The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 6: Roses Have Thorns

With the insurance policy set with Asella, there was nothing holding me back from participating in the physician’s exam.

“Alright, let’s think positively about this.”

The benefits of becoming the imperial physician:

The pay — it’s massive. The annual salary easily exceeds a hundred gold coins. And if it involves treating a royal family member? That could go up to two hundred.

In just five years, I could afford a mansion in the capital.

The social standing was considerable too. In the nine-tier social hierarchy, it ranked at the third tier, on par with the mayor.

Even within the palace, it outranked the head butler.

“Personally, there’s also a lot I could accomplish.”

I had already secured Asella’s promise of support, so I could establish myself as a physician and build a track record.

And being close to Asella would also give me more opportunities to eliminate bad endings she might trigger.

I’d also have the chance to get involved in imperial politics. It would make it easier to prevent the incident that would lead to my family’s downfall.

“The only downside that outweighs all of that...”

Was that I would have to see Asella’s face every morning,

see Asella’s face every noon,

and see Asella’s face every evening.

Now that I think about it, I don’t even need the Ending List.

Whenever I look at Asella, flashbacks of all the ways I’ve died play out like a reel in my head.

A living, breathing video recorder.

She still had some baby fat left, making her face round and cherubic.

Alright. I’ve made my decision. No more whining. If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it.

“They said the head maid will be overseeing the exam, so I should start preparing.”

The written exam had already been held, and some candidates had been eliminated.

What was left was the practical exam. I’d still have to take the written exam, but that would be a breeze.

The crucial practical exam to select the final candidates was in a week.

I needed to prepare for that.

But for now —

“Let’s get rid of this first.”

[No. 003: Execution of the Hundred — 31%]

It was the bad ending where Asella gained inspiration from the incident of giving yellow roses to the Empress.

Asella was still examining the floral crown.

After a while, she seemed to come to a decision and nodded to herself.

“Yes, this is better.”

Asella picked up the crown and stood up.

She walked gracefully out to the balcony. The head maid stepped forward to escort her.

“Where is Mother?”

“She is in the main hall, having a meeting with the Marquis.”

“I want to see her.”

“As you wish.”

Asella left without so much as a glance back.

Left alone, I looked at Max.

His tongue lolled out as he stared at me with bright, innocent eyes — the only fluffball of sweetness in this thorn-filled palace.

“I’ll be back, Max.”

I patted his head, and he let out a soft bark.

***

Following the garden path, I moved from the east wing to the central hall.

I was now trailing behind Asella.

While the noble princess was accompanied by maids, the wretched fiancée wandered along alone.

Asella didn’t seem to notice that I was following her.

The Empress was standing in the well-manicured meeting courtyard outside the main hall, conversing with my father.

I slipped behind a willow tree, observing them.

“Third Empress Camilla von Württempelt.”

She wasn’t a particularly powerful faction within the imperial palace.

“Silver hair. A witch.”

The Empress was clearly a mage.

Her hair was now a soft silver, the result of using excessive mana over the years.

The same color Asella would have in ten years.

“So, a witch who fell out of the Emperor’s favor was trying to latch onto our family’s power.”

I’d heard that the Empress had pushed for my political engagement to Asella.

Asella now stood quietly at the entrance to the central hall, hands clasped demurely.

She seemed to be waiting for the Empress.

My father noticed her first and spoke to the Empress.

The Empress excused herself and walked toward Asella, her heels clicking sharply against the stone.

The two moved to a more shadowed spot, as if intending to have a private conversation.

I adjusted my position to a closer willow tree to eavesdrop.

“Asella, what brings you here?”

“I brought a gift for you, Mother.”

Asella extended the object she had been holding.

It was the floral crown I had made from yellow roses.

A surprise gift from a daughter.

Maybe I should give my father something like that to score some points? I thought, but the Empress’s icy voice cut through my musings.

“What is this?”

“A yellow rose crown.”

The Empress took the floral crown.

Slowly, she turned it around in her hands.

“Asella.”

“Yes.”

The Empress’s voice was now frigid, stabbing through the air like a blade.

“I thought I told you to behave yourself quietly in the Marquis’s estate.”

The Empress stroked one of the roses with her wrinkled finger and then — snap.

She plucked the rose head off the stem and dropped it.

“To think you interrupted an important meeting over this ridiculous trinket. Unbelievable.”

The Empress’s sharp words struck Asella.

Asella pressed her lips together, unable to respond.

“Learn to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Do you think I came all the way to this backwater just to choose your personal physician? The Gotberg family’s cooperation is crucial for seizing power within the imperial palace.”

So that was her intention behind arranging the engagement.

In the aristocratic circles, such schemes were commonplace.

There are multiple factions within the imperial palace. Nobles are always testing the waters, trying to decide which side to align with.

My father is a devout believer, so he's relatively weak in politics.

Geographically, the Gotberg estate is located far from the capital.

However, looking to the future, our family’s value could increase.

“Since we’re a family of healers, the probability of a Saintess emerging from our lineage is high.”

Right now, it’s a time of peace, but if the Demon King were to appear, the faction holding the Saintess would naturally gain power.

The Empress must have placed her bets on that possibility and set her sights on our family.

The Empress continued to berate Asella.

“So, go back to your room and focus on seducing that stupid bastard. You’re both equally idiotic, so you’ll suit each other well. This engagement must not be broken. Use your body if you have to — just make sure to keep that fool tethered to you.”

