episode_0091

Episode 91. The Golden Ring Surrounding the Eyes (3)

****

Istina and I left. We did everything we could. Now, the family has to figure it out on their own.

Medicine can cure the disease, but it can’t fix the lack of communication and broken family relationships. You have to go to someone else for that.

Not me.

“So. Why did that happen?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Let’s guess?”

Well, there were some clues.

First of all, none of the princesses knew that the third princess was adopted. So it doesn’t seem like the conflict arose because she was adopted.

“The Duke and Duchess were pretty good people. I don’t know why they raised their adopted daughter with such utmost care, but… … .”

Istina tilted her head.

“That’s right.”

“This is also a groundless guess, but when you raise them, isn’t the third child the smartest?”

And Elizabeth wasn’t the only one who pretended to be sick.

“Well, that seems to be the case. Could it be that the two princesses were feigning illness because of jealousy?”

I don’t know why that matters. If I had to answer, I’d say it didn’t seem to be jealousy.

“If that’s the case, why are you pretending to be sick? The third one is sick, so you can console him or curse him like that. ”

“Is that so?”

Actually, more than that. The first and second princesses imitated the third princess’s symptoms, but they didn’t care about the third princess. That was hard.

“If you were so jealous that you hated him enough to imitate his symptoms… … . You should have cursed at your younger sibling. Or you should have tried to harm your younger sibling directly.”

If you really were jealous of the third princess and imitated her, you should have said something like, “I’m sicker than her,” or “She makes others suffer.”

It was probably something closer to mass hysteria. I witnessed my brother get sick, and I shared some of the same symptoms due to ergotism.

After that, didn’t I just keep acting like I was sick and that it was normal to be sick?

Istina continued to write something in her notebook.

“Ergotism, lead poisoning, mass confusion.”

“Shall I tell you a secret, Istina?”

Istina nodded.

“Yes!”

“The important thing is the patient, Istina.”

“Ah. Of course… … ?”

It’s a common refrain, but it’s easy to forget what it means in real clinical practice.

As doctors work, there are times when they reduce patients to a collection of diseases.

Our job is not just to fight the disease, but to send the patient home safely as a result. The latter is much more important.

“The disease is something you study only to the extent that it can help patients. Right now, you have to think about how to help patients.”

Istina still didn’t seem to understand what I was saying.

Unlike the two who pretended to be sick, Ms. Elizabeth is still sick. If you have any questions about this incident, you should ask her.

“Yes?”

“Instead of asking about the cause of the past malingering, you should have asked about the patient who was to be admitted. Miss Elizabeth is still sick.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I’m not sorry, but.”

Istina hesitated for a moment before putting the notebook back in her pocket. She looked a little apologetic. Well, that’s okay. Now let’s get ready to go back to the hospital.

****

The third princess, Elizabeth, must return to the hospital with me and be admitted. She has to leave soon, but she seems to still have some questions.

“Doctor.”

“Yes.”

“What is the disease that I have? Please explain in detail if possible.”

“Wilson’s disease is a disease in which copper accumulates in the body when it is not metabolized properly. When copper accumulates in the pupils, a golden ring forms around the pupils, just like the patient.”

“Oh my. I thought it looked pretty.”

“I don’t know if that’s a physical flaw, but it’s something that happened because of an illness.”

Elizabeth let out a small sigh, her golden eyes sparkling with concern.

“What is the treatment?”

“There is no cure. You should avoid foods high in copper and take medications that help your body excrete copper periodically.”

“It’s difficult.”

“I wish there was better news.”

“Is that the prepared text?”

Elizabeth looked at me with pride, as if she had caught something.

How did you know? It wasn’t something I prepared separately, but it was something written in the textbook.

“It’s a phrase used in textbooks.”

“I knew it.”

Elizabeth hesitated for a long time.

“Doctor, do we look pathetic?”

“No.”

I didn’t think that way about Elizabeth. I did think that way about the first and second princesses who were pretending to be sick.

Just a little bit.

