Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine

 

 

Looking into the Empress’s golden eyes, which seemed full of curiosity, I explained simply.

 

“It’s a medicine I made. It was something my mother used, but I modified it a bit. It should help slow down the progression of the illness.”

 

The empress’s eyes widened.

 

I slightly dampened the towel in the warm water brought by the servant.

 

“Thank you. But how do you use it? Do we just pour it into His Majesty’s mouth?”

 

“Oh, no. This is not an oral medicine; it’s applied to the body.”

 

“Apply?”

 

“Yes, first, soak the towel in warm water like this…” I poured a bit of the black medicine onto the dampened towel.

 

Observing the towel stained with black, the empress spoke with a troubled expression.

 

“It looks like something that has been wiped with lye…….”

 

Even though the empress didn’t explicitly say it, I could feel that she was about to refer to it as a rag. Thinking similarly, I chuckled and said,

 

“Still, it will be effective. Now, we just need to apply it all over the Emperor’s body.”

 

“Mmm, I see.”

 

I carefully brought the towel to the exposed arm of the emperor. As the towel passed, the black liquid adhered to the skin before quickly seeping into it. The empress, looking intrigued, reached out to take the towel.

 

“I’ll do the rest. If it’s about applying it in every nook and cranny, it’s easier for me than you.”

 

“Don’t rub too hard, and apply it slowly and gently.”

 

“Alright, got it. Since you’re busy, you can leave now.”

 

“Understood, Your Majesty. Please make sure to apply it twice a day.”

 

I watched for a moment and quietly slipped out of the bedroom.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

The restoration of the Golden Garden proceeded smoothly. Simultaneously, research involving rare plants was also progressing little by little.

 

The first thing I did was use Apherium to create a medicine for myself. I also researched herbs that could help with the Emperor’s illness.

 

It would take more time to see the results, but I could wait as long as necessary.

 

‘The key point is whether the Emperor’s body will endure, especially considering the second dose.’

 

In the worst case, I could simply eat the vital plant for my own treatment.

 

But the Emperor was different. Continuing to sustain him with the Tarot I was providing for free was becoming challenging.

 

“Your highness, what would you like for dinner?” Natya asked in a low voice as I was writing in the research journal.

 

Natya, filling in for Zenid and Hemion, who were busy with Golden Garden, was holding my tools.

 

Without stopping the movement of my pen, I replied, “Just a sandwich, please. I have too much to do.”

 

“Okay, well, since you had a mushroom beef mozzarella sandwich yesterday, I’ll go with a shrimp and egg sandwich today, and for sauce, do you like chili or onion?”

 

It was an unnecessarily detailed menu description. Unlike Zenid, Natya puts a lot of effort into my meals, to the point where it’s burdensome.

 

I tried to respond with an awkward smile.

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you need to make a sandwich today.”

 

“Oh, Your Highness.”

 

If it weren’t for the sudden voice that interjected, I would have continued speaking. Only then did I put down the pen and take my gaze away from the paper.

 

“Julion, you startled me… appearing out of nowhere.”

 

Whether he came straight from the noble meeting or not, everything from his outfit to his hairstyle was unfamiliar. In a white tunic, red cloak, and black hair pulled up without a strand out of place. Underneath, his straight eyebrows twitched slightly, revealing his discomfort.

 

“Has our dinner together completely vanished from your mind?”

 

“Ah, well…”

 

After skipping several dinner appointments, it had become a habit for me to fill the time alone. When I smiled awkwardly, Julion sighed in frustration.

 

“I understand you’re busy, but… I wish you’d pay a bit more attention.”

 

Somehow, a sense of discontent emanated from his drooping eyebrows and lowered gaze. I closed the journal I was working on with a thud and stood up.

 

“I’m sorry. Um, shall we go to the dining room then?”

 

As I tried to take Julion’s hand, he remained still, and instead, I found myself being led by him.

 

“Julion?”

