The Emperor and the Knightess

Poliana hesitated a little and the doctors waited patiently. After a few minutes of silence, she finally explained, “A long time ago, I suffered from a bad hemorrhoid. It was pretty horrible, but it got better, and I thought I was cured. But then, recently, I heard that hemorrhoids cannot be cured…”

Lucky for her, the two doctors were very familiar with the condition.

“Did you feel any discomfort from it recently?”

Hemorrhoids had a high recurrence rate, especially if one spent a long time on the toilet every day. It was crucial that whoever suffered from this condition needs to change their daily bowel habit to get better.

“No, it doesn’t cause me any pain.”

This was why she thought she was cured. There were odd days when she saw blood in her stool, usually after drinking too much the night before, but she didn’t think much of it because it seemed that the other men went through the same thing. But when she heard that hemorrhoids were an incurable disease, she became concerned.

Suddenly, Poliana dropped her pants, shocking the royal doctor, but not the gynecologist. The gynecologist examined Poliana quickly and reassured her, “It looks like you are doing a good job of controlling it. Just make sure you don’t overdrink.”

When Poliana pulled her pants up, Baron Redikal finally uncovered his eyes. The gynecologist suggested to Poliana again, “You are here anyway, so why not just get your woman’s part examined too?”

“That part is fine. It’s not like I use it and I have no pain.”

“I heard that you haven’t had a period in a very long time.”

This was why Lucius the First asked the doctor to examine her. She looked perfectly healthy, but the emperor was concerned that perhaps something was going on with her. The doctor asked, “Please just let me ask you a few simple questions.”

Poliana didn’t feel like being interrogated, but she nodded in agreement. Baron Redikal left to provide some privacy for them. The gynecologist asked some questions about her period. Because Poliana didn’t pay much attention to it, some of her answers were unhelpful. For example, she did sometimes have spots of blood on her underwear, but she couldn’t remember when it happened and how long it occurred. The doctor couldn’t tell based on her answers if she did have a few periods during the last 10 years or she bled for another reason. Poliana was definitely not a good patient.

The doctor explained to her, “When I first heard about your condition, I suspected that you may be suffering from early-onset menopause, but to be honest, I don’t think that’s it. Based on your current health, which is excellent, I don’t think it’s menopause. My best guess would be that you just have very irregular and infrequent periods because of stress and malnutrition, or you may have a cyst. I need to do a thorough and proper exam to figure out the cause of your condition and treat it.”

“I understand that you are just being a good caring doctor, but I am not interested. Thank you though.”

“If that is how you feel, I will respect your wish of course…”

The doctor was disappointed. To treat a patient, he or she needed to be motivated to become better, but it was obvious that Poliana was not interested. She seemed more concerned about her hemorrhoid than her irregular periods. The doctor added, “But if you ever have any changes to your condition, please let me know. I am well aware of how soldiers and knights don’t seek a doctor until things get much worse than necessary. There is no need for you to endure pain and discomfort.”

Poliana did see many cases among her colleagues where they waited too long unnecessarily and ended up making their illness much worse.

It was very common for soldiers to have a chronic illness even at a very young age. Spending years on the battlefields could take a toll on one’s body. Poliana herself was beginning to feel a bit of soreness on her joints.

What Poliana wanted to know was about hemorrhoids. She accepted that it could not be cured, but what could she do to decrease the chance of its recurrence? When she asked about it, the doctor emphasized that she should stop drinking altogether.

Abstinence? Poliana frowned because it was impossible.

After their talk, Poliana left the room. When she walked out, she saw that Baron Redikal was talking with a young man she had never seen before. When the gynecologist spotted him, he also greeted the unfamiliar man pleasantly. When the young man bowed to the gynecologist, Baron Redikal stopped him and said to him, “You need to bow to the marquess first. Marquess Winter, this is my disciple, Frau.”

Frau bowed to Poliana even more respectfully than he did to the gynecologist. He was a kind-looking man with an average height. He was not lean nor muscular. He must’ve led a sedentary life because he was on the chubbier side. If this man was one of her guards, she would’ve pushed him out the window for not keeping himself physically active.

‘But he is a doctor, so I guess it’s ok.’

A doctor never had to hold a sword and fight in a war. Instead, a doctor fought with a scalpel against illnesses. Doctors needed nimble hands, but they certainly didn’t have to be fast on their feet like soldiers did.

Only

If Frau was a student of the royal doctor, he would most likely become a royal doctor himself one day. It wasn’t a bad idea to get acquainted with any doctors, so Poliana looked at him carefully. Then, Frau introduced himself politely, “Nice to meet you, Marquess Winter. My name is Frau Sneke.”

“I am Poliana Winter”

“It is truly an honor to meet the great heroine of our kingdom. I realize it may seem awkward for me to say this to you since we have never met each other before, but I want you to know that I have always respected and admired you, Marquess Winter. Meeting you in person is like a dream come true for me. I will never forget this day until I die.”

‘Wow, he is an excellent flatterer.’

Before he said anything, Poliana had a good feeling about Frau, but as soon as he complimented her, she immediately began to dislike him. Frau was such a kind-looking young man, yet it seemed that he was just a fake.

She was used to people who tried to get close to her to get to Lucius the First. They would compliment and flatter her, and she hated them. She didn’t say anything to him and was about to walk away when Frau added, “And you are more beautiful than I imagined, much more so than the rumors suggest.”

‘What? This is the worst compliment I have ever heard, he is just a flat out liar!’