Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine

 

 

“A year at most, and there’s no immediate cure.”

 

The doctor’s impassive voice made me swear inwardly.

 

I’ve probably gathered enough funds for exile; now all I have to do is leave that damned family.

 

What kind of nonsense is this?

 

I’ve been saving for over a decade to get out of that shitty place.

 

I want to eat delicious things to my heart’s content, make many friends, and experience many fun things.

 

I even had a plan for the rest of my life, where I would spend all my money and live a life of luxury.

 

“I can’t put my finger on what’s causing it, but your body’s senses are dying one by one. It seems that your tactile sensation is disappearing first. Do you feel anything strange?”

 

The doctor asked, adjusting his round glasses.

 

The eyes behind the glasses were indeed impassive and dull.

 

“I was originally quite numb.”

 

I thought it was simply the aftereffect of the poison.

 

I’ve been exposed to the poison for so long, it was bound to have an effect.

 

But I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘I’ve been poisoned almost every day, that’s probably the reason.’ 

 

When I smiled awkwardly, the doctor looked at the chart and sighed.

 

“It’s not a problem that should be ignored just because you don’t feel anything.”

 

The doctor’s fingers tapped the desk, and silence hung in the clinic.

 

I coughed up to lighten up the mood and stood up.

 

“Anyway, I understand. Then I’ll get going.”

 

I bowed and turned to leave, but the doctor grabbed me from behind.

 

“I’ll write you some prescriptions.”

 

“What kind of medicine is it? You said there’s no cure?”

 

“It’s better than nothing.”

 

With that, the doctor scribbled down a prescription.

 

Balcoin, Cheche’s root, lingonberry, mulberry bark, sorafino fruit…….

 

Seeing what he was writing, they were all familiar things.

 

It might help alleviate the symptoms, but they’re not fundamentally effective.

 

I shook my head as I looked at the prescription.

 

“These are herbs I’ve already tried.”

 

A look of surprise flashed across the doctor’s face.

 

“Did you receive a diagnosis elsewhere?”

 

“…… yeah.”

 

I swallowed the words that I had tried to diagnose myself.

 

As the saying goes, “Even a hairdresser can’t style his own hair.”

 

I knew something was wrong with my body, but I wasn’t sure what it was. So I wanted someone to check my body, and the result was this.

 

“No wonder  you’re so calm.”

 

The doctor nodded in understanding.

 

“Still, maybe some medication would help.”

 

“It’s okay, I have a stash at home.”

 

Besides, I’d rather make my own medicine. I didn’t bother to add an afterword. Instead, I pulled out a ruby the size of my thumb and placed it on the desk.

 

“It’s for the medical bill, thank you.”

 

“No,…!”

 

The flustered doctor called after me, but I didn’t answer and stomped out of the office.

 

A cold breeze seeped into my arms, sending goosebumps down my spine.

 

“I should have run away sooner.”

 

My breath drifted out, staining the air white.

 

Regrets are always too late, they say.

 

If I’d known this would happen, I should have moved my plans ahead.

 

Or maybe I shouldn’t have handled the poisonous herb.

 

What if I had stopped everything when my hair started turning white as I began handling poisonous herbs?

 

Thinking that far, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The doctor said there was no cure, but there is.. It may be a little troublesome and cumbersome, but it can’t be helped.

 

‘I can’t die unjustly like this.’

 

Having made up my mind, I hurried my steps toward the mansion.

 

××××××××××××××××××××××

 

The Duchy of Cassian rules the underworld of the Sertizan empire.

 

I was born as the third lady of that place, but I was never treated like one. This is because my mother was not a proper lady, but a princess of a fallen kingdom who was sold to the Duke. 

 

With no means of support, my mother and I were forced to live like rats in the duchy.

 

What’s more, not long after I was born, my mother and I were removed from the main castle to live in a cottage through the machinations of the legal wife.

 

Everyone mocked and laughed at us, but it was rather fortunate for me.

 

I was able to grow up under my mother’s loving care without being subjected to the inhumane education of Cassian.

 

If I had lived as a legitimate child, I would have become a villain brainwashed by Cassian’s education policy.

 

“Miss, shall I prepare the bath?”

 

Zenid, my dedicated maid, asked as soon as I arrived at the mansion and returned to my room.

 

“No, later.”

 

Knowing I’d be out again in a little while, I waved her off and walked into the study.

 

I skimmed through the bookshelf with my finger and pulled out some of the book. Then another, and another, and another.

 

When a total of five books were pulled out, the bookshelves moved sideways with a sound.

 

A door opened up, just big enough for a person to walk through. I stepped inside and saw a familiar workspace.

 

“Whoo….”

 

It was the only place I could breathe in this house.

 

Duke Cassian knows I study medicine, but he doesn’t know I’ve gotten this far.

