It had been a month since she was transmigrated and she was now used to being referred to as Stella.
As Doctor Arnold had promised, ever since she vomited blood, the pain Stella was suffering gradually decreased. Thus, her dosage of painkillers was also lessened.
'Thank god. I thought I was gonna die of an overdose.'
Still, despite the pain lessening, her whole body still hurt. She was amazed at herself for being able to live enduring all that pain.
'Perhaps my patience with books was ingrained even in my daily life. Come to think of it, I barely got angry even at work when it was stressful.'
She recalled how her coworkers sometimes called her a saint for being calm despite stressful times like when there was a lot of work to do or when there were client complaints.
When she thought about it, she realized that she was not stressed during those times since she thought of it as just a part of her job. Nothing more, nothing less.
She merely completed what was required of her. And of course, so that she could still leave on time and go home to her beloved books.
Upon recalling her books, she sighed deeply. She missed reading novels. She had asked the maids if there were any storybooks in the duke's mansion but there were none. Only educational books were in the residence.
'Why was I brought somewhere where I could not do my favorite pastime?'
After the pains she was feeling subsided, and she could finally move around a bit, she got bored of just eating and sleeping in her room.
Stella's room was beautiful and luxurious. Even the walls were pretty; but after staring at it for a month, it became normal and boring to her.
She wanted to go outside, but her body was still weak. She would only end up worrying everyone. And she was afraid of possibly causing complications.
* * *
After another two months indoors, Doctor Arnold finally declared that Stella was cured of her illness.
Still, she needed to lay low and only go out to take walks until her body was in its best condition.
Stella was overjoyed that she was finally able to go out. Until the doctor said:
"Since Lady Stella is now cured, my daughter and I shall be leaving the mansion. We will go back to our own residence."
The doctor and his daughter had actually been living in the duke's residence during the duration that he had to cure Stella. It was to ensure Stella's survival.
She paled when she recalled something important.
Doctor Arnold had a major role in the future. He would be the key doctor in stopping an epidemic. However, it will not be until thousands had died due to the disease, that he was finally found.
According to the novel, Doctor Arnold stopped being a doctor when his daughter died. Thus, it took time to find him and convince him that he could still save lives.
She bit her lip as she thought of a way to stop the doctor from leaving. She wanted to hit her head for recalling it only now that the doctor was saying he had to go.
In the novel, Doctor Arnold's daughter, died after they left Stella's residence. Bandits stole all his gold rewards from Duke Henry, and even beat Doctor Arnold and his daughter. When he woke up, Doctor Arnold was devastated that his daughter was dead from severe injuries and internal bleeding.
After that, the doctor gave up on life and became a drunkard to drown away his grief from not being able to save his daughter.
"Wait. Please do not leave," she held the doctor's hand before she knew it.
"What's wrong Stella? Are you still not feeling well?" Duchess Amelia asked with worry.
"Uhm, no. That's not it," she let go of the doctor's hand since she could feel every male in the room eyeing it and they were scaring the doctor.
"You have nothing to worry about, Lady Stella. Your illness is over and gone. You only need to eat well and recover your healthy body. I have prepared all the medicine you will need," Doctor Arnold reassured her. He thought that she was scared that she may not be truly cured yet.
Yeong-ja stared at Doctor Arnold. He was thirty years old but he looked like he was twenty-five.
If not due to his wife's passing three years ago, he would have looked like he was twenty. He was good-looking and his daughter took after him.
Stella was yet to see the doctor's daughter but she was sure that she was a beauty when she grows up. She was probably close to Stella's age.
Yeong-ja who had grown up in a generally safe environment when she was young; felt bad at not doing anything when an innocent girl was about to be killed. She wanted to try to prevent it from happening. Perhaps, she could divert it.
"You cannot go doctor," she repeated.
"Mother, please do not let him and his daughter leave this estate," she appealed to the duchess who was already beside her to comfort her.
"You have nothing to be scared about. From now on, I will be by your side and make sure you are healthy," the duchess assured her.
"No. Please do not let him leave. I want him to be my personal doctor," she acted childishly and appealed again.
The family already had their doctor so she specified she wanted him to be her doctor.
"You will be growing up soon so we will find you a female doctor," the duchess explained.
They were worried about her reputation and honor. But Yeong-ja was used to male doctors in her time. She did not really care whether her doctor was male or female.
"We can get another doctor after I have grown up. For now, I want him to be my doctor. I am still so thin and my body is sickly.
"So many doctors came to cure me before, but they all failed. I will only feel assured if he is my doctor. We can let him and his daughter continue staying here. Right, Father?" she attacked the duke with tear-stained eyes.
"A-alright. If that is what my daughter wishes," Duke Henry reluctantly agreed.
'Oh my god! Alina's usual weapon actually works. Hurray to the power of tears!' she worshipped inside her head due to how amazed she was that it actually worked at the cold duke.
She could not blame the duke though. Stella was a cutie when she was a kid.
"My apologies doctor but we will have to impose on you until our daughter feels assured with other doctors," the duke said to Doctor Arnold with a smile that made the doctor flinch.
"I guess my daughter and I shall continue staying here for the meantime then," Doctor Arnold had no choice but to agree.
"I hope I can go and check on my other patients though."
"Oh, do not worry about that. You can go out and cure other patients whenever you want as long as you take at least two of our best knights with you," Stella said with a smile.
"K-knights? My lady, I would not dare to run away from a patient."
"Of course not. Your daughter will be with us, after all. She is not allowed to go out of the estate without at least two of our best knights with her either," she added.
Everyone blinked twice at her words. It was basically saying that the doctor's daughter was a hostage to keep him in the duke's residence.
"My lady, please be rest assured that my daughter and I will not dare runaway. It did not even cross my mind," Doctor Arnold paled.
"If you and your daughter go somewhere together, then that would be at least four knights with you," she ignored the doctor's sentiments.
"Right, Father?" she pleaded the duke with another cuteness attack.
"Of course. It shall be as my daughter wishes. We have plenty of skilled knights after all," Duke Henry agreed once again.
Meanwhile, inside her head, Yeong-ja was bowing at an image of Alina. She had hated how Alina had always been a crybaby and always used her tears to move people. But now that she tried using it herself, she realized how convenient it was.
'No wonder Alina always uses this tactic. I could use it for survival too, now that I am in the body of someone so pretty.'
"Stella, Doctor Arnold is a trustworthy person. He will not go back on his word just as he cured you as he promised," Duchess Amelia chided her and gave a disapproving look at the duke.
Duke Henry acted like he was innocent.
"That's exactly why we have to make sure of his safety, Mother," Stella corrected.
"I actually had a nightmare last night that something bad happened to him and his daughter after they left our residence. It was due to the gold that Father gave him. In my dream, bandits hurt them and stole all his compensation from working here."
"I see. That is not good indeed. You were worried about them?" the duchess smiled gently and stroked her hair.
"Yes. After all, I cannot allow something bad to happen to my benefactor," she smiled back and enjoyed the duchess' love.
"Oh my, what a thoughtful girl," the duchess praised her.
"I thank Lady Stella for worrying about us," Doctor Arnold finally said. He looked relieved that they were not actually getting imprisoned.
"Of course! Our Little Stella had always been a good girl," Hendrick proudly beamed. Zafir nodded in approval.
The duke just watched everyone silently but Yeong-ja and the duchess could tell that he was also proud of his daughter.