110. Belladonna
“Sorry, teacher, but the imperial prince is waiting over there. I should go check on him for a moment.”
“Yes. Shall I come with you?”
Just as Mint said, the prince was standing in the corner of the banquet hall with his arms crossed, apparently waiting for Mint. When our eyes met, he shook his head.
“I’ll be right back! It’ll only take five minutes.”
Mint got up from her seat. The prince took Mint outside the banquet hall for a bit…
What should I do while Mint’s gone?
“May I sit here for a moment?”
I was sipping some watery wine alone when I turned toward the sound of a voice. A noble young lady had taken the seat across from me.
“Why?”
The sound of a fan opening—so childish.
Looking around the banquet hall, it seems like the students and younger crowd have their own social circle. And this person appears to be one of its key players…
“I am Princess Elise von Airhart, the heir and little duchess of Caledonia Duchy. Pleased to meet you… might I inquire your name?”
“I am Professor Asterix.”
This is Elise von Airhart.
I’ve heard that name before.
She’s not just any duke’s daughter; she’s called the Little Duchess of Caledonia.
So she’s quite high-ranking.
Elise was wearing an elaborate green dress, her hair intricately styled. Her strange green eyes seemed to pierce right through me, creating an unsettling feeling.
Mint’s been pulled away by palace business with the prince. I glanced around briefly. Mint, where are you? This situation’s making me uncomfortable.
“This is a rare chance to speak privately. I was curious about who came with the imperial princess.”
“Hello.”
“Hmm… So you’re the professor everyone’s talking about? They say you’re the empire’s greatest doctor.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t bother denying it.
“The greatest doctor, huh? Honestly, I was curious if you’re really worthy of being the imperial princess’ companion.”
Elise stared at me intently, like she was interrogating me. I leaned back slightly.
“I see now, looking at your face. The princess has good taste in choosing you… though whether that’s a good choice or not, I can’t say.”
“There’s no right or wrong. It’s the princess’ decision. I’ll do my best regardless.”
Elise nodded behind her fan.
“I heard you were a genius with a big ego… But you seem to get along well with the princess.”
“Yes, we’re close.”
You’re more rude than I expected. Though expecting to meet only nice people at a banquet was probably foolish. There are all kinds of people.
What does it mean to be at the center of society anyway? Just someone who likes gossip and playing queen bee games. Not exactly something decent people excel at.
“You may not know this, professor… or maybe you do since you’re smart. Who you choose as a partner or lover is a very important matter. You realize Mint has to give up certain things because of you, right?”
“Perhaps.”
“Don’t underestimate power. Just because you caught the imperial princess’ eye doesn’t make you nobility. Walking around the banquet hall arm-in-arm with the princess doesn’t make you a noble either. I heard you’re here seeking investments…”
Why is she so angry?
Are rumors about me being a fraud already spreading through society…? I’m not a fraud, but I can see how it looks that way.
“If that’s what you think, I apologize.”
“I can tell everything just by looking at you. Young age, became a professor, royal healer… No one could argue with you, could they? Always thinking you’re the smartest person wherever you go.”
How did she know that?
Wait a second. If she thinks she can judge me just by looking…
I should have realized earlier about her. It took me too long to connect the dots because I was distracted by the banquet atmosphere.
Now I understand what’s been bothering me about her ever since we met. I should have noticed immediately.
Big mistake. Her eyes are the issue.
I took out a glowstone penlight from my pocket and shone it in the little princess’ eyes. She blinked irritably and furrowed her brow.
“What?”
It’s a disease.
“Miss Elise, your pupils are abnormally dilated. There was no normal constriction response to light. Did you use some strange eyedrops?”
“Huh? How did you…?”
“I just said so. Your eyes looked off, so I checked with light. Since there was no normal pupil response, I considered what conditions could cause such symptoms.”
Belladonna.
A type of nightshade plant, literally meaning “beautiful woman.” While dangerous due to containing atropine, …
Putting just one drop in your eye inhibits pupil constriction, creating an effect of glowing eyes. They probably used a similar plant.
Any medical professional would recognize this plant. It’s a classic example of how atropine blocks parasympathetic nerves, causing pupil dilation.
By the way, I saw a bottle of it on the Serulice family vanity once. I threw it out then too.
“Have you been using much? Have you experienced any other symptoms today? Feeling hot? Itchy? Your face looks a bit red too.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
The banquet isn’t the main concern right now. I stood up and approached Elise.
“Eh?”
“Excuse me. May I examine you?”
Elise nodded.
Let’s check the eyes first.
I lifted Elise’s eyelids. The pupils were still abnormally dilated, and the eye movements were slow.
“Follow my fingertip with your eyes.”
“Why?”
Why else? Who tells someone to put nerve poison in their eyes?
There was a slight difference, but it wasn’t normal eye movement. It’s natural for eye muscles to malfunction when nerve poison is applied.
While atropine effects are reversible, repeated use can have unpredictable consequences – developing tolerance, increasing dosage, or causing compensatory changes.
Since I’ve started the examination, let’s look thoroughly. The eyes showed abnormal pupils and movement…
No Russell sign on the back of her hand. If the sputum was white, I’d worry about lead exposure, but pink sputum rules that out. What else could be problematic…
Green dress.
That’s what’s been giving me the lingering unease.
Historically, until the 19th century, lush green colors like that were usually made with arsenic compounds. Though its toxicity became widely known and substitutes were found…
On a side note, companies that sold arsenic compounds didn’t go bankrupt. The arsenic used for dyeing fabrics was repurposed as pesticide. Doctors even prescribed it as medicine.
Thinking about it, it’s remarkable that arsenic was used as medicine, dye, and pesticide in mid-19th century.
I scratched my head.
“And don’t wear green clothes. The green dye might contain arsenic, which is extremely harmful to your health.”
“Ah. Is green dye bad for health?”
Yes, it is.
“Miss Elise, do you normally wear this dress? Do you regularly use eyedrops? Please think carefully before answering. When multiple substances mix or exposure continues for a long time, it’s hard to predict the effects.”
Elise looked melancholic. Death scares everyone, and everyone worries about their health.
You’re lucky you met me today.
“You don’t need to worry immediately, but please visit the hospital soon. There might be problems later, so you should see me specifically. Other doctors might not recognize these issues.”
“Uh… Is it a serious illness?”
“Because of continuous exposure to various toxins, I believe you should visit the hospital. If this were my family, I’d recommend the same.”
“Haa…”
“You don’t need to overly worry. If you don’t have symptoms now, it means we can treat before symptoms appear. It was fortunate meeting you today.”
Elise sighed again.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Elise still looked anxious. I thought about my words carefully. I didn’t intend to scare her, I was just concerned about why her eyes looked abnormal.
“Oh, there you are, Elise.”
Mint returned, sat back down, and grabbed my hand. Elise didn’t seem to have the presence of mind to look at Mint.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, nothing major.”
Only then did Elise bow to greet the princess. Mint acknowledged the greeting.
“Princess Elise, correct?”
“I greet the imperial princess. I was just pondering something potentially serious about my health, so my greeting was delayed. My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
“You have excellent people around you.”
Elise greeted me as well before disappearing into the banquet hall. Now that I think about it, I should have mentioned the investment opportunity to her too, but the belladonna issue made me miss the timing.
Well, can’t be helped.
