An Instant Fangirl

Jinghua Book Pavilion,

Joseph looked at the pitiful girl before him, shook his head slightly, and sighed inwardly.

He had once read words from the Cultivator Matthew Lewis of this era in Maugham's book: "I loathe, pity, and despise all female writers. What they ought to hold in their hands are embroidery needles, not pens. Only embroidery needles are tools they can wield with ease." (Note 1)

Even by the eighteenth century, women's status remained extremely low. Even in France, the birthplace of the Enlightenment, women were not permitted to engage in writing, medicine, law, or other professions. They could not even own bank accounts; society bound them tightly within the home.

As someone from the twenty-first century, Joseph naturally disagreed strongly with such notions. Yet the dozen or so people nearby all wore strange expressions as they looked at Perna, as though a woman saying she wanted to learn surgery was an outrageously improper thing.

Kexer even revealed the helpless smile one gave upon seeing a naughty child stubbornly causing trouble, because Perna reminded him of his rebellious younger sister who insisted on studying law.

Yet his smile only made Perna feel even more miserable.

She had had enough of men's amused and mocking smiles!

For a fleeting moment just now, she had imagined that this Crown Prince, who had earned Professor Lagrange's praise and possessed extensive medical knowledge, might perhaps hold enlightened views. But the attitude displayed by his Guard Captain easily shattered her fragile hopes.

The Crown Prince probably thought the same as they did, didn't he? Perna raised her head, struggling to keep her tears from falling, only to see the Crown Prince walk toward her, his voice full of encouragement.

"Anatomy is the foundation of medicine. I fully support your practicing in this area. Keep it up!"

Perna froze, her clear green eyes filled with disbelief. "Your Highness?"

Joseph picked up the scalpel from the floor and smiled brightly.

"Someone like you, full of ideals and brave enough to put them into practice, will surely become a great doctor someday."

"But I..." Perna had never expected the Crown Prince to truly support her. She immediately began to stammer. "I-I'm a woman. Your Highness, do you think women can be doctors too?"

"Of course." Joseph handed the knife back to her and nodded. "Doctor is merely a profession. Women are entirely capable of doing it. If I ever become gravely ill—oh, I mean, if that happens to me—then the one who saves my life may very well be Doctor Perna."

"If given the chance, I would even push for legislation to allow women to practice medicine."

"Oh, Your Highness! For God's sake, please tell me, do you truly mean that? You aren't laughing at me?"

"Of course." Joseph nodded sincerely.

Perna's heart suddenly began to pound fiercely. Even someone as noble as the Crown Prince supported her ideals, so what else did she have to worry about? Could her dream truly come true?

"I've never heard anyone say something like that before."

She stared blankly at the Crown Prince, feeling as though she were dreaming. Everything around her lost its color, and only the Crown Prince shone with light, as beautiful and holy as an angel in Raphael's paintings.

Suddenly, she covered her face and began to sob softly, venting the grievances of the past and the joy of this moment through her tears.

"Waaah... Thank you, Your Highness."

"Look at you, why are you crying when everything was fine?" Joseph patted the girl on the shoulder. Just as he was about to comfort her further, his stomach gave an ill-timed growl.

Perna paused, then could not help but burst into laughter. She asked softly,

"Your Highness, did you come to the kitchen for a midnight snack?"

Joseph looked around awkwardly and said,

"I'm a little hungry, but the chefs have all disappeared somewhere. Looks like I came for nothing."

"The chefs... might have gone to move tomorrow's ingredients."

Joseph knew there was a ninety-nine percent chance that the chefs were slacking off and sleeping, but he did not expose her. After all, he himself had often stolen naps while working late shifts in the past.

"Your Highness, if you don't want to wait..." Perna seemed to have summoned tremendous courage, her face flushing red.

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She lowered her head and said softly, "Perhaps I could make something for you to eat?"

She looked at the Crown Prince nervously, afraid that he would laugh at her.

"Sure." Joseph nodded readily. "Then I'll have to thank you."

Fortunately, the fires in the palace kitchen were never extinguished, and the ingredients had long since been prepared. Perna took off the apron she had worn while practicing anatomy, carefully washed her hands, and began bustling about at the stove.

In less than twenty minutes, a plate of foie gras baked in red wine, fragrant enough to make one's mouth water, was placed on the small table the chefs used for tea. Beside it sat a dish of Sugar Beet and Tomato soup.

Kexer dutifully sampled a little of each dish. Only after confirming there was no problem did he retreat to one side again.

Joseph was already so hungry his chest was sticking to his back. The aroma immediately made his mouth water.

He picked up his utensils and was about to dig in when he saw Perna standing awkwardly to the side. He quickly beckoned to her.

"Come eat with me too."

The girl waved her hands repeatedly. "Thank you, Your Highness, but I won't eat. Please try it quickly and see whether it suits your taste."

Joseph looked at the foie gras, enough for three people, and pulled her down to sit without giving her a choice. He fetched another plate, divided the food evenly, and smiled.

"How could you spend so long cooking, only to stand aside and watch me eat? Besides, I can't let France's first female doctor go hungry."

Perna's face instantly flushed to the tips of her ears. Lowering her head, she silently picked up her knife and fork.

Joseph put a piece of golden-browned foie gras, along with a slice of black truffle, into his mouth. Its distinctive rich, oily fragrance immediately filled his mouth, yet the truffle balanced it so well that it was not greasy in the slightest.

His teeth broke through the crisp outer layer, revealing tender foie gras beneath that melted in his mouth with almost no resistance, making Joseph narrow his eyes in enjoyment.

After swallowing a large piece of foie gras, he raised a thumb in praise.

"This is absolutely fantastic! If you don't become a doctor, you could definitely make a name for yourself as a chef!"

"Really?" Perna's eyes brimmed with delight. "I learned it from Mr. Valister in my spare time."

Joseph cut off another piece of foie gras and gestured with it.

"To thank you for the food, I've decided to give you a gift."

"No, no. I'm already very happy that you like it. How could I accept something from you as well?"

Joseph smiled. "Don't stand on ceremony. The clothes you wore while practicing anatomy just now were long and cumbersome. Later, I'll have a tailor make a specialized doctor's uniform and send it to you. Oh, it may be promoted across the country in the future, so just think of it as helping me test it out."

Perna's face reddened all the way to her ears. She lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Early the next morning, Perna waited as usual for the Crown Prince to get up, then carried her medical case over to perform his routine examination.

But unlike before, she had not applied that dull gray powder to her face today, and her lips retained their natural color. Her complexion appeared delicate and smooth, carrying a healthy, fresh beauty.

She came before Joseph, set down her case, curtsied, took out the medical record, and asked,

"Your Highness, does your throat still hurt?"

"Much better. Just a little."

"Are you coughing?"

"Occasionally, but it's already very rare."

"Any phlegm?"

"A little."

The girl carefully recorded each answer. Then, when she happened to glance up and catch sight of the handsome lines of Joseph's face, her heart suddenly leaped, and a thought flashed through her mind: The Crown Prince is so handsome. How did I never notice before...?

Her face instantly turned scarlet.

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