More than a week had passed.
Julion hasn’t invited me for dinner since then, and I was too busy to seek him out.
As the days went by, the weight on my heart grew heavier.
‘It’s bothering me.’
I don’t think I said anything wrong. But it wasn’t like we were really in love with each other; it was just…
‘What is it?’
What’s the relationship between Julion and me? Just business partners by contract?
At first, that’s how I treated him, and I’m sure he felt the same way.
But at some point, it seemed to go beyond a simple contractual relationship.
‘Can I call it friendship?’
Worrying when he’s hurt and gets angry if he seems to be hiding something. We weren’t family or lovers, so the only thing left is friendship.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt guilty.
Julion was someone who showed compassion when Hemion, a complete stranger, was poisoned and collapsed.
We even spent several months together. It was natural that I couldn’t just pass by when he was hurt.
“Haa…….”
I let out a frustrated sigh. Hemion, who had become completely accustomed to being a maid, handed me Earl Grey tea.
“Get some rest, your highness.”
She subtly adds a suggestion to rest. She seems to say this at least ten times a day these days.
I put down my pen and lifted the teacup. The aroma seemed to relax every tense muscle in my body.
“Thanks. What about Zenid?”
“She’s handling the training of the new maids.”
To be prepared for any potential danger, I naturally kept Hemion by my side, and Zenid ended up doing other tasks.
There was no need for both of them to be around in the midst of my busy schedule..
As I sipped Earl Grey, I remembered the sandwiches and pastries that Julion had neatly packed.
‘It was Earl Grey tea back then too.’
Perhaps due to the harsh words I said, I kept thinking about it.
Eventually, I asked Hemion,
“Have you heard what Julion has been up to these days?”
“Well, I’ve heard that he’s busy.”
“Right…”
As I put down the teacup with a clink, Hemion hesitated before speaking.
“Did you have a fight with his highness?”
Can we even call it a fight?
As I was contemplating the ambiguous situation, Hemion seemed to interpret it differently.
“I just thought it was odd. He used to come every evening to make your highness rest,but it’s been over two weeks since we’ve heard from him.”
“We didn’t fight.”
“Then why hasn’t he come? Something must have happened that day, right?”
Leaning on my hand, I stared at Hemion intently.
Hemion, perhaps because she was someone who harbored resentment and had been speaking to me informally since the beginning, treated me comfortably.
In a normal situation, a maid wouldn’t behave this way toward a crown princess. If Zenid were here, she would have surely received a scolding.
“Why, why? Do I have something on my face?”
First impressions must be important, after all.
Since she has a record of throwing eggs at me, everything else seemed fine in comparison.
It would have been nice if the others had treated me comfortably too.
Throughout my life as Lady Cassian, no one treated me like a friend. With Zenid, it felt more like being part of a family than having a friend.
“Miss, did the cream I ate earlier leave a stain? Is it here?”
As I continued to stare at her without answering, Hemion raised her hand and started patting around her face.
With a faint smile, I pointed to the center of her forehead.
“Here, there’s a red stain.”
“What? Here?”
Why is there a red stain on my forehead?
Muttering to herself, Hemion touched her forehead.
She repeated the action several times, checking her hand.
“There’s nothing there…”
I stood up, holding back laughter at Hemion’s puzzled expression.
“Where are you going?”
“To the pharmacy. It’s time for the test results.”
The blood test results
Most of them were already out, but there was one remaining. Thinking it should be ready by now, I grabbed my research notes and headed to the pharmacy.
On the glass shelves mounted on the wall, dozens of test reagents were neatly arranged.
‘Let’s see.’
I took out the vial at the bottom corner. The reagent, originally close to black, had turned a bright gray.
‘It’s …….’
When I tested it before, no matter how long I kept it, the color hardly changed from black. If it were completely normal human blood, it would have turned white, but this was still amazing.
‘It must have been a side effect of the medicine being too effective.’
Whether it was a unique property of Apherium or an issue with my condition, further investigation was needed.
