The knights scattered across the mountains in search of the missing crown princess.
Julion, in desperation, overturned the entire villa, hoping to find any clue.
First, he checked the apothecary room, the place Rohiriel had used.
The moment he opened the door, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Until yesterday, it was a chaotic space filled with various books, research records, documents, potion bottles, and herbs.
But now, it was neatly organized, exuding a chilly atmosphere.
In that emptiness, a small box lay on the desk.
“……!”
Julion rushed towards the desk as if discovering an oasis.
Upon opening the lid, he saw a letter along with a vial of red liquid.
Setting aside the vial, he grabbed the letter. The writing on the surface caught his eye.
<To Julion>
The handwriting was neat, without a hint of hesitation.
Julion traced the name with his fingertip, then slowly opened the envelope.
His hand trembled slightly as he pulled out the finely folded letter and unfolded it.
<I’m sorry, Julion. It’ll probably be the middle of the night when you wake up, and I don’t know when you’ll find this letter, but please don’t be too upset, it’s not a potion that will do you any harm.>
The flawless writing continued without any deviation.
As Julion read the letter, an indescribable feeling gripped him.
Rohiriel, up until this moment, had been mistakenly guessing the reason for Julion’s anger.
It wasn’t just about using the potion.
However, Rohiriel seemed to think it was important because she elaborated extensively on the potion.
In the midst of it, she also mentioned the vial that was inside the box.
<….Anyway, what I put in there is the antidote for poisonous beetles. Each person should drink one bottle. I’ve made about 100 bottles, so there should be enough. It’s in the drawer, so don’t forget to take it, and I’ve also included the recipe, so if you don’t have enough, have the palace pharmacist make some.>
After reading that far, Julion immediately opened the desk drawer.
Inside, there were only vials filled with red liquid.
The drawers below, and the ones below those, were the same.
“Ha…….”
Even though it was the antidote he had been waiting for, the thought that all this was preparation for her departure made Julion’s stomach turn.
Julion glared at the potions, then slammed the drawer shut and turned his attention back to the letter.
After the explanation about the antidote, the letter continued with the events of that day.
<Julion, that day… Thank you for asking me to stay with you. Even though the path ahead seems difficult, being with you until now is enough. I want to rest now. After everything is over, I just want to live peacefully and modestly as a physician. That’s my dream for the rest of my life.>
Julion unknowingly clenched his hand.
The neatly written words on the letter began to blur as it crumpled.
With a heavy sigh, Julion carefully smoothed out the paper again.
<From the beginning, our relationship was bound by contract. It ended a little earlier than expected due to circumstances… I’m grateful that you held true to your end of the bargain. I’m so thankful for how you treated me as a person, but I’m sorry I couldn’t express it better.
Julion, you will undoubtedly become a beloved emperor. I hope you can have an empress who is loved and supported by the people. I’ll congratulate you from afar.>
Julion struggled to resist the urge to tear the letter apart.
Only after repeating to himself dozens of times that it was from Rohiriel did he calm his emotions.
But when he read the next words, he couldn’t help but crumple them mercilessly.
<Disposing of the crown princess shouldn’t be difficult. Anyway, Cassian will soon be executed for treason. All the documents I promised to hand over when we made the contract are stored at the very bottom of the bookshelf. They’ll come in handy in the future, so don’t forget them.>
The letter was carelessly crumpled on the floor.
Rohiriel’s final farewell was partially obscured, with half hidden and half exposed, tightly creased.
<Your Highness Julion, please be healthy and happy…>
Julion’s heavy breath settled over the crumpled letter.
He withdrew his gaze from the letter and leaned back against the desk as if he couldn’t bear to read the closing words.
Julion slowly closed and opened his eyes.
In the next moment, the door to the apothecary room opened with a bang, and Ares rushed in.
“Your Highness, I found this in the office.”
Ares handed Julion a document with a serious expression.
It was in the trash can in the office.
Instinctively pulling one out, it was a paper similar to the letter Julion had just been reading moments ago.
The only difference was that there were sporadic traces of a deep red substance.
“Is this blood?”
Ares asked nervously.
Julion didn’t say anything, but he had already realized it.
Trace of dried and hardened blood.
