TFSG 76

Chapter 76

The Terminal Baby Doctor Doesn’t Hide That She’s a Genius

“Then what about him? Is it okay if he doesn’t go either?”

“Kye-won oppa can stay too. It’s fine.”

Truthfully, I thought it might be better for Kye-won oppa to stay behind at the estate.

I was uneasy about leaving the baby alone, but I also couldn’t just exclude my uncle.

In the end, since Uncle wanted to have his first proper outing with his son, I agreed.

“He has the same constitution as Uncle, after all.”

Honestly, I’m so jealous of that…

Maybe I should’ve just asked Uncle to be the coachman instead.

This man talks too much.

Right now, Father was up on the carriage roof, and Uncle was outside driving the horses.

Actually, the steward from the main house had offered to send attendants or guards along.

But in the end, the group was kept small.

“It’s better if we go alone.”
“Agreed.”

That’s what both Father and Uncle said—they didn’t trust the rest of the household. I agreed with them.

And so, it ended up being just us.

Fortunately, Cheimik wasn’t too far away, so the carriage—running without rest—was already nearing the village.

We would probably arrive before the day ended.

That afternoon.

“In about thirty minutes, we should reach it.”

We had stopped briefly to eat. Along the way, we hadn’t passed through any other cities or villages.

Father had been on the roof both to keep watch using the wind and to help push the carriage forward with his ability.

This is so different from traveling alone.

If I had been on foot, the journey wouldn’t have taken a week—it could’ve dragged on for a month.

Not to mention, I’d have had to avoid conflict zones. I wonder how on earth I managed during my third life.

“Father’s ability is really convenient.”

“You just realized?”

Arms crossed, Father gave a faint chuckle.

Doesn’t his expression look a bit more relaxed these days?

“Yap! Yap-yap!”

“Is it really alright to just keep bringing that fox along?”

“There’s no one around.”

Ever since I learned that white foxes are extremely rare, I’ve been more cautious in keeping Raon close.

He’s still young but already so clever. He can even distinguish herbs. And when things get tense, he doesn’t bark—he just looks at me. It’s so adorable.

“If I’d been alone, raising him would’ve been unthinkable.”

“…”

“I wouldn’t have had the strength to protect such precious little ones.”

Raon was a rare fox. And that wasn’t all—our snake, Bambi, was also incredibly precious. If anyone had found out, they would’ve been taken away from me.

“And if I’d gone down this road by myself, it would’ve taken a month to reach the village, right?”

“That’s a pointless hypothetical. I won’t ever leave your side again.”

Yes. I also hope this life will be the last. I smiled.

“Father, you said that if you’re not with me, you keep wanting to go back home. Is thinking about home still hard for you?”

I asked out of concern—it felt almost like an obsession.

Father chuckled softly and pulled me into his arms.

“Ah. Since I thought of it, I’d better keep you close.”

“Pfft.”

It sounded like an excuse, but I decided to let it go. After all, Father seemed to smile more often these days.

Maybe that compulsion of his has eased a little.

That was a relief.

“Have you been remembering things lately?”

“Well, somewhat.”

Father stared at me—or rather, at my clothes.

“When you were a baby, you wore a pink outfit.”

He was recalling something from when I was little. I nodded.

“…But I insisted on yellow instead. I think I changed it.”

“With who?”

“…With some woman.”

Father went silent for a moment, then suddenly furrowed his brows. His handsome face stayed tight for a long while before he spoke again.

“What did I just say?”

“…”

As expected. Since this wasn’t the first time, I wasn’t surprised.

Every time he recalls something related to Mother, the memory gets erased again.

But why?

Why is it only Mother he can’t remember?

And because so many of my memories involve her too, it feels like remembering me also gets harder for him.

Should I bring it up first?

“Speaking of memories, you know… Mother was a very, very beautiful person.”

Father gave me a “why suddenly?” look, but he didn’t deny it.

“Was she? If you say so, then she must’ve been.”

Though it seemed like he wasn’t that interested.

But didn’t you once say you’d seen yourself hopelessly in love with her in your memories? How can you not even care about what kind of person she was?

Watching how close the two of them had been made me feel frustrated.

“It’s true.”

“I didn’t say you were lying. And looking at you, I can guess. She must’ve been beautiful.”

I blinked in surprise at his unexpected directness. More than surprise, I was dumbfounded.

“What nonsense! You can’t tell by looking at me!”

I mean, it’s me saying this, but Mother really was stunning. Completely incomparable to me. Gorgeous!

If she had ever held a fan-signing event, I would’ve done whatever it took to book a spot.

“She was way prettier than me!!”

I know what my twenty-year-old face looked like.

I used to get dumb remarks like “Do you lure patients in with your looks?”

But even compared to that, Mother was more beautiful.

“Amusing. I’ll take your word for it.”

Clearly, Father thought I was joking.

…Sure, Father. As if you’d know. With a blessed face like yours.

Although—now that I think about it—it feels unfair. Shouldn’t children of beautiful parents turn out even more beautiful?

Then again, if I had been any prettier, life would’ve probably been annoying.

“And besides being beautiful?”

“…”

I pictured the portrait I had once seen of Mother, and the fragments from Father’s memories.

“…She had the most beautiful, gentle smile.”

“…”

“Her voice was kind too. Clear and sweet.”

Just watching her smile made others smile as well.

She always looked happiest when smiling at Father.

It’s a pity he can’t remember any of it himself.

“…And I think she loved me very much.”

There are moments when love is visible.

That’s what I saw in the memories of our family of three.

Under the pavilion, the couple holding a newborn looked so happy.

Even knowing that baby was me, I almost felt jealous.

And I also remembered when I first treated Father and glimpsed the memory of Mother stroking her pregnant belly, smiling.

“It would be nice if her name had ‘Yu’ in it.”

Mother had chosen half my name.

If only I’d been able to speak with her, even once.

…If that had been possible, I might have wanted to stay in this world forever.

“Did you know?”

I recalled something else I’d seen in Father’s memories.

“Mother and Father once ran away together, out of love.”

“…Me?”

“Why are you so shocked?”

Father’s eyes widened.

Honestly, I thought he’d at least heard the story before. But judging by his face, it was his first time.

“…Who said that?”

“You did. In your own memory.”

“…”

Since it was his own words, he couldn’t argue.

Yet he still didn’t seem to remember.

“I was surprised too. To run away? Father seems like the type who, if he wants something, would just break everything in his way and take it.”

I remembered how cool he had looked standing up even to the family head without hesitation.

“What do you think now, Father? Why would you have run away?”

He seemed deep in thought.

Since he couldn’t recall much about Mother, maybe his answer to this would be a clue.

“…To protect her?”

“Huh?

Tilting his head, Father said something extraordinary with a perfectly calm face.