Chapter 12: A Late-night Visit (1)

Did that slave really organize the drugs by its usage?

But that was nearly impossible—most of the medicines had been brought in from Elpasa! There had been no exchange in nursing and medicine with the fallen kingdom, due to delicate diplomatic relations.

Thanks to the tall and rough mountains of Elpasa, many of its herbs were not found in the empire. Those were the ones that Jorge was unfamiliar with.

I just can’t sleep. And with that thought, he rose from his bed and slipped into a robe.

He returned to the training facility and began inspecting the medicine storage. His wife thought he was insane, but even she could not stop his dedication to learning.

He picked out a few of the items and headed to the prison where Chloe was being held. It was already past 2 am, but nothing could stop the passion of the scholar full of doubts. In the middle of the night, he began his short walk to the dungeons.

Meanwhile, in the prison, Chloe was deep in thought. Being imprisoned had made her think once again about her circumstances.

Why is my life like this?

Actually, her life as a slave was better than she had expected. But since becoming Princess Beatrice, her life had started getting complicated.

She didn’t even want to think about her time with Gilbert. Living with Gilbert was a challenge, despite her efforts to be a positive person.

And now I’m in prison.

She knew what she was getting into, but this was her first time in jail. How unlucky she was in life.

Is this what I get for regretting a dull and uneventful life?

Her past life had been exceedingly ordinary, and that had been her dying regret. She should have experienced as much as possible, all the things that she’d wanted to try. She should have smiled and laughed more, lived a happier life.

But instead, she was thrown into slavery– at the bottom rung of the caste system – when she opened her eyes again. But she realized that no matter the circumstances, life itself was precious. Knowing that things could not change, she had decided to accept her lot and be happy with her life.

Living a life of smiles and laughter had indeed made her happy.

I don’t want to die with regrets again…

She was in the midst of consoling herself when she heard a voice, “Ahem.”

Jorge’s unexpected visit—at such a late hour—slightly surprised Chloe, but seeing the medication bottles in his hand she could guess why he had come.

“Have you reflected on your behavior?” He looked like a child filled with anticipation.

“Yes, sir. I have dared to do an impudent thing, something a slave should never have done,” Chloe promptly rose to her feet and apologized.

“All right. I am here at this hour because, hmm, I wanted to test your knowledge in medicine,” Jorge continued, showing the medicine bottles that he had brought with him.

“The empire, with its powerful military forces, has favored physical therapy and crude surgeries over therapeutic drugs. I believe we should strive to do the opposite. That storage room is where I have collected all medicines of the empire for the purpose of my research.”

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To Chloe, who had been born, raised, and educated for 23 years at the pharmacy in the capital of Elpasa, meeting Jorge was nothing short of good fortune. She began telling him all she knew about the medicines that he had brought.

Jorge was greatly moved by Chloe’s descriptions of Elpasa’s medicinal ingredients and drug therapies. On the other hand, he was curious.

“How do you know so much about drug therapies of Elpasa?”

“I am… a slave from Elpasa, captured during the war. I have spent 20 years at a pharmacy in the capital of Elpasa.”

No good could come out of letting him know that I used to be a princess. He doesn’t know anything about me, so let’s just tell him that I have been a slave all along.

Jorge finally remembered that a few slaves from Elpasa had been assigned to the infirmary.

This child is from Elpasa! Jorge’s face brightened up, struck with a realization.

20 years at a pharmacy—she must have been an extraordinary girl, considering that they taught a slave how to read and write. Elated, he started asking Chloe about various other ingredients and their uses.

Even in the middle of the night with everyone else asleep, their voices were full of energy. Chloe lost track of the time discussing medicinal ingredients and their uses. The candle had already completely burned out, and Jorge had planted himself in front of the bars. Chloe did not notice the sunrise, absorbed in her first intellectual conversation in a long time.

“Um, sir, it’s time for the prisoners’ breakfast.” A sudden voice intruded their conversation, and they finally noticed that the morning had come. Jorge felt as if he was at last coming to his senses.

After 20 years at an apothecary in Elpasa’s capital, she’s more of a doctor than a slave doing chores. He could not believe that he had debated nursing and medicine with her through the night. He was amazed by her vast knowledge.

He couldn’t possibly waste such talent. But she was a slave—a slave captured overseas, to boot—and it was not possible to change her status. No matter how extraordinary, she could never be a nurse or a doctor.

But having this child work for the empire, isn’t that the patriotic thing to do?

Jorge’s heart pounded. Like any scholar, he was overcome with the pure passion for enlightenment, an urge to learn and uncover new knowledge.

That will be her work.

***

Chloe started working in the medicine storage the next day. Her task was to write a book categorizing the medicinal ingredients.

When told by Jorge, I want to learn the various uses of each ingredient, for different methods of dosage, she began writing unimpeded, as if she had been thinking about the subject for a long time.

I can do this just like how I wrote my graduation thesis.

She neatly organized the topics, in the order of each one’s first letter. Once she put together the table of contents, her work was easy. Given that her main job in Elpasa had involved putting things down on paper, this was not at all challenging.

Jorge was astonished by her skillful handling of the work. She clearly received a high level of education!

Of course, the favor she received attracted unkind attention from others but Chloe did not care. She knew that the jealousy would be redirected as soon as someone fell into even more favor than she was given.

Above all else, she was contented. Not only could she do the work that she enjoyed, but she also could decide things on her own and work independently. It was as if she was back in the life that she had lived in Elpasa for 23 long years.

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