I raised the corner of my mouth, pretending to be as nonchalant as possible.
However, my mind was filled with all sorts of questions.
Since when has he been watching?
Surely he didn’t see me plucking the petals and eating them?
‘More importantly, why is the person who was supposed to be going to his office here…!’
From Julion’s expression alone, it was difficult to guess what he had seen.
As I was about to say something more, Julion’s voice flowed ahead of me.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Julion’s golden eyes, which had been locked with mine, descended slightly and stopped at the corner of my mouth.
‘What’s going on? Why is he staring at my mouth like that?’
I tried to calm my trembling mouth and answered.
“I just wanted to be alone for a moment, so I came in. I was also curious how beautiful the golden garden is.”
It was a safe reason.
A reason that anyone could understand.
However, Julion didn’t seem to accept it.
“That’s not what I’m asking. What on earth did you do to have those petals…?”
Julion’s words trailed off, and he glanced at Aperium briefly before looking back at my mouth.
Tension courses through my body.
I swallowed nervously.
“The petal… Why? Is there a problem?”
“It’s not like that.”
Julion tilted his head slightly as if in contemplation, then raised his finger and tapped the side of his lips.
“Here. It’s stuck.”
For a moment, not understanding his words, I blinked my eyes, and Julion sighed and reached out his hand toward me.
“I mean there’s a petal stuck here. You probably didn’t eat them, so what did you do to get them stuck in the corner of your mouth?”
“Oh…….”
A petal from the Apherium flower, a mix of sky blue and yellow, was perched on Julion’s fingertip.
I finally understood the situation.
Simultaneously, a deep sense of relief and embarrassment surged within me.
During the process of plucking a few petals and putting them in my mouth, one must have ended up stuck in the corner of my mouth.
When Apherium petals come into contact with saliva, they instantly release a sweet liquid and become sticky.
Hence, even as I was speaking, it seemed it hadn’t fallen off.
Julion, seeming amused or bewildered, examined the petals and then brushed his hand.
The sky-blue part carried away by the wind fluttered away somewhere, and I opened my mouth hesitantly, feeling embarrassed.
“Well, I… I like Apherium, so I smelled its fragrance.”
“Apherium?”
“It’s the name of this flower.”
“I see. That’s interesting. The flowers here are all so rare that you can’t easily see them.”
When I knew the name and even mentioned that I liked it, Julion gave me a quizzical look.
I quickly added an explanation.
“In truth, Apherium was something my late mother liked. She mentioned that these flowers used to be in the gardens of the Yalon Kingdom. I heard a lot of stories about it from her.”
‘I would need to come here often to eat Apherium in the future.’
In doing so, I couldn’t guarantee that an incident like today wouldn’t happen again.
I had to somehow establish the habit of me lingering around the Aperium, so it would be considered natural.
‘Think of Mother. Mother…’
I forced a melancholic expression..
Then, gazing at the Aperium flower, I spoke in a wistful tone.
“I had a lot on my mind, so I went to the golden garden, and saw an Apherium. I was so happy to see it, I got close to it to smell its fragrance out of nostalgia, and it seems it ended up sticking to me.”
“…… I see.”
I pretended to tuck my hair behind my ear and briefly glanced at Julion’s face.
He now had a regretful expression, as if his doubts had been resolved.
“Speaking of that, Julion.”
I lightly touched the nearby Aperium while asking Julion.
“I was wondering if it would be okay if I came to see the Apherium like this once in a while?”
“Well, of course. Even though it’s only for a year, you are now the Crown Princess, so you can come and go as you please.”
Great. Now I could wander around here every day without arousing any suspicions.
I felt genuinely satisfied and smiled brightly.
“Thank you so much.”
Julion’s golden eyes that met mine still revealed his thoughts in a way that I couldn’t quite understand.
The wind passed between us once again, and only then did I ask the question that had been on my mind.
“By the way, why are you here of all places? Didn’t you say you had some business to attend to in your office?”
“That’s true, but I thought it would be good to meet Ares first, so I came back with the intention of heading to the royal palace.”
“Sir Ares?”
“Yes. Since we’re friends, I thought he would be upset if I didn’t visit him at the infirmary later.”
“It seems like you’re very close.”
“Well, yeah.”
We naturally stood side-by-side and began walking.
