Then restrained gasps rose from the people around us.
‘I’m… the top-ranked trainee?’
I looked up at Elder Heo Unbaek in disbelief.
He was looking at me with an unwavering gaze.
I hadn’t heard wrong.
I, who was supposed to be terminally ill, had really become the chief physician trainee.
“Physician trainee Yeon Ryeonghwa. Hold on to the heart you showed before the patient for a long time.”
Still holding the chief physician trainee tablet in both hands, I bowed deeply.
“I will remember that.”
I returned to my place and fastened the gleaming jade tablet to my belt.
Click.
The needle case and physician trainee tablet bumped against each other, making a clear, delicate sound.
I looked down at my waist for a moment.
In my past life, I had never even been allowed to stand anywhere near this place.
No one had given me a chance, and everyone had decided that I could not become a physician with my sickly body.
But now, a token bearing my name was clearly hanging from my waist.
When I raised my head, Father, who was standing beneath the main hall, was looking at me with an expression prouder than anyone else’s.
Father moved his lips without making a sound.
[My daughter, you’re the best.]
My heart grew strangely full, and I gave Father a small smile.
After physician trainee tablets had been awarded to everyone, the entrance ceremony naturally continued into a celebration.
Senior members of the family and senior physician trainees came forward to offer brief words of congratulations to the new trainees, while the children who had passed alongside me were also congratulated by their families.
But there were an unusually large number of people gathered around me.
“Lady Ryeonghwa, congratulations.”
“I heard the prescription you showed during the Ip-gwan Examination was remarkable!”
“I look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future.”
Even amid the polite congratulations, there were probing gazes and traces of wariness.
But Father didn’t seem to care about any of that at all. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and busily bragged about me to everyone he met.
“Of course, of course. Our Ryeonghwa gave me some medicinal pills as a gift, and you can already see that the medicinal properties are harmonizing remarkably well. All ten of them, no less!”
“Father…”
“You should hear this. During the Ip-gwan Examination, when the patient couldn’t take his medicine, she soothed his stomach with honey and warm water so he could take it. That’s the sort of thing you’d normally only learn through actual practice. As expected, there’s something different about my daughter…”
“Fatherrr, please stop…”
My face grew hot, and I tugged at Father’s clothes, whispering to him.
But Father merely smiled broadly and shrugged as if he had no idea what the problem was.
Watching him, Grandfather cleared his throat.
“Baekgang.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Everyone knows Ryeonghwa is exceptional. But being exceptional isn’t all there is to Ryeonghwa, is it?”
He spoke solemnly, but the content of his words was somehow strange.
“That’s right. Ryeonghwa is cute, too.”
“Exactly. My granddaughter isn’t merely exceptional. She is also incredibly lovable and adorable.”
The sight of the two of them, with their similar faces, nodding together as though they had reached a perfectly reasonable conclusion was truly absurd.
Small chuckles spread through the surrounding crowd.
“Honestly… both of you…”
In the end, I couldn’t hold back my laughter either.
Being congratulated in front of so many people, and laughing together with my family…
…It was all a first for me.
Perhaps in this life, I really could enjoy an ordinary kind of happiness.
That was when it happened.
The sound of horse hooves came from far away, near the main gate of the main residence.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The rapidly approaching sound came to a stop in front of the gate, and a moment later, an attendant hurried into the courtyard.
“Family Head.”
The attendant knelt before Yeon Baekyu.
“Lady Yeon Dohwa has returned.”
In an instant, Yeon Hwi-cheon’s face, which had been strangely subdued all this time, visibly brightened.
“My mother…?”
Relief mixed with a subtle sense of anxiety appeared on his face.
Yeon Dohwa, Yeon Hwi-cheon’s mother and the eldest daughter of the Yakryeong family.
She had been selected as a physician dedicated to the Imperial Family in recognition of her exceptional medical skills.
Normally, it was customary for a married woman to follow her husband’s family, but Yeon Dohwa was different.
Instead, she brought a son-in-law into the family and raised Yeon Hwi-cheon as a member of Yakryeong.
Then, several years later, when Yeon Hwi-cheon’s father passed away from illness, she left her young son at the main family residence and returned to the Imperial Family.
‘In my previous life, Aunt Dohwa hardly ever returned to Yakryeong…’
I instinctively tensed and looked toward the main gate.
Even in my previous life, Aunt Yeon Dohwa had always been a difficult person for me.