“What the hell…”
The bloody letterhead read, “Dear Julion,” “Julion, it’s me,” “Julion, how are you?” and other greetings.
It’s like she tried to write various things and then seemingly vomited blood again.
All the greetings felt like Rohiriel’s voice, mingling with Julion’s trembling breath.
‘You said you’re getting better.’
The pale face of Rohiriel, who was desperately explaining, flashed before Julion’s eyes.
Even though he wanted to believe her, discovering traces like this over and over made it impossible to even pretend to believe her.
Julion carefully unfolded the letter and placed it on the desk.
“Search the entire empire for Rohiriel, no matter what it takes.”
In truth, Julion also wanted to go anywhere to search for her, but to use the antidote she entrusted to him, he had to stay in the palace.
Julion gave Ares an order.
As Ares was beginning to descend the mountain to begin his search, a messenger from the imperial palace came to Mount Hale, seeking the crown prince and crown princess. Julion went to the palace alone.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
It was a beautiful day.
The weather was exceptionally sunny—a perfect autumn day with a high, blue sky and no clouds in sight.
It was the perfect day to sit by the window, sip coffee, and read a pharmacology book.
“Miss, shall I bring you some coffee?”
Zenid, somehow sensing my thoughts, asked.
I gave her a small smile and waved her off.
“No, thank you; I think we better get moving again.”
“Understood. I’ll pack up then.”
In no time at all, the inn room was organized, and the bag was packed by Zenid.
Standing up, I threw an empty medicine bottle into the trash can.
‘I guess that’s the end of my medication.’
It was an Aperium medicine bottle.
Although I felt like I was completely recovered and didn’t need to take it, I decided to finish the medicine I had made just in case.
I glanced at the last empty bottle in the trash can for a moment.
‘When I last vomited blood, I was a little surprised. It was the most I’ve vomited so far.’
It happened while I was writing the letter to Julion; it was a bit troublesome.
But after the vomiting, I felt fine, like all the toxins were out of my system.
To ensure there were no lingering toxins, I underwent a new blood test and meticulously checked my physical condition, but everything was normal.
It’s been a while since I felt so light, refreshed, and in pristine health.
“Miss, preparations are complete.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll check the situation outside. Come out in a little while.”
Zenid left first, carrying the bag.
Knights were noticeable here and there, perhaps because Julion had released them to find me.
‘I almost got caught yesterday.’
I didn’t expect them to scrutinize every inn near the Duke’s residence.
‘Why are they trying so hard to find me again?’
It couldn’t be for something trivial.
‘Even very harshly.’
The knights were looking for me like they were hunting for a criminal.
So I hastily made hair dye yesterday and changed my hair color.
I checked myself in the mirror.
The usual white hair was replaced by deep blue waves flowing down my shoulders.
I debated whether to tie it up but decided to simply cover it with my robe.
I deliberately let my hair peek out from under the hood and slowly opened the door.
“Elle, why are you taking so long? Let’s go.”
Zenid called out to me from the first floor; her voice was a little different than usual.
The corner of her mouth twitched upward.
‘Enjoying yourself, Zenid.’
At first, she was embarrassed to treat me like her niece. But now she seems to be enjoying herself. I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Still, I’m fortunate.’
After we made it down the mountain, I confided most of the truth to Zenid after some contemplation.
When the topic reached my mother, Zenid, seemingly shocked, made several mistakes, unable to respond appropriately.
She spent the next two days looking distraught, but then she seemed to calm down.
“Aunt Zell, take this.”
Stepping outside the inn, I handed Zenid a green potion.
Looking at the potion with a puzzled expression, Zenid and I walked down the quiet road and began a brief explanation.
“Take this right now.”
It’s an antidote that can resist the poisons I’ve created.
Then, I handed her a pouch containing various colored pills.
“Listen carefully, Zenid. When we get inside the duke’s castle, take this first, then this. And once I give the signal, take this.”
“So many?”
“Of course. They’re all absolutely necessary.”
I’m going to be dumping all kinds of potions into this place today.
The corners of my mouth tilted up at the surprised look on Zenid’s face.
Behind her, in the middle of the sky, I could see a towering black clock tower.
It was the clock tower of the Duchy of Cassian.
