The Empress turned away from Yeffa.
Yeffa wept bitterly, but no one came to console her.
“Lock Yeffa Cassian in prison. I will bring this matter to the attention of Duke Cassian.”
The Empress’s command echoed.
Even as Yeffa was dragged away by the knights, her lamentation did not cease.
‘Impressive until the end, truly.’
As Yeffa disappeared from sight, the Empress sighed deeply. Like the calm after a storm, the Emerald Palace fell silent.
Julion was the first to break the silence, expressing concern.
“Rohiriel, are you sure you are all right?”
With the gaze of others shifting to me, I quickly held out my hand.
“Of course I am, rather than me, Countess Rivolain…….”
Feeling that continuing the conversation might lead to an awkward situation, I promptly turned to Countess Rivolain.
“Countess, are you okay?”
“……Of course.”
Although she claimed to be fine, her face was gradually turning pale.
I turned to the Empress, eager to leave the palace.
“Your Majesty, it seems I should check on Countess Rivolain’s condition first.”
“Very well. The others…”
The Empress’s eyes scanned the women gathered around.
She seemed very upset that she had invited them here to enjoy themselves, only to see it end badly again.
‘Come to think of it, I had prepared something separately.’
I had prepared something to give each of them as a souvenir at the end of the boat ride.
I forgot about it amidst the commotion, but it came back to me when I saw the Empress’s bitter face.
“Your Majesty, I have prepared one more gift; I will give it now.”
“A gift?”
Curiosity flashed in the Empress’s eyes.
Looking towards the entrance of the lake, I spotted the attendants from Garnet Palace who had been waiting there.
They had arrived earlier but were unable to approach due to the incident with the birds and had been lingering near the entrance.
When I gestured, they cautiously approached, carrying baskets.
“Greetings to Her Majesty, the Empress.”
The attendants greeted the Empress first, then gently placed the baskets down.
The ladies, previously absorbed in shock, now turned their attention to the scene.
Feeling the atmosphere ease, I pulled back the cloth covering the basket.
Inside were beautifully decorated glass bottles filled with cream.
“What is this?”
The Empress was the first to ask, and others looked at the glass bottles with curiosity.
I pulled one out and held it up.
“It’s a cream I made. It protects the skin from getting sunburned even under sunlight.”
“It prevents sunburn?”
I nodded in response to a noblewoman’s question and explained.
“Yes. Summers in the Empire can be hot, so I added ingredients to the cream that block sunlight. If you apply this before going out, your skin won’t get sunburned even if you stay outside for a long time.”
Usually, when nobles go outside, maids typically hold sunshades to shield them from the sun.
But even that had its limits. It couldn’t prevent their skin from getting burned.
Actually, I had been planning to make this cream a long time ago, but I had to postpone because I couldn’t find the crucial ingredient that would make it effective.
‘The herbs I found in Golden Garden this time were really helpful.’
In the name of developing medicines for His Majesty the Emperor, I was allowed to study the plants in the Golden Garden.
Thanks to that, I discovered herbs that could block sunlight without harming people. Having already tested it on my own skin, I was confident in its effectiveness.
The first thing I did was give it to the Empress.
The Empress was pleased to receive it, perhaps because she trusts the medicines I made.
“Thank you. I’ve been worried about my skin turning red, so I’ll give it a try.”
I distributed the cream to the other ladies.
Some received it with hesitant expressions, while others accepted it with curious eyes.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“I’ll use it well.”
“I’ve been suffering every summer with my skin turning unusually red and painful, so this is a much-needed gift.”
I heard appreciative words, and there was no one sending skeptical glances.
‘Perhaps it was because of the treatments I had done in the palace that they became known.’
The reactions were quite different from when I was a lady of Cassian.
Feeling unnecessarily awkward, I hurriedly finished up and turned back to Countess Rivolain.
“Well then, let’s go, Countess.”
Her skin was turning red again, and she didn’t look well.
Although it seemed like she might be in pain, her gaze, when she looked at me, was quite sharp.
“Countess Rivolain?”
Confused, I called her; she tightly sealed her lips as if swallowing her words and avoided eye contact.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
She seemed to have something to say, but I didn’t press further. Instead, I took the Countess with me and headed to the Garnet Palace.
However, Countess Rivolain only managed a few steps before collapsing.
“Countess!”
Even though she insisted she was fine, it seemed that walking all the way to Garnet Palace was too much for her.
“I-it’s okay. My legs just went weak.”
“Still, I don’t think you can walk.”
I checked again if there was any other issue with Countess Rivolain.
