Royal Reboot: Level up, Your Majesty!

Chapter 44: Queen vs. Healer

Queen vs. Healer

"Three students and Sir Thomas Blackwood have been safely rescued, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Council's special agents under the leadership of SA Lukas Schmidt. They are all stable. While this is a positive development, the search continues for the remaining—"

A soft voice interrupted the broadcast. “Eydis Von Ap… Apfelhof?”

Eydis silenced her phone, removed her earbuds, and rose. She met the speaker’s gaze evenly, noting she stood a few inches taller.

"That I am," she stated with a gracious inclination of her head. Her smile was faint, polite, and brief. Her eyes, however, assessed everything: the sharp white coat, the finely tailored white suit underneath.

"And to whom do I owe the pleasure?” she asked.

The woman’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. Her ocean-blue eyes narrowed. She had expected to be recognised.

“Dr. Melissa Le Bleu. Follow me.”

Prideful, Eydis noted, lips twitching.

She was guided through the halls of Melissa’s clinic. The space was quiet. Cold. Polished. The kind of place where nothing living lingered for long.

The doctor’s office, however, was surprisingly tasteful. Natural light spilled across white walls. Outside, leaves swayed gently, which was strange given the season, and stranger still considering they were ten floors up in the middle of Alchymia’s central business district.

The doctor instructed her to lie down on a plain examination bed before snapping on a fresh pair of blue latex gloves. "May I?"

“You may,” Eydis replied, settling into the cushions. “Though I suspect refusal wouldn’t change the outcome.”

The doctor blinked. Once. “Close your eyes.”

No further explanation was offered.

With her eyes shut, Eydis sensed a gentle caress on her scalp. A soft, warm blue glow seeped through her closed lids, beginning at the back of her head and filling her with an odd sense of peace.

She felt her body begin to relax, her thoughts slow. Healing without elixirs, or potions…

Melissa Le Bleu, how intriguing.

When the session ended, a nurse escorted her for a second round of scans before returning her to Melissa’s office. The doctor was already reviewing the results.

“All done. You’ll stay here for fifteen minutes so we can monitor your reaction,” she said, eyes still on the screen.

“As you wish, Doctor.” Eydis took a seat and studied Melissa with greater interest.

‘Why was everyone in this realm so incredibly striking?’ she thought. Or perhaps it was only the Gifted. They all seemed to shimmer just slightly, like their magic had soaked into their bones.

Melissa was no exception. Wavy azure hair tied into a loose ponytail, with a few strands framing those piercing blue eyes. She wasn't what Eydis pictured a doctor to be. She was young, in her mid-twenties, lean, and most unexpectedly...

“In all honesty, I was starting to suspect you’d transcended the need for medical care. My professional pride was on the verge of collapse.”

Melissa held her thumb and forefinger a hair's breadth apart.

Especially that attitude. Delightful.

“Who knows, Doctor.” Eydis said. “Perhaps I was avoiding what you might uncover. My mind is… densely occupied.”

Melissa looked up from the X-ray. Her expression shifted. Less detached now. Calculating.

“The fractures are gone. Completely. Given the severity of the initial injuries, this level of recovery is… unusual.” She turned the image. “St. Kevin’s is not known for advanced healing magic. Would you care to explain, Miss Von Apfelhof?”

And that, of course, was why Eydis avoided checkups. As her power returned, her body had grown stronger, efficiently healing any lingering injuries.

Hmm.

"Healed?” Eydis breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Well, that saves me the trouble of limping into a second clinic.”

“You’re welcome to,” Melissa said flatly. “But the results won’t change.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Eydis tilted her head.

Melissa’s eyes narrowed.  “Unless you think I doctored them.”

Eydis smiled. “Doctoring by a doctor. How poetic. But no, I wouldn’t dream of doubting you.”

She let the pause stretch.

“Still,” she added, “if someone needed a favour, say an ambitious politician with a daughter to protect, a missing signature here, a softened detail there… small things, with excellent returns. That would work, wouldn’t it?”

No confirmation from Melissa needed. The breath caught. The grip tightened on the X-ray. 

Eydis’d found the nerve, and pressed just hard enough.

Pride, wounded precisely where it mattered.

Melissa straightened. “Do you really think I have the time, or interest, for gossip? My record speaks for itself. You’re a student. Don’t mistake theory for experience.”

