He’s My Real Brother, Duke

“Thanks to that narcotic medicine, my whole body became drowsy and my aching legs didn’t hurt, so I fell asleep easily.”

This grandpa must be a tsundere…!

(N: 츤데레- Astel literally said tsun.)

But there was a justification on Sam’s side.

“But that treatment was against the healer’s ethics.”

“How dare you prescribe narcotic sleeping medicine to Ricardo, the Jaguar’s predecessor!”

The healer of the Jaguar family, who was supposedly brought by Sam, glared at me with displeasure and said sternly.

“As a dedicated member of the Jaguar family, I couldn’t stand by and ignore this situation.”

“What? I told her to do it! It’s recorded over there, right?”

Ricardo’s temple was bloody, but the doctor in charge seemed unwilling to stop.

He stopped trying to grasp Ricardo’s arm, an old man, and explained it.

“I mean, Ricardo! I asked you earnestly to get treated by my family. It’s a narcotic sleeping candle, why would you do that?”

The Jaguar family’s dedicated doctor seemed to be genuinely concerned about Ricardo as a man of the Jaguar family, who was naturally loyal to him.

He hurriedly took away the sleeping candle pouch Ricardo was holding.

“Never mind! How are you trying to treat this old man?”

“No matter how well you slept tonight, you couldn’t use it from now on, my lord!”

I whispered quietly to him.

“Just leave it.”

The healer who was by Ricardo’s side answered with a fierce look glaring at me.

“Ha… even if the Duke favors that human being, I couldn’t stand by and watch you prescribe a narcotic to Ricardo. I’ll definitely make an official complaint letter.”

Ricardo clicked his tongue.

“I told her to do it. What are you talking about protesting!”

But the patient’s words had no effect.

When the healer of the Jaguar family joined, the atmosphere turned to drive me to a corner.

Sam’s smile, who gained like a thousand allies, became confident.

He pressured me to a corner and smirked at me.

“I don’t know if you’ve completed the learning for healers for only a year, but it was a serious crime to prescribe a narcotic to someone who wasn’t dying yet.”

I looked around in a relaxed manner despite the pouring rebuke from Sam.

Sally and Jenny didn’t dare to intervene in the healer’s conversation. They only stamped their feet with a look like, “Our Astel couldn’t do such a thing.”

“Yes, prescribing a narcotic was an unethical act. So, if I ‘really’ prescribed a narcotic, then…”

Of course, unlike pretending to be okay, my heart was pounding.

I looked at the faces of those in front of me one by one.

Ricardo was caught at the end of my gaze. He was shaking his head, coughing in vain.

“…First of all, I’m really sorry, Ricardo.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on me.

“You finally admitted your crimes.”

The healers stared at me with an arrogant look as always.

I turned away from Ricardo and stared straight into Sam’s eyes.

“No, I’m admitting the tricks I did…”

“…Tricks?”

Sam’s face was distorted as if it wasn’t the answer he expected.

I saw his distorted expression for a moment, he couldn’t control his expressions and only blinked his eyes.

I thought it was a little pitiful, but now it was my turn to fight back.

“Actually, it wasn’t a narcotic medicine that I prescribed.”

“…What?”

In the midst of embarrassment.

Having created this situation, I reached out to Ricardo, raising one corner of my lips to smile.

“Ricardo, show me the herbs I prescribed.”

“Uh, what… really? You lied to me?”

He looked confused.

You wouldn’t have dreamed that I would have cheated with prescribing a narcotic.

Because my face looks so innocent even among humans.

…Actually, I am a little more naive than others….

However, for a while, I decided to be strong.

I snatched a bag of medicinal herbs from Ricardo’s arms, relieved by the unexpected words.

“Yes. I have prescribed two medicines in total, and pretended to prescribe a narcotic.”

“…What?”

“This leaf at the top looks like a leaf made from a narcotic, but it’s actually a herb called iron. It’s a herb that I use to cure Ricardo.”

