Chapter 28: A Night Encounter with Sadako

Chapter 28: A Night Encounter with Sadako

Seeing Joseph heading toward the kitchen, Emond quickly stepped forward, opened the door, and bowed his head, waiting for the Prince to enter. Captain Crozade, who hadn't expected this detour, quickly gestured to two of the guards to follow and hurried after Joseph.

As Joseph stepped inside, he saw that the kitchen was spacious, with six or seven large cutting boards pushed together in the center, giving off the combined scents of fish and spices. The room was filled with various ingredients and cooking utensils, but only half of the lights were on, and there was no sign of any chefs on duty.

He recalled that, even on regular nights without any special events, there were usually at least three to five royal chefs on duty. So where were they tonight?

Joseph moved further inside, walking around a large, two-meter-high, four-meter-wide brown storage cabinet, and faintly heard some rustling sounds coming from a corner. However, a rack filled with hanging pots and metal ladles blocked his view, so he couldn't see what was happening.

Curious, Joseph wondered what the chefs were doing in the corner. Were they playing cards late at night?

Puzzled, he walked around the wooden rack and immediately saw, in the dim light of the corner, a small figure standing with their back to him. The person was dressed in a wrinkled white robe, with disheveled black hair hanging down, and they were not very tall.

Joseph noticed a large, slanted wooden board in front of the figure, covered in knife marks and surrounded by bloodstains, giving off an eerie appearance under the flickering candlelight.

The figure seemed very focused but suddenly heard the noise behind them and quickly turned around. Joseph's pupils contracted as he saw the person's face covered in blood, holding a dark, reddish knife. The face was hidden behind the messy hair, but he could make out two wide, glowing green eyes. The hair, reaching down to the waist, had sticky, small fragments clinging to it—like pieces of some kind of internal organs.

Joseph's mind buzzed, and he felt a rush of adrenaline. Only one thought filled his mind: "What the heck! Is that Sadako!?"

He instinctively jumped back, crashing into the wooden rack with a loud clatter. Ignoring the pain, he was about to turn and run when Emond quickly stepped in front of him, short sword in hand, pulling the Prince behind him.

"Protect the Prince!" Emond shouted.

Crozade, sensing something was wrong, dashed over in a few quick steps, drawing his sword and standing alongside Emond. "Guards!" he yelled, and then turned to Joseph, "Your Highness, please step back!"

A dozen royal guards rushed in, forcing down their fear of what appeared to be either a ghost or a witch. With determination, they pulled back the bolts on their guns and aimed them at the figure in the corner—Sadako.

At that moment, Sadako finally moved. She threw the knife into the air, clutched her head with her fingers tangled in her hair, crouched down, and let out a piercing scream, "Ah—"

Joseph was startled but then cautiously peeked out from behind Emond. Suddenly, the figure seemed oddly familiar.

"Hey, stop screaming," he tried to talk to the figure. "Who... who are you?"

Sadako, hearing his voice, paused and looked up, peering through the strands of hair. Her voice trembled as she asked, "P-Prince Joseph?"

"Huh? You know me?"

Sadako frantically nodded, "It's me! Your Highness, it's Perna! Please, don't shoot!"

Crozade carefully stepped forward, brushed aside the girl's hair, and sighed with relief as he sheathed his sword. Turning back to Joseph, he said, "Your Highness, it's indeed Miss Perna."

Joseph, feeling a bit exasperated, looked at Perna and the bloody cutting board behind her, and asked, "You? What are you doing here?"

"I..." Perna glanced at her hands and noticed the knife was gone. Nervously, she explained, "I... I was helping Mr. Walister prepare some meat."

As she spoke, she hurriedly wiped the blood from her hands on her brown apron, then grabbed a hair tie from the ground to tie back her long hair. She quickly curtsied, "Prince Joseph, Your Highness."

Joseph noticed the blood on her face and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to her. "Wipe your face."

Emond took the handkerchief and stepped forward, handing it to Perna. She carefully accepted it, and as she wiped her face, a delicate, ivory-white face gradually emerged. Her bright green eyes resembled clear emeralds, framed by dark, thick eyelashes. Her rosy cheeks, with a pair of dimples, made her look sweet and completely different from the terrifying "Sadako" from before.

Joseph was momentarily stunned, then smiled, "I've never seen you like this before. You look quite pretty."

He glanced at the cutting board behind her, where a small animal was neatly pinned down. It was a rabbit, its abdomen cleanly cut open, its organs expertly removed.

Curious, he asked, "Are you practicing dissection?"

Perna was horrified and immediately shook her head, "No, I'm not... You're mistaken..."

Joseph stepped closer to inspect the rabbit and nodded, "That's quite a professional job. You've practiced a lot, haven't you?"

Then he looked at her and asked, "By the way, why are you practicing dissection in the kitchen?"

Hearing the certainty in his tone, Perna felt a pang of anxiety. How could the Prince know about dissection? It seemed like she wouldn't be able to deny it.

She nervously twisted her fingers, hesitating for a moment before suddenly standing tall, her voice loud and determined, "Your Highness, yes, I'm practicing dissection!"

Taking a deep breath, she finally said what she had been holding back for so long:

"I believe the current attitudes are detrimental to the development of medicine! For instance, prohibiting women from studying medicine is a major obstacle to medical progress and an injustice to women!

"I greatly admire my father. Since I was a child, I've accompanied him in treating patients, and this made me aspire to the profession of saving lives.

"I know my father loves me. He even allowed me to wear men's clothes and assist him in treating patients, and I'm very grateful to him.

"But despite that, he firmly forbade me from performing surgery or practicing dissection because it would make me unmarriageable—no one wants to marry a female doctor! That's the reality!

"However, I still hope to become a competent doctor who can save lives. I have no access to human bodies, so I can only practice dissection on animals to familiarize myself with the structure of living organisms.

"I made an agreement with Mr. Walister that I could come here late at night to practice dissection while also preparing the meat needed by the chefs for the next day, and he would keep my secret."

By now, her eyes were filled with tears, clearly revealing the years of frustration she had endured.

She sniffled, her tone becoming calm again, "Your Highness, you should report me. I frightened you just now, and this is the punishment I deserve."

(End of Chapter)

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