CH 1.22

tw: medical content. i normally don’t use tws since triggers are briefly mentioned (war, violence/beheading, etc.) & i reckon y’all know what you’re signing up for (check the novelupdates tags besties)… but this one goes into full detail regarding johannes’ heart attack, so there.

He mumbled, “I am fond of cute and small things, should I ask Ran if I could bring her to my palace?”

The words that came out of the man’s mouth were astonishing, as Ran happened to be the childhood name of the Crown Prince. The man who casually mentioned the Crown Prince’s nickname was none other than Johannes III—which also meant that the person Marie collided into was the Emperor of the West Empire!

“I know he won’t allow it though.”

Johannes III shook his head, shifting his gaze to the balcony outside. The playful musings had vanished, replaced by a grave tone. “Ah, this is no time for jests. The matter concerning Princess Morina demands immediate attention.”

He’d arrived in the Eastern Empire incognito, with a specific mission in mind: to locate Princess Morina. “She’s vital to my plans. Nevertheless, locating her will be no simple task.”

He retrieved a small piece of paper containing a list of numerous names of women. “It’s neither Reina, nor Kenia, nor Sonia…”

He scanned the paper and lowered his head in frustration. “None of them are a match. What could be wrong?”

The list he examined was a roster of maids who’d been brought to the palace during the downfall of the Cloyan Kingdom.

“It is indeed true that Princess Morina was brought here as a maid. That much has been confirmed,” Discovering this information felt like an extraordinary stroke of luck, almost like a miracle.

He’d delved into the records of war prisoners transported from the Cloyan Kingdom to this palace on that fateful day. He’d been discreetly scrutinizing each individual on the list, but an issue had unexpectedly arisen.

“Why does no one arouse suspicion?”

He’d never expected finding her to be a simple task. All he knew was that Princess Morina was among the maids brought to the palace. Her exact appearance remained unknown, as she was renowned as the “faceless saint.”

“I thought that if I saw her in person, someone would exhibit at least a hint of suspicious behavior, but there’s no one…”

Absolutely no one!

It could only mean one thing: Princess Morina was hiding herself to such a degree that she was virtually untraceable.

“But I have to find her, no matter what. I must. By any means necessary.”

Johannes’ face turned cold. He needed her for his plan. “I don’t have much time left…”

But suddenly, Johannes’ suddenly stiffened. “Ah hell… a heart attack?”

He bit his lips hard as sharp pain suddenly pierced his chest. His already pallid complexion turned even paler.

“Quick, the medicine.”

The Emperor of the West Empire had been suffering from an unknown disease for a considerable amount of time. It was shrouded in utmost secrecy within the empire, and only a specially prescribed medicine from his personal physician could alleviate its symptoms.

‘I haven’t had one in a while, so why now? And of all times, why did it have to happen while I was outside? It feels intense too.’

The pain in his chest was far more intense than usual. With hands trembling, he frantically searched his pockets. He’d been enjoying a period of respite, as he hadn’t experienced a heart attack in the past six months. Yet, at this inopportune moment, a severe episode had struck once more.

The excruciating pain coursing through his chest caused dizziness to engulf him. “Hurry…” His hands trembled uncontrollably, making it difficult to locate the medicine. He fought desperately against the encroaching sensation of losing consciousness.

At last, he managed to find the medicine bottle, hastily swallowing a white pill. However, upon swallowing the pill, his complexion grew even more ashen. ‘Why isn’t the medicine working?’

Normally, when he took the prescribed medication, the pain in his heart would promptly subside. Yet, inexplicably, this time it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Tang!

The bottle slipped from his trembling hands, its contents of white pills scattering onto the floor, lost amidst the ongoing pain.

A certain memory came to mind.

‘Your Majesty, if the episode is very serious, the white pills alone may not be enough to stop it.’

‘Then what should I do?’

‘You must take the blue pills that I’ve prescribed in such cases.’

‘White pills? Blue pills? Are they different?’

‘Yes, their effects are completely different. Remember, if the white pills don’t work, you must take the blue ones.’

Recalling this, he gritted his teeth and reached for the other pocket. “B-Blue pills…” The blue pills were tucked away in the other pocket, but every motion proved to be a struggle.

“Heuk…” Johannes crumpled to the floor, moaning in anguish. ‘No, this can’t be happening.’

As his vision gradually faded into darkness, he felt his heartbeat slowing and his consciousness slipping away. ‘I-I can’t… die like this…’ With that last thought, his consciousness faded away completely.

Thus, Emperor Johannes III of the West Empire, collapsed on an empty balcony.

After washing the vest and procuring a new one, Marie hurried back to the balcony. The dark haired man was waiting for her, so she rushed as fast as she could.

“I’m sorry for making you wait! Here’s the vest…!” Marie exclaimed as she swung open the balcony door. However, her words trailed off as soon as her eyes beheld a startling sight.

The dark-haired man was lying on the ground, unconscious!

‘What’s going on?’ Her body froze at the sight before her. But it only lasted for a moment, as Marie quickly regained her composure. ‘I need to administer first aid immediately!’

Instead of responding with a typical reaction like screaming in shock, Marie swiftly assessed the situation and took immediate action.

