Chapter 09
Claude raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer.
Meanwhile, Aselin drove the point home once more.
“I heard that His Majesty the Emperor is rushing your marriage. I’ll be your fake wife. Of course, I’ll also risk my life to cure your illness.”
“…….”
“So just for one year—until I restore the lost honor of the Duke’s family with my special medicine—please take me as your wife.”
And until I complete my revenge.
Aselin hid her true intentions.
Under the moonlight in the dark forest, Claude’s red eyes fixated on Aselin with an intense gaze.
Narrowing his eyes, he strode forward with long steps.
As he approached, his black hair swayed wildly.
Then, stopping right in front of her, Claude suddenly grabbed her chin.
“You’ve succeeded in piquing my interest. But you’ll have to prove your worth yourself.”
A sharp beam of light made me frown as I opened my eyes.
Looking at my dirt-covered hands, I realized I had collapsed onto my bed as soon as I returned to the mansion.
[One week. Make the cure and bring it to me.]
Claude had pressed the Lazeren Mana Herb into my hand and spoken in a low voice.
Then, he turned and disappeared into the night, leading his pack of wolves.
His crimson eyes, so sharp and unreadable, reminded me of a wild beast.
Yet at times, when he smirked wickedly, he looked more like a seductive devil.
Not only was he handsome, but he also seemed to know exactly how to charm a woman.
As I recalled my first encounter with Prince Claude last night—
Thump—
My heart suddenly pounded.
Shaking my head hard, I pushed him out of my thoughts and got out of bed.
I opened the bag on my desk and carefully took out the Lazeren Mana Herb.
Five blue petals, a green stem, and leaves—luckily, it was still intact.
If I had managed to dig out the roots completely, that would’ve been even better, but the petals were the most important part.
Smiling in satisfaction, I gently wrapped the herb in a white handkerchief.
If I successfully create a cure for mana poisoning and give it to Prince Claude, I’ll prove my worth.
Then he’ll accept the contract marriage.
And I’ll be completely free from that trash, Alex!
This is going smoother than I thought!
Smirking with excitement, I washed up and headed straight to my laboratory.
As soon as I arrived, I carefully placed the Lazeren Mana Herb in the bottom drawer.
Then, I filled a large bucket with water, placed it over the fire, and dumped in a bunch of leftover herbs I had collected to discard.
As I stirred with a long wooden spoon, white steam rose, and the water began to boil.
By now, he should be here…
Just as I glanced at the clock, the door opened, and Pierre walked in.
His nose was bright red, and he wobbled like he had drowned himself in alcohol.
“You left the lab empty all day yesterday instead of making medicine. Where the hell did you wander off to?”
As expected, he started nagging the moment he stepped inside. I dug my pinky into my ear, pretending not to listen.
Then, I placed a small round jar of ointment in front of him.
It was an anti-itch cream I had prepared in advance for when Pierre would inevitably annoy me.
“This will help with the itching.”
“The one for… that bug rash you mentioned last time?”
“Yes.”
His angry face softened slightly at my response.
Watching him scratch his arms and face furiously, I chuckled inwardly.
Pierre’s rash wasn’t scabies; it was just an allergy.
He loved drinking fermented liquor, but the Amomum tree sap in it was causing his rashes.
Let him itch like crazy.
He won’t get better unless he stops drinking that liquor.
Pretending to focus on stirring the pot, I glanced at his red, scratched-up hands.
“Can I even trust this cream? Lately, you’ve been acting like a total lunatic.”
Pierre sniffed the ointment, his tone full of doubt and mockery.
“If you don’t trust it, give it back.”
I put down the spoon and reached to snatch the jar.
Pierre quickly hid it behind his back, unwilling to part with it.
As he smeared the cream all over his hands, his eyes widened.
“Wow… what is this? It feels so cool!”
Of course, it does. It’s packed with mint extract. But only for now.
Smirking, I tossed another handful of herbs into the boiling water and stirred.
“And what’s that? Some kind of miracle potion?”
Now that his itchiness had subsided, Pierre was eyeing the bubbling pot with interest.
He doesn’t even know the difference between weeds and medicinal herbs?
Grinning, I threw him some bait.
“It’s called mixed herb medicine. Great for hangovers. If you look closely, you’ll see a faint reddish tint.”
“Hangovers? Lately, my stomach hasn’t been handling alcohol well. This is perfect!”
Pierre leaned closer, inspecting the concoction.
That’s when I tossed in a handful of prepared herb powder.
Boom!
“Ugh! Cough, cough!”
A thick cloud of smoke exploded into his face.
Pretending to be concerned, I covered my mouth and nose with my apron.
“Oh no, are you okay, brother? I must have added the wrong herb! This one is extremely toxic.”
“You idiot! Do you have rocks for brains?! What kind of mistake is that?!”
Pierre flailed around, eyes watering and nose running.
I opened the windows and feigned innocence.
“It’s so toxic that the smoke will linger for a while. Oh? Where are you going, brother?”
Blinded by the smoke, Pierre stumbled in circles like a lost puppy.
I subtly guided him toward the door.
“Wash your eyes with cold water. I’ll clean up here. Your health is important, after all.”
“Damn it! Of all days! I have an important meeting today!”
Pierre cursed as he stormed out, helped by some passing maids.
I glared at his retreating figure before shutting the door and turning to the window.
A little while later, I saw Pierre, now recovered, climbing into a carriage for a gambling match.
He’s too vain to let anything ruin his precious body. He won’t come near the lab again until all the toxins are gone.
Now, I can finally get to work.
I half-closed the window and spread a clean cloth over the windowsill, securing the corners with small stones.
Then, I carefully placed the Lazeren Mana Herb and the cleaned medicinal ingredients on top.
For the next two days, they needed to dry thoroughly before being slowly boiled over low heat with other herbs.
The key was to blend them in a way that maximized the medicine’s effects.
After sorting the remaining herbs into baskets and tidying up, I headed to the herbal garden.
Under the warm sunlight, the medicinal plants were growing strong and healthy.
I carefully selected the fully matured ones and dug them up, making sure not to damage the roots.
Focusing entirely on harvesting, I didn’t realize how much time had passed.
By the time I looked down, my basket was overflowing with freshly picked herbs.
Oddly enough, just looking at them made me feel full, as if I had already eaten.
After finishing my work, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stood up.
Then, I noticed some of the herb leaves had turned yellow in several spots.
I had been so busy lately that I had neglected them.
Sorry, my little plants.
I quickly went to find the gardener and got some good fertilizer.
Then, I carefully spread the fertilizer over the field.
Just as I was finishing—
“Miss!”
Through the trees in the garden, Dana came running toward me in a hurry.
