“Hey, did you hear about yesterday’s events?”
“Do you mean about the Emperor’s health?”
“Yeah, the physicians couldn’t do anything, but then her highness came…”
“They say her highness grabbed the assistant chief physician’s arm and warned him not to use Repetora.”
“And that difficult-to-handle Goam fruit peel…”
The next day, the Imperial Palace was buzzing with rumors about the events at the Tishrit Palace.
As is often the case with rumors, it didn’t take long for facts to morph into outlandish tales.
I had come to the Palace infirmary to meet with Dr. Barmid regarding the Emperor’s blood test results, and I paused as I overheard these stories.
“They say the Emperor will wake up soon.”
“Her Highness has spoken of it.”
“I heard the assistant chief physician say she wasn’t even qualified to be a physician.”
“Eh, that’s not quite right, is it?”
“My friend was there, and he didn’t hear anything like that.”
Amidst the flourishing rumors, there were also malicious stories about me, but most of them were positive.
It was the first time I had encountered such favorable rumors, and I was perplexed about how to react.
Until now, due to my status as a lady of Cassian and my deliberate efforts to appear more antagonistic to protect my people, I had always been plagued by negative rumors.
‘Was the Palace Infirmary always this vast?’
Turning the corner, I could see the door leading outside.
It took over thirty minutes to get from the pharmacy room to here.
I kept inadvertently hiding because I could hear them talking about me.
“Anyway, her highness’ ability to solve the wedding day poison was truly impressive.”
“Is that all? Just a while ago, she treated a knight too.”
“At that time, the Chief Physician… I mean, that sinner prescribed the wrong treatment. I was there at the time, and, well…”
Now they were even discussing the time when Ares had collapsed.
I stood there tensely, worried about what would happen if the physicians approached me, but thankfully their voices gradually faded.
‘Is it over?’
I wondered as I exhaled the breath I had been holding and was about to take a step forward.
Suddenly, a shadow fell from above, and a radiant face filled my vision.
“You’re really weak to praise, your highness!”
His high-tied blonde hair swayed as his gaze caught me. It sparkled as if he were collecting gold dust, and I was tempted to brush it away with my hand.
With a smile as bright as his cheerful voice, his crimson eyes sparkled. I sighed with relief and swept away the tension in my chest.
“Sir Ares, you startled me.”
“Oh, I apologize. I’m used to being with Prince Julion all the time, so it became a habit. I’ll be more careful.”
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable just to reveal your presence and move around?”
“Aww, that’s not romantic! After all, a guardian knight should be hiding in the shadows and appearing only when their master is in danger, like bam…!”
I don’t think that’s the word you use for that.
Blah, blah, blah—the explanation of Ares about romance continued.
He had been quiet lately, but it seemed like his chattering instinct had kicked in again.
I nodded my head quickly and hastened my steps forward.
“Anyway, it’s about the rumors regarding your recent exploits. You should enjoy them a little.”
“Exploits? I just did what needed to be done; it’s nothing special.”
“If you say that, it’s disheartening. I am a witness to the true extent of her highness’ abilities!”
Fortunately, Ares’ chattering didn’t last long.
As we left the palace infirmary, he disappeared somewhere, having hidden his presence skillfully.
‘He’s really quick.’
At that level, he might be even better than those renowned for being fast and discreet in Cassian.
“By the way, Zenid, have you received the list of nobles attending the spring banquet?”
“Not yet. Should I send someone to Tishrit Palace to check?”
“Yes, that would be good. I have some things to check out.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The banquet was only a few days away now.
I had been incredibly busy, but I still needed to make medicine, and I had to check the results of the Emperor’s blood test, which turned out to be as expected—the same disease as my mother’s—and it was progressing well over halfway.
If they had used the Repetora yesterday to stop the bleeding, things could have gone horribly wrong.
‘They almost made a huge mistake.’
Now, there was only one thing left to do: research, experiment, and pour all my knowledge and experience, gained through continuous study even after my mother’s passing, into saving him this time.
To save a life this time.
“Your highness, regarding the scented candles for the banquet…”
While discussing the banquet with Zenid, I returned to Garnet Palace and immediately went up to the pharmacy.
I organized the herbs brought from the palace infirmary and took out the additional medicine I had prepared.
