, good. It’s meaningful work. However, Lady Elise, do you know exactly what a doctor does?”

“Yes, I do.” Elise nodded.

Could anyone in the empire be more familiar with the work of a doctor than she was?

“It’s far more arduous and difficult work than you think.”

“Yes, I’m aware. However... I think that the work is more than worth it.”

The emperor let out a soft sigh. “She doesn’t seem to be joking. Did you look through those medical books because you wanted to be a doctor?”

The emperor thought back to the medical knowledge she displayed earlier during their conversation. “Do you really believe that a daughter raised like a priceless treasure in a marquess’s household can become a doctor?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty, but... I don’t believe there is a law that women cannot become doctors. There has even been a case where the daughter of Viscount Lyon became a doctor.”

“This is true. In that case, let me ask you, Lady Elise: Do you believe you can become a doctor?”

Elise realized the intention behind the emperor’s question.

Medicine was one of the highest professions in the empire, along with alchemy, lawyering, and government.

In other words, doctors in Britia were treated well, comparable to modern Earth, and the competition to earn the title was fierce.

It didn’t used to be so respected, but after the concept of advanced medicine was introduced a century ago, health began to be prioritized across the continent. The empire also treated biomedical scientists well.

And so, many nobles became doctors, and one had to be at least a new citizen or from the bourgeois class to become a doctor.

He’s asking if I can beat the competition to become a real doctor.

The emperor continued, “In order to be acknowledged as a doctor in this empire, you must pass the Medical Research Institute’s exam. No matter how high-ranked you are, there will be no preferential treatment.”

“Can you do it?” is what he was asking.

But Elise nodded without any hesitation. “Yes, I can.”

The emperor wordlessly drummed his fingers on the table. It was a habit of his when he was mulling over a problem.

“This puts me in quite a predicament. I wanted to accept you as Linden’s wife today, but now you suddenly say you want to become a doctor. It doesn’t seem as though you are joking either... What a predicament.”

Elise silently lowered her head.

“Why did you suddenly decide to become a doctor?”

She thought back to the distant past. The reason she wanted to become a doctor on Earth was simple.

“I wanted to do something to save lives.”

After living a terrible first life, she had wanted to live a meaningful one and decided to save lives. Once she became a doctor, she fell in love with her work. She became addicted.

“Oho, you want to save lives.”

The emperor looked dumbstruck by her words.

“I am truly sorry, Your Majesty.”

“Whatever for? It is a worthwhile and noble profession, haha.” The emperor gave her a wry chuckle.

If the daughter of any other noble family had said as much, he would have felt quite proud. However... for Elise de Clarence, whom he had been thinking of as Linden’s bride, to say so...

In the end, the emperor said, “Lady Elise.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If I order you to marry the crown prince, you know you must oblige, yes?”

“Yes... that is so, Your Majesty.”

“However, I don’t wish to force you to do something you don’t want. Do you know why?”

Elise knew the answer but couldn’t voice it aloud.

“It’s because I care about you as though you were my real niece. Because I care for you, I wanted to bring you into my family, and I also don’t wish to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Elise’s heart tightened painfully at the warmth in his words, his voice.

It was the same in her past life. Emperor Minchester had continued to treat her with unconditional affection despite her terrible behavior, as if she were really his niece—no—daughter.

“So let’s do this.”

Elise waited for his proposition.

“We’ll make a bet.”

A bet?

“It may be a bit unfair for you, young lady.”

The emperor grinned at Elise’s confusion. Then he proceeded to say something completely unexpected.

Upon listening, Elise realized that it wasn’t just “a bit” unfair.