The Cure

The stars on the black dome overhead glimmered with innumerable constellations as if they were an overturned jewelry box. High above, shooting stars streamed towards the horizon line. But Alexander found out that none of those patterns resembled that of Earth. He's been observing the night sky with keen interest, and could not take his eyes away.

Although it is not the reason why he is looking at the sky, he is merely doing it to pass the time as he was waiting for someone.

As the comfortable breeze of the night caressed his face and the cold air prickled his skin, Alexander wrapped his arms around his body. It was a pleasant feeling.

Alexander looked at his wristwatch, the man he is expecting to come should arrive soon.

Five minutes later, a middle-aged man dressed in a white coat walked down the brick-paved path towards the palace's main entrance where Alexander was standing.

He was escorted by two imperial guards, walking side by side.

The man is carrying a brown bag. It was the man appointed by the late emperor to become Ana's royal doctor.

"Sir Dmitri, I've been waiting for you," Alexander reached his hand out, offering a handshake.

Dmitri promptly bowed his head before shaking his hand. "Your Imperial Majesty, it's an honor."

"Would you like to head inside, it's getting cold out here." Alexander gestured to the palace.

"Thank you, Sir."

A servant opened the palace doors for both of them. As soon as they entered, the two were greeted by a gust of warm air.

The palace was brightly lit by countless chandeliers and several lit torches hanging against the wall. The blazing fire of the fireplace was the main source of heat in the whole palace.

"Please, sit down. I'll have some tea sent to us." Alexander gestured to the sofa and sat down in front of him.

"Thank you, Sire," Dmitri sat down on the sofa.

A servant walked toward the two and served them two cups of tea.

Alexander politely took his cup and thanked the servant, and then turned to Dmitri.

"You must be curious why I called you here today on such short notice."

"Yes, Sire. I was surprised when I got the call. If I may ask, why did you want to meet me?"

Dmitri had a confused look on his face.

Alexander took a sip of his tea first before giving a response. "I called you here to oversee the treatment of my sister. Recently, I was able to synthesize a cure for Ana and as her royal doctor, I ask for your counsel."

"You...created a cure for tuberculosis?" Dmitri furrowed Dmitri had a confused look on his face.

"Yes," Alexander replied calmly.

Dmitri creased his brows as he eyed Alexander from head to toe. He thought Alexander was joking with him. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease with no known cure. The best treatment for the patient is pain-relieving medicines, fresh air, and fresh food. Catching such a disease would serve as a death sentence as the mortality rate is high.

Medical association from around the world is racking their brains up to come up with a cure and there was little to no progress despite the people spearheading the research being the doctors in their respective countries.

Then all of the sudden, an imperial prince. No, a soon-be-crowned emperor claimed that he already developed a cure.

After a moment of silence, Dmitri asked in a serious tone, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, are you telling the truth."

"I'm serious," Alexander replied in a firm tone. "In fact, I can show it to you now."

With a flick of a finger, a servant dressed in maid clothes walked over to them while holding a box in her hand.

She handed it to Alexander who then beckoned her to return to her position.

Alexander opened the box and Dmitri looked at what was inside. They are injections and vials.

The emperor is really serious. Not only did he claim he had developed a cure for TB, but he also presented his proof to Dmitri.

However, that alone is not enough, who knows what is inside that vial.

"What is it?" Dmitri asked, rubbing his chin.

"It's an antibiotic derived from a specific actinomycetes bacteria called Streptomyces Griseus. Just like penicillin that was extracted from the mold, I was able to extract properties from this bacteria that would inhibit S. griseus protein synthesis, leading to its death."

A medicine harvested from bacteria? Despite being a doctor for decades, Dmitri didn't understand his explanation. Yet the way he described the mechanism of the medicine in a confident manner made him able to see a glimpse of hope. Though there were a lot of questions to be asked he kept them to himself.

"Uhm...sir, I'm sorry I couldn't follow. When did you start creating the medicine?"

"I started it two weeks ago."

"Two weeks ago?!" Dmitri repeated incredulously, inadvertently raising his voice towards the Emperor.

Dmitri swallowed nervously as he realized the eyes of the servants were on him.

"Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty!" Dmitri pressed his forehead against the table in front of him.

Alexander chuckled at his gesture. "Please raise your head, Sir Dmitri, it's normal to be shocked when someone like me claimed that I synthesize a medicine despite it not being my profession."

"No sir..." Dmitri raised his head. "I didn't mean it that way..."

The two paused for a moment, giving time for Dmitri to recollect his thoughts before continuing the discussion. The silence made him realize something.

"Sir, did you call me here to ask if you can administer the medicine?"

"Yes, as the royal doctor you have the authority over her medical care. I couldn't just administer it to my sister without your consent. To help you with your decision, allow me to hand this to you."

Another maid walked over to him to hand him something. This time it was a file.

"This is the step-by-step procedure of how I synthesized the medicine that will kill TB, I name it streptomycin."

As Alexander handed the file to him, Dmitri quickly perused the content.

Minutes later. "The procedure is described in detail and the mechanism of action is at a theoretical level. It could work."

"That's great."

"But Your Majesty, you're suggesting an un-tested medicine not approved by any health institutions. If I gave my consent and it didn't work and worsened the health of the princess, my liability could be catastrophic. I could lose my license here or my life."

"I understand, which is why I had the Royal Palace counsel's office draw this up." Another file was handed to Dmitri. "It's an indemnification. So even if it didn't work, you won't be held responsible."

Dmitri was silent for a moment.

"Come on we both want something. It is to save her life. It's been a year and she isn't doing any better. She's suffering ever since she got that disease. And if my medicine worked as I stated in the paper, it could potentially help people who are afflicted with the same disease as her, saving if not thousands, hundreds of lives."

Alexander's words slowly sink in.

He slowly opened the folder of the Indemnification. And after reading through it, Dmitri finally made up his mind.

"You have a point," he finally said. "If this medicine worked, it'll be revolutionary. But I will only agree of injecting Ana with the medicine if she agrees."

"That's fine by me. Shall we go to her room now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Dmitri stood up and followed Alexander to Ana's room, where a maidservant opened the door for them.

The emperor led him to the room where his sister was.

As they walked in, they saw Ana lying on her bed, coughing. She was covered with a warm blanket and was visibly shivering.

"Ahhhh… cough cough cough…. cough cough…" her cough was weak and painful. Ana was suffering from the disease for a year now, yet there's no sign of her getting better.

"Ana..." whispered Alexander before approaching the bed and sitting in front of her. "I have good news for you. The cure I promised, I already created it."

"Really?" Ana exclaimed in glee.

"If only you're okay with me injecting you the medicine. I have Doctor Dmitri here behind me waiting for your answer."

Ana looked back and forth at her brother and Doctor Dmitri. She looked back at her brother who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I agree. I said to you before right? That I trust you."

"Thank you, Ana," said Alexander. He then turned to Dmitri. "Doctor, if I may."

Doctor Dmitri gave him a nod, giving him a go signal. Alexander then took out a syringe filled with the medicine and took Ana's arm.

He rolled up her sleeves until he can see the deltoid muscle.

"It will hurt a little...Are you ready?"

Alexander asked.

"I'm ready!" Ana replied.

"Okay then, take a deep breath and hold it in."

Ana did as told and Alexander quickly inserted the needle and injected the medicine into the muscle.

Ana winced at the pain and let out a cry. "Ooohh..."

After the injection, Alexander placed Ana's arm at her side again. He then patted her on the back and said, "Why don't you rest up? The medicine will start working soon."

"Okay, Brother," Ana replied weakly. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Alexander smiled at his sister as he saw her sleep peacefully before turning to Dmitri.

"What do you think, Doctor?"

"I will observe her and see if there's any improvement."

"Very well, call me if something came up."

"Yes, Your Majesty."