Textbook deflection, Eydis thought. Attack the speaker, avoid the argument.

She kept her tone casual. “It’s just a theory. You’ve had an impressive career. St. Kevin’s, top of your year, full scholarship. But Tiffany’s mistakes aren’t hard to notice. And if they resurface, people might ask questions. About who helped. Who stayed quiet. Who had something to gain.”

Melissa’s eyes lit faintly with magic before dimming again. “And what, exactly, is wrong with treating a patient?”

“Nothing,” Eydis said. “But we both know that isn’t what people will talk about. What’s true rarely matters. What people believe does.”

Melissa stiffened. The impact of the words landed, visible in the slight pull at her shoulders.

“Miss Von Apfelhof, I believe our session is over—”

“Just one thing.” Eydis raised her phone. “There’s a theory making the rounds. Thomas Blackwood and his circle. Trending, apparently. Over a million views. You’re also mentioned, briefly.”

Melissa’s jaw clenched. “My ties to the Blackwoods are personal. My work is mine.”

“Of course,” Eydis said. “But that hasn’t stopped the speculation, has it? Your age alone makes for easy headlines.”

Melissa’s eyes betrayed the sting.

Eydis went on, still calm. “Tiffany’s record is still clean thanks to the Blackwoods and the school’s discretion. But that doesn’t last forever.”

“Are you blackmailing me? Melissa growled.

“Blackmail?” Eydis blinked. “Doctor, how could I? I’m just a powerless student making an observation. Surely you’re not intimidated by that.”

Melissa set the scan aside, carefully. A hint of challenge surfaced in her eyes.

“Then tell me,” she said. “As a fellow alumna… what exactly has our ‘Talented’ student figured out?”

Eydis’s voice dipped. “It would be a pity, wouldn't it, Doctor, if your flawless reputation were tarnished by association? And with Thomas Blackwood now positioned as the city’s darling, his heroism fresh in everyone’s mind, I find it… curious that you weren’t the one tending to the wounded hero.”

Melissa stilled, as if the room had dropped several degrees. Her eyes widened, then narrowed—calculating too late.

Eydis rose from the bed, smoothing her oversized sweater. “Would you look at that,” she said. “My time is up. I feel quite refreshed. Your care has been… illuminating.”

She didn’t wait for a response. The door closed behind her with a quiet click.

If her hunch was correct, Melissa Le Bleu would be among the attendees at the gala. A public figure. Respected. Well-connected. And, most importantly, now just slightly off-balance.

The Queen’s gambit was in motion; now, Envy would play its part.

From what she’d gathered, the event was tightly secured, with high-profile guests attending from all over the country. Since it was a masquerade-style “anonymous” fundraiser, they weren’t using the usual ID checks. Instead, entry was granted through invitations embedded with access chips. Reporters would be stationed at the front gate, but the real screening wouldn’t begin until the inner door, where an AI scanner would start verifying physical features.

Melissa was shorter, but the tech could be fooled. Eydis had a plan for that. All she needed now was to remove the doctor from the equation before securing the invitation. And it was just her luck that Thomas Blackwood had sent his trusted family doctor to watch over her. If this plan failed, she might have to resort to... a much more violent method.

‘Wouldn't you say so, Envy?’

‘I certainly hope this doctor fails to see the logic you present, Your Majesty. I’m vibrating with anticipation for some action, as your power courses through me,’ Envy hissed with glee.

‘Woof woof,’ Cerberus barked enthusiastically, probably already tasting the power coursing through Melissa.

Eydis left the clinic shortly after. Now that her power was stronger, Envy could operate further away from her physically. The seed had been planted; now, she only needed to wait for it to sprout.

Outside, a floating holo-screen hovered over the city square. Reporters surrounded Thomas Blackwood, who delivered humble statements about his heroic rescue. The children, Tiffany’s missing friends, remembered nothing. The poll ticker at the bottom showed him as the current frontrunner for Senate.

‘Envy,’ she murmured mentally, ‘you still have much to learn about real manipulation.’

‘Indeed, Your Majesty,’ the serpent coiled in pleasure. ‘And I suspect tomorrow… the real performance begins.’

‘Tomorrow,’ Eydis repeated as she descended into the metro's depths.