Chapter 14
I only brought time forward.
The medicine that Mei would develop in the future already exists—what’s different now is just the timing. So why isn’t it working?
I tried to imagine the future when Mei completed the medicine.
‘Was the medicine different because the disease had become more serious by then?’
No, that’s not it.
Even after it became an endemic disease, it was still dangerous for patients with weak health.
I thought hard about Mei’s research lab that I had visited in my past life.
What was in that lab?
“Ah!”
I had been biting my fingernails and suddenly remembered.
Oops. Serri would be upset if she saw how damaged my nails were. But that didn’t matter now.
“I need a freezer.”
I remembered the freezer that was in the corner of Mei’s lab.
Back then, I thought it was strange that she had something so rare.
Why didn’t I think of it before?
Freezers were rare and expensive both now and in the future.
Only a few ice-element magicians had invented them, and they could only be obtained through special trades or gifts.
Mei probably didn’t use the freezer just for making ice desserts like nobles did.
She likely used it for her research on medicine. Thinking about it, the answer was simple.
“If you freeze ingredients, they’re easier to crush.”
If I could grind frozen herbs into powder, I might be able to extract every bit of their healing effects—even the ones that couldn’t be pulled out by squeezing willow trees.
“But the real problem is how to get a freezer…”
I held my forehead and sighed.
Even in the future, it was super rare. So now? It was basically impossible to get one.
Plus, the more you used it, the more the magic wore out, making it even more precious.
Still, it wasn’t completely hopeless. There was one person in this place who could get a freezer.
Someone as powerful as the emperor.
The most important person in the empire lived in the same castle as me.
The Duke of Vesperd.
He didn’t have just one freezer. He had several.
“Should I ask the Duke for help?”
I thought about it, then shook my head.
How could a ten-year-old like me explain the cure to the plague?
Even if I made the medicine, he might not believe me. Without proof, I could even be accused of being a witch…
“No. Definitely not.”
That would just give Joseph another reason to attack me.
I clenched my fists.
“In the end, there’s only one way!”
I looked up with strong determination.
“Serri!”
“Yes, Your Grace? What is it?”
“Please ask for a meeting with the Duke!”
“Your Grace… The Duke has refused again.”
For the third time in a row, I was rejected. My shoulders dropped.
“Again?”
Serri looked nervous, trying to comfort me. “The Duke is always by the Duchess’s side. He’s probably worried you’ll get infected.”
“But… I really need to ask him something important!”
I pouted, and Serri started sweating nervously.
I had been acting like an adult lately, so now that I was acting like a child, it probably caught her off guard.
‘Serri, I know this is childish… but sometimes acting like a kid is the best strategy.’
Seeing me puff up my cheeks, Serri smiled awkwardly and tried to cheer me up.
“The Duke said he’d punish me if I contacted his staff again. He’s worried I might catch the illness and pass it to you.”
“But still!”
“Why not write him a letter instead?”
“A letter?”
“Yes, maybe he’ll read it.”
“…Okay.”
I nodded.
But still, it felt weird to write a letter just to say, “Please give me a freezer!”
I had no choice, though. I let out a small sigh and started writing.
Because I was a child holding a feather pen, my handwriting looked all wobbly and messy.
[Hello, Your Grace.]
Even though I could speak clearly, my writing made me look like a baby.
‘How can I write it so the Duke gives me the freezer right away?’
That’s why I wanted to talk to him directly.
If I did this by letter, it might take a long time.
Especially since my request is strange, we might go back and forth multiple times.
I needed to get the freezer with just one letter.
‘The Duke seems weak to compliments…’
But this was a serious situation.
The Duke, who had never lost anything in his life, was now losing the woman he loved.
If I wrote empty praise, he might think I didn’t understand how serious things were and get angry.
“Ha… I guess I have no choice.”
I pressed my temple with my finger and crumpled up the first paper. Then I started writing something completely different.
“Your Grace!”
Before Serri even finished calling me, I saw someone familiar walk into the room—and my eyes widened.
“Your Grace! Did you really bring that yourself?!”
Did he carry that huge, heavy freezer all by himself?
Ian came to my room, holding a freezer as big as himself.
He tilted his head like it was no big deal.
“You disappeared after running away like that. I got curious. Where do you want me to put this?”
Hey! I didn’t run away! …Okay, maybe I did…
I blushed remembering my hands landing on Ian’s chest the other day.
I quickly showed him where to place the freezer.
The Vesperd body… what kind of physical strength is that? Is he even human?
But I didn’t forget my manners.
“Wow, thank you so much!”
I smiled brightly, and Ian looked away awkwardly.
Oops… was I too excited?
I tried to hide my embarrassment by pretending to help him.
“Thank you so much for this rare item, Your Grace.”
Since then, I had been too embarrassed to face Ian again.
But in the end, I had no choice but to write to him.
Because other than the Duke, Ian was the only one in the Vesperd family who owned a freezer.
“You basically threatened me.”
“What?”
I pretended not to understand.
Ian laughed quietly, and I looked away, embarrassed.
Well… it did sound like a threat.
A ten-year-old asking for a freezer because they wanted to make ice cream before they die from the plague… yeah.
“If it’s ice cream you want, the palace chef could make it. Why make it yourself?”
“B-because it’s my dream! I’ll share it with you once I make it!”
“…”
What the… Ian stared at me without saying a word.
Lately, there had been more moments like this.
Moments where he just quietly stared at me with those red eyes of his.
His gaze made me embarrassed… and a little worried.
Does he think I’m weird? Have I done too many strange things?
I got scared that he might start to dislike me and quickly changed the subject.
“What kind of flavor do you like, Your Grace?”
“What about you?”
“Huh?”
“What flavor do you want to eat?”
His question reminded me of something from the past.
‘The Duke’s son ordered the best southern cherries because the Duchess liked them.’
Ian never used his power, but he made rare exceptions—for me.
Even though he always tried to push me away, those moments of kindness made it impossible for me to leave him.
Even if I was born again… I don’t think he’d ever understand that.
