Chapter 35
⚔️ Etias and Philios
Etias walked up to Philios and stopped in front of him.
Philios, with both arms bound by the guards, reeked heavily of alcohol.
“Ha! The Emperor was so touched by that… but I ended up in prison because of it.”
Etias’s lips moved slightly.
“What was loaded onto my carriage?”
“Katrin Elemoer loaded a bunch of poorhouse flyers onto it. Hiccup.”
Though Philios’s words were slurred with drunkenness, he was stating the clear truth of what had happened that day.
“Ha…”
After a long pause, a sigh mixed with complex emotions slipped from Etias’s lips.
Those poorhouse flyers loaded onto his carriage that day had enabled the revolutionary army to receive food and supplies.
Without Sistina’s poorhouse aid, the army’s food shortage would have worsened, the soldiers’ health would have suffered, and even more would have fallen ill to this pneumonia.
Karon had called it divine intervention, but Etias had never shaken off the strange unease it brought.
But to hear that the one who had loaded those flyers onto his carriage was Katrin…?
“But hiccup, don’t misunderstand. She only did it to mock you.”
Philios continued babbling in his drunken, twisted tongue.
Considering Katrin’s usual image, that intention was an obvious guess.
She was the kind of woman who assigned Etias to investigate Fadelmon just to frighten him, claiming it would teach him a lesson through fear.
“You know… how cruel Katrin’s personality is… kuh.”
Etias silently lifted his foot and stomped down on Philios’s toes.
A pained cry spilled from Philios’s lips.
“Kkhugh!”
But these unconnected coincidences were beginning to form a faint thread of understanding in Etias’s mind.
Even if it turned out to be a mirage destined to vanish, he had glimpsed the shape of an oasis in his drying desert – his heart couldn’t help but race.
“Kuugh! W-wait, kuh!”
Etias pressed down harder, grinding Philios’s toes under his heel before finally lifting his foot.
Most likely, a few toenails had been crushed.
Between his drunken state and the intense pain, Philios’s head slumped forward – he had fainted.
The guards restraining Philios watched everything unfold but pretended not to see, allowing Etias to do as he wished.
“…”
Part of him wanted to end Philios’s life right there, but killing him in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, was impossible.
Casting a cold gaze at the unconscious Philios, Etias turned and walked away.
A rough, emotion-laden voice slipped from between his dry lips.
“…Ha. Katrin.”
A few days later, I heard news that members of the revolutionary army had taken enough medicine.
Today’s comfort level was at 70%, meaning the medicine seemed to be working well.
I had spoken so harshly that day to avoid suspicion, and for a moment, I worried Etias might distrust the medicine because of it.
But thankfully, it all worked out fine.
“Cough.”
However, it seemed I couldn’t avoid catching Ret Pneumonia myself. I was now lying in bed, wrapped in blankets.
Heros, who had fully recovered, was sitting by my side, nursing me.
“Please don’t be sick, my lady.”
As he gently placed his hand on my forehead, still hot despite the medicine, he spoke in a tender voice.
“I would rather be sick myself than see you like this.”
“Empty words.”
“Do they really sound empty to you?”
His serious gaze, brows furrowed, made me chuckle softly.
My body felt miserable, but the warmth of being cared for like family wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Besides, as long as I took my medicine properly, I would recover soon enough, so it wasn’t burdensome.
After a while, there was a knock, and a servant entered, carrying a cup filled with a faintly purple liquid.
Heros carefully slipped his hand behind my back to help me sit up.
“I told you I don’t need help getting up.”
Ignoring me, he took the medicine from the servant. I asked him,
“What is that? A new medicine? I’ve never seen it before.”
“This morning, a rare medicinal herb was found at the front gate. It’s called Osinil – it only grows on the cliffs of frozen lands and is considered one of the most difficult herbs to harvest.”
I had never heard of it before, but clever Heros seemed knowledgeable.
“Because it’s so hard to obtain, it’s known to be the best for restoring vitality. A single root costs tens to hundreds of thousands of Den. No one knows who sent it, but perhaps they heard you were sick.”
He added,
“We also tested it for toxins, and it’s perfectly clean, so you can drink it with confidence, my lady.”
The vivid color of the medicine looked intimidating, but since it was such a rare and powerful herb, I should drink it.
I didn’t know why it was left anonymously at our door, but at the very least, I should accept the giver’s kindness.
I tilted the cup and gulped down the liquid.
“Ugh…”
I scrunched my eyebrows tightly.
“As expected… it’s so bitter!”
Thanks to the unexpected medicinal herb, I fully recovered my strength in just one day, and a few days later—
“Cough, cough… ahem… thank you, Lady Elemoer. The medicine is so rare it’s hard to find.”
Imperial faction nobles, looking sickly, gathered at the Elemoer mansion to receive the medicine.
“Please, sit down. You all look too weak to stand.”
Around ten nobles sat down in the reception room.
From all directions, coughing echoed, and some nobles were swaying unsteadily.
Among them was Marquis Regallo, wearing a sullen expression despite his labored breathing.
He was the father of Philios Regallo, to whom I had sent the annulment notice, so naturally, he still held a grudge against me.
“Heros, hand out the medicine.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Currently, the pneumonia cure was priced extremely high.
One pill cost as much as an entire house for a commoner, making it a burden even for nobles.
Of course, this was dual pricing. For commoners, I sold it through the poorhouse distribution route at nearly cost price with only a small profit margin.
But nobles, who ignored poorhouse medicine, would never imagine it was the same drug.
I even changed the pill’s appearance for this purpose.
“You have no idea how hard it was to secure this supply. Why do I even go through all this trouble for you… sigh.”
I let out a small sigh.
“If you all ended up bedridden, it would paralyze state affairs and burden His Majesty, so think of this as me overextending myself for the Empire’s sake. Others would gladly pay double for it.”
At my scolding as I shook my head, they accepted the medicine with grateful expressions.
Paying such a high price, but finding a way to escape this vicious pneumonia – of course they would be relieved.
“Thank you… truly, thank you for selling it to us.”
“You are truly His Majesty’s loyal vassal, Lady Elemoer.”
Watching them swallow the pills with trembling hands, I hid a faint smirk.
A little later, after taking the medicine and regaining some mental composure, they looked at me with genuine curiosity.
“We heard… you earned an incredible fortune from this business.”
My earlier remark about others offering double had not been wasted.
I shrugged my shoulders and spoke arrogantly.
“Well, my business acumen was recognized even by my late father, Duke Elemoer. This is simply a natural result.”
Immediately, jealous gazes poured toward me.
Feeling them, I continued.
“Besides this, I have dozens more business rights that could bring in vast fortunes. It’s just a pity I don’t have multiple bodies to manage them all.”