Did that hag just call me stupid?

“If you don’t, your neck will eventually fall off your body just like this.”

The Empress shoved the rose she’d torn off right in front of Asella’s face.

She cast a spell.

It must have been poison-related. freёnovelkiss.com

The rosebud started to bubble and dissolve almost instantly.

The blood-red liquefied rose dripped to the ground, powerless.

Asella stared at the sight blankly, her expression as vacant as a doll’s.

The Empress dropped the floral crown from her hand.

The rose crown Asella had painstakingly crafted fell to the ground, crumpling underfoot.

The Empress turned on her heel and walked away from Asella.

Slowly, Asella bent down and picked up the crushed floral crown.

The probability percentage on the screen flared red as it surged upwards.

[No. 003: Execution of the Hundred 31% → 77%]

Before I knew it, I slapped my forehead.

“Who doesn’t understand the importance of things now?”

The probability had more than doubled.

Or does it mean it rose because I didn’t intervene sooner?

Was this my fault?

“This is ridiculous.”

I could tolerate being called a fool.

But —

“I can’t stand being called a fool.”

I walked toward Asella.

She turned to look at me.

Her expression was that of a child caught in the act of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) doing something wrong, surprised to see me there.

I took the floral crown from her hands.

Suppressing the throbbing vein in my forehead, I calmly called out to the Empress.

“Your Highness the Empress.”

The Empress looked back at me.

I bowed slightly, bending my knees just enough to display courtesy.

Her expression twitched slightly, then quickly softened into a gracious smile.

“Oh my, Young Master Gotberg. I didn’t realize you were here.”

“Haha, from afar, Your Highness’s grace shone so brightly that it drew me here without a second thought. Forgive my impudence for running over without proper decorum.”

“What are you saying? Thanks to you...”

“But.”

I cut her off.

The Empress’s face stiffened, clearly not expecting to be interrupted.

Oh, if she’s that shocked now, just wait. This is only the beginning.

“It seems Your Highness the Empress isn’t too fond of our family.”

“Young Master? What are you implying?”

“This crown, for instance.”

I extended the yellow rose crown toward her.

“These yellow roses are a specialty of the Gotberg family, a unique breed that our first patriarch personally cultivated. They’ve been maintained exclusively by our estate ever since.”

Of course, that was a complete lie.

I didn’t even know who the first patriarch was.

“Oh... Is that so? I wasn’t aware.”

A hint of unease flickered across the Empress’s face.

“And this floral crown — I made it myself. It was a tribute to be presented to Your Highness through Her Highness the Princess.”

“Oh... was it?”

The Empress had no excuses.

If Asella hadn’t informed her that it was a tribute, it would be a fault on her as the fiancée.

But if the Empress claimed she never intended to accept it as a tribute, that would be a direct insult to our family.

Granted, the Marquisate was still beneath the imperial family.

However, Asella was still just the imperial princess. The Empress, on the other hand, had fallen out of the Emperor’s favor. She needed our family.

She couldn’t afford to have a rift with my father.

And what if the Marquis’s son threw a public tantrum, claiming the imperial family had insulted him?

Negotiations and the engagement would be at risk.

Even if the other party was royalty, that kind of fallout was very possible.

After all, I was a well-known delinquent.

“...Young Master.”

She was trapped.

The Empress must have realized by now that this was a trap I’d set.

Her gaze sharpened, the loathing unmistakable.

But I couldn’t care less.

She couldn’t kill me, but Asella could. And she actually would.

So what are you going to do, you old hag?

But standing here like this would only prolong the deadlock.

I decided to give her an out.

“If Your Highness were to accept the tribute right now, I believe it would resolve the matter without informing the Marquis. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“...Fine.”

The Empress reluctantly accepted the crown from me.

Her nostrils flared, a clear sign of her barely contained rage.

This is almost funny.

“...Looks like you’re not just a mindless fool after all. To think you’d dabble in politics.”

She muttered under her breath as she turned away.

“Hah, really.”

Did she really need to get in one last jab just to save her pride?

If she’d just walked away quietly, it would’ve ended well.

But I wasn’t the kind to ignore a provocation.

“Oh dear, it seems a rose fell.”

I pulled out a rose from my pocket.

It was the one I’d hidden earlier — the one with the thorns still intact.

“Please, take it with you.”

I pushed the rose into the Empress’s hand, where she was awkwardly holding the crown.

“Ouch...!”

The Empress winced, her face contorting in pain.

It was fine. I’d positioned it so it wouldn’t draw blood.

But her lips quivered, as if she were about to curse and then thought better of it.

What’s she going to do now?

With gritted teeth, the Empress finally turned and left.

“Phew. Now then, let’s see.”

I checked the system window.

[No. 003: Execution of the Hundred 77% → 0%]

[Adjusted]

[Ending has been deleted.]

“Done.”

A sense of relief washed over me. The future where I was executed had just been erased.

It felt as if a weight had lifted off my chest. Yes, this is it. This is the feeling.

I was basking in that sense of liberation when suddenly, I felt a tap on my back.

“Young Master.”

I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin.

Asella’s face was inches from mine.

I stumbled backward, my heart pounding.

God, I still wasn’t used to her sudden appearances.

While I tried to calm my frantic heartbeat, Asella stomped closer, her steps heavy and deliberate — like a scene out of a horror movie.

“Young Master, I have a question.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What’s your name?”

She still didn’t know?