“…Are you talking about the medicine created by Cassian’s apothecary?”
“Yes. Not in every way, but it certainly bears my mother’s traces.”
“But Lady Shahadna’s medicinal skills aren’t something anyone could replicate…….”
Dr. Barmid tilted his head to the side with a puzzled look on his face.
I wondered about that too.
Since my mother’s medicinal skills were unparalleled, duplicating her methods didn’t guarantee identical effects.
Even using the same ingredients, formulations, and techniques didn’t guarantee the same outcomes.
This has always been a topic of debate in the medicinal community.
But no one had yet come up with a plausible hypothesis.
‘It’s clear that there’s something unique to my mother.’
And I grew up watching her practice her medicinal skills closely. So I was more confident than anyone else.
I believed her unique touch was ingrained in these medicines.
“Perhaps she was someone close to my mother. Dr. Barmid, do you have any information?”
Dr. Barmid furrowed his brows, seemingly in contemplation, and let out a small sigh.
“Well, Lady Shahadna was very close to her classmates, not only with her classmates but with her professors and her seniors and juniors.”
Brief stories from my mother’s academy days slipped out of Dr. Barmid’s lips.
As I listened, the identity of the apothecary seemed to slip further into mystery, leaving me feeling unsettled.
“I’m afraid we’re getting nowhere with all this speculation.”
“Do you have any other way, then?”
I paused and pondered for a moment.
Was it really important to find out who Cassian’s apothecary was?
If I didn’t find out, what would be the consequences?
‘What’s bothering me is the poisonous beetle.’
That, too, must have been the handiwork of Cassian’s mysterious apothecary.
Since they created the antidote, obtaining more information seemed beneficial.
With a sigh, I confessed, “There’s something I haven’t told you.”
Only a few people know about the poisonous beetles right now.
However, since Julion decided to disclose this matter today, there was no reason for me to hide it anymore.
“Dr. Barmid, have you heard about the poisonous beetle?”
“……!”
Dr. Barmid’s eyes widened.
“To bring that up means, could it be…?”
“Yes. The poisonous beetles have reemerged. Many central nobles are infected.”
Dr. Barmid’s eyes, already enlarged, seemed as if they might burst open.
Looking at him, I spoke in a choked voice.
“It’s Cassian’s doing. I’m currently researching the antidote, and it seems the person related to the poisonous beetle’s revival and the antidote is Cassian’s apothecary.”
“So you’ve been trying to find out about Cassian’s apothecary because of this poisonous beetle issue.”
“That’s right, Dr. Barmid. Were any of the people who were close to my mother interested in poisonous beetles?”
Even though the list of potential candidates had narrowed down, Dr. Barmid’s expression became even more rigid.
As I waited, his mouth slowly opened.
“The poisonous beetle was considered taboo, so there were hardly any who would openly express interest in it.”
“I see…”
“But it wasn’t entirely absent. For research purposes, some in academia dealt with it. For instance…”
Dr. Barmid paused, audibly swallowing saliva.
A troubled sigh escaped, and he continued.
“It is known that Lady Shahadna conducted a considerable amount of research.”
This time, I was the one taken aback.
My mother was studying poisonous beetles.
It was an unexpected revelation, and as I was still processing this fact, Dr. Barmid continued speaking.
“I remember that she was going to write her graduation thesis at the academy about deciphering the poisonous beetles, but she gave up the idea because her professors were against it.”
“Graduation thesis……. Then, she must have had team members working with her.”
“Yes. There were a couple of people.”
“In that case, they seem to be the most plausible candidates.”
With various pieces of information pressing in, I closed my eyes for a moment.
My head was spinning.
An apothecary from Cassian bears traces of my mother.
My mother’s interest in poisonous beetles.
‘If my mother were alive, she could have solved this in no time.’
Lost in thoughts of what could have been, I returned to reality.
As I opened my eyes, I saw Dr. Barmid shaking his head in confusion.
