Chapter 42
I had heard that the emperor had taken care of most of the empire’s dark sorcerers, leaving only a few behind. So, I thought to myself, What could a mere sorcerer do? and completely forgot about it.
But soon after, Duke Rondinella came to visit.
He brought a dark sorcerer dressed in a black robe along with him.
What followed was simple enough.
The dark sorcerer, disguised as a healer, entered the emperor’s bedroom the night before the founding ceremony and placed a curse on him.
Apparently, it usually only takes about an hour, but the emperor didn’t fall under the curse until the early morning.
If he missed this ceremony, he would have to wait another year!
As dawn broke, time was running out. I was nearly frustrated.
That damn old man, even though his body was completely falling apart, seemed to cling stubbornly to life.
The dark sorcerer had finished the spell, but when he said he was going to temporarily cure the emperor’s ailment, I scolded him, Why bother? Let the man die already!
But the sorcerer said that the emperor needed to be able to move in order to sign his decree.
Therefore, a spell was cast on that cursed old man to keep him moving for a few more months, despite the fact that his body was near death.
Grinning, Brefni put on a golden crown and checked himself in the mirror.
From head to toe, how could he be so perfect?
He raised his nose arrogantly and brushed his flowing, short blonde hair with his hand.
But at that moment, his golden hair began to fall off like autumn leaves.
W-What is this? Why is my hair…?
His eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen a ghost. He frantically grabbed his head and suddenly froze.
His eyes locked on his smooth, bald spot with horror.
No! My hair…!
Falling to the floor, Brefni let out a scream.
“Is anyone there? Come here and look at this!”
He furiously shook the bell, and the doctor rushed into the room.
“Please, examine me right away! What is this?! My hair is falling out like chicken feathers!”
“I understand, Your Majesty. Please calm down and lie on the bed while I check.”
Brefni, with a panicked expression, threw his golden armor and crown aside. As he began to strip off his outer coat, he felt something small and hard in his pocket.
What’s this?
Tilting his head, he pulled out a small vial.
His terrified eyes slowly turned into curiosity.
***
“Miss, I’ve finished making the medicine you asked for. Should I store it in the cold storage?”
“…Yeah, do that.”
I replied absentmindedly and saw Luan walking toward the cold storage with the vials.
I rested my chin on the desk, watching the factory machines working hard.
[You confuse me.]
The voice of Prince Claude echoed in my head.
The one who’s really confusing is not me, it’s you.
I sighed deeply.
Back when we were hiding in the secret room, Prince Claude had almost forced a kiss, but in the end, he didn’t kiss me at all… he just turned the door handle.
The door opened, light flooded in, and his face was illuminated.
He looked at me in bewilderment, then chuckled as he gently pressed my lower lip with his thumb.
[This is… I can’t hold it back much longer.]
The soft whispering voice made me shiver.
It felt so low, like it was coming from the bottom of the deep sea.
The strange atmosphere made my heart race erratically, so I quickly stepped out of the room.
Once the ceremony was over, there was no one left on the platform, and the gathered nobles had dispersed.
I didn’t feel like attending the feast and congratulating the malicious second prince, who had ascended the throne.
I climbed into Prince Claude’s carriage to return to my mansion.
The light streaming through the window cast a dark shadow across his face.
[Your Highness, you seem a little tired. Are you alright?]
With a worried tone, I asked him.
[I’m fine. And for the time being, don’t come to the castle. Rest.]
[…Are you sure? You only have a week’s worth of medicine left.]
[Don’t worry. The new doctor prescribed me more medicine.]
His voice was calm, but he avoided looking me in the eye.
If I’m feeling like this, how must Claude feel?
I was still worried, so I asked him to wait outside the Duke’s mansion for a bit.
I quickly gathered up some medicine for the trembling attacks, insomnia, and the cure for the plague, and rushed out.
By the time I loaded the medicine into the carriage, it was already on its way.
His gaze never once met mine again.
A month passed, but I heard nothing from him.
Even though it had been a long time since we were engaged, there was no word, and people began to gossip about our possible broken engagement.
I never expected the waiting to take this long.
I remembered the time when I had kissed his cheek. I thought he had responded well. I thought it had given him the will to live… but maybe not.
Or perhaps… maybe my actions had angered him.
Is that why he no longer wanted to see me?
As I thought this, a chill ran through my heart.
For some reason, my mood plummeted, so I slammed my fist onto the desk and stood up.
There were still plenty of things to do, and I couldn’t just keep thinking about Prince Claude.
Was I really kissing him because I wanted to?
No, I was just trying to save a man who wanted to die, putting all my effort into it.
I had done enough.
So now, I was going to stop caring.
If he needs me, he’ll call me.
If not, so be it!
I started organizing the papers on my desk while pressing my temples.
By now, Brefni should have discovered the effects of the medicine, right?
He was quick-tempered and couldn’t stand being curious, so things should be progressing as planned.
The real problem was that the second prince had unexpectedly ascended to the throne.
Looking at it now, it was actually a good thing.
That meant there were more ways to use the situation to my advantage.
“Miss, the production process is going smoothly. If everything goes well, we should have the plague cure ready by next week.”
“Good, that’s great. Thanks to you, Luan.”
I smiled brightly, and for a moment, Luan’s face turned bright red.
“It’s because you trusted me and gave me the responsibility. By the way, Mr. Chandler came by earlier and gave this for you.”
“Mr. Chandler?”
I looked up with curiosity as Luan handed me a small box.
[If it’s alright, would you mind if I write down the instructions for use and send them to Luan?]
The tall man in the trench coat with a mysterious smile, Chandler’s words flashed in my mind.
I took the note off the box and unfolded it.
[About the magical tool from the Western Continent I gave you earlier. I’ve figured out how it works, but to activate it, you’ll need a Grade 1 magic stone. If it’s not too much trouble, could you get one when you travel to the Western Continent next month?
[Also, the item you asked for last time is your engagement gift.]
I folded the note and put it in my pocket, then pulled out a small velvet pouch from my pocket.
Inside were two round, soft objects that seemed perfect for earrings.
I had been carrying this around, thinking it was something useful from the Western Continent, but why would it require a Grade 1 magic stone to operate?
Shrugging, I closed the velvet pouch and put it back in my pocket.
I was about to open the engagement gift box when I heard Luan calling from across the room.
“Miss, a guest has arrived.”
I turned around and saw a well-dressed man standing there.
He wore a shirt decorated in red and black, with a family crest of an alligator carefully embroidered on the chest.
As I studied the crest, he spoke first.
“Lady Aselin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Petro, the eldest son of the Gyeff Marquis family.”
Petro…
Where had I seen him before?
I paused for a moment, then something suddenly clicked in my mind.
That’s right! He was the man in the video I saw with Rachel, entering the old woman’s house at the crystal shop!
