Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine - Chapter 05 

 

 

I hurriedly looked around to put on the navy shawl that I had taken off earlier, but it seemed that the maids had already put it away.

 

As I fumbled, Julion entered the room.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“What? Oh, I haven’t….”

 

I wasn’t fully dressed.

 

Well, it’s not like I wasn’t dressed at all, but my attire was embarrassing.

 

Julion and I were in a contractual marriage, so there were no plans for a first night like this. 

 

But the maids and servants are listening, so I can’t say it properly.

 

Julion watched me for a moment, then took off his robe.

 

“You look cold, put this on.”

 

In an instant, his robe was draped over my body.

 

I felt a rush of warmth.

 

I didn’t bother to say no.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Julion’s hair seemed damp, as if he had also taken a bath.

 

He was better dressed than me, though. Nonetheless, his attire was more composed than mine. He had taken off his robe for me, but underneath, he had proper, smooth undergarments on.

 

“You may all retire.”

 

At Julion’s command, the servants and maids left the room.

 

When the door slammed shut behind them, he strode over and plopped down on the bed.

 

“In case you were wondering, Hemion Martin is alive and well.”

 

The wedding had been followed by a reception, so there was no way I was going to find out about Hemion, who was being protected at the crown prince’s palace.

 

I was going to ask, but I thanked him for speaking up first.

 

“Thank you for letting me know, and by the way, may I bring him to my palace tomorrow?”

 

“Do as you please.”

 

I breathed a sigh of relief at Julion’s easy acceptance.

 

I had given her the antidote, but there were still many additional medicines to be administered.

 

Her condition was so severe that other complications could arise if left untreated.

 

While I was thinking, Julion pointed to the space next to me.

 

“Aren’t you going to lie down?”

 

“I’m ……?”

 

“You’re not going to sleep?”

 

“Oh, no. I’m sleeping.”

 

Awkward.

 

The awkwardness was enough to make me squirm.

 

Whether he realized it or not, Julion slipped under the covers with a nonchalant expression.

 

I cautiously approached, pulled back the covers, and lay down next to him.

 

‘It’s a good thing the bed is big.’ 

 

If I didn’t spread my arms too wide, I wouldn’t touch him.

 

As the cozy blanket wrapped around my body, I drifted off to sleep.

 

“Rohiriel.”

 

I would have been fast asleep if Julion hadn’t suddenly called out to me.

 

I rolled over once and answered.

 

“Yes. Say it.”

 

“……that bruise, it looks like it’s gotten worse.”

 

I reflexively pulled the covers up around my neck.

 

“You know, they always look worse over time.”

 

“How do you know so well?”

 

“It’s just common sense…….”

 

“Not that.”

 

Julion’s voice became serious.

 

He took a deep breath and went on slowly.

 

“I’m talking about the incident involving Hemion Martin.”

 

I could feel the pressure in his voice alone.

 

I was choosing my words when he spoke again.

 

“There are few people in the Empire who can recognize severe poisoning at a glance, and even create an antidote quickly enough.”

 

Julion’s suspicions were justified.

 

In fact, the severe poison was famous for being a tricky poison.

 

I replied, rubbing the back of my head against the pillow unnecessarily.

 

“That’s what it would be like in the Empire.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You see, my mother was a princess of the Kingdom of Yalon, and she was well versed in medicine.”

 

Julion listened without moving.

 

I pulled the quilt a little higher.

 

“The Kingdom of Yalon fell because of its weakness, but when it came to medicine, it was better than anywhere else on the continent, though the Empire tends to downplay it as the study of a fallen place.”

 

“I’ve heard of it, yes. There are a few doctors from the Kingdom of Yalon in the Palace infirmary, and they’re quite good.”

 

“Well, that’s a quick story, then. I grew up learning a lot of things from my mother, so…….”

 

Naturally, I started talking about my childhood.

 

I kept it simple, hoping he wouldn’t get bored.

 

While tossing and turning, my fingers brushed against something warm.

 

I don’t know if he flinched or not, but he was still.

 

This truly marked the first night of our perfectly executed union.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

“Your highness, wake up.”

 

“Mmm…….”

 

“It’s almost time for lunch.”

 

I couldn’t open my eyes.

 

Maybe I pushed myself too hard yesterday.

 

Gradually, Zenid’s words started to register in my groggy mind.

 

“What?”

 

I asked sleepily.

 

To think I had woken up at lunchtime on my first day as the Crown Princess.

 

I struggled to sit up.

 

I made a wry face, and Zenid arched an eyebrow.

 

“Is there something wrong? Shall I call a doctor?”

 

“No. How about his highness, Julion?”

 

“He said he had some urgent business to attend to this morning.”

 

“Right, then please help me with my attire. After eating, I need to meet the Empress as well.”

 

Then, if circumstances permitted, I planned to stop by the palace garden.

 

The purpose of becoming a crown princess. If I could find an Aperium and pluck a few leaves to cure my illness, it would be a successful day.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

 

As I finished my meal and headed out of the palace, a knight came running up to me in the distance, panting.

 

“Your highness!”

 

He was a very striking knight with blond hair tied back in a low tail.

 

He approached, panting, and then offered a deep smile.

 

His scarlet eyes, which could have been red at times, softly crinkled.

 

“I have been ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince to closely escort your Highness, starting today.”

 

“Julion?”

 

“Yes. One of me would be better than several knights.”

 

The man smiled confidently.

 

He stood casually behind me.

 

“You may call me Ares if you wish, your highness!”

 

He was full of energy in his demeanor and voice.