“Is Hemion Martin still the same?”
“Yes, I checked this morning, and there was no change.”
“Let’s check one more time and use this medicine.”
As we moved to the adjacent room of the pharmacy, we saw Hemion Martin lying still as if she were dead.
Her brown hair was disheveled on the white bed. Her eyes were probably olive-green.
“Bring a candle.”
I received a lit candle from Zenid and gently lifted Hemion Martin’s eyelids to examine his condition closely.
As I looked closely to see what was going on, something strange caught my eye.
“Zenid, tears.”
She handed me a small vial, which contained a substance similar to human tears and was manufactured for use when the eyes were dry.
But it could also be used in a number of other situations, and in this case, it was perfect for checking on Hemion’s condition.
“What’s wrong, your highness?”
Zenid asked curiously from beside me.
I opened the vial and dropped a few drops of the liquid onto Hemion’s eye.
The drug pooled in the corners of her eyes and then dribbled down her temples.
I observed her condition for a moment and then added more drops.
The response was the same as before.
I closed the lid of the vial and put Hemion Martin’s specialized medicine back into my pocket.
“Your Highness?”
“I don’t think I need this medicine.”
It seemed like I had made a mistake in preparing the medicine at the palace infirmary today.
“I need something else. Since the banquet is approaching, I may not be able to prepare one right away, strengthen the defenses here for now.”
Zenid looked puzzled but nodded in agreement.
I checked Hemion’s condition a few more times before leaving.
××××××××××××××××××××××
“Your Highness, should I use ribbons or jewels?”
My maid, Natia, who was in charge of my attire, alternated between a large pink ribbon and diamonds as she asked me.
The pale pink off-the-shoulder dress had a moon on the front bust.
Since ribbons were already tied in a ruffled manner at my lower back, I chose diamonds.
“This one. And for the necklace, a choker would be nice.”
“Understand. Then I’ll go with this one.”
It was a pink choker made of the same material as the dress.
I wasn’t particularly fond of the cumbersome decorations, but I reluctantly accepted them.
As the crown princess attending an imperial banquet, I couldn’t afford to appear too modest.
Instead, I turned my attention to the already-completed hairstyle.
“How about making the hair accessory a bit lighter?”
“What? This is already very subtle!”
Small flower petals of various colors were pinned to the white hair braided to one side.
Adding to that was a butterfly decoration that seemed to perch between the strands, making it uncomfortably distant from my usual pursuit of a simple style.
“If only I could get rid of the butterfly decoration.”
“Please, Your Highness.”
Natia begged me with a forlorn expression, practically on the verge of tears.
I couldn’t refuse her any further, considering how diligently she had been working since dawn to prepare me for this event.
“Alright. Let’s go with this then.”
The woman in the mirror, adorned in extravagance, seemed unfamiliar.
Natia, with the help of other maids, checked my outfit once more.
After finishing my makeup, I carried a handbag containing basic medical supplies, which I always kept with me.
“Let’s go, Zenid.”
As I walked out of the palace, I saw Julion, whom I hadn’t seen much of lately because we had been so busy with our own schedules.
“Julion.”
He, too, seemed to have dressed up for the banquet. His normally casual front bangs were pinned up to some extent.
‘I can see his furrowed brow better.’
He appeared to be squinting slightly, perhaps due to the sunlight, but as our eyes met, he furrowed his brows even more intensely.
“Why? Is it too much?”
Maybe I should have taken off the butterfly ornament.
I awkwardly smiled, and Julion slowly shook his head with a complicated expression.
“……No, it’s not too much, not at all.”
“Well, I’m relieved then.”
Why won’t that stern expression ease up?
As I hesitated about whether to ask more or not, Julion’s hand overlapped with mine.
“Let’s go; we don’t want to be late.”
Julion took a big step forward.
He usually slowed down to match my pace, but for some reason, he seemed a little faster today.
Wearing high heels made it difficult to keep up. I contemplated whether I should ask him to slow down or not.
‘For some reason, I can’t seem to strike up a conversation easily today.’
Julion continued walking without saying a word.
Whenever I attempted to speak, he would walk faster, turn his head in the opposite direction, or engage in a conversation with someone else.
In the midst of all this, we arrived at the venue without exchanging much conversation.
