7話 いきなり緊急事態
「えーと、ここだ」
迷いそうになりながら辿りついた医局は、そこそこ立派な建物だった。
「ごめんください」
「あのぅ、すみません」
呼びかける雨妹に気付いた医者が、こちらをくわっと見開いた目で見た。
「そこの宮女! 丁度良い、荷物を持て!」
「はぁ?」
突然そう言われても、雨妹は戸惑うばかりだ。
「急ぐんだ、早く!」
けれど医者の謎の勢いに押されて、雨妹はなにかが詰まった荷物でパンパンになった鞄を押し付けられるままに持つ。
「付いて来い!」
医者はそう言うと、雨妹が付いて来ているのか確かめもせずに走り出す。
「え、ちょっと待ってよ!」
――なに、どういうこと!?
わけがわからないまま、雨妹は鞄を抱えて医者を追いかける。
意外と足の速い医者は、後宮の奥の広い庭になっている場所まで進む。
すると庭を流れる人工の小川のあたりに宦官の人だかりが見え、それを宮女や女官たちが遠巻きにしていた。
「おい、患者はどこだ!?」
医者は人だかりに向かって怒鳴る。
「目を離した隙に小川に落ちて、勝手に溺れてしまいました」
そう答えた宦官の足元を雨妹が隙間から見ると、びしょ濡れの女が横たわっている。
――え、あの人溺れたの!?
その女をただ見ているだけの連中が、雨妹には信じられない。
彼らは雨妹の剣幕に驚いたのか、自然と道を空ける。
「ちょっと、大丈夫ですか!?」
雨妹は女の肩を強めに叩く。
「お嬢ちゃん、やめておけ」
薄情者の宦官の言葉は無視だ。
――呼びかけても反応は無し、脈と呼吸を確認するもどちらも無し。
雨妹は溺れた人への対処法を冷静に思い出す。
男たちは息をしていないせいでもう死んでいると思って、放置の体勢だったのだろう。
「なにしてるんだ、アイツ」
「気味悪いな」
「呪われるぞ」
そんな声の横で、医者は戸惑いの表情を浮かべているが、必死の雨妹の視界に入らない。
――まだ反応がない、もう手遅れだった!?
長く心肺蘇生を続けているが、変化の見られない女に諦めかけた時。
女が水を吐いた。
蘇生が間に合ったことに、雨妹は笑みを浮かべる。
女の顔を横に向けて水を吐き出させていると。
「お前はそれを続けろ」
いつの間にか隣にいた医者が女の口を綺麗な布で拭い、気道の中に詰まっていないかを確認している。
言われた通りに再び心臓マッサージを続けると、また水を吐く。
それをしばらく繰り返すうちに、弱々しいながらも呼吸が戻って来た。
――これで大丈夫ね。
あとは水で冷えた身体を温めなければ。
「温かい布! 早くちょうだい! なんでもいいから!」
誰も動かないので、雨妹は近くにぼうっと立っている宦官の上着を剥いで、女を包む。
「この人を早く医局に運んで、動かないなら邪魔よ!」
「これは患者だ! お前たちが仕事をしないのならば、上にそう言っておくがいいか!」
雨妹が運ばれて行く女を見送りながら一息ついていると、医者が肩を叩く。
「宮女お前、手際がいいな」
「......それはどうも」
「出しゃばりました、ごめんなさい」
医者がなにか言うよりも先に雨妹が行動してしまったのは、彼の面子を潰したとも言える。
「いいや、お前が怒鳴らなかったら、たぶん俺が蹴飛ばしていたさ」
溺れたばかりなら助かるのに、放置するなんて論外だ。
「呪いだなんだと、大の男が情けない......」
――呪い?
そう言えば雨妹が心肺蘇生を試みている最中、そんなぼやきを聞いた気がする。
「ついでだ、お前さんはもう少し付き合え」
ここで帰っては気になりそうなので、雨妹は医者の言葉に乗ることにした。
Chapter 7
"So, it's here."
Yui Mei almost lost her way, but she finally reached the clinic. It was quite an impressive building.
"Excuse me."
