Chapter 1
"—Dr. Monica, it was incredible!" said Laura, the head nurse, as she approached with a smile that tried to hide her own exhaustion. "Twelve hours of surgery… and you still look like you could keep going."
Monica dropped the scalpel onto the stainless steel tray, sighing deeply.
"—Don't exaggerate…" she said in a weak voice. "If it weren't for all of you, it wouldn't have been possible."
"—But seriously…" a resident intervened, adjusting his sweaty gloves, "how do you manage to stay calm while everything seems to be going against you? The patient lost almost a liter of blood in the first hour."
"—With practice… and coffee," Monica replied with a slight smile. "And… a good dose of patience, I suppose."
"—Doctor…" a nurse called out while cleaning the instruments. "Your precision… was impeccable. Even with those unexpected complications."
"—Thank you, but remember this was a team effort," she said, leaning briefly on the operating table before walking toward the exit of the room. "Everyone did their part."
"—No, no…" another resident insisted. "Without you leading us, this would have been a disaster."
Monica sighed and rubbed her forehead, feeling the exhaustion accumulate after two consecutive weeks of long surgeries, shifts of more than ten hours a day, with hardly any sleep. Her legs trembled slightly, but she tried to keep her posture firm.
"—Alright, alright…" she said, trying to sound firm. "That's enough flattery. I have to…" she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I have to inform the family."
She went up to the waiting area, where the patient's relatives were waiting for her anxiously.
"—Doctor… how is my son?" a mother asked, with tears in her eyes.
Monica took a deep breath and sketched the best smile she could muster.
"—Everything went well. The surgery was a resounding success." She paused, looking at each of them. "Your son will make a full recovery."
"—Thank you, thank you!" the father said, squeezing her hand tightly.
"—Thank you, doctor… I don't know how we can thank you," the mother added, her voice trembling.
"—Just… take care of him and follow the medical instructions," Monica replied. "That is all we need."
"—Dr. Monica, it was incredible!" a nurse exclaimed as she accompanied her down the hallway. "Twelve hours without rest and you still look so steady."
"—Don't exaggerate…" Monica replied with a tired smile. "If it hadn't been for all of you, I wouldn't have made it."
"—But doctor, you were the one who directed everything, how do you do it?" an intern asked with eyes shining with admiration.
"—Do you really not need to rest a bit?" another nurse intervened. "We've been watching you for two weeks not even taking a breather."
Monica sighed, leaning on the stair railing.
"—That is exactly what I plan to do right now… my office is waiting for me."
"—Doctor, could you sign this for me?" a resident asked, handing her a notebook.
"—And could I take a photo with you?" a student added.
"—Guys, guys…" Monica raised a hand, exhausted. "There will be time for all that. Just… let me get upstairs, okay?"
She began to climb the steps. One. Two. Three. Her legs felt like lead, and her vision blurred little by little.
"—Doctor, are you alright?" someone asked behind her.
"—Yes… I’m just—"
She didn't finish the sentence. Her foot failed on the next step, and in a second everything went black.
…
A strange silence. A different air. Monica opened her eyes.
"—What…?"
She was no longer in the hospital. The floor beneath her was not white ceramic, but polished marble. Around her, silk curtains and crystal chandeliers illuminated a room that looked like something out of a palace.
She sat up abruptly, looking at her hands. Smaller. Her body, thinner. She ran toward the mirror gleaming at the back of the room.
"—This can't be real…" she murmured.
The reflected image was not that of the thirty-something doctor, with her hair tied up and dark circles from her shifts. It was the face of a young girl, with smooth skin, long hair, and huge eyes, dressed in a silk gown embroidered in gold.
"—No… it's not me…" she put her hands to her face, trembling. "What the hell is happening?"
At that moment, the door burst open. Two handmaids came running in.
"—Your Highness!" they shouted in unison.
"—Your Highness!" the first servant cried, gently pulling the young woman's arm. "Princess Elizabeth!"
"—Princess… Elizabeth?" the young woman murmured, blinking. "What are you talking about…?"
