Ashika’s expression was more anxious than ever. Even though she tried to appear calm, her heart was tightening with unease, and she felt like tears would burst out at any moment.
Emotions she hadn’t known existed welled up from the bottom of her heart, shaking her mind. She couldn’t quite figure out what the emotion rising in her throat was.
‘That dream.’
She thought it was just a nightmare. A ridiculous dream that didn’t match reality in any way. However, the desperate look in the dying man’s eyes weighed heavily on her heart, more so than her own impending death in the dream.
‘What if that dream really comes true?’
Even sitting still, her body trembled, so she clasped her hands together. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t her body trembling. That it was just the carriage shaking.
“Are you cold?”
Nile, who was sitting across from her, asked, noticing her pale complexion. Ashika shook her head and barely managed to open her mouth.
“Did you tell Iben I was coming?”
“Yes. She said she would be at the shop all day. But, my lady…”
Nile hesitated, watching Ashika’s reaction before adding cautiously.
“It might be good to be careful of that woman.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t quite figure her out. I received help, but I feel uneasy. Don’t trust her too easily.” Ashika quietly studied Nile’s face. He hadn’t been around for long either. If it was a matter of suspicion, Nile was more suspicious. Yet, this person was advising her to be careful of someone else.
“Nile, if that’s how you feel, I should be wary of you too.”
“That’s not it! I’m just a straightforward person. I’m not the type to deceive or stab someone in the back.”
Nile jumped up and denied it. It was obvious, but he couldn’t hide his displeasure at being suspected. Perhaps it was because his attitude of openly revealing his emotions was so honest. Nile was someone who easily gained the trust of others. Ashika realized that at some point, she had stopped being wary of Nile.
Even when the carriage stopped in front of the art shop, Nile didn’t get up. His face, full of worry and contemplation, looked quite serious. Ashika dismissed Nile’s concerns with a single statement.
“I need Iben right now.”
She was the one who created the cure for a rare disease that was said to be incurable. Perhaps Iben might have a solution. Nothing was more important than that at the moment. When Ashika got up and got out of the carriage, Nile followed.
“Don’t forget what I said.”
Nile urged her once more, chasing after her. However, Ashika could no longer hear Nile’s voice. She felt like her mind was going numb, wondering what would happen if she couldn’t find an answer after meeting Iben. This time, the woman named Rine came out to greet them. The place she led them to wasn’t a secluded room like last time, but a sunny reception room.
“Welcome, Lady. You’re here earlier than the appointment.”
Iben sat leisurely on the sofa and greeted the two. Despite the humid weather, she wore a black dress that covered her up to the neck, long black gloves covering her forearms, and her roughly rolled-up hair had a strange mix of gold and red under the sunlight. Her features were as delicate as if drawn with a brush, a beautiful face. However, the faint blue veins visible under her pale skin felt somewhat grotesque. She was a woman who exuded a unique atmosphere, beautiful yet difficult to approach.
“Lady?”
“Ah.”
Ashika snapped out of it at Iben’s voice.
“What’s the rush that brought you here to find me so quickly?”
“Well, you said you were an alchemist. I want to find a medicine… a cure.”
Iben’s gaze lingered on Ashika for a moment before gesturing to Rine. Rine, who had been waiting nearby, filled the teacups in front of the two.
“Alchemists aren’t healers. It’s similar in that we deal with drugs, but research and experimentation come before treatment. Well, sometimes we get lucky and discover a cure.”
“So… that’s why I need your help.”
“I wonder what you want so much that you’re this eager.”
Reading Ashika’s urgent heart, Iben openly expressed her curiosity. Instead of answering, Ashika took out a blood-stained shirt from the bag she had brought.
“Someone collapsed from poisoning. It’s been several weeks, and even the best doctors in the capital haven’t been able to find the cause.”
Iben stared at the blood-stained shirt for a moment before shifting her gaze to Ashika.
“I’m curious. Who is this person the Lady is trying so urgently to save?”
“That’s…”
“You said you need my help. Then you should tell me honestly.”
Iben’s attitude was consistently relaxed.
“I’ll pay as much as you want. If you can find a way.”
“These kinds of things require trust more than money. You know that, don’t you?”
Iben’s tone was polite, but there was an undeniable pressure. Ashika gripped the shirt in her hand. Rumors about Drushia had already spread secretly throughout the capital. It wasn’t exactly a secret anyway.
“Have you heard the story about Duke Talion collapsing recently?”
“Is the owner of this shirt Duke Talion?”
Her deep brown eyes widened. Only now did she seem interested, taking the blood-stained shirt with her pale hand. Ashika asked with hopeful anticipation.
“Can you find a way with this?”
“Before that, who is the lady who brought this?”
At Iben’s question, Ashika closed her mouth. Noticing her hesitation, Iben put down the shirt.
“I told you to be honest if you need my help, didn’t I?”
If Iben didn’t want to, there was no reason for her to help Ashika. Alchemists were rare in the empire, and Ashika was the one in need. Hesitating lips opened again, and finally, she gave Iben the answer she wanted.
“Ashika… Ashika Igraine.”
Iben didn’t show any surprise. Her sparkling dark brown eyes almost seemed pleased.
“Judging by the fact that you’re not surprised, you already knew. Did Nile tell you?”
“My lady! I never did that!”
Nile, who had been quietly standing beside her, jumped up. However, Iben paid no attention to Nile’s indignant reaction.
“Don’t misunderstand. I have my own information network, so I checked beforehand. But I wanted to hear your name directly. Lady Igraine.” Ashika was worried that Iben’s attitude might change knowing her identity, but it was quite the opposite. It felt strangely softer. Even her tone, as if speaking to a subordinate, didn’t change. It was strange that it didn’t bother Ashika, as it somehow suited Iben.
Nile, ignored by Iben, pushed his crumpled face forward.
“So, is there a way or not?”
“I need to check, but it’s difficult here.”
“Where should we go? Can I come with you?”
“No…”
Ashika’s eyes sparkled for the first time since entering the reception room. Iben, who was about to refuse, got up from her seat as if she had changed her mind.
“Let’s move. You can come along, but it’s dangerous, so don’t touch anything, and don’t do anything. Got it?”
Ashika and Nile nodded in unison. Except for the front of the building where the shop was located, the interior had a complex, maze-like structure. The three passed through narrow corridors and doors several times, going deeper inside. They went up and down sloped paths instead of stairs, making it impossible to guess which floor their destination was on.
“I’ve never gotten lost before, but I feel like I could get trapped here.”
Nile grumbled, suggesting it was intentionally designed that way. Ashika was more curious about something else than the strange structure of the building.
‘Why aren’t there any employees?’
The only people they had encountered in this large building were Iben and Rine. Considering the expensive decorations, there should have been security, but there was none. After navigating through an unknown path, the three arrived at a large laboratory. Rine was already there, cleaning up scattered tools and tidying the floor. After hesitating for a moment upon entering, Iben took off the gloves she had been wearing all along. As she approached a table full of unidentified medicine bottles, she asked as if something had just occurred to her.
“Talion and Igraine are known to be bitter enemies in the empire, aren’t they? But how did Lady Igraine end up getting involved?”
Ashika quietly held onto her dress. She had been nervous about that question coming up.
“If you’ve heard the rumors, you also know that we are inextricably linked. I received help before. So, I’m trying to repay the favor.”
She had received help from Drushia several times during the process of breaking off her engagement with Coral. There had been many events in a short period that didn’t fit the relationship of being bitter enemies. Iben muttered as she cut the blood-stained shirt and put it into a small medicine bottle.
“Fate is quite interesting. To see it end up like this.”
“Pardon?”
“Things aren’t always what they seem…”
Clang-!
Iben dropped the medicine bottle she was holding as if throwing it away.
“Madam!”
The woman who had been expressionless like a ghost rushed to Iben. Ashika and Nile froze, unsure of what had just happened. Iben was trembling, glaring at the shattered floor.
“Why is that…”
“Madam, step back. I’ll clean it up.”
“No, no. Rine, stay away.”
Iben hurriedly stopped Rine, who was about to use her bare hands to clean up the glass shards.
“Iben, what’s wrong?”
When Ashika tried to approach, Iben held up her hand to stop her.
“You said this shirt belongs to Duke Talion, right?”
Her eyes, asking for confirmation again, were fierce. Ashika nodded with a tense face at the menacing energy she had never felt before.
A wild glint, almost like madness, flashed in Iben’s eyes. However, the fierce energy quickly subsided. In an instant, Iben had her usual relaxed face again.
“Phew. I surprised my guests. I never thought I would see this again in my lifetime.”
Ashika clasped her tightly clenched hands and waited for her to continue.
