Chapter 25
“What?”
“I searched the entire city just to find you.”
“Me? Why…?”
“Didn’t we agree to meet at least once a week as part of the contract?”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really about meeting—I thought I just had to deliver the medicine.
It felt like the meaning of the contract had been twisted somehow.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“You weren’t home earlier, so I just dropped off the medicine and left. You said that was fine…”
“From now on, even if I’m not there, don’t just leave. You have to show your face.”
His calm voice sounded like he was casually discussing what to have for lunch.
“Show… my face?”
Despite my baffled expression, Prince Claude folded his arms and closed his eyes, clearly unwilling to negotiate.
Did he save my life just to start ordering me around?
I stared at the unmoving prince in disbelief.
Outside the window, the city’s evening scene passed by quickly.
And then we arrived—
At the Duke of Rondinella’s mansion.
“I’ll have your dress sent here tomorrow through one of the attendants.”
With just that, the prince climbed back into his carriage and returned to the palace.
Under the dim glow of the gas lamps, the black carriage slowly disappeared into the distance.
He said he was going to the palace, so why did we come all the way here?
It would have taken very little time to travel directly from the city to Erhardt Estate; why take the detour?
And why was he suddenly sending me a dress?
The more I thought about it, the stranger it felt.
There’s no way that uptight prince is doing all this out of kindness.
Is he trying to butter me up just so he can make me work harder?
Like dangling a carrot before a donkey?
Wow. Sneaky.
Shaking my head, I stepped into the mansion.
It was already over a month since I had returned to the past.
During that time, I’d been busy traveling back and forth between the factory, trying to get things back in shape.
Thanks to Prince Claude’s help, I was able to take over the factory.
In the letter he sent me, along with the contract, he mentioned that he had offered Pierre a large sum of money—and Pierre had happily sold the place.
Since then, Pierre hadn’t come back, probably off somewhere blowing his new fortune.
Eventually, he’d run out of money and come crawling back like a beggar.
But for now, his absence was a blessing. It gave me time to prepare for the wedding with Alex and fix up the factory.
Thankfully, most of the workers sided with me, except for the manager and a few loyal to Pierre.
After wrapping up all the reorganization and handovers, I stayed in the lab, eating and sleeping there while pouring my energy into developing a cure for the plague.
Now, I had only one final step left to complete the medicine.
“It’s done! Just need to filter it now.”
I placed the dried, crushed Rubus berries into a filter and poured the herbal water—boiled and cooled—over them.
Drip, drip.
Pale green liquid slowly collected in the glass bottle below.
I dabbed a drop on the back of my hand and tasted it.
It tastes slightly bitter at first, then has a pleasantly sweet aftertaste.
With the tangy aroma of the Rubus berries, it almost felt like fruit juice, not medicine.
Perfect.
I smiled, satisfied, and nodded.
In my past life, our plague medicine tasted like someone swallowed charcoal, so it never gained much popularity.
I had argued that since medicine still enters your mouth, taste is important.
But Pierre was stubborn: “Women should act like women, and medicine should taste like medicine.”
His obsession led to disaster when our sales collapsed and our extra stock piled up.
When we started losing money, Pierre had the nerve to blame me, saying it was my fault for not stopping him.
Meanwhile, the medicine from Marquis Spiegel’s trade group sold well, but it couldn’t stop the plague.
It was easier to take because it tasted better, but it was weak.
As a result, the plague spread from the capital throughout the empire, killing tens of thousands.
Clenching my memories of that tragic past, I sealed the bottle of pale green medicine.
I placed the bottles neatly in two boxes—one for the green cure, and another for the yellow variant.
Then, I carefully wrote down the dosage and recipe on a sheet of paper.
This would save countless lives.
With its strong effects and pleasant taste, it would easily outshine Marquis Spiegel’s version.
I was going to make a fortune this time!
Making money while doing good, it was a win-win situation!
Grinning, I slung the heavy bag full of medicine over my shoulder.
Time to head out.
To the place that would lead me to riches.
“Lady, you’re here?”
As I entered the factory, Luan greeted me with a big smile.
I nodded and set the heavy bag down.
“Your bag looks heavier than usual today.”
“I brought extra medicine since I won’t be able to come by as often.”
“Ah, right! Your wedding is next week. Is everything ready?”
“Of course. I’m completely prepared.”
Prepared to send Rachel and Alex straight to hell.
I smiled, brushing dust off the big wooden table with my palm.
Then, I placed the medicine boxes on the table, and Luan’s eyes widened.
“Is this the new medicine you mentioned?”
“Yeah. The green one is the plague cure.”
I handed Luan the paper with the recipe and instructions.
Luan eagerly took it and exclaimed,
“Wow, how did you think of using Rubus berries? They’re usually for cooking!”
“They’re sweet. I thought they could mask the bitterness. Plus, they have antiseptic properties, so the medicine lasts longer.”
Luan nodded enthusiastically.
He read over the paper again and again, as if trying to memorize it all.
“Two Rubus berries, five Lesterran root stalks, and Targan mushroom enzyme… That’s to help the body absorb it better, right?”
He nailed it.
I could trust him with this.
I smiled and added,
“That’s right. For now, I’d like you to talk to the factory manager instead of me and get the listed herbs ready. We need to start production by fall at the latest.”
“Yes! I’ll have everything perfectly prepared by the time you return!”
Luan answered in a sharp, disciplined voice.
He looked like a soldier heading to the battlefield, which made me laugh as I patted his shoulder.
Then I walked around the factory from the first to the second floor, checking if anything else was needed.
In the distance, I saw Luan talking with the new factory manager.
He was holding out the paper with the herb list, so it seemed like they were discussing herb purchases.
The manager, with his experience, would handle the machines and equipment, but I had left all decisions about the herbs to Luan.
He might be young, but at sixteen, he was smart enough to handle it.
I smiled proudly as I looked around the much cleaner and more organized factory.
Once I came back after the wedding with Alex, I would immediately begin producing the medicine for the plague.
That way, we could respond before it spread too far.
I walked down the stairs and pushed open the factory doors wide.
I left, hoping that when I returned, I’d see the medicine I created being mass-produced.
Time passed quickly, and the wedding with Alex was just around the corner.
Today was also the last day I would visit Prince Claude’s castle before the ceremony.
I carefully packed the medicine I had prepared into my bag and set off for the Erhardt estate.
At first, I had walked this path reluctantly, but now it felt familiar.
Summer was in full bloom.
Leaves rustled above, grass was green, and the river sparkled under the small bridge.
As I enjoyed the scenery, I even felt like I was on a pleasant walk.
Soon, I arrived at the castle gates, and this time, it wasn’t the butler but a guard who opened the door.
I hummed a tune as I walked, but then I suddenly froze, my eyes wide with surprise.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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Thank you freya 💖