‘The clue to the solution lies with my mother.’
Then I had to go where the clues led.
I stood up and said,
“I think we should go to Mount Hale.”
Zenid, who had been listening silently behind me, took a deep breath.
Mount Hale.
The place where I had spent so much time with my mother, the place where everything about her lay dormant.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
The sky was spectacular.
As the sun set over the crimson horizon, a veil of indigo draped down like a curtain.
Even the clouds were dyed in various colors, creating a mesmerizing scene that captured everyone’s gaze.
“Wow…… I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful sky before.”
Uttering these slightly excited words, I caught a faint chuckle from Julion, who was sitting across from me.
“If you like the sky, you might want to visit Mount Epirote.”
“If it’s Epirote, it’s on the northern border, right?”
“That’s right, I heard that if you go up there, you can see a special view of the Milky Way.”
I nodded at Julion’s explanation, then paused.
It was because, until a moment ago, I had been somewhat dismissive of Julion.
‘How did Julion end up coming along…’
While I was immersed in the research at the pharmacy and conversing with Dr. Barmid, Julion stirred up a storm in the meeting room.
Catching traitors, exposing conspirators, apprehending those who manipulated them… He relentlessly pursued everyone related to the Emperor’s case.
I decided to visit Mount Hale to thoroughly investigate any trace of my mother.
There was a villa there where we lived until she passed away.
‘Mount Hail isn’t that far away.’
Mount Hale was located only a short distance from the Imperial Palace, a journey that would take no more than a day if one hurried.
I had planned to go quickly, but Julion, who had returned to the Garnet Palace after finishing his tasks, overheard our conversation.
[You’re going out of the palace alone at this time? I really don’t understand why you’re taking such risks.]
Julion dryly chuckled and strongly insisted on joining me.
I heard that many nobles who were revealed as conspirators had been captured.
However, when I questioned whether it would be wise for the Crown Prince to leave his post, Julion gestured confidently to his back as if to dismiss my concerns.
[I will return to my official duties today, so the crown princess doesn’t need to worry.]
The recovered Emperor stood there, having followed Julion at some point.
[Hahaha, you two haven’t even traveled together since getting married. Forget about palace affairs for a moment and go on your journey comfortably.]
Going to Mount Hale right now is also a palace affair.
Even though the Emperor might be aware of it, he just smiled and stroked his beard in a friendly manner.
It was a completely different personality from Julion, who was always expressionless and only occasionally smiled.
‘Indeed, Julion resembles the Empress a lot.’
But that didn’t mean the Emperor was a weak man.
His chestnut-colored eyes, hidden beneath his smile, were more intense than anyone else’s.
He seemed to have many questions for me, but he didn’t ask as if he thought it wasn’t the right time yet.
He merely offered silent support.
With the Emperor’s backing, I was able to climb into the carriage with Julion.
“Rohiriel.”
Lost in thought as I stared out the window, I looked up at Julion’s call and locked eyes with him.
“Why are you pondering so deeply?”
“Just that you resemble the Empress a lot, not the Emperor.”
“……Is that so?”
Julion asks, blinking lazily, as if he hadn’t realized it himself.
His obliviousness made me smile silently.
‘Did I used to smile this often?’
Perhaps influenced by Julion’s constant smirking, I found myself doing the same.
It was ……a bit cute.
“It’s completely dark now.”
Julion said, glancing outside.
The carriage rattled and lurched sharply to one side.
“Aaah……!”
I tilted, about to hit my head on the wall, but instead of the pain I expected, I felt something soft.
Looking up, I realized Julion had reached out and supported my head.
“T, thank you.”
I quickly adjusted my posture and awkwardly cleared my throat.
Julion, too, seemed a bit flustered and turned his gaze away in silence.
Just as he was about to say something to the coachman, the door opened, revealing the familiar blonde figure.
“Your Highness! It seems difficult for the carriage to proceed from here.”
