Nina Grant

After the butler left, Mattheus spent some time consolidating the information he had. It would allow Brunilda and himself to form a better picture when it came to the circumstances of the estate.

"Normally, I wouldn't think to do this but the General is often away at the capital. He might not have the most accurate assessment of the situation and there's also your gut feelings about this place. Though even if we were worried about nothing and things are as they appear, there's no such thing as useless information. Right, Brue?"

She hummed in agreement. "William Grant is also a blatantly awkward father," she added. "So he might be oblivious even if there was something wrong happening right in front of his face."

Well, Mattheus couldn't argue with that. From several of the servants' accounts, the father and daughter rarely conversed with each other until very recently.

It wasn't as if he were unfamiliar with dysfunctional families either. From his experience, it was rarer to find functional families than anything else.

That must actually be why he felt so out of sorts when it came to the Crown family. The original Mattheus Crown had been the clear dysfunctional part of the family and he liked to think that he got along much better with Edgar compared to the Original.

Still a bit sad that being part of a "normal" family felt weird.

…

Mattheus had been in the middle of reading the short dossiers that Gerald saw fit to give him about all of the servants when a maid interrupted him. She informed him that the lady of the house would meet with him now, so the young man asked her to guide the way after making sure he was decent (by this world's standards).

He found himself going through a set of glass doors, the air hot and humid as he ventured into the conservatory.

It was a bit stuffy considering he was wearing a wool suit because it was autumn but it was also a good sign. Sunlight and plants were good for depression.

The entire area had a warm glow, orange tones from the setting sun pouring in from the glass.

Nina Grant didn't very much look like General Grant and took after the late viscountess more. The two had the same sky-blue eyes but otherwise were a study in opposites. Tall to petite. Sturdy to frail. Dark-brown hair to blonde.

The woman had been pregnant as short back in May, yet there was no sign of the slightly extra weight normal to most noble ladies after childbirth.

Large limpid eyes that were naturally downturned looked at Mattheus Crown with surprise. Doubtless, her reaction was most likely because of his age—even in this world, a doctor tended to be closer to thirty rather than twenty.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I am Mattheus Crown, professor emeritus and medical doctor."

"The pleasure and honor is mine to have met you, Doctor Crown. Apologies for my rudeness. I was just a bit surprised at your appearance."

He laughed softly and smiled. "No doubt because of my age? It has been a slight issue I've found myself troubled by, I admit."

Nina's eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. "More at how dapper you look compared to the other doctors who've visited to treat me. But, then again, most were older gentlemen."

He shifted a little, a slight upward tilt of the corners of his mouth still present. Silently prompting her.

Thankfully, the woman seemed she would be okay for conversation. Mattheus couldn't be sure until actually meeting Nina Grant. At the least, he would categorize the current Nina Grant as having a "good" day.

She lifted a fan to cover her mouth. In a stage whisper, she continued, "They are a bit round about the waist to fit their suits as cleanly as you do, Doctor Crown."

Mattheus laughed again.

The man was taking care in being polite but friendly to Nina Grant. He wanted to be disarming, so Nina Grant would remain in this state rather than withdraw because of agitation or because he accidentally triggered a trauma.

The latter point, of triggered trauma, was also why Mattheus was trying to keep himself from accidentally raising flags with his words.

He spent a short time just exchanging pleasantries, trying his best to be charming as he basically marinaded the woman until the moment of the diagnosis itself. It would work too, Nina Grant only turning sad and anxious as she explained how her womb had been injured when he asked how she felt.

It was not exactly what General Grant wanted him to heal—and he only realized it was an issue just now anyway—but he might as well take a look.

"If I may, Lady Grant, may I?" Mattheus gestured to her hand and his own hands. "I would like to make an assessment if you would."

She blinked. "Oh. Yes, of course. You need my hand?"

"I need physical contact in order to use my ability, my lady," Mattheus informed the blonde, even if that might be the actual truth. "Excuse me."

The nineteen-year-old excused himself as he set his fingers on her wrists to read her pulse along with scanning the individual known as Nina Grant.

Mattheus ended up very confused over the scan results because it was nothing like he expected when he initially set out to Noll's Hill. There were no significant chemical balances or distress to indicate a mood disorder or post-partum depression. Instead, the only thing truly wrong with Nina Grant was a mangled uterus.

Ignoring how that kind of injury might happen during childbirth (which he was drawing a blank for), her uterus had a lot of scar tissue. There was probably a healed incision at her abdomen from the emergency c-section that had to have happened considering the mother was still alive right before him.

Nonetheless, Mattheus decided to heal the woman. It would be a bit cruel to do otherwise.

Silvery smoke rose from his hands as silver and gold dust seemed to glitter in the air before touching Nina Grant.

"W-what just— What are these sparkles?"

"Ah. Sorry, my lady. That was my… magic. In any case, I saw the damage to your uter—womb—and healed it. You should now have a perfectly functioning womb again."

Nina stared at him with wide eyes and there was silence for a prolonged moment before tears welled and the blonde started weeping. Of course, it wasn't weeping from sorrow but joy.

"I-I'm sorry but you gave me back what I thought I could not have again, Doctor Crown! I—" Nina Grant was near overwhelmed by joy.

Mattheus just smiled a bit awkwardly as he made to stand up. "I will excuse myself for today, my lady. I will leave you to better process what this would mean for you down the line."

As a man, he could not understand such joy. He was also only mentally in his early twenties. Nowhere near enough ready to have a kid.

He retraced his path before heading to the guest room, having paused slightly before leaving the greenhouse area of the manor due to Brunilda lingering a bit to stare at Nina after she was healed.

It made him wonder how his friend felt about the situation when she had been the type of woman that had never really dreamed of her happily ever after involved a husband and children.

Mattheus wasn't actually expecting Brunilda to ask such a question as soon as he closed the doors and they were alone again.

"Was there something off with Nina Grant when you were healing her?"

"Sorry? Um, no?"

"I thought there was something…"

"Yes?" Mattheus prompted.

"Never mind."

Mattheus's face spasmed a second. Now he was definitely not letting it go.