“…Iron?”

“Yes.”

Sam began to corner me again.

“Another scam! Iron was just a medicinal herb to treat patients with anemia. Does that herb work against curses? Does that make sense?”

I lifted my pockets and said it clearly.

“Yes, it wasn’t a curse, so I was able to cure Ricardo.”

“…What?”

Sam’s complexion turned pale.

“It’s a lie! The Lord was under a curse, that’s why he wanders around at night…”

“There’s only one reason why he’s walking around because his legs are itchy. He wanted to run around and stretch.”

In fact, Ricardo’s disease wasn’t a curse, contrary to Sam’s claim or like the other healers’ ideas.

“The lord said before going to bed, his legs were strangely itchy. It’s a typical symptom of extreme anxiety.”

Restless legs syndrome was often caused by lack of iron.

(No: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition that causes an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, usually because of an uncomfortable sensation.)

That’s why I prescribed an iron-filled herb, and it worked well.

“Oh, yes. That’s right. I couldn’t sleep because my legs were itching… Strangely, my legs didn’t prickle!”

“And he had apnea when he was sleeping. So I mixed salt with Hoelen herbs.”

(¹Sleep apnea- a condition in which patients stop breathing for short periods during sleep. ²Hoelen-medicine for its diuretic, sedative.)

Hoelen herb was a magical medicinal herb that put positive pressure on the airway while sleeping.

A little prescription could help a patient with sleep apnea.

The faces of the healers and Sam went pale.

Amping them, the healer who seemed to be the youngest asked, stuttering.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve only completed a year in the treatment academy…”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“But how do you know all those rare, little-known diseases…”

As the youngest healer’s eyes, which were filled with hostility toward humans, became respectful, Sam became anxious, and struck the other healer.

“Then why did you say you prescribed a narcotic medicine?”

“It’s for the placebo effect. And…”

At that, the dedicated doctor of the Jaguar family hurriedly took the pouch again.

“It’s not a real narcotic medicine. It’s not…”

They all became embarrassed. I frowned at Ricardo, who seemed surprised at the moment.

“So…”

“…yes?”

“Well, it’s not a curse…”

As he became anxious, he murmured, snarling on his head.

“Then, will I be able to sleep from now on?”

People who suffer from insomnia say that they want to sleep even if they pay a cost of gold.

Ricardo was no exception.

I smiled at him.

“Of course, if you follow my prescription well.”

“And…”

To the confident Astel, Ricardo quietly broached what he wanted to say most.

“…I? Could I touch someone else’s body now?”

I laughed softly.

“Yes.”

And, rather than a Jaguar, I carefully held his warm hand, as if I was dealing with a kitten.

“The curse doesn’t move even if you touch it, really! Look at me, I’m alive!”

Ricardo looked down blankly.

He grabbed my hand tightly.

“You could really touch me.”

“Yes, you could reach out to people. By all means.”

He quietly waved my hand. Sweat dripped over our hands.

“After a few years… Damn it.”

Embarrassed, I looked up.

Ricardo’s eyes were reddish.

“Now, I could touch my little grandchildren…”

I watched quietly as tears fell from his eyes.

As I looked at him in wonder obviously, he yelled and frowned.

“…Crap, I’m not crying. Don’t stare at me, you idiot.”

“Yes, Grandpa”

There was a warm atmosphere between Ricardo and me.

I responded to him and glanced behind.

‘Now that the battle has started, it’s time for me to start biting.’

I glanced at the doors and windows of the tightly closed tea room.

Just in time, it was then.

Coo-coo!

Sam, struggling by his side, pulled his tongue out and fell.

When a large man who was over 180 in height fell down, there was a loud sound that seemed to break the marble floor.

“Hey, what the…”

All the healers murmured. I was the only one who wasn’t embarrassed here.

“I have something to tell you, Ricardo.”