 

“No need to go. I brought it myself.”

 

Saying that, Julion raised his other hand. I didn’t notice, but in his hand was a small basket.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“A sandwich. I brought something simple in case you were too busy to have a proper meal.”

 

For a moment, I was speechless and blinked, looking at the basket in Julion’s hand.

 

Julion, still holding my hand, took a determined step toward the table. I followed him and sat down on the sofa.

 

“Take a break, have a meal, and then you can continue with your work.”

 

Julion sat across from me and opened the basket. A savory smell filled the air as soup and beautifully wrapped sandwiches were set out on the table.

 

“In case you get thirsty, I also brought some tea. I prepared Earl Grey tea, but do you prefer something else?”

 

“Oh, no, that’s fine…….”

 

What is this?

 

Even as I answered, I couldn’t adapt to the situation. The last time he brought a small sandwich, it wasn’t like this. We just casually ate in the garden and parted ways. This time, it seemed significantly more formal.

 

“You said it was simple…”

 

Unconsciously expressing my inner thoughts, Julion paused and furrowed his brow slightly.

 

“If you don’t eat even this much, you might collapse again.”

 

“That’s absurd.”

 

“If you collapse again like you did a few days ago, all efforts to restore the Golden Garden will be suspended. Is that okay with you?”

 

“Well, I won’t collapse just from missing a proper meal.”

 

“I heard you didn’t eat lunch properly either. You need a substantial dinner, at least.”

 

Julion spoke with a firm tone, and I chose not to argue further.

 

‘I wonder when he heard about how I had lunch.’

 

Before I knew it, I had a spoon in my hand.

 

“It’s a smooth corn soup; it should go down well.”

 

As Julion said, the first spoonful went down smoothly. The moderately warm soup had a relaxing effect on my body. After a few sips, I reached for the sandwich, but Julion spoke with dissatisfaction.

 

“Rohiriel, why have you gotten thinner?”

 

“… What?”

 

“Are you properly taking your medicine?”

 

Lately, I had been so preoccupied with medicine that I failed to grasp what Julion was referring to. Seeing my hesitation, Julion’s expression turned stern.

 

“Could it be that you’re not taking it?”

 

Only then did I realize he was talking about Apherium. Before Julion could say anything else, I hastily shouted out.

 

“I’m taking it well! I had it today too. I’m so healthy now that I could chew on rocks!”

 

It was a reckless remark, but the words were already out of my mouth. But it was true; my body was improving day by day.

 

With my daily intake of Apherium, my sensory perceptions had significantly improved, and aside from the temporary symptoms that appeared before, there were no other issues.

 

Julion raised an eyebrow, giving me a scrutinizing look, then turned his head abruptly.

 

“All right, then.”

 

Suddenly, his sudden acceptance and change in attitude left me bewildered. I’ve heard he’s busy with the rebuilding of the palace, chasing remnants of Roxis, and managing state affairs, and perhaps he’s too occupied to control his emotions properly.

 

I thought that when I have some time, I should make a healthy drink for Julion.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

“It’s done!”

 

I had been working on my research, even cutting down on sleep for the past few days. Finally, I was able to create a prototype of medicine using Apherium.

 

Looking at the translucent light-blue vial, a mix of excitement and concern filled me.

 

Consuming Apherium’s flower every day was quite a hassle, but with the medicine, it could be stored for about a week.

 

‘I can make a week’s worth at once and take one daily.’

 

Moreover, its effectiveness was three times higher than that of consuming the flower directly. I might even shorten the anticipated one-year recovery period.

 

“I would love to do more experiments before using it, but…”

 

There were no test subjects, and I didn’t have time for that. Without hesitation, I ingested the medicine.

 

The bitterness and sweetness I felt when eating Apherium flowers spread, and then a refreshing mint freshness followed.

 

Now, I need to closely monitor my body’s response.

 

‘May it work as intended.’

 

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