Thankfully, the medicine’s effects persisted, and there didn’t seem to be any significant issue.
“Sir Ares, are you there?”
As soon as I called Ares’ name, he appeared in front of me and put Countess Rivolain on his back without me asking him.
“Now, I’m a one-person carriage.”
“Haha… Please take care of her.”
Ares grumbled but did everything asked of him.
As we hurried along, I heard footsteps steadily following us from behind.
When I turned around, Julion was there, mailing awkwardly and avoiding eye contact.
“Do you have something to say?”
I pause, waiting for him to come to my side.
He spoke, still looking away.
“I was on my way to my palace, too.”
“……Really?”
It didn’t seem like it. He seemed to have a lot to say, and I also had things I wanted to discuss with him, so I thought we needed to have a conversation.
‘But not now.’
I was planning to go straight to Garnet Palace to make medicine for the Countess.
Since the conversation with Julion wasn’t urgent, I decided to postpone it a bit.
“Alright, then, I’ll see you tonight.”
At that moment, Julion’s pace slowed to a halt. As I continued walking, Julion positioned himself behind me again.
He moved slowly, speaking in a hushed voice.
“Why do you want to meet… in the evening?”
Before, he insisted on having dinner together, even going so far as to make sandwiches and bring them.
‘Could it be that because of what I said last time, he doesn’t want to have dinner together anymore?’
That thought made me feel bad for some reason.
I didn’t mean to stop everything, even having meals together. Of course, we haven’t been able to do much together due to various circumstances.
‘I need to apologize. I should say sorry for speaking harshly.’
Except for our first meeting, Julion has consistently done his best for me.
Despite it being due to a contract, he approached me as a person, showing affection and kindness.
Those were the days when I felt genuinely cared for. But I had been overly sensitive, treating Julion’s concern as if it were a burden.
Since I pushed him away, I should be the one to approach him first. Before I knew it, he was walking beside me again, keeping pace.
“Of course I’ll join you; we haven’t had dinner together lately because we’ve been so busy.”
“Alright. Let’s make sure to have dinner tonight.”
For some reason, I found it hard to look at Julion, so I averted my gaze to the opposite side.
Suddenly, my gaze met Countess Rivolain’s, who was on Ares’s back.
In her subtly complex pink eyes, I awkwardly smiled and redirected my attention forward.
Was Garnet Palace always this… far?
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Hemion, can you get me a dry towel over there?”
Upon arriving at Garnet Palace, I immediately checked on Countess Rivolain’s condition.
Blisters covered her body, swollen as if they were about to burst.
As expected, the temporary medicine didn’t completely heal her.
Fortunately, the allergy medicine from Akeilac wasn’t hard to make.
With enough Akeilac petals provided by Hemion and Madam Tetman, we had no difficulties.
“Countess, you might feel a bit uncomfortable.”
The Countess bit her lip, showing minimal reaction as I applied the completed medicine to various areas of her skin. When it was almost finished, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Thank you…… for saving me.”
While saying that, she didn’t look at me, keeping her gaze elsewhere. Looking at her eyes directed elsewhere, I chuckled.
“Why does it seem like you’re not really grateful?”
“……No, I’m grateful; I really am.”
Though I thought she was particularly cold towards me, there seemed to be something genuine in her response.
As I finished the treatment, I debated whether to inquire more or just observe for a few more days since I would be responsible for her recovery.
The decision didn’t take long.
After handing the used towels to Hemion, I stood up.
“It’s done. I need to treat you for a few more days and see how you’re doing, so stay here.”
“What? No, there’s a Rivolain townhouse in the capital; I can stay there…….”
“We never know what might happen, especially in the early morning. I’ve got permission from the Empress, so don’t worry about it.”
“…..”
“Zenid, please show the Countess to her room.”
Seemingly dissatisfied with the situation, the Countess, wearing a dark expression, followed Zenid.
Left alone with Hemion, I stretched and let out a yawn.
After a day of hard work and even falling into the water, my entire body felt exhausted.
“Get some rest, Your Highness.”
“Hmm, how much time until dinner?”
“About two hours.”
Normally, I would have waited while working, but…
“Okay, I’m going to the bedroom.”
I could feel my body telling me I was overdoing it.
After finishing a quick shower with Hemion’s assistance, I collapsed onto the bed. The sensation of the cozy blanket against my skin felt delightful.
“Hemion, wake me up in exactly one hour.”
Julion was supposed to join me for dinner. Dozens of sentences floated in my mind about what to talk about. However, despite thinking hard before falling asleep, I had to postpone dinner with Julion again.
This was because my body, signaling something was wrong, suddenly broke down.