I see a lot of critically ill patients, so the moment I see them is likely the worst moment of their lives. It’s a bit much to make a judgment call based on the most vulnerable moment.

“My older sister Emily told me something. She said that since you’re the smartest of the three of us, she’d like you to be the next one.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“I hope you understand though. I don’t think my sisters were just faking illness for attention… … !”

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem to believe me.”

The first and second princesses are mentally ill, and the third princess is neurotic. All three have recently been using drugs.

It was hard to believe anything the princesses said now, even if it was an interesting story.

Does this mean that the older sisters were pretending to be crazy in order to push the youngest? I think I heard something similar in the history of King Sejong.

On the one hand, it was ironic.

The youngest, who the princesses tried to push as the smartest, was actually adopted and had the blood of a fallen family with a genetic disease.

I can’t be sure if this is true or not. It could just be the youngest princess’s wishful thinking. Isn’t it much cooler and easier to understand the story that she pretended to be crazy for her own sake than the story that her two older sisters faked illness?

“Do you want to be the head of the household, Princess?”

“Why?”

“Just asking.”

“What if that happens?”

“After being admitted this time, I can tell the Duke that I am completely cured.”

“Ah.”

This is not stupid.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m still young and can’t think that far ahead, or if it’s just because I’m short-sighted, but if you don’t want the third princess’ illness to be a disqualification, my words will be essential.

“What should I do?”

“After you are admitted, please receive treatment diligently, because we will give you what you want.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“Okay… … . No, why are you telling me to get treatment so fiercely?”

“The people in that family. They don’t seem to be the type to listen to others nicely.”

After hearing this, Elizabeth awkwardly avoided my gaze. She seemed to have nothing to say.

I’ve been worried about these people for a long time.

There were several bottles stacked on top of each other, and each of them had slightly different bottles hanging from them. Elizabeth looked at me again.

“Can it really get better?”

“Yes.”

Wilson’s disease is not a curable disease, but the symptoms are ultimately caused by the accumulation of copper in the body. The copper can be removed.

Penicillamine is administered to remove copper accumulated in the body, and to prevent copper accumulation, foods containing as little copper as possible should be consumed. Foods such as alcohol that can put a strain on the liver or kidneys should also be avoided.

“You said it’s a hereditary disease. Isn’t it engraved in the blood? Is it really possible to get better?”

“It cannot be cured. It needs to be managed.”

“So what?”

It was a blunt tone. Actually, I have to think about it. I don’t always have all the cures for all diseases memorized.

For example, I can’t really remember which foods are low in copper and which are high in copper. I’ll go back to the academy and think about it.

“Take your medicine well, avoid certain foods, and avoid alcohol and cigarettes because they are bad for your liver.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s true. What did you expect?”

Elizabeth looked at the distant mountains.

****

We soon arrived at the Academy. I got out of the carriage. Elizabeth, who was getting out behind me, stumbled as she tried to get out of the carriage.

That’s also a symptom of Wilson’s disease. Why did I miss it? There was also a problem with her motor skills. I ran to Elizabeth, who was on her knees.

“Are you okay? Should I hold you?”

“Yes. No.”

It seems like there’s a risk of falling, but you can’t hold on to something you don’t like. I scratched my head a bit.

“Well, if you fall down, you could be in big trouble. If you get admitted to the hospital, I’ll give you crutches.”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“Thank you. But that’s how it was.”

“So, it’s a patient.”

Anyway, we walked towards the academy… … . Someone was waiting at the academy entrance. Holding an umbrella.

“Teacher, you’re here.”

It was Mint. I bowed my head in greeting. Mint looked at me, then looked at Elizabeth, who was limping behind me.

“Who is that, the new grad student? Is that your lover?”

“This is a patient. Please be careful what you say.”

“Oh my.”

Mint grabbed my sleeve and dragged me into the academy. There’s a patient with limited mobility. Can I leave Elizabeth behind?

I turned around to see Elizabeth, and it looked like Istina was walking towards the hospital with the patient in tow. Thank goodness.

Mint looked up at me.

“I was bored for a few days.”