"—Yes, Your Highness!" the second servant said, almost crying. "We thought… that something terrible had happened when you fell to the floor from the bed."
The young woman lay back, still confused, feeling a strange dizziness.
"—I… I don't know…" she whispered, her voice trembling, "…who I am…"
The servants exchanged glances, clearly nervous.
"—Oh, my God!" one said, pacing back and forth. "What do we do now? We don't know what to do!"
"—Calm yourself, Your Highness," said another, placing a damp cloth on the young woman's forehead. "This will help you relax a bit."
"—I will prepare some warm tea," the first one added, quickly leaving the room.
"—Your Highness, breathe deeply…" whispered the servant holding the princess's forehead. "The doctor will be here in a moment."
It wasn't long before a man entered, wearing robes and an air of quiet authority.
"—Good afternoon, Your Highness," he said with a firm but kind voice. "I am Doctor Corvin. It was only a slight blow to the head. Nothing to worry about."
"—Blow…?" the young woman murmured, feeling something in her memory begin to mix. "I… I remember… things… from another life…"
The doctor nodded patiently.
"—Yes, yes… memories can get mixed up with stress. Now we are going to relax you a bit." He reached out his hand and cast a small intermediate healing spell. The young woman felt her body begin to relax.
"—Alright…" the princess said, trying to calm down. "I just… need… to understand all of this…"
One of the servants entered with the cup of warm tea.
"—Your Highness, this will help you regain your strength."
The young woman took a sip, trying to concentrate. Suddenly, a floating, glowing window appeared before her eyes, with text and status bars.
"—W-what is this…?" Elizabeth exclaimed, startled. She reacted so quickly that she spat out the tea, and part of the liquid fell on the doctor's face.
"—Your Highness!" Corvin shouted, pulling away.
"—I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Elizabeth stammered, putting her hands over her mouth. "I… I wasn't expecting…"
The doctor sighed, wiping his face, while the servants tried to contain their laughter and shock at the same time.
"—Well… well," Corvin said, regaining his composure. "Now, take a deep breath and try to concentrate. The blow was slight and the magic I cast will help you stabilize."
Elizabeth blinked, seeing the status window in front of her eyes again, and something in her mind began to click: images of surgeries, voices of patients, her name… Monica.
"—I… I was…" she murmured, feeling how the memories of her past life and her new identity began to merge. "Monica… doctor… but now… Elizabeth…"
"—Your Highness," the doctor said gently. "Nothing serious has happened. You just need a moment to recover and get used to it."
Elizabeth nodded slowly, as the servants settled her in, and the mix of memories continued to churn in her mind, like an impossible puzzle to arrange.
The servants finally left the room, leaving Elizabeth alone. The door closed with a soft thud, and for a moment, absolute silence enveloped her.
She lay back in bed, closing her eyes, trying to order her thoughts. The floating window remained before her face, blinking with information that seemed more technological than magical.
"—This… no one else can see this…" she murmured to herself. "No one…" her fingers touched the air in front of her eyes, as if she could interact with it, but there was no resistance. "Only me."
She began to examine it closely. The window showed numbers, bars, and statistics about her body, her energy, her health… so detailed that Elizabeth felt a chill.
"—This… it looks like…" she whispered, her heart beating fast. "It looks like the panels in the hospital where I worked… the patient statuses, the constant monitoring… but this… this is about me. About… my own body."
Elizabeth blinked, and the images and numbers began to fit together with fragments of memories.
"—I… I was Monica… doctor… surgeon…" she murmured, while the memory of long operations, rooms full of doctors and patients, and twelve-hour shifts mixed with the luxurious room where she now found herself. "But now… I am… Elizabeth."
She took a deep breath and began to remember more details of her new life:
"—I am the King's third daughter… the youngest of all my sisters… I am… 18 years old…" she whispered, mentally reviewing every piece of data the window showed her. "And my health…" she looked at the numbers. "Anemia… bone weakness… I can't ignore it."
A slight dizziness made her sit up.