 

He still has no idea that I’ve managed to create undetectable poisons here. If he knew, he might have used me as his tool until the day I died.

 

I grabbed a yellowish potion from among the vials scattered across the workbench and popped it into my mouth. It was similar to the medicine the doctor had tried to prescribe earlier.

 

Of course, I added my own ingredients to it.

 

It was at least five times as potent. If my mother had made it, it might have been even more potent.

 

My mother’s country, the Kingdom of Yalon, was renowned for its medical sciences. In particular, their field of alchemy was superior to any other country.

 

My mother was not only a princess of such a kingdom, but also a top graduate of the medical academy.

 

Though she was called a medical genius and had the highest expectations from the academic world, her wings were torn and her hands and feet were bound upon her arrival in Cassian.

 

But the knowledge in her head remained, so she taught me so many things.

 

I learned how to identify and gather herbs in the mountains and how to treat patients.

 

My mother was my teacher in everything.

 

Naturally, I dreamed of becoming a doctor, and in order to fulfill my dream, I continued my studies even after returning to the Duke’s mansion after my mother’s death.

 

The result is this workshop.

 

I have been making and selling effective medicines here to raise funds for my exile.

 

My plan for revenge on Cassian for causing my mother’s death was almost complete.

 

“Yes, it’s just delayed.”

 

It’s not that there’s no cure.

 

A rare plant called Apherium that only grows in the imperial garden. It needed to be consumed regularly for at least a year. The problem was that Apherium was in the garden accessible only by the imperial family.

 

It was originally grown in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Yalon.

 

The Emperor, who cherished Apherium, moved it to the imperial garden, as I learned from my mother.

 

If I hadn’t heard it from my mother, I would probably have fallen into despair.

 

The seeds were very rare, so they were flowers that could hardly be found anywhere else.

 

‘Rather than searching for it in an unknown place…….’

 

After much consideration, I put on a black robe and packed several bottles of sleeping potions that I had made in advance.

 

I even swallowed a stimulant just in case. Because it was difficult to feel pain, I had to take drugs that amplified my senses.

 

Then I went straight out of the study.

 

“Where are you going, Miss?”

 

Zenid stood in the doorway of the study with a worried look on her face. I answered without breaking my stride.

 

“To the Imperial Palace.”

 

To be exact, I was headed to the palace where the Crown Prince resided.

 

It was late at night, but using Cassian’s name, I was able to get inside the palace.

 

At least the crown prince’s palace doesn’t have many guards. The crown prince who is so confident in his strength did not employ many guards.

 

With that in mind and using the sleeping potion, I believed I could somehow infiltrate the Crown Prince’s chambers.

 

If I could reach his chambers, I would win.

 

I heard that the Crown Prince was a curious man, and that gave me confidence.

 

××××××××××××××××××××××

 

My first impressions of Prince Julion were like this.

 

First, his face is dazzling. He was so beautiful that I had visions of flowers scattered around him.

 

The second is, contrary to his beauty…….

 

“My lady, are you out of your mind?”

 

His expression, demeanor, and voice. They were all so cold that they didn’t seem human.

 

I clicked my tongue at the indifferent tone and mocking smile directed at me.

 

As expected, Julion seemed aware of my visit.

 

It must have been curiosity that kept him from stopping me earlier.

 

I greeted him with a confident look, as if I wasn’t an intruder.

 

“Greetings, His Imperial Highness, the Light of the Empire.”

 

His freshly washed, damp black hair dripped with moisture. The smooth, pale skin revealed beneath it looked ethereal under the moonlight.

 

“One would think this was an official visit, but you seem to be in your right mind…….”

 

He met my gaze directly and then smirked.

 

With his movements, the robe he wore shifted and revealed his chest before settling back.

 

Despite my initial worry about how he might react, it seemed he was willing to engage in some conversation, which was a relief.

 

“I appreciate your concern, Your Highness. Thank you.”

 

When I answered with a smile, Julion looked perplexed. 

 

He leaned back comfortably on the sofa by himself without telling me to sit down.

 

“So, why is a lady of such sanity, who is also younger in age, coming to a place like this? It’s quite an audacious time for a visit.”

 

Julion’s eyes were stained with annoyance and curiosity.

 

His golden eyes gleamed like they were embedded with gold. Those lovely eyes stared at me, then suddenly his eyebrows quirked and folded in a graceful arch.

 

“I almost mistook you for a little mouse sneaking around. It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t seen you from afar at the imperial banquet.”

 

He was smiling, no doubt, and his tone was easygoing, but the meaning behind his words was murderous.

 

Julion, still smiling, picked up the wine glass on the table.

 

The crimson liquid emitted a sweet fragrance and shimmered precariously.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

When I called in a low voice, Julion answered with an unwavering look.

 

“I’m listening, lady.”

 

Meeting his golden eyes, I brought up my purpose for coming here.

 

“Please propose to me, Your Highness.”