Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine - Chapter 02

 

 

A moment of silence passed.

 

Julion tilted his head to the side, raised one hand and cupped his ear.

 

“Could you say that again? I think I misheard you.”

 

He raised his eyebrows as if he really didn’t understand.

 

I sighed heavily and said it again.

 

“I want you to ask me to marry you, Your Highness.”

 

At the sound of my voice, which rang clearer than before, Julion stopped his playful behavior.

 

His golden eyes darted as if he was searching me, and then the corners of his mouth twitched.

 

“The princess seems to have a hobby of joking with her life on the line.”

 

“I mean it, Your Highness.”

 

“Then I meant it too. I refused.”

 

“Is it because I’m a Cassian?”

 

“You know very well. Your family name. The rumors surrounding you. None of it benefits me. I will get the crown princess that the people want.”

 

Julion’s voice was firm.

 

The sparkle of curiosity had faded, and displeasure was creeping across his face.

 

I said something to rekindle his curiosity.

 

“Free supply of tarot. How about that?”

 

As expected, the light returned to Julion’s eyes.

 

Tarot. It was the herb that had barely kept the current Emperor alive after he fell from an unknown illness.

 

But it only grows on Cassian’s estate, especially in the land I manage. Julion can’t do anything with Cassian.

 

He looked at me curiously for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and spoke softly.

 

“The imperial family has plenty of money, my lady.”

 

As if that wasn’t enough.

 

I pulled out another hand.

 

“I can give you everything I have, if you will marry me for one year.”

 

“No. Still, you are a princess of Cassian, and what I want is not Cassian.”

 

Julion loathed the Duke of Cassian.

 

Although he was not openly hostile, I heard that Julion was a prince who was upright and sincerely cared for people.

 

In a way, it was natural for him to hate Cassian, who is famous for being vicious.

 

“I’ll say it again, my people will be disappointed in me if I accept you, who is rumored to be a wicked woman, as my crown princess. Do you have a card, princess, worthy of all this?”

 

He was right on all counts.

 

Instead of answering right away, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the papers I had prepared.

 

Julion’s gaze fell on the stack of papers on the table.

 

“Your Highness, I present Cassian to you. That’s a small part of it.”

 

Julion held the document in his hand without saying a word.

 

With each page turned, creases formed on Julion’s forehead.

 

‘At least he’s good at controlling his emotions.’

 

The document was filled with all the dirt on Cassian I’d been collecting.

 

They contained only a portion of the information I had collected for the deal with Julion.

 

It also contained the events surrounding my mother’s death.

 

“…….”

 

There was a silence so profound that even the air seemed to hold its breath.

 

Julion’s breathing became labored as he closed the last page of the document.

 

“What makes you want to go to all this trouble to marry me?”

 

“As you may have guessed by now, I have the same desire as your highness.”

 

Revenge for my mother.

 

It was enough to make anyone nod.

 

“Then there’s no need for us to get married…….”

 

“There’s no tighter bond than marriage. No matter what we do together, as a married couple, no one will suspect a thing.”

 

The Duchy of Cassian is by no means an easy place.

 

If Julion and I, who have never had any contact with each other, were to suddenly see each other often and join forces, my father would surely be suspicious.

 

Julion, of course, was aware of that as well.

 

He lifted his gaze from the documents, and when his golden eyes filled with anger met mine, I was certain.

 

Julion would never be able to refuse my offer.

 

Sure enough, he let out a bitter laugh and gestured toward the sofa across from him.

 

“I didn’t expect to change my mind, but here we are. Please have a seat, my lady. It seems it will be a long night.”

 

With that, he turned to call for a servant, but paused.

 

“Oh, right. I suppose I can’t offer you a cup of tea, I’m afraid you’ve put them all to sleep.”

 

Apparently, Julion knew this all along.

 

I had tried to handle things as quietly as possible.

 

“……I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

I smiled shamelessly and brushed it off.

 

After all, the sleep potion leaves no trace, and in a little while, everyone would wake up.

 

Seemingly unbothered, Julion shrugged and got straight to the point.

 

××××××××××××××××××××××

 

The entire empire was in an uproar.

 

The story of the Crown Prince proposing to the lady of Cassian had spread far and wide.

 

The Empress opposed it, and my father, the Duke of Cassian, was bewildered.

 

He secretly urged Julion to take the first lady, Liliana.

 

But Julion was stubborn. He insisted that it had to be me and swiftly pushed for a marriage.

