Fresa, which lost all of its employees overnight, swung the hoe roughly. Today had been designated as a holiday where drugstores were closed. Since she couldn’t get any work done, she was planning to quietly plant some herbs. As the hoeing became rougher, Fresa’s mind also fluctuated.
‘I should have cooked at least one decent meal before sending you off.’
He promised to cook for her, but he couldn’t keep it. Of course, Lycaon said he would return soon, but Fresa did not completely believe that. If he was going to come back really soon, he would have seen her face and said bye. If he didn’t come back like this, would she never see him again? She gave him so much affection in that short period of time. Without knowing that he was a person who could easily leave at any time.
“You seem to have a lot of random thoughts, Resa. Are you planning to turn the land upside down?”
Reese, who was busy photosynthesizing in the warm sunlight, spoke up. Only then did Fresa look down. The dried out soil had been completely dug up and had become wet.
Moreover, a hole deeper than the length of Fresa’s finger had formed. As she suppressed her feelings of betrayal towards Lycaon and Zed, he kept digging in the same spot. Fresa wiped the sweat from her forehead and straightened her back.
“I need to drink some water. The weather is too hot.”
“I don’t think it’s just the weather that’s causing you to lose your senses.”
Reese retorted ironically.
Anyway, Fresa shook the dirt off the hoe. For one reason or another, her mind was so busy that she needed a short break. As she was roughly covering the deeply dug ground with her feet, she heard a familiar voice.
“Fresa.”
Fresa stopped with his head down.
Rowan finally found her. She knew he was a stubborn person from the beginning, but he still thought of coming after getting hit with her tomato yesterday. He was a truly shameless and ridiculous person. Rowan continued to talk nonsense about Fresa even though she didn’t react in any way.
“You’re alive. You weren’t dead.”
Fresa slowly raised her gaze and stared at Rowan. She couldn’t run away from here anyway, so she decided to hear what he’s talking about. There was a blue bruise on his face from being hit by her tomato.
‘Amazing, my tomatoes.’
When she thought about tomatoes, she remembered the tomato basket that Lycaon had left behind, and she felt resentful again. If he had said he was leaving first, she would have brought more antidote for him.
‘What kind of guts do you have when you haven’t fully recovered yet?’
“Fresa, please say something.”
Fresa thoughts were interrupted by Rowan’s unnoticed intervention.
‘Say nothing.’
At one point he got angry and told her to please stop talking, but now he asked her to say anything. Fresa smiled indifferently and asked.
“Couldn’t you have just pretended not to see me? You despised me anyway. It’s damaging your relationship with your beloved Alicia.”
Before she knew it, Rowan had come right in front of her and was staring at Fresa with dull eyes like a puppy getting caught in the rain.
“Because I finally realized it.”
What on earth? One of Fresa’s eyebrows was crooked. Rowan raised his hands up as if he was about to hug Fresa at any moment.
“You are the one I truly love, Fresa.”
Fresa almost hit Rowan on the head with the hoe she was holding. No, maybe she should have just hit him?
Reese, who was sitting on Fresa’s head, clicked his tongue.
“He is crazy.”
That was correct. Rowan Gillespie was acting like a crazy person right now.
“What about Alicia? You said it was fateful love and you acted so mournfully.”
Fresa waved her hoe menacingly. Rowan answered, glancing at her with the sharp end of her hoe.
“That… I was mistaken, Fresa.”
“You made a great mistake once. And also stupid.”
Pressa wondered how she could take a cool picture of Rowan’s smooth forehead with the hoe. How could he make the obvious excuse that it was a mistake? For Fresa, every day was a thorny path.
Rowan pleaded in a desperate tone.
“You love me too. If I had known you were alive, I would have come looking for you a long time ago. Why did you make me think you were dead? You were still alive like this.”
“I love you?”
“Yes. I heard you swallowed poison as soon as you saw my wedding, is not it?”
Rowan had no doubt that Fresa truly loved him. Alicia also said something similar in front of Fresa.
‘If you love Rowan, wish him happiness.’
‘Anyway, what are the main characters?’
Their heads were full of flowers. Fresa looked pitifully at the innocent lamb and let out a sigh of relief.
“It was all an act, Count Gillespie.”
“…what?”
Rowan’s expression immediately turned cold. As if he had heard that the world was going to end right now. But… He wouldn’t believe it.
