She Was Sent by God

 

“What is your name?”

 

“It’s Adrienne, Madam.”

 

“Is that so? I’ll be straightforward with you about that medicine you made.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Adrienne swallowed nervously due to tension.

 

“What exactly are its effects?”

 

“W-Well, um…”

 

Adrienne was flustered and fumbled with his words.

 

“So, this medicine, if taken for a long period, will purify the blood, improve concentration, cleanse the lungs, and also, uh, strengthen the heart…”

 

It seems like she still doesn’t know the true effects of the medicine.

 

“Give it to me.”

 

Agnes calmly interrupted her and reached out her hand.

 

Adrien hesitantly took out the medicine from her pocket and presented it with both hands.

 

It was the right one. Agnes took the pill handed to her by Adrien and smelled it.

 

The herbal scent was a bit strong, but it was definitely similar to what she had taken before.

 

Having consumed it for over a month, she still remembered that peculiar smell. She took a moment to chew on it before swallowing.

 

Adrien on the opposite side let out a gasp, but she paid no mind. After tasting it, she felt even more convinced.

 

“Adrienne. Have you tried this yourself?”

 

“Yes. Of course. Since I made it.”

 

“How long have you been taking it?”

 

“It’s been over a year. In fact, whenever I ran out of food and got hungry, I would pick some up and eat it…”

 

Adrienne seemed slightly frightened, but she earnestly answered Agnes’s question.

 

“One more question. Has your skin always been this fair?”

 

“Oh, no. It’s probably because I wear a cloak and don’t get much sunlight.”

 

There’s no need to be overly suspicious. Agnes had been suppressing laughter since earlier.

 

Adrienne glanced at Agnes who was smiling without saying anything.

 

“This medicine…”

 

Due to her rising excitement, Agnes found herself short of breath. She took a deep breath.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I really like this medicine.”

 

“T-Thank you, madam.”

 

Adrienne seemed bewildered, as if he didn’t understand the situation.

 

“You.”

 

Agnes flashed her eyes intensely and firmly held Adrienne’s hand.

 

Only God and the princess would know why her calloused, white hands, roughened from gathering herbs, seemed to glow so radiantly.

 

“Will you make a contract with me?”

 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

Persuading Laslo was not difficult.

 

That night, with a radiant face, Agnes praised Adrienne’s skills and easily received a nod of approval.

 

“Do as you wish, princess. It would be good to have one more herbalist in the castle.”

 

His response was so indifferent that it was disheartening.

 

When Agnes casually suggested developing and selling a skin-whitening potion with the herbalist, Raslo responded cluelessly, “Would anyone buy such a potion?”

 

After all, he had lived his whole life as a knight.

 

He had no idea what women use or what they were interested in. While he didn’t worship money, he also didn’t live in pursuit of it.

 

Agnes was no different.

 

If she hadn’t been assured of the definite success of this medicine, she wouldn’t have suggested it so easily.

 

So Agnes called Niall, who pursued money and prestige.

 

“Whitening your skin?”

 

At first, Niall was skeptical too.

 

Despite explaining the potential effects with Adrienne present, he was not easily convinced.

 

Even Adrienne, the creator of the medicine, firmly believed that his fair skin was due to her cloak.

 

Agnes wasn’t surprised. 

 

She herself had doubted at first. The idea that one could whiten their skin in just a month sounded like some kind of mythical magic. So she selected three maids working in the castle with dull skin and diligently gave them the medicine for a month. And exactly one month had passed.

 

“This, this!”

 

Niall couldn’t hide his excitement.

 

The man who had stood somewhat dully when he first heard the story now had his mouth agape.

 

His eyes widened as the three maids who had taken the medicine for a month appeared before him.

 

Adrienne, too, couldn’t close her mouth and couldn’t take her eyes off the maids. There was definitely a visible change.

 

Anyone could see that all three of them had lighter skin compared to before.

 

Moreover, the freckles on one maid’s face, which had been visible, had now faded to the point of being barely noticeable.

 

“M-Madam. How did you know?”

 

“Well, I just guessed from Adrien’s excessively fair skin. Your skin couldn’t have lightened this much just from avoiding the sun.”

 

“Niall.”

 

“Yes, madam.”

 

Niall’s eyes sparkled as if they were filled with stars.

 

“Is there a merchant group that the duchy interacts regularly with?”

 

“Yes, but it’s not that extensive. They connect the west to the central regions. We need to trade with a merchant group that has a distribution network across the entire country.”

