Dead-End Villainess Who Makes Medicine

 

 

“Those are all commonly used for fatigue recovery, derived from extracts of wildflowers.”

 

“Fatigue recovery?”

 

“Yes. If you use all three at once, you get a temporary stimulant effect. Senses may become heightened, and improvements in hearing or vision are possible…”

 

As Dr. Barmid continued his explanation, Julion’s face grew darker.

 

“Are there any other benefits, such as detoxification?”

 

“Uhm, I don’t know of any such thing. But why do you ask about this…?”

 

At that point, Dr. Barmid trailed off as if realizing something. Addressing Julion’s serious expression, Dr. Barmid asked,

 

“Is this related to the crown princess’ condition?”

 

Without answering, Julion buried his face in his hands and sighed. Having sensed the situation, Dr. Barmid also let out a brief sigh.

 

“So, there was no proper cure after all…”

 

Although Rohiriel confidently said there is a cure, Barmid has some doubts, but he still believed it to some extent. She found something he didn’t know about. He thought to himself.

 

“I tried to get her to see a doctor, but she won’t listen, like she has given up on living.” Julion’s voice was heavy, as if it could penetrate the ground.

 

Dr. Barmid recalled Rohiriel, who had shown sudden, unusual symptoms not long ago.

 

“Even if I were to go, her highness would likely refuse. In fact, a few days ago…”

 

While they were talking about medicine, Rohiriel suddenly had a nosebleed. He tried to examine her, but she declined.

 

Having heard the whole story, Julion slowly stood up.

 

“I see. Let’s keep today’s events confidential.”

 

“Of course, Your Highness.”

 

Acknowledging Dr. Barmid’s greeting, Julion stepped outside.

 

The sky, tinted red as the sun set, greeted him.

 

Seeing the sky as if blood were falling from it, he couldn’t help but recall Rohiriel’s pale face. He had come to inquire about the guild, but he never expected Rohiriel to be vomiting blood.

 

If it weren’t for the thick scent of blood wafting even through the door and Hemion’s urgent voice, he might not have thought of opening the door before permission was granted.

 

‘I suppose I should be grateful to have found out.’

 

Or perhaps it would have been better not to know.

 

“Your Highness, what about dinner?”

 

Freck’s inquiry caught Julion off guard. He couldn’t bear to face Rohiriel again. She was probably not feeling well enough to eat.

 

Trying to pretend she was fine; she might force herself to eat. 

 

“I have no appetite. We should return to the palace first.”

 

Julion headed towards the prince’s palace. Each step he took felt unusually heavy.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

‘Is he gone?’

 

Julion left the room, and I paced anxiously, biting my lip. There was no reason for me to rest when I was perfectly fine. However, if I immediately left, Julion might question me again, so I hesitated.

 

‘Why do I have to be cautious about moving around in my own palace?’ Even as I thought this, a sense of guilt and gratitude overwhelmed me. After all, he worried about me as a human would.

 

The problem was that I was genuinely okay.

 

With my ears perked towards the sounds outside, a knock echoed.

 

“Your Highness, may I come in?”

 

It was Hemion. I breathed a sigh of relief and answered,

 

“Come in.”

 

The door creaked open, and Hemion, with the eyes of a startled rabbit, cautiously entered. Then, hesitantly, she approached.

 

Amused by her awkward movements, I let out a soft laugh.

 

“Well… Your Highness, are you okay?”

 

“Of course. There was a minor issue, but I’m fine now.”

 

“What was the issue…”

 

I gave a vague answer and changed the topic.

 

“I just had a slight illness, but I’m getting better. By the way, did His Highness go out?”

 

“Oh, yes……. I don’t know if he left the palace, but he did go somewhere right away.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

It’s almost dinner time, and the fact that he didn’t mention the meal, it was clear that the news had shaken him.

 

“Where’s Zenid?”

 

“She should be in the maintenance office. I heard that the items for the Golden Garden have arrived.”

 

“She must be busy then.”

 

I had to do something, and it was difficult since Zenid wasn’t immediately available.

 

However, calling her over would be a waste of time and manpower.

 

“Let’s go to the infirmary first. There’s something I need to do.”

 

“What? But aren’t you supposed to rest?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Ignoring Hemion’s concerned gaze, I left the bedroom. As I entered the infirmary, the smell of disinfectant stung my nose.

 

I took a clean syringe from the drawer, found a seat, and sat down.

 

“Your Highness, what are you doing?”

 

“Drawing blood.”

 

“What? Now, wait a minute. Who are you drawing blood from? Surely not me?” 

 

“……?”

 

“Didn’t you say I was cured? I need some mental preparation for this!”

 

“What are you talking about? I’m going to draw my own blood.” Ignoring Hemion’s fuss, I scolded her and tightly tied my left forearm.

 

‘It would be easier if Zenid were here…’

 

But I needed to do it now to obtain the most accurate results.

 

The longer I waited, the harder it would be to understand the effects of the medicine I had created.

 

As I traced the vein with my fingertips, Hemion exclaimed.

 

“Are you really going to draw your own blood? H-how? Why?”

 

“I need to concentrate, so be quiet.”

 

I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I thought she was a quiet kid, but as time passed, she seemed to be turning into a chatterbox.

 

‘About here… Found it.’

 

Without hesitation, I raised the syringe and inserted it. With a stinging sensation, the needle went in smoothly. I’ve done this countless times before, so I had no fear of sticking needles to myself.

 

“Ah…!”

 

But for the observers, especially Hemion, it was a different story. A surprised gasp escaped her. Glancing at her, I noticed Hemion was frowning, yet he couldn’t take her eyes off the needle.

 

“Hemion, hold this for me.”

 

“What? Uh, where?”

 

Pulling the piston with one hand required considerable focus, so I usually asked Zenid to help hold it.

 

‘Hemion was too scared to look, so I thought of doing it alone, but…’

 

Whether it wasn’t that scary or if it was just curiosity, Hemion cautiously reached out her hand.

 

“Here. I’ll pull, and you just stabilize it so it won’t shake too much.”

 

“Yes, yes……!”

 

As I pulled the piston, the red blood slowly filled the syringe. After drawing a full vial, I withdrew the needle and pressed the spot with a clean cloth I had prepared.

 

“Is it done?”

 

“Yeah, thanks to you, it went well.”

 

Hemion let out a relieved breath. I don’t know what she was so nervous about; I wasn’t even drawing her blood. After roughly stopping the bleeding, I removed the cloth and tidied up the tools.

 

Seeing my blood swirling inside the syringe, my emotions felt unsettled. Unlike the dark crimson from before, this was a beautiful shade of red.

 

Now, testing it in the pharmacy will reveal the truth about the reactions that occurred after taking the medicine. I carefully carried the blood and headed to the pharmacy.

 

Hemion was complaining about when I would take a break, but her grumbling increased as soon as I started preparing testing reagents.

 

“It’s fascinating, Your Highness.”

 

Like a newborn fascinated by everything, Hemion showed remarkable concentration, observing the process of making the medicine from start to finish.

 

“It’s all done.”

 

I divided the completed reagents and some of the drawn blood. Some immediately changed color, while others would take several days to react.

 

“Now, should we do something else while waiting?”

 

Hemion, who had been observing the medicine as if enchanted, turned to me with a thoroughly impressed expression.

 

“Now, you really should rest!”

 

“There’s a mountain of work. We don’t have much time left before the boat party, and there’s a lot to finish before then. Let’s go to my office.”

 

Following me out of the pharmacy, Hemion’s jaw dropped even more.

 

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