chapter 11
Two days ago, I finally managed to make the medicine after great effort.
“Come here, Felitz.”
When I called with sunken eyes, Felitz flinched, his expression uneasy.
“W-why?”
“We need to check if the medicine turned out well.”
“W-wait a moment. Won’t I die if I drink that?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Don’t you trust me?”
“I-I do trust you. Sister is the world’s most perfect poison maker, no, medicine maker. B-but why am I the test subject instead of you…”
“I just recovered from pneumonia not long ago. The doctor told me to rest.”
“That’s selective rest…”
“Open your mouth now.”
“Eek!”
Felitz trembled in fear but eventually had to open his mouth obediently.
And after taking the medicine I made, Felitz’s skin improved greatly.
It improved so much that his once harsh impression looked quite soft now.
“Huhuhu… Kuhahahahaha!”
“Ugh, sister! It’s too scary when you laugh like that. Please do something about your own skin first!”
After restoring my skin which had become haggard from staying up for several nights, I also delivered the medicine to Emily.
Even that small, cute pimple that was Emily’s greatest concern on earth disappeared.
And today, I participated in the Foundation Day celebration ball as Emily’s maid.
Since Lady Jella Serk, Baroness, was officially a lady who couldn’t have her debutante ball, she couldn’t dance holding hands with gentlemen.
I didn’t intend to enjoy the ball in the first place, so I just sipped champagne in a corner and watched people.
‘Everyone’s smiling.’
My mood improved, and a small smile settled on my lips too.
“Will we not be able to see the three heroes together this time either?”
“I heard Sir Cail Aleret has already sent his regrets…”
“As for His Holiness Pope Yupheon…”
I could hear people’s whispers full of disappointment.
It was quite fortunate for me.
‘Because I’d hate to run into Yupheon and Cail even more than Niel Alpenhayer.’
Yupheon and I had grown up together since we were very young.
There was a time when we were each other’s only friend and family, but in the end, it didn’t end well.
And Cail…
“I will… never forgive you. “
When I recalled his last gaze, glaring at me with resentful eyes, I felt a pang in my chest.
This was probably guilt.
‘I should have never treated him well.’
I should have beaten him and been mean like the original Jella…
‘No, how could I!’
I shook my head vigorously, briefly recalling Cail’s eyes that looked like an abandoned puppy when I first met him.
To avoid his gaze that kept coming to mind, I deliberately focused on other thoughts.
‘The imperial palace building is still the same. Why didn’t they build a new one?’
In the original story, they built a new building after Jella’s death.
Especially the scene where they built a golden palace resembling Yuria and dedicated it to her was a part that vividly shows Niel’s love for Yuria…
“Entering His Majesty Emperor Niel Alpenhayer, the brightest and greatest sun of the Empire!”
At this moment, a resounding cry broke my reverie.
Niel was entering with that graceful gait of his that was always elegant to see.
I could see Duke Clarence and Emily approaching him.
But at that moment, Niel hesitated.
He suddenly turned his head and our eyes met.
I grinned at him and gave him a thumbs-up.
Niel froze, overwhelmed by my perfect mission accomplishment.
‘Huhu, 3 million gold… Huhuhuhuhu…’
I felt good thinking about the 3 million gold I would soon receive from him.
‘Oh right, the setting was that Niel Alpenhayer doesn’t know me.’
I lowered my hand which had been giving a thumbs up, remembering that I had worn a magic bracelet that hid my identity whenever I met him until now.
After all, it wasn’t Niel Alpenhayer who had given me the request, but the imperial errand boy ‘El’…
‘Well, I guess this much would have looked natural.’
I slipped out of the ballroom before the musicians started playing for the first dance.
The reason I had obediently followed to the ballroom today in the first place was to show the perfect result of my mission accomplishment directly to my client of the precious 3 million gold.
‘Since I’ve shown the result to the client, there’s no need to stay any longer.’
As I was feeling the cold night air, something cold fell on my cheek.
When I looked up, snow was falling from the dark night sky.
I quietly raised my hand and watched the white snow settle on my palm.
‘It snowed that day too.’
As I was recalling that clear winter day when my last memory was cut off.
Grab!
Startled by the hand grasping my wrist, I turned my head.
And there was Niel, breathing heavily.
‘Huh, what? Why are you here? What about Emily?’
I looked at him with wide eyes.
Meanwhile, this thorough guy had appeared wearing the magic bracelet again.
“What’s going on?”
“…?”
He asked what I wanted to ask. I just blinked, not understanding.
“The request.”
He asked again, biting his lower lip hard.
“I completed the request perfectly.”
“…Didn’t I ask you to make skin medication?”
He frowned, having finally caught his breath.
“Yes, so I made skin medication. Didn’t you see young lady Clarence’s face?”
“She looked in very good condition. As if she had applied honey on her face.”
“That’s right. It’s the new honey-glow skin medicine I developed this time. It’s a special remedy that instantly removes all facial troubles and makes the skin smooth and shiny as if honey was applied!”
“…Hah.”
At my explanation, Niel suddenly touched his forehead and let out a cold sigh.
“Really, you…”
“What?”
“Never mind…”
“What do you mean never mind? What about my 3 million gold?”
I raised my voice and grabbed his collar at his attitude of responding in a somehow resigned voice.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to pretend you don’t know about the 3 million gold now, you scoundrel!”
“No, I will keep my promise…”
It was at this moment.
‘Killing intent…?’
I turned my head sharply to look at the dark bushes, feeling the chilling killing intent clearly perceptible even in the darkness.
Whoosh… Whoosh! Whoosh!
Small daggers the size of fingers, filled with venom, flew in succession.
“Huh?”
I reflexively deflected them without thinking.
Thud, thud, thud.
The daggers that hit my hand lost their force and fell down.
A brief silence settled around for a moment.
‘Assassination? Is there a madman trying to assassinate the emperor in the imperial palace?’
As Niel and I lost words at the sudden situation and were sharply staring at the dark bushes,
“Crazy bastard. You’ve got a long lifeline.”
With a rustling sound, a man’s figure emerged from between them.
“Were you busy womanizing in the meantime? Wearing a magic stone to hide your identity…”
The man who suddenly met my eyes stopped talking.
“Uh…”
He froze on the spot upon seeing my face, blinked a couple of times and groaned, then
“…P-please save me. An assassin is chasing me.”
He suddenly changed his expression and pleaded in a weak voice.
I released Niel’s collar that I had been grabbing with one hand until then, and looked at the man with narrowed eyes.
“An assassin, is chasing you?”
“Yes, an assassin…”
In the man’s hand, who was imitating a frightened voice, was an object that looked like a weapon no matter how you looked at it.
When I stared at it, the man swallowed hard and trembled his large doe-like eyes.
“Ah…”
Fluffy pink hair. Clear and holy golden eyes like glass beads. A beauty with a pure yet decadent, dual atmosphere.
The man I had thought I didn’t want to run into until just a moment ago.
Yupheon Arne fell towards me with exaggerated gestures that anyone could see were awkward.
“I’m so dizzy from experiencing such a frightening thing…”
Thud!
Because I stepped back just before he could reach me, his large body fell face-down on the ground with a thud.
Clang.
The object that looked like a weapon no matter how you looked at it rolled on the ground with him.
Niel and I simultaneously had the same thought with the same expression.
‘What is this stupid idiot doing.’