"Ahm, excuse me."
The physician noticed her when she called out. He stared at her with wide eyes.
"You! The court-lady over there! Just in time, go, carry my bag!"
"Huh?"
Yui Mei stood perplexed at the abrupt command.
"We have to hurry! Hurry!"
Yui Mei just stood there, mystified at his momentum, while gripping the bag that was forcefully given to her. It was full to bursting.
"Come with me!"
The physician rushed off, not bothering to check whether Yui Mei was indeed following him.
"Eh, wait for me!"
'What!? What's happening!?'
Without rhyme or reason, Yui Mei could only clutch the bag and run after the physician.
The physician was unexpectedly fast as he hurriedly ran towards a wide yard located in the depths of the Inner Palace.
They saw a crowd of eunuchs gathered near a man-made stream flowing through the yard. Court-ladies and maids surrounded them at a distance.
"Oy! Where's the patient!?"
The physician yelled at the throng.
"We took our eyes off her for just a moment, but she fell to the stream by herself, and drowned."
Yui Mei peeked through the gaps between the eunuchs, and she saw a drenched woman lying on the ground.
'Eh, she drowned!?'
Yui Mei couldn't believe those guys were just standing there.
Everyone was shocked at her movements, so they spontaneously cleared the way for her.
"Excuse me, are you alright!?"
Yui Mei tapped the woman's shoulder with some force.
"Girl, stop that."
She ignored the remarks of the insensitive eunuch.
'No response even if I call her; no pulse and not breathing upon checking.'
Yui Mei calmly recalled the resuscitation techniques for drowned people.
Since the woman was no longer breathing, they all thought that she already died, and thus left her as she was. Yui Mei was not sure how long the woman had been neglected, but if it's only just a short time, she might make it on time if she revived her now.
"What is that punk doing!?"
"So disgusting."
"She'll be cursed!"
The physician stood confusedly amidst the murmurings of the other people, but Yui Mei ignored them all and frantically continued what she was doing.
'Still no response. Was I too late!?'
She had been doing the CPR for quite some time now. Seeing there was no change in the woman, Yui Mei was about to give up when suddenly -
The woman spat out water.
Yui Mei smiled, relieved that she made it on time.
She turned the woman's face sideward, so she could continue regurgitating water.
"Continue doing that."
The physician had come nearer without Yui Mei noticing, and he wiped the woman's mouth with a beautiful cloth. He checked the woman's airways for blockage.
Yui Mei did as she was told and continued pumping her chest, when the woman vomited water again.
After repeating for several times, the woman's breathing returned, albeit still weak.
'It's okay now.'
The only remaining thing to do was to warm the chilled body.
"Somebody bring a warm cloth right now! Hurry! Whatever is fine!"
Nobody moved, so Yui Mei yanked the outer robe of a nearby eunuch, and wrapped the woman's body with it.
"We need to bring her back to the clinic! You're a nuisance if you're not going to move!"
"This is a patient! I will tell all the higher-ups that you are not doing your job!"
The physician also yelled threateningly at the motionless eunuchs. Upon hearing that they will be reported, the eunuchs finally moved. Yui Mei sighed as she watched the woman being carried away. The physician tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, court-lady. You got some skills back there."
"...Thank you."
"I am very sorry for meddling."
Yui Mei acted without waiting for the physician's instructions, so it could be said that she did not give him any face. Although a person's life was more important, they still had to consider the position of the woman they rescued. Yui Mei is only a court lady, after all. The physician smiled wryly as he looked at Yui Mei's bowed head.
"It's fine, I would've kicked them myself if you didn't scold them."
They could've tried to revive her right after she drowned, but instead, they neglected her. It was outrageous.
"What curse, pathetic bunch of grown men..."
'Curse?'
Speaking of the curse, Yui Mei did vaguely hear them say that while she was attempting CPR. Maybe those eunuchs had a reason why they did not want to touch that woman. The physician jerked his chin at Yui Mei, who was tilting her head.
"Let's go. Stay with me for a while longer."
Yui Mei was also worried about how to return, so she decided to go along with the physician.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