As we left the golden garden, my joyful heart calmed down a little again.
It was all because of the sight of those precious plants withering away.
I feel a twinge in my heart, truly.
I had to find a way to revive them no matter what.
Many of them could be used as medicinal herbs.
As I vowed to take care of the other plants and study them in the future, we arrived at the palace infirmary.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“We greet Your Highnesses!”
“By the sound of your voice, it seems you’re all good.”
Ares was truly spirited.
Considering he had been close to death’s door, his complexion was unexpectedly good.
“Your recovery is quite astonishing.”
I stuck out my tongue as I checked Ares’ condition.
At this point, the poison had almost been neutralized.
But just in case, I took the syringe from Zenid.
“Whoa…! Are you going to jab me with that ominous needle?”
Ares exaggeratedly trembled and shrank away.
I lightly laughed and grabbed Ares’ sleeve.
“I’ve already poked you several times, so just stay still. How did you get poisoned by such a rare toxin in the first place?”
Being a knight of the palace, he must have been involved in something significant.
Unable to probe, I grunted and plunged the needle into Ares’s forearm.
The blood that came out was clearer than yesterday.
I roughly drew out a bit, finished up, and handed him a vial I had prepared.
“After one more examination, if the results are fine, you can return to your daily routine. And make sure to drink this three times a day.”
“Ugh, I dislike medicine…”
“You’re not a child, yet you’re throwing such a tantrum, Lord Ares.”
“Oh well. So please, treat me gently and kindly as you would a child, Your Highness.”
Ares chuckled, folding his unique crimson eyes into crescent shapes.
Then, he scratched the back of his head with a somewhat sheepish expression.
“By the way, can I ask what poison I was poisoned with?”
“Anaktagram, a common poison on the southern continent. Usually, it causes blood to spurt from the body’s orifices within a few hours, leading to death. Occasionally, resilient individuals like you might eliminate the poison through frequent trips to the restroom, similar to how the liver functions, but even then, it’s a persistent toxin that doesn’t go away completely without an antidote.”
“I see… I’m truly grateful. I heard that if Your Highness hadn’t saved me, it could have been a big problem.”
“It’s nothing. Fortunately, it was a poison I was familiar with, so I was able to treat it successfully. Just be more cautious from now on.”
“Yes! From now on, I will dedicate myself to protecting Your Highness with my life!”
“Dedicate what…….”
Ares raised one hand, clenched his fist, and shouted as if making a pledge.
He looked at me with sparkling eyes, but didn’t ask for more details.
And I didn’t feel the need to explain further.
He and Julion were going to talk about it anyway.
“Anyway, I have an appointment with the chief physician. I’ll be off. You’ll stay here, right?”
I left the room with Ares’ blood and various documents in hand and asked.
Julion was leaning against the door, arms crossed, and as I walked past, he straightened up.
“I’ll stay a little longer before leaving.”
“Sure. Take care, Julion.”
I headed straight to the chief physician’s office with Zenid.
“Zenid. Do you remember what I told you earlier?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Zenid responded quietly and cast a fleeting glance around.
Several trainees were busy moving things in the corridor.
Now, if I turned the corner and climbed the stairs, I would reach the chief physician’s office.
I slowed my walking pace and took out the vial I had prepared in advance from my pocket, handing it to Zenid.
Zenid silently accepted it, held it carefully, and knocked on the door to the chief physician’s office instead of me.
“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me?”
The voice of an elderly man resonated from inside.
Instead of knocking again, Zenid spoke.
“Her Highness the Crown Princess, is here.”
After a brief moment of silence in the room, the door opened with a bit of commotion.
“Greetings to Her Highness, the Crown Princess.”
The chief physician seemed taken aback by my unexpected visit, hastily welcoming me.
“What brings you here…….”
“I have come to ask you something.”
“Please have a seat.”
Seemingly uncomfortable, the chief physician guided me to a well-appointed seat.
As we both sat down, he cleared his throat.
“It seemed like you were coughing several times the last time we met, too. You must have a sore throat.”
“Heh heh, no. It’s just a sign of aging.”
“Let’s have a cup of tea and talk, Zenid.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
As expected of the chief physician’s office, tools for refreshments were readily available.
While watching Zenid prepare the tea for a moment, I spoke to the chief physician.
Ah yes, aging.