"—If this is my body… and it's this deteriorated… how am I going to survive in this life?" she murmured, while her mind reviewed every fragment of information from the window. "I need… I need to understand how all of this works… and how… how to take care of myself…"
The window blinked gently, showing her vital energy, her strength and stamina levels, almost like a constant reminder of her condition.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, trying to calm the vertigo of remembering both lives at once.
"—This… this can help me…" she said in a low voice. "If I can understand this information, maybe… maybe I can survive… and… and live as Elizabeth without losing who I am… Monica…"
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.
"—I have no other choice…" she murmured to herself. "If I want to survive in this body, I must… I must improve my health first."
She opened the status window and began to examine the numbers: severe anemia, bone weakness, extreme fatigue.
"—Perfect…" she said with determination. "First, iron… and something to help absorb it. Vitamin C… proteins… something I can prepare right here."
Elizabeth remained pensive for a few seconds in front of the status window and murmured to herself:
"—Alright… first, I’ll have to improve my anemia to be able to strengthen my bones. The best thing will be to make a revitalizing iron and Vitamin C infusion to fight the anemia, increase red blood cells, and strengthen my system."
She called one of the young servants, who entered quickly.
"—My lady, did you need something?" she asked in a sweet but respectful voice.
"—Yes," Elizabeth replied. "I need you to write some things down and bring them to me. I will be in the kitchen waiting for them."
The young woman frowned slightly, surprised.
"—My lady… you shouldn't go to the kitchen yourself. If you need something, I can ask the chef and he will prepare it for you."
Elizabeth smiled with determination:
"—That won't be necessary. I will be there myself. I will prepare what I need."
The servant nodded respectfully and unfolded paper and a pen. Elizabeth began to dictate the ingredients one by one:
"—Fresh spinach or chard leaves, 200 grams."
"—Beef or chicken liver, 150 grams."
"—Freshly squeezed orange juice, 100 ml."
"—Pumpkin seeds, 50 grams."
"—Natural honey, one teaspoon."
"—Pure water, 500 ml."
The servant nodded, noting down every word carefully.
"—Very well, my lady. I will see to bringing everything immediately," she said before hurrying away.
Elizabeth went to her wardrobe and began to dress in something unusual: a comfortable tunic, long sleeves, barefoot, ready to move freely through the kitchen without restrictions. She walked toward the exit and headed to the castle kitchen.
Upon arriving, the castle chef stopped her with a stern gesture:
"—You shouldn't be here. If you want something, you must ask me and I will prepare it for you. I cannot allow you to wander through my kitchen."
Elizabeth frowned, but did not lose her cool. She walked a bit closer and said in a soft voice:
"—Please, Mr. Chef… I just need to prepare something very important for my health. I won't be long and I promise not to cause any trouble."
The chef crossed his arms, hesitating.
"—It's not safe. The utensils and the fire… any oversight and you could get hurt."
Elizabeth took a small step forward, bringing her face closer and putting on a sweet expression, with big, shining eyes, like a kitten's.
"—Please… trust me. Besides… I promise to follow all your instructions. I want to take care of my body, but I need your help so I don't hurt myself."
The chef sighed, moved by the princess's heart and determination.
"—Alright…" he finally said. "You may stay, but under my supervision. No utensils, no fire without me by your side."
Elizabeth smiled broadly, grateful.
"—Thank you, Mr. Chef. You won't regret it."
Shortly after, the servant returned with all the ingredients carefully organized on a tray.
"—My lady, here is everything you requested," she said as she bowed respectfully.
Elizabeth nodded, taking the tray.
"—Perfect. Now… let's begin."
She stood in front of the workstation, with the chef beside her, ready to prepare her revitalizing infusion while supervising every movement, making sure nothing caused her harm.
Elizabeth placed the ingredients in front of her, taking a deep breath. Her heart was pounding, but her memories as a doctor were beginning to activate, reminding her of every hygiene and preparation technique she had learned in her past life.
"—First…" she murmured, "I must wash the spinach and chard leaves thoroughly. I don't want any bacteria or impurities."
