MTIHIS | CHAPTER 09

Chapter 9

“Madam is different, Ralph. She’s the only one who knows how to make the Duke’s medicine.”

The two had joined the knight order together and spoke casually with each other.

At Greta’s quiet retort, Aizen raised an eyebrow.

Not only had she stopped referring to Jena as “Lady Jena Kreutz” in her reports and started calling her “Madam,” but now—

“She was able to catch the bandits because she genuinely wanted to take responsibility for the Duke and the family.”

She even added a personal remark.

Unlike Aizen, who quietly noticed the change and was a little surprised, Ralph looked entirely amused.

“Haha, that’s funny! She’s really getting into her role as the baron’s wife, huh?”

Neither Greta nor Aizen flinched at the blatant mockery.

‘Don’t try to bear everything alone.’

Aizen had also sensed the sincerity in Jena’s words and paused back then.

He quietly called out to his aide.

“Ralph.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Forget it. Just send the reward money to the Kreutz barony—leave my name out of it.”

At the oddly subdued tone, Ralph hesitated before bowing.

“Yes, understood.”

Once Ralph left, Aizen gave Greta a brief word of praise.

“Good work, Greta.”

“It was nothing.”

“You seem to have gotten close to that woman.”

Seeing your attitude change says enough.

Sensing what he left unsaid, Greta lowered her gaze and explained.

“…She’s just easier to be around than I thought.”

“If you’re comfortable, that’s good. You may go.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Greta bowed politely and left. Only afterward did she realize she’d spoken too much, but strangely, she didn’t regret it.

After she left, Aizen returned to his work.

***

The day after the bandits were caught, House Kalrad quickly issued the bounty.

A chest containing one hundred gold coins was delivered straight to the barony.

The sender’s name was omitted.

They had said it would be awarded under the Duke’s name before, so I found it a little odd—but it was a good thing, so I didn’t overthink it.

“Ohhh.”

As soon as I opened the chest and saw the dazzling gold, I gasped.

“I thought I’d have to pick it up from the ducal estate, but this is so much more convenient.”

I pulled out several small boxes I had prepared in advance and began dividing up the money.

Once that was done, I picked up two of the smaller boxes and stood up.

“Greta, I’d like to see Mother and Father.”

“Yes, madam. Please wait a moment.”

She led me to the first-floor tea room and went to fetch them.

While I sipped my tea alone, the door suddenly opened with the energy of two people who had rushed from afar.

“Mother, Father, you’re here?”

“Ahem. Why have you called for us when we’re so busy?”

Father sat down with a displeased look. Judging by Mother’s face, she wasn’t thrilled either. I must’ve interrupted them at a bad time.

Then I’d better get straight to the point.

“Actually, I caught a wanted bandit and received a bounty. It’s not much, but I wanted to give you both a little allowance.”

“…Allowance?”

Their eyes widened slightly, as if they hadn’t expected that.

I smiled shyly and handed over the boxes.

“Please don’t expect too much. Out of the hundred gold bounty, forty went to the servants’ wages, and another forty went toward your treatment research, dear.

From what’s left, I set aside five gold for emergencies, and divided the remaining fifteen equally among you, Mother, Father, and Aizen.”

Meaning, they each got five gold.

It wasn’t a small amount for our current situation, but by noble standards, it might seem meager. I felt a bit uneasy.

“Five gold, really.”

Father opened the box and muttered. From his tone alone, I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or not.

Mother, who checked next, had an even more unreadable expression.

After staring at the coins for a moment, she closed the box and looked at me.

“It’s admirable that you’re trying to manage the budget properly, but you didn’t say how much you kept for yourself.”

I froze. I hadn’t thought about my own share at all.

The money was meant to support the household and fund the medicine research, so I never planned to keep any.

Under Mother’s expectant gaze, I scrambled for an answer.

“…Ah! My share is the research fund. I’m studying hard, just as you suggested, and I’m learning faster than I expected.”

It really was surprising. Maybe because I’d known how to make medicine before possessing this body. Even though I was learning it for the first time, it didn’t feel difficult.

The original me hadn’t been a pharmacist, nor did I have any medical background.

“I’ll make Aizen’s cure no matter what, so please don’t worry.”

I winked playfully, but both of them looked away awkwardly.

They seemed embarrassed, as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t. I must’ve imagined it.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. Thank you for your time. You should get back to your work too.”

“…Very well.”

After a polite bow, I left the tea room and went upstairs.

My steps led to Aizen’s office. Knock, knock, knock. I opened the door slightly and peeked in.