 

His voice overflowed with excitement.

 

Agnes pondered.

 

She knew that selling a product was several times more important than making it.

 

The issue she had been contemplating for days was unexpectedly resolved easily.

 

“This is Andrassy.” Beller said, smiling warmly.

 

“It’s an honor to meet you, madam. My name is Andrassy Anke.”

 

A middle-aged man with thin brown hair bowed his head.

 

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Sir Beller. You must have had a hard time coming in this cold weather.”

 

Agnes smiled gently and offered Andrassy a seat.

 

While she knew Beller was well-connected in social circles, she didn’t know he had connections with the merchant group representing Nirseg.

 

With no expectations, she casually asked, “Do you know any merchant groups?” and within ten days, he brought five of them.

 

Andrassy was the fifth merchant group owner brought by Beller and the most influential one.

 

“Since I’ve made such busy people come here, I won’t beat around the bush.”

 

It was already the fifth time Agnes had done this, so she had become more adept in handling it.

 

She ushered in the maids she had prepared.

 

“As you can see, these two are twins.”

 

One of the twins was given the medicine while the other was not, to clearly demonstrate the difference, a thought proposed by Niall.

 

“Oh my. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it from Sir Beller, but it’s true.”

 

Surprise filled Andrassy’s eyes. Agnes smiled leisurely and called another maid.

 

She placed the box containing the medicine in front of Andrassy.

 

“It takes a month to see the full effects, but even after two weeks, there are gradual visible changes. This is the amount that five people can take for a month. Test it for yourself and come back in a month.” 

 

“Thank you, Madam.”

 

Agnes rose from her seat without hesitation. It hadn’t even been ten minutes since Andrassy had entered the reception room.

 

“You’re the fifth one.”

 

Leaving behind a cryptic remark, she departed. Andrassy, who belatedly understood her intention, hastily took the box and left the room in a flurry.

 

“Did something good happen?”

 

“Duke Arpad.”

 

Princess Agnes, who usually walked through the corridors with a solemn expression, was now smiling brightly. Laslo approached her quickly and asked.

 

“The fifth merchant came today.”

 

“Oh? Are they selling that medicine?”

 

The two naturally walked side by side and conversed.

 

“Yes. His name is Andrassy, the owner of the largest merchant group in Nirseg. He went back after receiving a month’s worth of the medicine.”

 

“The largest merchant group. That’s good news.”

 

The tone was more congratulatory than admiring or joyful. He had no idea how much wealth this would bring to the duchy if it succeeded.

 

“Duke. Is there anything that you want? Just say it.”

 

Agnes asked in a smug manner.

 

“What do I want to have?”

 

“Yes. If you have anything in mind please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

 

As she spoke, she was surprised as she watched Laslo closely.

 

The part holding his cloak was about to tear apart.

 

But that wasn’t all.

 

The worn-out shoes were covered in dust, the toes were scuffed, and the iron sword hanging on the side had a worn-out handle.

 

Agnes was at a loss for words. It was hard to imagine him as a Duke with his appearance.

 

‘He fought all those people with this.’

 

It was said that he stood alone until the castle wall collapsed, cutting down many soldiers and knights. She knew of his excellent swordsmanship, but seeing him fight with such an old sword made her heart ache.

 

Her heart wrenched at the realization. Agnes quickly rubbed her eyes which had turned red.

 

“There’s nothing.”

 

“Nothing?”

 

However Laslo’s answer was unexpected.

 

“There’s nothing I lack. I have enjoyed too much that I feel sorry for others.”

 

Agnes stopped in her tracks, and Laslo also stopped walking.

 

Her heart fluttered again. She kept hesitating on what to say, her words getting stuck in her throat.

 

“I must.”

 

“Hmm? What did you say?”

 

Instead of continuing her unfinished sentence, she tightly grasped Laslo’s cloak.

 

She should buy a new one once the money comes in.

 

The hem is all frayed.

 

The boots, too. The sword handle is a complete mess.

 

She would get him a new handle, or better yet, call the best blacksmith in Nirseg to make a completely new one.

 

“Trust only me.”

 

Agnes looked at Laslo with a determined face.

 

Laslo glanced down at the princess, who was a head shorter than him, and let out a sigh of resignation.

 

“Of course I trust the princess.”

 

“You trust me?”

 

“I do.”

 

Laslo nodded his head without hesitation.

 

Agnes smiled warmly in delight.