 

Before I knew it, we were the couple of the century.

 

“The crown prince, bewitched by a wicked woman, is finally getting married today.”

 

The news of my marriage was published in today’s newspaper.

 

I skimmed the headline and roughly tossed the paper aside.

 

There was a loud thud, and the carriage swayed, causing me to drop the paper, which Zenid picked up and placed back on the chair.

 

“By the way, are you sure you don’t want to take the other kids?”

 

Concern flashed across Zenid’s face.

 

She was talking about the maids who served me at the ducal residence.

 

“They all have families. If they go to the palace they won’t be able to see them much.”

 

Zenid was not without family. She has a brother and a nephew.

 

It’s even been a long time since she built a wall with them.

 

“Still, they wanted to follow you, milady, what if you get lonely in the palace?”

 

“It’s not like I’m a child.”

 

Though I said so, a wry smile escaped me.

 

My maids, including Zenid, have been with me since my mother was alive, so they were like family to me.

 

So much so, in fact, that I had to purposely be mean to them and pretend to be vicious to pull the wool over my siblings’ eyes.**

 

(TL/N: to deceive her siblings)

 

Otherwise, they would be in danger because of me.

 

Perhaps the only ones who know that I cherish the maids are Zenid and those maids themselves.

 

That’s why we have a strong bond with each other.

 

Even though to the outside world we were nothing more than a bully princess and a suffering maids.

 

“Besides, as a commoner, it would be hard to live as a maid in the palace. It’s a hundred times better to go somewhere else.”

 

I sent the maids who had followed me out of the ducal residence as if they were being kicked out, and wrote them letters of recommendation through Zenid.

 

By now, they probably all arrived at their new jobs.

 

There was anxiety on Zenid’s face as she looked at me.

 

“This must be hard for you, too.”

 

“It’s all right. All I need is Zenid.”

 

Although she was helping me, Zenid was actually a noble, not a commoner.

 

And not just any noble, but the younger sister of Count Buwen, a high-ranking noble. She was never meant to work as a maid.

 

However, she had been serving me and my mother out of gratitude.

 

“I’m glad you said that, but……. I’m the one who’s truly grateful, milady.”

 

Zenid, who almost died, was given a new life by my mother after the County of Buwen collapsed to the point of barely maintaining its reputation.

 

Zenid had stayed by my side even after my mother passed away, vowing to repay her kindness. 

 

Now, I can never repay her enough for the rest of my life.

 

As I pondered these thoughts, the carriage I was in came to a stop at the entrance of the palace.

 

“Princess, we have arrived.”

 

Outside, a knight knocked on the door.

 

Zenid opened the carriage door and blinding sunlight poured in.

 

I lifted the hem of my pure white dress a little and slowly stepped out of the carriage.

 

“Everyone, mind your manners!”

 

The guards and knights shouted at the people. The surroundings had already fallen silent.

 

I looked around with my eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

 

People of all shapes and sizes surround me.

 

The only thing they had in common was that they were all looking at me.

 

“It’s the lady of Cassian!”

 

“The entire empire must have gone mad. How could the prince choose a villainess…”

 

“I heard she kicked out all the maids who worked for her this time.”

 

“Shh, be quiet. Do you want to be taken by the Cassians?”

 

“Why does it matter? Do you think they care about who I am?”

 

“That’s right, yes. If not now, when will I ever get to curse you out again?”

 

The gazes were unwelcoming.

 

I swallowed a bitter laugh as they all cursed me and the Duke of Cassian.

 

The response was as expected.

 

“This way.”

 

I followed the knight’s lead and moved closer to the gates.

 

The wedding ceremony begins with a march with Julion from the gate to the inner garden.

 

Julion, who arrived first, was waiting for me there.

 

‘……He looks gorgeous today.’

 

The first thing I notice is his dark hair, which stands out even in the bright sunlight.

 

Then I saw clear golden eyes beneath them.

 

The unique golden eyes of the royal family had a mysterious glint as they stared on me.

 

“Rohiriel.”

 

Julion called my name, and as he approached me, a somewhat forced smile formed on his lips.

 

Then it was the moment when I tried to put my hand in Julion’s hand which was held out.

 

“You wicked woman!”

 

There was a sharp cry from the gathering of the people.

 

Reflectively, I looked back, and saw a girl standing on a high rock and staring at me.

 

“Because of Cassian, I have lost everything!”

