Chapter 1
It was a day when a fierce downpour was slashing the earth. Sophie carelessly placed her half-finished tea in an empty spot on a cabinet.
Then, she pulled a few herbs from a warm steamer. She had thought all doors and windows were tightly shut, yet the cold refused to leave.
Hugging her cardigan tightly around herself, Sophie leaned back in her armchair.
She had spent every last coin she had to open this humble apothecary.
As a low-ranking earth spiritist, Sophie could promote the growth and vitality of plants.
Thanks to that, she managed to set up a rather respectable-looking apothecary.
Sophie liked the calm and quiet that her apothecary brought.
“Is the owner here? I need help!”
It was shortly after midnight.
She was tidying up the apothecary when a knock came at the door.
A patient in critical condition?
She had picked up a fair bit of medical knowledge while setting up the apothecary. Though she couldn’t perform direct medical treatment like a physician, she could still provide appropriate prescriptions.
When she opened the door, she saw a blond man drenched in rain. He was supporting someone who seemed half-conscious.
“There’s too much blood loss.”
The man, who was doing the supporting, wore clothes of such fine quality that he clearly belonged to a high social class.
“I tried to rush to a clinic, but it was too far, and we had no time…”
“You did the right thing. Come in quickly.”
She laid the patient down on a makeshift cot prepared in the apothecary.
“Silco.”
Sophie summoned a low-ranking spirit she worked with.
“Go fetch Mr. Everant immediately.”
[…Understood.]
The earth spirit, Silco, quietly nodded and vanished without a trace.
“Luckily, the major arteries are intact. But the wound is wide, and the bleeding is severe.”
A man of high status had collapsed from a sword wound. Sophie refrained from asking unnecessary questions.
She didn’t want to get caught up in a noisy or complicated situation.
The wound looked like it had been sliced by a sharp blade in an instant.
It was fortunate that the largest blood vessel in his thigh wasn’t damaged, but at this rate, he could go into shock and die from blood loss.
Until Mr. Everant arrived, Sophie decided to do everything she could to stop the bleeding.
“The towels are in the bookshelf near the greenhouse. Feel free to use them.”
As she examined the wound, she mentally listed the herbs she would need.
“Sorry I can’t fetch them myself. I’ll administer treatment first. I’ll explain later…”
With a few concise words, Sophie darted into the greenhouse, collecting hemostatic herbs and others that might aid Everant’s surgical treatment.
With bleeding this severe, time was of the essence. Sophie moved with purpose.
“Ugh…”
Even though the patient was unconscious, he groaned in pain as Sophie combined a few hemostatic agents to try to stop the bleeding.
It was times like this that she deeply regretted not being a licensed physician. Even as an apothecary owner, performing surgery would be grounds for punishment.
Just when the bleeding seemed to stabilize, it would gush out again. Sophie’s face and clothes were soon drenched in blood.
“How’s the patient?”
Mr. Everant, who had been staying at a nearby inn, rushed into the apothecary.
“A stab wound to the thigh. The bleeding is serious.”
“Damn. We have to stop the bleeding.”
With practiced hands, Everant immediately examined the patient’s condition.
“I applied some hemostatic agents before you arrived.”
“Good, but he might still bleed during surgery. Stay by my side.”
“Of course.”
Sophie had Silco fetch more hemostatics and prepare disinfectants for the operation.
She continued assisting Everant and ensured he had everything he needed.
Thanks to Sophie’s efforts in controlling the bleeding early, the patient was out of immediate danger.
Mr. Everant decided to stay by the patient’s side to monitor his condition.
“Whew…”
Sophie let out a breath of relief now that the patient was safe and quietly stepped away.
The man on the cot looked up at Sophie with a worried expression.
“The bleeding’s under control. We’ll still need to monitor him for further symptoms.”
“Oh… thank goodness.”
The man thanked her and introduced himself as Arthur Clafield. To her surprise, he was a duke—one of only two in the entire empire.
And the patient was Paul, his knight and adjutant.
“I was afraid I might lose Paul… I’m so grateful.”
Bringing his injured subordinate himself and showing courtesy to a commoner—he didn’t seem like a bad person at all.