First, she checked the man’s carotid artery, gently feeling for a pulse to determine his condition. It was as if she’d transformed into the ‘combat medic’ from her dream.

‘There’s hardly any pulse! He’s on the verge of cardiac arrest!’

He had a deathly pallor and was barely breathing. It was evident that he would progress to a complete cardiac arrest in a few seconds.

‘I have to treat him right away!’ Marie swiftly surveyed her surroundings, her eyes falling upon the white pills scattered on the ground. Recognizing them instantly, she realized they were the same pills she’d known as the ‘medic’ in her dream.

‘A vasodilator that calms down a heart attack! However, using this medication in a state of near cardiac arrest only exacerbates the condition!’

She searched to see if the man had any other medication on him. Fortunately, she found another pill bottle in his pocket.

Looking at the blue pills in the bottle, she thought, ‘A cardiac stimulant! This is what he needs!’

She fished two blue pills from the bottle and administered them to the man. Knowing he was unable to swallow on his own, she filled her mouth with water and carefully delivered it into his mouth.

Despite a momentary hesitation due to the intimacy of their lips touching, Marie did not falter. She understood that if she didn’t administer the medication, the man would succumb to cardiac arrest.

In such a critical situation, there was no room for self-consciousness.

Upon administering the medication, Marie’s face grew pale as she rechecked the man’s pulse. ‘There’s no pulse at all!’

His heart, which had been faintly beating, had ceased completely. He’d entered a state of complete cardiac arrest.

‘No!’ In a state of emergency, Marie’s body moved on pure instinct. ‘CPR!’ Marie pressed down on the man’s chest. ‘I have to keep his heart beating until the medication takes effect!’

With every ounce of strength in her small body, Marie continued to perform chest compressions, exerting pressure on his chest with all her might. As she did, the words spoken by the medic in her dream resurfaced in her mind. ‘I don’t want anyone else to die.’

‘I can still save him!’

The cause of cardiac arrest is the abrupt cessation of the heart’s function when it experiences a sudden and severe shock. While it can be addressed through time or medication, if the patient is left unattended before normal heart function is restored, it can lead to fatal consequences.

During the brief period when the heart ceases to beat, blood circulation halts, resulting in damage to the body’s vital organs. To prevent this, vigorous external chest compressions are necessary until the heart resumes its function. By maintaining blood flow throughout the body, this method can prevent death and provide crucial time for the heart to regain its normal function.

“I can save him! Just a little more! Just a little!” She single-handedly administered CPR, not only performing chest compressions but also providing artificial respiration to prevent oxygen deprivation. Despite their lips touching during the process, Marie had no time to feel embarrassed, her sole focus being on saving the man’s life. After some time had passed, beads of sweat trickled down her forehead like a slow, rhythmic rain.

Dugeun.

“……!” The man’s pulse started beating again! His heart had finally regained its function.

“Haah.” A long sigh of relief escaped Marie’s lips as she felt the man’s heart resume its normal rhythm, indicating that he would be alright.

“Thank goodness. Ah, what a relief.” The tension eased from her body. She wiped away the sweat that had soaked her forehead and looked around, seeking help from the people nearby.

“What happened? How did this happen?”

In a state of shock, the onlookers quickly rushed to the scene. The man was promptly whisked away by the crowd, ensuring he’d receive further medical attention from the royal physician.

Amidst the commotion, some individuals caught a glimpse of the man’s face and gasped in surprise, but Marie paid no mind to their reactions.

She breathed a sigh of relief and thought, ‘My recent dream was because of him.’

She’d been extremely worried about what could happen, but fortunately all’s well. Thanks to the timely treatment of the man’s cardiac arrest, he should be able to recover without any significant complications.

Moreover, no one had noticed anything this time around, ‘Not even the Crown Prince noticed.’

What if the man had collapsed at the banquet hall? Just the thought of it was dreadful. In that case, the emergency treatement would’ve been performed in front of everyone, including the Crown Prince, and it would have been quite a spectacle.

Fortunately, the place where the man collapsed happened to be a deserted balcony, so it went unnoticed by anyone.

No one would’ve thought that she, a maid, saved the man’s life with CPR. It was a perfect ending for her. “I’m so glad that everything worked out well,” Marie muttered to herself.

But there was one thing that Marie hadn’t considered at all: the fact that the man hadn’t been completely unconscious.

Thanks to her precise emergency treatment, the function of his heart returned during the last moments of CPR, bringing him back to a semi-conscious state.

In a hazy state of consciousness, the man could feel someone treating him, and he knew that he’d been saved by that first aid response.

Once Emperor Johannes III of the West Empire regained full consciousness, he began to search for the person who’d saved his life.

t/n: take all this with a grain of salt. idk if this is medically accurate.

brb gonna go back to that chapter where i used ‘seizure’ and change it to heart attack. 발작 generally means a sudden attack of illness. without context, it can be interpreted as seizure, fit, or spell.

lord, even johannes has a size [difference] kink. it’s an epidemic, i fear. not marie snaring another morally gray man into her midst asdfgk.

also, im a bit curious how exactly johannes cross out maids from her list… like what’s the criteria? he had nothing much to go by… he said it himself, no one knows what he looks like. so what now.