 

I shuffled my feet and asked.

 

“Did you just get here?”

 

“Oh, no, I came this morning and was waiting outside.”

 

As he said this, Ares seemed to subtly avoid my gaze.

 

‘Then where have you been just now?’

 

Is there something wrong with him?

 

Maybe he was sent to keep an eye on me by Julion, who still doesn’t fully trust me, I thought.

 

“Yes. I look forward to your kind cooperation, Sir Ares.”

 

“Yes, your Highness!”

 

Without further inquiry, I left the palace.

 

Tishrit Palace, the Empress’ residence, was even larger than Garnet Palace, the Crown Princess’.

 

It boasted dimensions more than double the size and had multiple gardens, which meant quite a bit of walking was involved, particularly to get to the audience room.

 

When I arrived, I was greeted by the maid at the Tishrit Palace.

 

She had a very sharp look in her eyes, as if she had a lot of animosity towards me.

 

“Her Majesty the Empress wants you to come inside.”

 

“Inside,” she said, referring to the bedroom where the emperor lies.

 

Normally, the Emperor is supposed to be in the Imperial Palace’s Sun Palace, but since the Empress is constantly nursing him, he has long since moved his residence to the Tishrit Palace.

 

Although the Emperor is barely conscious and unable to communicate, he must still be greeted formally.

 

“Please enter.”

 

The door to the inner chamber opened on cue.

 

I froze in my tracks.

 

‘Why is the room so……?’ 

 

The entire bedroom was very dark.

 

All the windows that should be letting in sunlight were covered with blackout curtains, and only a few very dim lights were on.

 

Even when I opened the door, I couldn’t see the bed properly because there was a translucent curtain in the middle of the room.

 

“Have you arrived?”

 

I felt a sign of movement inside the curtain.

 

In accordance with proper etiquette, I lifted the hem of my dress slightly and bowed my head.

 

“Greetings to your majesties.”

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

With a rustling sound, the Empress’ voice flowed out.

 

“Come closer.”

 

The curtains were drawn at the same time.

 

A woman with red hair was looking at this side with an indifferent gaze.

 

The current Empress, Psirias Sertizan.

 

A woman who once, before the Emperor’s fall, had reigned as the pinnacle of society.

 

Now, she was taking care of the Emperor and hadn’t been out and about at all, but her beauty and unique noble aura remained.

 

“I heard there was a great uproar on your wedding day.”

 

She was talking about Hemion Martin, who got poisoned.

 

The Empress had been inside the castle at the time, so she hadn’t seen the details and had heard them later from her maids.

 

I lowered my gaze and replied.

 

“I apologize. The ceremony went off without a hitch, thanks to your Majesty’s understanding.”

 

“You created the antidote, did you not?”

 

“Yes. Fortunately, I was taught by my mother in the past.”

 

“Your mother, yes, I see.”

 

The Empress knew about my mother, as she had once been the pinnacle of social circles.

 

She was silent for a moment, then let out a languid breath.

 

“Crown Princess.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

“I’m going to put it bluntly.”

 

“Please speak.”

 

The Empress’s voice was tinged with annoyance.

 

For a woman who could be described as both fiery and cool, she liked skipping trivial conversations.

 

The Empress pulled a small pouch from her pocket and tossed it in my direction.

 

“You see, I don’t like the Duke of Cassian.”

 

“That’s …….”

 

“And I don’t like the rumors surrounding the princess either.”

 

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

 

“But I will try to be as unbiased as possible now that you’re in the household.”

 

I was surprised.

 

The Duke of Cassian is at odds with the Empress’ maternal family, the Marquis of Bianthe.

 

I thought I’d be lucky if she didn’t outright dislike or dismiss me.

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty, but is this……?”

 

“It’s the Princess’ seal. It’s yours to manage the palace now that you’re the Crown Princess. It’s been pretty hard for me to manage it.”

 

Looking truly exhausted, the empress pressed her temples with her fingers.

 

She remained like that for a moment, then opened her eyes again with a sigh.

 

“Whew. Anyway, there’s a lot of work for you to do, first of all…….”

 

The Empress closed her eyes again before speaking and took a deep breath.

 

Then the Empress’ maid, who had been standing by her side, said something familiar.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“Mmm, yes.”

 

Accepting the small vial, the Empress immediately poured the potion inside into her eyes.

 

She blinked a few times, and then her face relaxed again.

 

However, the look in her eyes as she looked at me was somehow strange..

 

“Pardon me, Your Majesty, but are you feeling unwell?”

 

“I’ve been indecent. When you get old, you get ailments here and there.”

 

The Empress coughed, somewhat embarrassed.

 

But her comment about getting old was a bit of a stretch.

 

She had married the current Emperor at sixteen and given birth to Julion at seventeen.

 

Julion is one year older than me.

 

In other words, the Empress is now less than forty years old.

 

It was too early to talk about aging.

 

I decided to wait and see how she was doing.

 

“Your Majesty, you’re still quite young…”

 

“Taking care of patients makes me feel like my body is aging faster than my age.”

 

That’s for sure.

 

There was no focus in the Empress’ golden eyes as she looked at me.

 

Her eyes were still clear, but they had changed abruptly after the medication.

 

‘I think I should check it out.’ 

 

It was too uncomfortable to just let it go without saying anything.

 

As far as I know, there was no medicine for treating eye diseases that caused one’s gaze to become hazy like that.

 

There were only two cases where such symptoms appeared: It’s either a side effect of using the wrong medication for your body, or you’re misusing the medication.

 

I carefully opened my mouth, wondering how to phrase it.