“Dear, I’m here!”

Cough!

My cheerful voice overlapped with a harsh, ominous cough.

My eyes widened in horror. Aizen was standing by his desk, his lips and collar stained red.

“Dear!”

The box I was holding fell to the floor with a thud, but I barely noticed.

He was covering his mouth, coughing again and again. When I saw the red spreading down his sleeve, my mind went blank.

“O-oh no. I’ll go get the doctor right now!”

“Wait, cough, madam—cough!”

Aizen frowned, gesturing for me to stop. I thought he needed support, so I rushed over to help him.

“You’re dizzy from blood loss? Let me help you to the sofa.”

As I gently pulled him along, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“Haa… No, calm down.”

“What do you mean no! I have to—!”

“Madam, breathe.”

He lifted the edge of his bloodstained sleeve to my nose.

“…Huh?”

I blinked, confused, and looked up at him. He rubbed his neck awkwardly.

“It’s not blood. It’s tea. I choked while drinking.”

“Oh…”

So it was just a misunderstanding.

Even for that short moment, my heart had dropped to my feet.

“I thought you were coughing up blood.”

“I used to, but the medicine you made before helped. I’m stable for now.”

“…Then if I don’t finish making the new one soon, it could happen again.”

“Most likely. By the way, what brings you here?”

He asked calmly, while I was still a little shaken. His tone helped me pull myself together.

“Does a wife need a reason to visit her husband? Maybe I just missed you.”

“Oh? So you came because you missed me?”

“No, I came to give you your allowance.”

Dropping the teasing tone, I picked up the fallen box.

Aizen looked at me, surprised again.

“Five gold. Use it to go out, eat something nice, relax a little. Stress-free rest is good for the body.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course. I really hate seeing my family sick.”

I placed the box in his hands myself. He peeked inside and made a complicated face.

With my hands on my hips, I gave a stern warning.

“If you want another allowance next time, you better listen to me properly.”

“I’m an invalid, not a child.”

“So you won’t take it?”

Five gold was worth more than two and a half months’ wages for a servant. Hardly pocket change.

He gave a helpless smile and shrugged.

“I’ll take it, then.”

“Good choice.”

I patted his arm. Allowance delivered—mission complete.

“See you later, dear.”

***

Aizen listened to her light footsteps fade away and turned back to his desk.

He tried to resume reading the report, but his eyes kept drifting to the small box sitting there.

Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the faintly glinting surface.

Five gold was almost laughably modest for someone who held all of the North’s trade, military, and commercial power in his hands.

Even as a five-year-old, his allowance had been ten times higher.

‘She really used her bounty just to give to others, didn’t she.’

He recalled the simple, worn dresses Jena always chose to wear.

Earlier, she’d come in a navy gown without a single bit of lace or embroidery.

If anything, buying new clothes would’ve benefited her more than handing him five gold.

‘Well, she was never the type to dress up anyway.’

He thought back to her time as a maid—silent as a mute, her face shadowed with grief.

The only time she’d ever smiled was faintly, when she’d first accepted medicine from him.

So different from the Jena now, who smiled the moment she saw him.

‘Her true nature is who she was before losing her memory.’

No matter how she acted now, she was still the spy sent to poison him.

But…

He glanced at his own hand, remembering the frail wrist he’d held.

Too weak, too delicate to belong to a trained assassin.

Even when she’d been caught adding poison, she hadn’t even tried to run—just collapsed, trembling, and then spoke of the person she loved with those bright, aching eyes.

‘Who on earth sent someone like her?’

Looking at the gentle, almost ordinary woman she was now, Aizen couldn’t help but wonder about the person she’d loved.

Who was worth dying for?

He sighed softly, stood, and shoved the small box into a desk drawer.

That was enough indulgence for one day.

***

2. I’m the Madam, You’re the…

A month had passed since I’d possessed this body.

During that time, I’d turned into a complete bookworm, buried in pharmaceutical texts. I’d finally graduated from the beginner’s level and moved on to the intermediate class.

The basic books Greta and I had bought were stacked neatly in one corner, replaced by a fresh set of new ones.

Hehe, how satisfying.

There was something else to feel proud of—it was the end of the month, payday for the servants!

Finally, time to spend that bounty.

“You called for me, madam.”

Head maid Miriam entered and greeted me politely.

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded and handed her a box containing forty gold.

“It’s payday today, right? Please distribute this among everyone.”

“Thank you, madam.”

The maids here were calm and reserved as always. Miriam accepted the box with her usual composure and turned to leave.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

I quickly stopped her. There was something I needed to ask.