Chapter 16
“You used to tell me you liked me all the time.”
Alex watched my face carefully, as if testing me.
He was a thoroughly calculating man.
There was no way he would say something romantic like that without a reason.
I smiled shyly, pretending to be flustered, and gently pulled my hand away from his grasp.
Then, I took a sip of water to soothe my suddenly dry throat.
“Alex, I like you. A lot.”
I made my voice sound as sweet as honey, and Alex smiled, satisfied.
In my past life, he had poisoned me and killed me.
I had wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
But now, things had to change.
I would make sure he walked straight into disaster, completely unprepared.
I planned to play the perfect role of his loving fiancée.
I kept smiling and gently placed my hand on his shoulder with the utmost affection.
“I’ve been so excited that I can’t even sleep these days. Our wedding is only a month away! Is everything going well?”
“Of course. I’m planning to decorate the venue with your favorite flowers.”
“Oh my, really?”
I clasped my hands together and acted as if I were overjoyed.
Alex, seeing my exaggerated happiness, smirked.
His gaze was arrogant, as if saying, See? You’re completely under my control.
“The wedding hall will be filled with the scent of hyacinths. Just imagining it makes me so happy.”
I spoke in an excited tone.
For a brief moment, Alex’s face showed surprise.
“…Hyacinths? Oh, yes… Of course. I knew you’d like that.”
He stammered, trying to cover up his mistake.
In my past life, Alex had decorated the venue with roses.
After the ceremony, when I told him I liked hyacinths, he simply shrugged it off as a misunderstanding.
[Baron, guess the meaning of red roses this time.]
[Oh, that’s easy. ‘I swear eternal love only to you,’ right?]
Around this time in my past life, Alex and Rachel used to play little quiz games like this.
I never suspected anything.
It wasn’t until after my death that I realized it was their secret code.
Alex had openly made a fool of me while secretly pledging his love to Rachel.
He had filled my wedding hall with her favorite red roses.
A wave of disgust rose in me as I watched Alex smiling.
I wanted to spit in his face.
But instead, I smiled even more radiantly and swallowed my anger.
I imagined the moment Alex would fall into complete ruin.
The day to visit Prince Claude’s castle once a week had arrived.
I packed a Lazeren potion, a crumpled newspaper, and various medicines just in case.
Thanks to the stamina-enhancing pills, walking through the rough forest path was much easier.
I reached the castle entrance faster than before and knocked on the large door.
Since it was my third visit, the door opened quickly.
“Welcome, Lady.”
A butler led me through the vast garden to the mansion’s entrance, where the servants bowed in unison.
Among them, Anna greeted me with a bright smile.
“Lady, you’re here! Your bag looks heavy today.”
“Yes, I packed some medicines. Where is His Highness?”
“He’s in his bedroom. The royal physician is examining him right now.”
“Alright, I’ll head there directly.”
The butler bowed and gestured toward the staircase.
“Please, take care going up, my lady.”
I nodded and climbed the stairs to Prince Claude’s room.
Just as I reached the door—
Crash!
Something fell to the ground inside.
Then—
“Get out. Didn’t you hear me? I said get out!”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
A terrified voice came from just behind the door.
A moment later, the door burst open, and the royal physician rushed out, looking shaken.
“Doctor, what happened?”
“His Highness is in a terrible mood…”
“Is he in pain?”
“The pain has lessened, but he’s become very irritable without his medicine. I tried to examine the rash on his skin, but he suddenly threw a medicine bottle at me…”
The physician stared at the floor, looking defeated.
“I gave him a week’s supply last time. Already?”
“His Highness was so furious that I… I doubled the dosage.”
“So, he finished a week’s worth of Lazeren in just three days?”
The doctor nodded, nervously shifting his eyes and tapping his foot.
He must have had a rough time with Prince Claude.
At this rate, he was practically addicted to the medicine.
I let out a deep sigh and turned to the door.
“I’ll go in.”
“His Highness hates showing his body to others. Even I struggle… Are you sure?”
“If we delay treatment, it will only get worse. I have medicine for side effects as well, and if anything happens, I’ll just run out. Don’t worry.”
I reassured him with a smile, and though he hesitated, the physician stepped aside.
Even as he walked away, he kept glancing back anxiously.
Just how bad is it that he looks so scared?
I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and opened the door.
Prince Claude was lounging on the sofa, his head tilted lazily.
He looked like a resting predator.
His sharp red eyes locked onto me.
“I don’t need treatment today. Just leave the medicine and go.”
His voice was rough, his breathing heavy.
A thick silence filled the room.
I calmly exhaled.
“I heard you have rashes on your skin. If left untreated, they’ll spread. You need to be treated.”
Claude’s forehead creased deeply.
The more his brows furrowed, the heavier the tension in the room became.
But if I backed down now, he would never fully recover.
I let my gaze trail over his slightly open nightgown before gathering my courage.
“Your Highness, pardon me, but… could you take off your gown?”
“What?”
Claude scoffed, his eyes narrowing.
He got up, stepping toward me with slow, deliberate movements.
His towering presence made my shoulders tense up.
Then, he tilted his head down.
His piercing red eyes met mine, burning with intensity.
“Are you giving me an order?”
“Of course not. I simply have a duty to treat you. Please don’t misunderstand.”
I softened my tone, as if coaxing a child, and Claude sneered.
“You’re a pharmacist, but still a woman. Are you really unaffected by a man’s bare body? Or… are you trying to act like my fiancée?”
“I’m only here as a pharmacist. I don’t care if I see your body. Do you see me as a woman, Your Highness? Is that why you’re embarrassed to take off your gown?”
I remained calm.
Claude went still for a moment.
Then, his lips curled into a crooked smirk.
“If that’s what you want, then fine.”
He shrugged off his half-open nightgown.
His perfectly sculpted shoulders and broad chest came into view.
Across his back, long scars stretched like remnants of past punishments.
After the death of Empress Sun, rumors spread that the Emperor had disciplined Claude harshly.
As I stood there, lost in thought, Claude suddenly tilted his head down again.
His sharp gaze met mine.
Quickly, I composed myself and focused on his skin.
His perfectly toned abdomen rose and fell with each breath, and faint bluish rashes spotted his skin.
I set down my bag and took out a green ointment jar.
“This will make the rashes disappear. But if you keep overdosing on medicine, they’ll return. Please stick to the proper dosage.”
I spoke steadily and stepped closer to apply the ointment.
But because he was so tall, even standing on my tiptoes wasn’t enough.
I looked at the red spots spreading from his abs to his chest and shoulders before speaking.
“I’ll apply the ointment now. Your Highness, could you sit on the sofa?”
With a smug expression, as if daring me to proceed, he sat down.
I scooped a generous amount of ointment onto my fingertip and brought it to his bare skin.
The moment my fingers touched his abs, he raised an eyebrow slightly—it must have felt cold.
I flinched but carefully began spreading the ointment.
His skin felt as hard and firm as stone under my fingertips.
Starting from the lower part of his abs, I slowly moved upward, spreading the ointment thoroughly around his navel.
As my fingers glided over his smooth skin, a glossy sheen appeared, following the trail of the ointment.
I took more ointment and pressed my fingertip against his chest, where the muscles were just as solid as his abs.
The deep lines between his abdominal muscles cast sharp shadows, making it look like water could flow perfectly through them.
Even with his weak heart, he never let go of his sword—his sculpted physique was proof of that.
As I focused on spreading the ointment, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze burning into the top of my head.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