Although I had encountered her only a handful of times, I knew that she cared about Yeon Hwi-cheon more than anyone and intended to raise him as the successor.
‘Of all days, she had to return today…’
Soon, the sounds of several people could be heard beyond the main gate.
As the attendants and warriors parted to either side, a woman wearing a dark crimson robe slowly entered the courtyard.
Yeon Dohwa.
It looked as though she had ridden without rest all the way here, for dust clung to the hem of her robe and her long, tied-back hair.
A medicine pouch and a well-worn needle case hung from her waist.
She was visibly exhausted, but there was not the slightest disorder in her straight posture or steady stride.
The moment she entered, the lively atmosphere of the celebration naturally fell silent.
Yeon Dohwa first approached Grandfather at the seat of honor and paid her respects.
“Father. I have returned from the Imperial Family.”
“You’ve had a hard time.”
Grandfather clicked his tongue softly as he looked over his daughter’s appearance.
“If it wasn’t urgent, you could have rested for a day on the way here.”
“There was something I needed to confirm, so I hurried.”
Yeon Dohwa answered calmly before rising.
Only then did Yeon Hwi-cheon step forward as though he had been waiting for her.
“I greet Mother.”
Yeon Hwi-cheon bowed more respectfully than usual.
But upon closer inspection, I could see his fingertips trembling ever so slightly.
‘Is he nervous because he hasn’t seen his mother in a long time?’
Since Yeon Hwi-cheon had always been skilled at hiding his emotions, I found it a little strange, but I didn’t think much of it.
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
Yeon Dohwa looked at Yeon Hwi-cheon without saying anything for a long while.
Even that brief silence caused Yeon Hwi-cheon’s shoulders to stiffen further.
Eventually, Yeon Dohwa withdrew her gaze.
She glanced over the physician trainees attending the entrance ceremony before looking at me.
“Ryeonghwa.”
“Yes.”
“I heard you passed the Ip-gwan Examination.”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations.”
Unexpectedly, she offered her congratulations calmly without asking anything else.
At that, the stiffness in Yeon Hwi-cheon’s expression eased ever so slightly.
“Thank you, Aunt.”
But I saw it.
Yeon Dohwa’s gaze slowly descended to my waist.
The chief physician trainee tablet and the needle case Grandfather had given me were hanging side by side there.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Rather than stopping at a simple greeting, Yeon Dohwa approached me.
Startled, I quickly brought my hands together in front of me and bowed deeply.
“Raise your head.”
At her words, I cautiously lifted my head.
Yeon Dohwa silently studied my face for a while.
Her gaze was sharp, but strangely, it didn’t make me uncomfortable.
It was calm, like a physician examining a patient’s complexion.
After a moment, she spoke.
“Your condition certainly seems to have improved.”
“……I made a medicinal pill that eases the symptoms, though the effect is only temporary.”
“You made it yourself?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Dohwa’s gaze changed slightly.
“You have accomplished something remarkable.”
At her words, Father, standing beside me, visibly brightened.
Yeon Dohwa turned to Father and added,
“Seeing Ryeonghwa, I can understand why you would be proud, Brother.”
“Of course. She’s my daughter.”
Yeon Dohwa looked at my waist again.
“And I heard you were the top-ranked trainee in this year’s Ip-gwan Examination.”
“Yes.”
“Father even gave you the needle case he had treasured and used for so many years.”
The atmosphere around us subtly stiffened.
“……!”
Yeon Hwi-cheon’s face also became rigid enough that he could no longer hide it.
I couldn’t tell whether Yeon Dohwa had noticed her son’s expression.
She simply looked at me again and said briefly and clearly,
“Congratulations. Truly, that is remarkable.”
“……Thank you.”
“But being the top-ranked trainee doesn’t mean your studies are over, does it?”
“No.”
“Do not become complacent because of today’s achievement.”
Her tone was cold and strict, but she wasn’t wrong.
I thought the same thing myself.
I folded my hands together and answered clearly.
“I will remember that, Aunt.”
At my answer, Yeon Dohwa gave a short nod.
Without thinking, I glanced at Yeon Hwi-cheon.
He was still standing with perfect composure.
However, I could see the fist he had hidden beneath his sleeve trembling slightly.
‘……Why is he that nervous?’
Yeon Dohwa’s gaze quietly moved between Yeon Hwi-cheon and me.
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