What was certain was that I was getting better, but unexpected symptoms could still arise in the future.
After writing down the details in my notebook, I opened the medicine cabinet. It was filled with the Apherium medicine I had freshly made yesterday.
‘A medicine with slightly reduced effectiveness and an extended shelf life.’
It would be problematic if I started vomiting blood or experienced abnormal symptoms again. I wasn’t sure how Julion, who was already worried, would react.
So, I decided to make a medicine with slightly reduced effectiveness and see how it went. Thanks to that, I could extend the shelf life. There’s no need to go to the Gold Garden for a month.
‘I still have to go there to do my research on other medicinal ingredients…… but it’s nice to have a little extra.’
I felt a sense of abundance in my heart. I took out a bottle of medicine and closed the drawer.
With this, symptoms like vomiting blood like last time should be gone.
Now, all that’s left is to wait for a complete recovery.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Your Highness, how do you like this headband?”
The day of the boat party has arrived.
Natya handed me a navy blue ribbon headband with a blush on her face.
There was a pearl in the center of the ribbon, which made it a little overwhelming, but seeing Natya so happy to dress me up after a long time, I couldn’t refuse.
“Okay, thank you.”
“It’s so beautiful! I should add one to your clothes too. Oh, and I’ll add a bit more color to your face!”
Excitedly, Natya applied various things to my face and decorated my clothes and hair.
Dressed up, I felt a bit thrilled as I stepped out of the Garnet Palace.
They say the emerald lake is dazzling; I was looking forward to it.
‘Moreover, there are dozens of types of water lilies.’
I wonder how many herbs could be used for medicinal purposes.
With an excited heart, I arrived at the entrance of the Emerald Palace.
“Wow……!”
The green dome ceiling on the white exterior was dazzling. If it had simply been painted green, I wouldn’t have been so surprised. But the ceiling itself was entirely emerald.
Seeing white and red mixed in between, it seemed like they added accents with diamonds and rubies. Under the sunlight, the color shattered brilliantly, making me squint.
“Wasn’t it named the Emerald Palace because of the lake?”
My inner thoughts unconsciously slipped out.
Next to me, Hemion and even Zenid, who had the chance to come with me after a long time, exclaimed in awe.
“It’s truly magnificent.”
“How much do you think all of that costs?”
It had been over two months since I entered the palace, but I hadn’t seen it up close because it was off my usual route.
I had heard the maids gossiping about the jewel decorations in the Emerald Palace, but I didn’t pay much attention.
After all, the beauty of the building and jewelry wasn’t my area of interest, so I listened with one ear and let it pass with the other.
‘How much must the emperor have loved the princess?’
I heard that the Emerald Palace is about 100 years old, and they spent over ten years building it as a gift for the princess they loved so much.
Stepping inside the palace, I had to stop in amazement once again.
It was due to the giant cherry blossom trees lining both sides of the path leading to the lake.
Slightly ahead of the rose season, these trees with pink blossoms looked like pink rain falling whenever the wind blew. Thanks to it, the path to the lake was incredibly beautiful.
The ground was already covered in pink from the fallen leaves, and with each step, the color deepened, tickling my senses.
“No one can refuse this.”
In fact, I was a little surprised when all the nobles invited said they would come.
Even though it was an invitation from the empress, I thought some would decline, considering the recent fire incident.
But with such a magnificent view and the opportunity to enjoy the elegance, hardly any woman would refuse.
‘Her Majesty the Empress is truly amazing.’
Just when the palace’s reputation was about to deteriorate, she opened the Emerald Palace.
It’s not just a matter of action and drive. She had to understand the psychology of noblewomen.
Psirias, the Empress, had truly made a name for herself in social circles.
As I turned into the inner path, I saw someone ahead who had entered the pathway before me. Sensing my presence, she turned around, smiled warmly, and waved.
“Sister Rottie!”
ياالهي هل شفيت حقا انني متاثرة بشدة ولكن لقد كانت قاسيه على جوليون كثيرا اني حزينه 😭😭😭😭
Thank you for translating!