The Villainess' Ending Was Death

“I was surprised that he was a wizard. However, you must refrain from using magic until you fully recover.”

 

“Are you telling me not to use magic?”

 

Lycaon was not happy with Fresa’s new prescription. But even though Fresa noticed that fact, she firmly nodded her head.

 

“Yes, excessive magic is especially prohibited. The remaining dragon poison spreads throughout the body through magical power. It may be okay to some extent, but it would still be better not to use it as much as possible. If you want a quick recovery.”

 

“Well, since this is what our genius pharmacist says, we should listen.”

 

Lycaon’s playful answer made Fresa a little suspicious of him, but she didn’t bother to point it out. From Fresa’s experience, repeating this nagging didn’t help him much. A brief moment of silence passed between the two. Despite the uproar, Lycaon didn’t ask anything about Fresa.

 

‘Are you not asking because you’re afraid I’ll get in trouble?’

 

She was grateful for the consideration, but at the same time, it was strange.

 

‘He must have noticed that he ran away.’

 

Despite this, Lycaon didn’t seem to care much about Fresa’s past. Rather, he was busy explaining what kind of life he had lived and what he had been through.

 

“Thanks to you, I survived. In fact, I had almost given up on life.”

 

Just then, Lycaon finished speaking. Fresa listened to his story in silence, then nodded her head.

 

“You really got poisoned after killing the dragon.”

 

“The nobles who were trying to keep the emperor in check took my illness as a weakness, so I had no choice but to come here.”

 

Lycaon’s voice was calm. Only then did Fresa understand his situation. From the beginning, he didn’t think he was an ordinary person. But she didn’t know he was such a great person. Fresa took a sip of warm medicinal tea, still in a dazed mood. And she asked the question again.

 

“So are you returning to the Empire now?”

 

Lycaon smiled a strange, meaningless smile.

 

“Well.”

 

“Now that you have recovered to some extent, shouldn’t you go back?”

 

“Well.”

 

“…Are you kidding me?”

 

Fresa’s eyes narrowed. It was because of Lycaon’s ambiguous attitude. Then Lycaon leaned his upper body forward. The distance between the two people at the small table suddenly narrowed. Lycaon asked back with a deep smile and widened eyes.

 

“What do you want me to do?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you want me to go back or do you want me to stay here?”

 

Fresa didn’t know why he was asking her that. Fresa tried to guess what Lycaon was thinking. But Lycaon was just smiling like a fox. There was one questionable point.

 

‘It’s so different from the Grand Duke of the Grenadines depicted in the original work.’

 

Many people, including Rowan, called the Grand Duke of the Grenadines the ‘White Devil.’ Emperor Kancher’s dog, without blood or tears, who only works for profit. However, the Lycaon whom Fresa had observed so far was not that kind of person. Rather, he was a weak and kind person who was addicted to dragon poison and could not control himself. Although of course he could be inscrutable sometimes.

 

‘Could the original work and reality be this different?’

 

Perhaps the problem lies in the parts that are not included in the novel. There must be limits to expressing all characters three-dimensionally, so wouldn’t that be the case for Lycaon as well?

 

‘Still, the difference is too big.’

 

White devil.

 

It’s true that it’s white, but it’s a bit difficult to accept the word “devil.” 

 

‘The kingdom is keeping the empire in check, so false rumors may have spread.’

 

In any case, the man now sitting in front of Fresa, smiling with his chin rest on, was far from a devil.

 

“Resa, aren’t you going to answer?”

 

Lycaon’s soft voice interrupted Fresa’s thoughts. Fresa stared at him blankly and then blinked.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

 

“What is the answer?”

 

“To tell you the truth, it was a bit difficult because there were no staff at the pharmacy. However, if I were to hire a new person, it would be difficult to trust anyone right now…”

 

“I won’t go.”

 

Lycaon blurted out before Fresa could finish her sentence. Fresa opened her mouth slightly, not about to add a few words to her sentence.

 

“What?”

 

“You said there is no other employee as competent as me. So, I will keep working.”

 

“Ah yes. Yes?”

 

Fresa was dumbfounded. Wasn’t he deciding so easily? Lycaon was still holding his handsome face like a flower with both hands. It was a look on his face that she couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking.

 

Fresa asked again suspiciously.

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“Of course.”

 

It was a firm tone. Fresa looked into the eyes of Lycaon, who looked a bit tired.

 

“Why…”

 

“Well. If I have to give a reason to accept it…”

 

Rattling, squeaking. The wooden chair was pushed back. Lycaon came up to Fresa’s side and knelt down on one of his knees. Fresa turned her head and looked at him. Their eyes met at close range.

 

“Because I want to do that.”

 

After Lycaon’s words, an awkward silence fell between the two. Fresa wriggled her fingers under the table, searching for something to say. However, the only sentence that comes to mind was:

 

“The tomatoes Mr. Lycaon left behind.”

 

Lycaon stared at Fresa intently. Fresa smiled brightly and continued speaking.

 

“It was delicious.”

 

Lycaon laughed softly at the words that came out of nowhere.

 

“…These are imperial tomatoes. It’s also top-notch.”

 

“For some reason, it didn’t taste like the tomatoes I bought at the market.”

 

It was an effort to change the topic and atmosphere, but Lycaon was no longer accepting it. He quietly called Fresa with a smiling face.

