Chapter 16
“Your Majesty-!”
A young girl, adorned in all sorts of jewels and ornaments on a dress that seemed not too heavy, bounded lightly towards the Emperor, clinging to the hem of his robe as she chattered away.
“Why haven’t you returned to the palace and stayed here? Without Your Majesty, the maids are all in disarray, and even the cooks have become lazy. Yesterday, they served bread that had gone completely stale on the table. Can you believe it?”
Her voice, high-pitched and cheerful, was utterly innocent. Sylvia laughed with her eyes squinted shut, grasping the Emperor’s robe and swaying it lightly as she spoke. When the Emperor’s impassive gaze fell upon her curls, she instinctively bowed her head to make it easier for him to stroke. However, instead of the usual caress, an indifferent question was thrown her way.
“Why are you here?”
“Since Your Majesty hasn’t returned, I missed you and came here. William, the steward, was complaining so much. Your Majesty, come back to the palace with me. Will you?”
It seemed like the steward was at his wit’s end because the Emperor hadn’t returned to the palace. The fact that the Emperor doted on Sylvia was a public secret among his close aides.
“Will you come back with me to the palace?”
Luke tilted his head, looking at Sylvia who was smiling brightly. Normally, he would have made an effort to at least pat her head even if he didn’t feel like it, but today he didn’t feel inclined to do even that.
“Why?”
“What?”
She seemed to have put in extra effort to dress up today. Adorned in a dress and accessories that closely resembled one of Chloe Langsher’s portraits, her makeup…
Even if she had dressed up to this extent due to her lineage, to the point where even Chloe Langsher herself might have deemed her resemblance satisfactory, Luke couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
“……”
As his silence lingered, Sylvia’s smiling eyes gradually dimmed. Unable to bear the unease any longer, she blinked her eyes rapidly. Her gray eyes flashed momentarily, then hastily disappeared behind her eyelids.
They were Olfenster’s eyes. Just like Luke’s.
“…Perhaps yellow eyes would have been better.”
It was an offhand remark, but soon after, golden eyes flashed through his mind. Though not exactly like Chloe Langsher’s brown eyes, in the darkness, Marie Endant’s golden eyes were quite…
Though Gideon, who had kneeled and begged for forgiveness for a moment, had stirred his conscience, his conscience, which was barely recognizable, offered a simple answer.
Just looking is fine, isn’t it?
As long as you just look and don’t touch, it should be fine, right?
Really, he had no intention of going beyond that. If it weren’t for Gideon’s presence, he might not even have had that much interest. It lasted only a few hours at most, and at most, a month.
The only exception was Princess Sylvia in front of him, but it seemed that even that exception had ended today. There was no enthusiasm whatsoever.
He roughly swept Sylvia’s hair a couple of times before pushing her away. Though her face, which had barely concealed her fear, was pitiful enough to make him sympathize, Luke felt no need to comfort her.
Although he had no intention of dealing with her just because she had the lineage resembling Chloe, he couldn’t be bothered to explain why he didn’t feel any enthusiasm for her, who wasn’t really Chloe.
He wanted to see Marie Endant’s golden eyes.
He wanted to see Chloe Langsher.
* * *
“Mrs. Endant!”
Chloe was taken aback by the overly enthusiastic demeanor of the senator. Trapped among various papers and piles of herbs, the senator, who seemed to be in an indescribable frenzy, smiled brightly with gleaming eyes.
Is this person insane after all?
“I heard you were looking for me. What can I do for you…?”
Busy preparing for the journey to the fiefdom at Gideon’s urging, Chloe had no time to spare, but seeing a truly madman made her feel quite composed.
“I, finally! Grandfather’s honor! Have found it!”
“What… exactly?”
The senator, who seemed to have regained his composure and took a deep breath, raised his arms triumphantly.
“I have found it! The sleeping potion for His Majesty!”
“…Pardon?”
“That’s right! Mrs. Endant! Look here!”
The senator, with shining eyes, vigorously pointed to a part of the herb pile on the desk, ignoring the herbs scattered around.
“This is it! That!”
…Honestly, I’m not sure what he’s pointing at. Let’s clear it up. Why are there dead moths and fallen leaves on the desk?
“This is the plan to put His Majesty to sleep!”
“What, exactly, are you pointing to?”
“I didn’t mention herbs.”
Chloe spoke as she picked up each herb one by one.
“This one is used as a neutralizer for the poison. Next to it is Mugwort and Dunea, and in the middle is Jebekech, and Ori…”
As she went on, her words trailed off. The senator seized upon what she had realized and eagerly pointed it out.
“They are all herbs that cause nausea. That’s why they all cause the same side effect, nausea.”
Kepia, the herb she put in the pain reliever, also had nausea as a side effect.
“Of course, not all herbs that cause nausea were clear. There are various reasons for nausea. However, those herbs all caused nausea due to the same reason.”
“Those mentioned all… slow down mental processes. That’s why there’s a discrepancy between actual perception and what the brain perceives, leading to nausea.”
“That’s correct. It deceives the brain. I suddenly had this thought. What if the brain, unlike His Majesty’s body, doesn’t think it needs sleep? So, what if we have to deceive the brain for the sleeping potion to work?”
He energetically gestured with his arms again as he delved back into the herb pile.
“So, His Majesty is in a situation similar to these dead moths! The body doesn’t know it’s in danger!”
Perhaps this man is a genius. Maybe he’s lost his mind from thinking too much. To uncover the cause of insomnia, which no one could treat for three years, in a matter of days…
Chloe was sincerely impressed but suddenly felt doubtful. Why did he call me if he found it? What exactly did I find?
“Mrs. Endant!”
With burning eyes, the senator confessed boldly.
“Will you join me in this research!”
“…Isn’t it already completed?”
“What are you talking about? It starts now. How many herbs are there in the world that have a kind of neuro-disruptive effect, in other words, a kind of neural interference?”
“Do we have to compare them all from now on…?”
With a determined nod, the senator replied arrogantly.
“Such competent doctors and pharmacists no longer exist in this capital. The same goes for pharmacists. If they did, why would I, a doctor, be making medicine?”
There was nothing to argue about. That’s right. If there were competent doctors and pharmacists in the capital, they would have long since dried up. And it’s not like you can
just pick up some unknown person from the back alley who might be a doctor or a swindler.
“……”
She sighed as she fiddled with her wrist, which had been stiffened. Anyway, it’s about curing Luke Olfenster’s insomnia.
Although her self-destructive guilt had diminished after learning about her father’s death, it hadn’t disappeared. It shouldn’t have disappeared.
As someone who wished for Luke Olfenster’s peace of mind, she slowly opened her mouth.
“I’m planning to go down to the fiefdom soon, but for the next few days… I might be able to.”
“For a few days, you say, that’s…!”
Chloe looked at the man, who seemed to have lost his mind due to exhaustion and stress, with an expression akin to someone who had just experienced a terrible betrayal.
“This man, did he forget that I mentioned I would be going to the sanatorium because I’m unwell?”
“Mrs. Endant, why, how…?”
“Because I’m not feeling well. Didn’t you hear me say that on the day you arrived?”
As if suddenly remembering, the senator hesitated before Chloe added slowly,
“I think we need to move quickly before it gets colder. My husband is also worried… Even if I agree to help, I might only have a day or two to spare.”
In truth, even finding time amidst her busy preparations for the journey to the fiefdom was difficult. If someone were to ask why she was busy despite needing assistance, it was because without Gideon’s help, preparing to exist as “Marie Endant” in an unfamiliar environment required more than just a few items.
Medicine for her hair, medicine to apply on her skin, medicine for her eyes… Even just the medicine was a burden, and she also had to prepare separate clothing and accessories to enhance the illusion of frailty.
There wouldn’t be a tailor in that remote territory!
Having learned swordsmanship and undergone changes in her physique, Gideon had never once dressed Chloe in regular clothes. He always dressed her in loose, airy garments that barely revealed her neck and wrists, reminiscent of the fashion trends of 30 years ago.
“Mrs. Endant, you must be busy…”
The senator, seemingly returning to his senses, trailed off. Chloe responded kindly to the concern underlying his words.
“I plan to go down there alone first. I can’t travel in the winter.”
The senator’s expression softened slightly. Instead of thinking about how his intense concern overshadowed his attractive features, he found himself unable to take his eyes off her.
It wasn’t so much that she was pretty, but rather, she exuded a warmth that he couldn’t quite place. So this is why the Emperor… Ah.
The senator cautiously resumed speaking.
“Did His Majesty mention anything about that…?”
“…?”
Both Chloe and the senator wore puzzled expressions, as if they didn’t understand the question. He felt a strange sense of foreboding.
It felt almost like when he met with a friend who had jumped ship after relinquishing his position as the Imperial physician…
“My husband will continue to oversee Your Majesty in the capital. I fail to see how my journey to the fiefdom is relevant to Your Majesty… Are you asking when my husband will come down to the fiefdom? If Your Majesty deigns to bestow the promised favor, perhaps he will be able to visit next year.”
Her slow, measured tone was calm, but it only made him more fearful.
Surely not. Surely not. Ah, surely not.
She’s not completely oblivious. Surely not.
“Of course, it will be tight to make it there and back within the ten days His Majesty mentioned, but even so, if we hurry, I might be able to spend a few days in the fiefdom…”
Surely had seized him. He grasped at fading hope.
This woman… She doesn’t know that the Emperor is interested in her.
Why, why… Why doesn’t she know?