Sitting on an old chair, Sophie explained the situation to Arthur.
“We’ll have to wait and see. Unforeseen symptoms may appear.”
“Of course. I’ll stay with him.”
Taking out a handkerchief from her pocket, Sophie wiped the blood from her hands.
“You’ll need to stay until the patient stabilizes… You’re welcome to rest here if you’d like.”
“…I suffer from severe insomnia.”
Arthur shrugged as he replied, but his appearance said it all.
His skin was rough, his eyes sunken like a corpse’s, and red veins laced his tired eyes.
“No medicine has ever worked.”
He added bitterly.
How severe must the insomnia be for someone to look like that? Sophie felt genuinely sorry for him.
“…Then, would you like some tea?”
“Tea?”
Sophie offered it cautiously.
“I sometimes serve tea made from herbs to visitors.”
“…”
“It’s cold and you’re drenched. A warm cup should help.”
“Thank you. I’ll gladly accept.”
With his permission, Sophie headed toward the greenhouse attached to the apothecary.
[Miss Sophie, looking for a specific herb?]
The spirits in the greenhouse fluttered around her, chattering. Though not formally contracted, these spirits chose to stay by her side.
“Give me some Hedelria.”
[I’ll get it! I was just tending to the Hedelria. It’s in perfect condition!]
Amid their cheerful chatter, Sophie looked around the greenhouse. Despite the storm outside, it was peaceful in here.
She enjoyed this stillness and quiet.
After soaking it in for a moment, she gathered Hedelria and some other herbs.
He said medicine never worked, but…
Thinking of how desperate Arthur looked for rest, Sophie prepared herbs known to help with insomnia.
She ground them finely and brewed them into a sweet herbal tea.
“It smells wonderful. Thank you.”
Arthur, fortunately, liked the tea.
The tea was originally prepared for waiting guests or patients. The herbs had been grown using the power of spirits.
They say it’s more effective than expected.
Patients with colds or severe pain often said they felt cured after drinking it.
Of course, Sophie didn’t believe them. She assumed they were just being polite.
“The rain’s letting up.”
The fireplace’s warmth wrapped around their cold bodies as they sipped tea. Sophie mirrored Arthur’s quiet sips.
Sitting by the fire with tea on a rainy day was a lovely routine.
“I’ve sent for a carriage—it should be here soon.”
Arthur said.
“Would it be alright to take Paul with me?”
“It should be fine. He might recover better there.”
There were excellent doctors and pharmacists at the duke’s estate. Sophie believed Paul would soon regain his health.
Not long after, the duke’s carriage arrived to take Arthur and Paul home. Sophie had never seen a more extravagant and beautiful carriage.
It looked more like a work of art than a means of transport.
“Thank you for treating Paul.”
Arthur thanked both Mr. Everant and Sophie sincerely. A man this courteous, a duke—maybe the world wasn’t all bad after all, Sophie thought.
“And thank you for the tea as well.”
“It was nothing.”
Sophie replied politely. It wasn’t just because he was a duke—his character made him likable.
“I hope the patient makes a full recovery.”
Mr. Everant added. He had been shocked to learn his patient was the duke’s adjutant.
Focused entirely on the wound, he hadn’t paid attention to the man’s clothing or his companion.
“Well then…”
Until the end, Arthur remained courteous as he boarded the duke’s carriage and left.
I can’t believe I just met a duke…
It was surreal.
Not that she’d ever meet him again.
Still, that duke—he really was handsome. Sophie shrugged, fondly recalling the encounter.
But not long after, Arthur returned to her apothecary.
“How exactly did you do it?”
“…Excuse me?”
He appeared out of nowhere, asking seriously.
“My body is a mess from a curse.”
“…”
“I’ve suffered from insomnia because of it.”
She didn’t ask, but okay.
“No medicine ever worked. But…”
Shockingly, Duke Arthur Clafield had fallen asleep in the carriage on his way home.
Even upon arriving at the duke’s estate, he slept so soundly the attendants had to carry him inside.
“How did you do it?”
This was overwhelming.
“Did you put a spell on me or something?”
“I just gave you some tea.”
Sophie answered, completely bewildered.