 

Her venomous voice rang out once more, and before I had time to react, I felt a dull blow to my head.

 

Then something trickled down.

 

It was a crushed egg shell, raw and fishy.

 

“Goodness gracious!”

 

Zenid rushed over and wiped it up with a handkerchief, but my clothes were already soiled.

 

Before I could grasp the situation, another angry shout followed.

 

“Spare my parents, you wicked Cassian!”

 

I roughly shook off the flowing liquid.

 

The girl in the robe, holding a basket of eggs in her hands, met my gaze. Her expression contorted even further and she shouted.

 

“I, Hemion Martin, a true noble, cannot acknowledge the villainess Cassian as the Crown Princess!”

 

Hemion Martin.

 

The moment I heard that name, I immediately understood what was going on.

 

The family had recently been ruined by my father’s new business venture.

 

Martin was a noble family that had dealings with my father.

 

But the result was disastrous.

 

The Viscount’s downfall.

 

The viscount and his wife were falsely accused and were killed in a rockslide while traveling in exile.

 

The heir was said to have been attacked out of nowhere.

 

‘I heard rumors that they had a child who somehow survived.’ 

 

I had intended to investigate further, thinking this might be a means to hold Cassian by the leash. Seeing her right in front of me was unexpectedly convenient.

 

“Cassian is a murderer! Ruthless, wicked, vile…”

 

But something was off about Hemion.

 

While trembling voice could be attributed to the circumstances, her complexion was pale, as if she were about to die.

 

‘Besides, I don’t think she can use her other leg.’

 

Suddenly, a guard approached Hemion.

 

“Let go of me!”

 

Struggling to escape capture, she abruptly ripped the hem of her skirt.

 

Everyone gasped at the suddenness, and I stiffened at the sight of her exposed thighs.

 

There was a long cut on Hemion’s leg.

 

Crimson veins spread around the wound like spiderwebs, and even at a glance, it was clear that it was a significant injury

 

But I became serious in a different way.

 

‘The shape of that wound is unusual. Perhaps…….’

 

I squinted, desperate to get a better look at Hemion’s wound.

 

“As you can see, I’m about to die. The evil Cassian has made me like this! Please… make sure everyone knows that the Viscount of Martin was sacrificed by Cassian… cough!”

 

While she desperately pleaded, a gush of blood suddenly poured from Hemion’s mouth.

 

The blood that was sprayed on the soil quickly turned black and killed the weeds around it.

 

At that moment, I ran toward Hemion without a second thought.

 

This was certain.

 

It’s severe poisoning.

 

It circulated through the veins, causing the blood vessels to surface and releasing a toxin that not only grotesquely disfigured the body but was also infamous for being the most malevolent poison, capable of infecting people even in the darkest corners of the abyss.

 

‘And it’s a poison that my family likes to use.’

 

Damn it. This cursed Cassian is no help ‘til the end.

 

To think he’d make me the center of this chaos right before the wedding.

 

Suppressing the urge to curse, I grabbed the guard who was trying to take Hemion away.

 

“Your Highness……?”

 

“Step back. Right now!”

 

At this rate, everyone in the vicinity would be poisoned.

 

Judging by the state of the expelled blood, time was of the essence.

 

Hemion was on the brink of losing consciousness.

 

I took advantage of the guards’ confusion to push them aside and lay her down.

 

She struggled desperately, but the strength of a dying person was weak.

 

Zenid, who naturally followed me, asked in a worried voice.

 

“Will it be all right? This must be the Duke…….”

 

The Duke had something to do with it.

 

The latter words were omitted, but enough was delivered to me.

 

I was worried that I would arouse unnecessary suspicion if I cured something my father intended to get rid of.

 

But that was when Cassian’s name hadn’t surfaced.

 

Now it was the other way around.

 

“If anything, it’s better that way, since he’s been named in front of so many people, and I have the prestige of restoring the family name.”

 

If Hemion Martin were to die in front of everyone, the people would certainly suspect Cassian.

 

But if I, the ‘Lady of Cassian,’ cured Hemion in front of everyone?

 

I would be praised.

 

My father’s intentions would be thwarted, and I would gain accolades instead. It was a win-win situation, and there was no reason for me not to take an active role.

 

“Zenid, the bag.”

 

“Here it is.”

 

I quickly opened the medicine bag that Zenid brought and took out the tools.

 

Then I shouted at the people gathered around me.