Fresa was that thorough and she completely fooled everyone. It was also Fresa’s consideration to leave them pretending to be dead. As someone who loved a man named Rowan Gillespie and died, Rowan would never have known about this. If only they hadn’t met like this.
Fresa smiled and spoke again.
“I pretended to love you from beginning to end. Do you understand now?”
“Fresa Thorpe.”
Rowan pursed his lips and called Fresa’s name. Now, it seemed like the meaningless family name was everything to Fresa.
“Is this a place where he can stay?”
Reese walked around Rowan and muttered.
Fresa, who had to give Rhys his fake name because of the humans in this original, shrugged her shoulders. Because it was past noon, the sun had already become stinging. She was already in a bad mood because of Lycaon and Zed’s incident, but with Rowan bullying her, her mood was a mess.
“Hey, Count Gillespie.”
Fresa threw down her hoe.
“I think I’ve listened to enough nonsense, but can you please go back now?”
Rowan took a step back to avoid the hoe, and his eyes trembled violently like a midsummer storm.
“I know you’re lying to get rid of me, Fresa.”
Rowan Gillespie, like an arrogant and selfish man, did not listen even when told the truth. Fresa shook her head.
“Next time, I won’t end up throwing you at my feet, so behave better. I am a dead person anyway, and a dead person can do anything.”
Rowan’s eyes were red and bloodshot. Fresa smiled sweetly at him and then turned her back. Anyway, even if Rowan went back and said that Fresa Thorpe was alive, who would believe him? Looking at Rowan’s attitude now, there was a good chance he wouldn’t tell anyone.
Still, she had to prepare another option. It seemed that Rowan would not let go of Fresa’s life until the end, when he suddenly appeared and interfered with his dream. What on earth was the original work and the main character?
‘Oh, this is the worst day.’
Fresa closed her eyes as she locked the front door. Lycaon’s face appeared for a moment and then disappeared.
“If you need someone to talk to, don’t wait.”
Reese, who was watching Fresa’s thoughts, carefully exhaled. After stroking Fresa’s soft fur, she smiled.
“Thank you. This is enough.”
Next time, she might actually slice his forehead with a hoe. Fresa whispered softly.
Reese’s eyes slightly wavered at the gentle tone and different content.
“Anyway, I need to take a break from running the pharmacy for the time being and focus on research. It’s difficult if there are guests and they come to visit.”
At this point, she needed to research new medicines and herbs to her heart’s content. Fresa hummed her tune in positive conclusion. She glanced out the window and saw Rowan Gillespie still standing in the garden like a scarecrow. Fresa noisily closed the curtains and turned around.
* * *
The splendid and beautiful imperial castle of the Kancher Empire. It was a familiar, but not very pleasant place to Lycaon.
Lycaon felt uncomfortable wearing the formal clothes he had worn for the first time in a long time. He wanted to immediately release the cravat that was constricting his neck. But since he was on his way to an audience with the emperor, he had to endure. In fact, it was a bit too much to call it an audience. He had only agreed to meet with the Emperor of Kancher, alone, in the garden. The Emperor would wonder if his brother had really shaken off the dragon poison, and Lycaon had something to say only to him. After passing through a quiet hallway with no one around for a while, a small, simple garden appeared. It was a place that no one knew, only the Emperor and Lycaon. It was a secret space that Lycaon willingly created with magic for his brother.
“Your majesty.”
“Ricky, you’re here.”
It was the emperor, Laurel, who was quite concentrating on what book he was reading. He stood up with a clear look of joy on his face. And without hesitation, he hugged Lycaon tightly. Perhaps because the two people had similar physiques, they seemed like one piece that fit perfectly together. Lycaon grinned and lowered his body slightly to examine Trigon Laurel.
“How are you? Your complexion has gotten better.”
“No way. He was just anxious because he didn’t know when his younger brother would die. I’m just happy to see you again, Ricky.”
Laurel welcomed Lycaon’s return with a friendly voice. Then he pointed to the seat across from him and got to the point.
“I want you to explain in detail who treated you. I also want to meet that great talent in person.”
“Of course.”
Lycaon lazily sat down on the chair and lifted a moderately lukewarm teacup.
“She is an apothecary named Resa.”
Laurel’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Lycaon began to speak slowly.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on March, 31.
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