 

“Resa.”

 

Lycaon was still sitting low down next to Fresa. Fresa was embarrassed and only scrubbed a clean teacup.

 

“To be honest, I wish you would come with me to the Empire.”

 

“The Empire. It’s so sudden. For what reason?”

 

Lycaon answered straight away as if he had prepared everything in advance.

 

“Because your skills are too valuable to stay here.”

 

Fresa looked at Lycaon with a troubled expression.

 

Kancher Empire. A strange country she had never been to.

 

Fresa was satisfied with her current life. Although it was a little difficult because the flying insects suddenly became entangled. Jerome had sorted things out, so now all Rowan had to do was finish his honeymoon and go back.

 

Fresa shook her head.

 

“I have just started a new life here. I haven’t even completed Daisy’s medicine that I promised, my lord.”

 

“I’m not saying you have to decide right away. If you change your mind, let me know anytime. I’ll wait as long as I can.”

 

Lycaon’s expression was quite serious. Fresa blinked her eyes slowly and then shrugged.

 

“Then I’ll think of it as insurance.”

 

“I’m glad to have your insurance.”

 

She hoped he didn’t say things like this with a smile on your face. Fresa gently held Lycaon’s shoulders with both hands and spoke with a serious face.

 

“Mr. Lycaon, are you by any chance not a white devil but a white fox?”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Lycaon slightly tilted his head as if he had no idea. His soft white hair glided. Fresa sighed lightly.

 

“It’s nothing. Anyway, what about Mr. Zed?”

 

“Ah, Zed.”

 

Lycaon seemed to have finally remembered Zed’s existence.

 

“He’s probably coming hard on a boat. No need to worry.”

 

“Mr. Lycaon flies comfortably using magic, and Mr. Zed comes by boat?”

 

“It can’t be helped. If you can’t use magic, you have no choice but to run on your feet.”

 

Lycaon stood up with his indifferent expression on his face. Fresa clicked her tongue at that shameless and obvious attitude.

 

‘Poor Zed.’

 

It would take a long time to take a boat to get from the empire to Faro Village. She hoped he didn’t get seasick.

 

* * *

 

Fresa calculated how much money she had earned so far. Soon after, her complexion suddenly darkened.

 

‘The expenses are bigger!’

 

She couldn’t make up even half of the money she spent on buying a house and materials in Faro village.

 

‘There’s a problem with the Thorpe family, so I’ll have to wait longer to dispose of the jewels.’

 

When he suffered from financial difficulties, he would move around his assets, making it easy for him to be tracked down.

 

‘There will be a lot of money to spend in the future… Just operating a pharmacy is not enough.’

 

Of course, she was proud to be helpful to the people of this village. Still, she needed a more certain future. Something that could last and make money for a long time. The timing was perfect, as we had to avoid pesky Rowan Gillespie for the time being anyway.

 

“Starting today, we will develop new drugs.”

 

“What medicine is it?”

 

Lycaon, who had just arrived at work, asked as he put down a basket full of warm bread. And he handed Fresa a piece of bread. Fresa answered as she received the warm, freshly baked bread.

 

“I was thinking about a recipe, and there is an energy recovery drink made with mint. Also…”

 

“Also?”

 

“I’m thinking of making a hair loss treatment.”

 

Fresa munched on her bread and answered seriously. Lycaon’s expression became strange when he heard the words “hair loss treatment ointment.”

 

“…It’s very groundbreaking.”

 

Fresa swallowed the bread and then opened her mouth.

 

“I heard that many noble men suffer from stress due to hair loss.”

 

“Well, that’s definitely true. There are a lot of them in the empire too. Bald head.”

 

“There is even a study in the Kingdom that shows that men with thicker hair tend to have more successful marriages.”

 

“That’s right… It’s an interesting study.”

 

Lycaon muttered softly and reflexively touched her hair. And he looked slightly relieved. Fresa said proudly, glancing at his rich, soft hair.

 

“I even decided on a name.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Peppermint water and Zara hair ointment. How is it?”

 

Lycaon blinked without answering.

 

‘What is this lukewarm response?’

 

Fresa’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Isn’t that a good name?”

 

“Oh, it’s not like that, but it’s so… Because it’s intuitive.”

 

“The more you do that, the longer it will remain in your memory.”

 

Fresa nodded her head confidently. Lycaon looked somewhat reluctant, but he soon accepted it.

 

“Then what can I do?”

 

“Mr. Lycaon, can you get me these ingredients? Because it’s not available in drugstores.”

 

Fresa handed over a previously written note. It was a note with items to buy written on it.

 

“All right. I’ll be back soon, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

 

Lycaon looked at Fresa as if he was worried. In fact, Lycaon himself, who said that, was not in very good health. He had been treating Fresa like a weakling since last time, which was absurd because Fresa was so strong.

 

‘Who are you worried about?’

 

Fresa shook her head and saw Lycaon off.

 

“Mr. Lycaon, be careful. Don’t use magic when you haven’t recovered yet.”

 

“Then, instead of using magic, I will walk on my strong legs.”

 

Lycaon grinned and he soon left the pharmacy. Fresa looked at his back and hurried down to the basement.

 

‘I’ll try making it soon.’

 

Peppermint water and sleep ointment for the hair.

 

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Translator Note: