Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine

By now, they probably all arrived at their new jobs.

 

There was anxiety on Zenid’s face as she looked at me.

 

“This must be hard for you, too.”

 

“It’s all right. All I need is Zenid.”

 

Although she was helping me, Zenid was actually a noble, not a commoner.

 

And not just any noble, but the younger sister of Count Buwen, a high-ranking noble. She was never meant to work as a maid.

 

However, she had been serving me and my mother out of gratitude.

 

“I’m glad you said that, but……. I’m the one who’s truly grateful, milady.”

 

Zenid, who almost died, was given a new life by my mother after the County of Buwen collapsed to the point of barely maintaining its reputation.

 

Zenid had stayed by my side even after my mother passed away, vowing to repay her kindness. 

 

Now, I can never repay her enough for the rest of my life.

 

As I pondered these thoughts, the carriage I was in came to a stop at the entrance of the palace.

 

“Princess, we have arrived.”

 

Outside, a knight knocked on the door.

 

Zenid opened the carriage door and blinding sunlight poured in.

 

I lifted the hem of my pure white dress a little and slowly stepped out of the carriage.

 

“Everyone, mind your manners!”

 

The guards and knights shouted at the people. The surroundings had already fallen silent.

 

I looked around with my eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

 

People of all shapes and sizes surround me.

 

The only thing they had in common was that they were all looking at me.

 

“It’s the lady of Cassian!”

 

“The entire empire must have gone mad. How could the prince choose a villainess…”

 

“I heard she kicked out all the maids who worked for her this time.”

 

“Shh, be quiet. Do you want to be taken by the Cassians?”

 

“Why does it matter? Do you think they care about who I am?”

 

“That’s right, yes. If not now, when will I ever get to curse you out again?”

 

The gazes were unwelcoming.

 

I swallowed a bitter laugh as they all cursed me and the Duke of Cassian.

 

The response was as expected.

 

“This way.”

 

I followed the knight’s lead and moved closer to the gates.

 

The wedding ceremony begins with a march with Julion from the gate to the inner garden.

 

Julion, who arrived first, was waiting for me there.

 

‘……He looks gorgeous today.’

 

The first thing I notice is his dark hair, which stands out even in the bright sunlight.

 

Then I saw clear golden eyes beneath them.

 

The unique golden eyes of the royal family had a mysterious glint as they stared on me.

 

“Rohiriel.”

 

Julion called my name, and as he approached me, a somewhat forced smile formed on his lips.

 

Then it was the moment when I tried to put my hand in Julion’s hand which was held out.

 

“You wicked woman!”

 

There was a sharp cry from the gathering of the people.

 

Reflectively, I looked back, and saw a girl standing on a high rock and staring at me.

 

“Because of Cassian, I have lost everything!”

 

Her venomous voice rang out once more, and before I had time to react, I felt a dull blow to my head.

 

Then something trickled down.

 

It was a crushed egg shell, raw and fishy.

 

“Goodness gracious!”

 

Zenid rushed over and wiped it up with a handkerchief, but my clothes were already soiled.

 

Before I could grasp the situation, another angry shout followed.

 

“Spare my parents, you wicked Cassian!”

 

I roughly shook off the flowing liquid.

 

The girl in the robe, holding a basket of eggs in her hands, met my gaze. Her expression contorted even further and she shouted.

 

“I, Hemion Martin, a true noble, cannot acknowledge the villainess Cassian as the Crown Princess!”

 

Hemion Martin.

 

The moment I heard that name, I immediately understood what was going on.

 

The family had recently been ruined by my father’s new business venture.

 

Martin was a noble family that had dealings with my father.

 

But the result was disastrous.

 

The Viscount’s downfall.

 

The viscount and his wife were falsely accused and were killed in a rockslide while traveling in exile.

 

The heir was said to have been attacked out of nowhere.

 

‘I heard rumors that they had a child who somehow survived.’ 

 

I had intended to investigate further, thinking this might be a means to hold Cassian by the leash. Seeing her right in front of me was unexpectedly convenient.

 

“Cassian is a murderer! Ruthless, wicked, vile…”

 

But something was off about Hemion.

 

While trembling voice could be attributed to the circumstances, her complexion was pale, as if she were about to die.

 

‘Besides, I don’t think she can use her other leg.’

 

Suddenly, a guard approached Hemion.

 

“Let go of me!”

 

Struggling to escape capture, she abruptly ripped the hem of her skirt.

 

Everyone gasped at the suddenness, and I stiffened at the sight of her exposed thighs.

 

There was a long cut on Hemion’s leg.

 

Crimson veins spread around the wound like spiderwebs, and even at a glance, it was clear that it was a significant injury

 

But I became serious in a different way.

 

‘The shape of that wound is unusual. Perhaps…….’

 

I squinted, desperate to get a better look at Hemion’s wound.

 

“As you can see, I’m about to die. The evil Cassian has made me like this! Please… make sure everyone knows that the Viscount of Martin was sacrificed by Cassian… cough!”

 

While she desperately pleaded, a gush of blood suddenly poured from Hemion’s mouth.

 

The blood that was sprayed on the soil quickly turned black and killed the weeds around it.

 

At that moment, I ran toward Hemion without a second thought.

 

This was certain.

 

It’s severe poisoning.

 

It circulated through the veins, causing the blood vessels to surface and releasing a toxin that not only grotesquely disfigured the body but was also infamous for being the most malevolent poison, capable of infecting people even in the darkest corners of the abyss.

 

‘And it’s a poison that my family likes to use.’

 

Damn it. This cursed Cassian is no help ‘til the end.

 

To think he’d make me the center of this chaos right before the wedding.

 

Suppressing the urge to curse, I grabbed the guard who was trying to take Hemion away.

 

“Your Highness……?”

 

“Step back. Right now!”

 

At this rate, everyone in the vicinity would be poisoned.

 

Judging by the state of the expelled blood, time was of the essence.

 

Hemion was on the brink of losing consciousness.

 

I took advantage of the guards’ confusion to push them aside and lay her down.

 

She struggled desperately, but the strength of a dying person was weak.

 

Zenid, who naturally followed me, asked in a worried voice.

 

“Will it be all right? This must be the Duke…….”

 

The Duke had something to do with it.

 

The latter words were omitted, but enough was delivered to me.

 

I was worried that I would arouse unnecessary suspicion if I cured something my father intended to get rid of.

 

But that was when Cassian’s name hadn’t surfaced.

 

Now it was the other way around.

 

“If anything, it’s better that way, since he’s been named in front of so many people, and I have the prestige of restoring the family name.”

 

If Hemion Martin were to die in front of everyone, the people would certainly suspect Cassian.

 

But if I, the ‘Lady of Cassian,’ cured Hemion in front of everyone?

 

I would be praised.

 

My father’s intentions would be thwarted, and I would gain accolades instead. It was a win-win situation, and there was no reason for me not to take an active role.

 

“Zenid, the bag.”

 

“Here it is.”

 

I quickly opened the medicine bag that Zenid brought and took out the tools.

 

Then I shouted at the people gathered around me.