With firm but careful hands, she submerged the leaves in a bowl of clean water and rinsed them several times. The chef watched with a certain admiration and a bit of bewilderment, unable to hide his surprise at the young woman's precision and care.
"—Very well, princess… so far, impeccable," he commented. "Continue."
Elizabeth nodded and took out the beef liver, placing it in a small container with cold water to remove any blood residue.
"—This will help the infusion have high bioavailability iron," she explained, more to herself than to the chef, as she remembered how heme iron from animal meat is easier for the body to absorb.
"—Next," Elizabeth said softly but firmly, "I will boil the water first, without letting it reach a full boil, to preserve the vitamins."
She carefully poured the 500 ml of water into a small pot and placed it over a low fire. She watched as it began to heat slowly. Meanwhile, she prepared the fresh orange juice, cutting the fruits with precision and squeezing them, taking care not to waste a single drop of Vitamin C.
"—Perfect," Elizabeth murmured. "The Vitamin C will help the iron from the leaves and liver be absorbed better."
The chef intervened, curious:
"—I've never seen someone combine vegetables, liver, and citrus in an infusion. But… it seems you know what you're doing."
Elizabeth gave him a slight smile while finely chopping the pumpkin seeds.
"—This will help reinforce my system, provide minerals and a bit of energy. The honey is optional, but it softens the flavor and helps the nutrients be absorbed better."
When the water was warm, she placed the leaves in the pot and then the liver, cut into small pieces, so it would slowly release its iron. She poured in the orange juice and added the seeds. She stirred carefully, ensuring everything mixed evenly.
"—Very well…" Elizabeth said, remembering her past life. "Now we let it rest for a few minutes and then we will strain the infusion. I must keep the temperature and the nutrients intact."
The chef watched, amazed.
Elizabeth smiled slightly as she placed a strainer over a large cup and poured the infusion with precision, watching how the colors mixed: the deep green of the leaves, the golden hue of the liver and seeds, and a hint of orange from the juice.
"—Done," she finally said. "Now, this… should help me improve my anemia and start strengthening my body."
She took the infusion carefully, feeling the comforting warmth and the blend of flavors. She could almost notice, through the status window, how the nutrients were beginning to enter her system, slowly activating the absorption of iron and vitamins.
"—This… this is something I can do for myself," she whispered. "Little by little, I'm going to get my body and my strength back."
Elizabeth finished drinking the infusion, and a slight heat ran through her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation, when suddenly, in front of her, her status window appeared as if it had reacted to the drink.
An effects bar appeared at the top:
[Recipe Unlocked: Revitalizing Iron and Vitamin C Infusion
Description: This infusion helps combat anemia, increase red blood cell production, and strengthen the body in general.]
Below the description, an additional message glowed softly:
[Reward Obtained: Mana Infusion Bottle]
"—Incredible!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes shining. "I've unlocked something!"
Excited, she turned to the chef who was still watching with some disbelief from the kitchen.
"—Chef…" Elizabeth said with a mischievous smile. "I'm going to leave this recipe written down for you to have here in the kitchen. Also, I've prepared a version so that every morning and night you can have it ready and I can drink it without any problem."
The chef, surprised and hesitant, took the paper carefully.
"—T-this… is very detailed… but I suppose if you wish it…" he nodded, unable to avoid the admiration for the princess's determination.
Elizabeth said her goodbyes and ran to her room. She closed the door with a soft click, and calm returned to her side as she looked at the status window again.
She decided to interact with the reward. A small glow emerged from the reward bar and, magically, a bottle of Mana Infusion appeared floating in front of her hand.
Elizabeth took it, and as she brought it close to her eyes, the status window showed the information:
[Mana Infusion
Effect: Increases the user's mana by 0.1% per dose.]
Without hesitating, she took a sip. Her mana visibly increased by 1%, much more than she expected. Elizabeth frowned, concentrating on the window:
"—Alright… I need at least 10% to unlock an ability…" she murmured. "And it seems it will be completely at random. Good, if I drink this medicine constantly, my anemia will disappear."
To be continued...
