Chapter 12
A Deadly Drug?
So does that mean Bartholomew’s emergency medicine was actually poison?
As Lucy looked at Cecil with that question in mind, he opened his mouth again.
“It was once used as a painkiller,” he said. “However, after its strong toxicity was discovered, it fell out of use.”
Examining the vial, Cecil continued,
“If you keep taking it without knowing, you could lose your life. That’s why it’s classified as a deadly drug.”
Cecil wondered why Lucy was in possession of something so dangerous.
“Have you taken this?”
If the pain had been unbearable, she might have reached for it.
Lucy shook her head.
After all, Cecil checked on her condition every day. There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed if she had been suffering severe pain.
“It’s hard to come by these days. Who on earth gave this to you?”
A deep crease formed between Cecil’s brows.
“The person who gave you this likely intended to harm you.”
His voice grew more serious.
“This is not something that should be overlooked.”
Seeing how resolute Cecil was, Lucy felt flustered.
In the first place, the vial belonged to Bartholomew.
So someone tricked Bartholomew into taking a deadly drug…
Lucy shook her head lightly and reached out toward the vial.
Cecil pulled the hand holding it back.
“It’s dangerous. I’ll take care of it.”
He tucked the vial into his clothes.
“Please tell me who gave you this medicine.”
This was not a trivial matter.
Harming a member of the imperial family was a grave crime.
If Lucy, knowing nothing, had taken it, she would have lost her life without ever knowing the cause.
At Cecil’s questioning, Lucy slowly blinked.
Is he… worried about me right now?
Her eyes sparkled with expectation as she looked at him.
Even without her saying anything, Cecil could easily guess what she was thinking.
He cleared his throat softly.
“I’m merely acting as a healer. I cannot stand by and watch a deadly drug circulate as a treatment.”
Though Cecil deliberately spoke in a colder tone, Lucy didn’t mind at all.
Come on, he’s definitely worried about me.
Looks like he’d never let it slide if he found out who gave me this.
That item I found for him last time must have meant a lot to Cecil.
Perfect.
I’ll use this chance to raise Cecil’s affection even more.
Thinking of how her affection score had risen when she smiled earlier, Lucy smiled again.
However, her scheming smile backfired.
Ding!
[Affection change detected!]
[Cecil’s affection has decreased.]
[Affection: ?? → Affection: ??]
Huh?
This time it went down?
Lucy was dumbfounded.
Cecil was truly impossible to understand.
The next morning, a visitor came to see Lucy early.
It was Bartholomew.
In a voice filled with anxiety, he asked her,
“By any chance, have you seen my vial of medicine?”
As expected, he was searching for the vial he had lost in the library.
Lucy had been planning to go find Bartholomew herself, but she hadn’t expected him to come first.
He really was that dependent on the medicine…
Without even knowing it was deadly.
Lucy guided him to the sofa and sat across from him.
“Young Master Bartholomew. How long have you been taking that medicine?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because that medicine is a deadly drug.”
Lucy spoke firmly.
“It does ease pain, but its toxicity is so strong that it can endanger your life.”
Bartholomew’s eyes widened slightly.
“You thought you were taking medicine, but in truth, it was no different from poison.”
Watching him carefully, Lucy asked,
“Who gave you that medicine? The person who handed it to you intended to harm you.”
“……”
“Could it be that because of that medicine, your body ended up like this—”
“That’s not the case.”
Bartholomew cut her off.
He fell silent, lost in thought for a moment.
Then he lifted the corner of his lips into a crooked smile.
“So, it was a deadly drug.”
He murmured to himself, then raised his gaze to Lucy.
His blue eyes had sunk into a dark calm.
“How did you find out?”
Lucy explained that she had learned it through her personal healer, Cecil.
“Your personal healer… you mean that white-haired healer?”
Lucy’s eyes went round.
“You know Cecil?”
Bartholomew replied that he only knew his face.
“What did you do with the medicine?”
“Cecil took it, saying it was dangerous.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to go to him to get it back.”
“You’re not thinking of taking it again, right?”
Lucy asked, her face filled with disbelief.
“I’m not foolish enough to take something once I know it’s a deadly drug.”
Bartholomew stood up.
“I owe Her Highness a great debt.”
Lucy was about to wave it off, saying it wasn’t that big of a deal, when—
“At the imperial banquet, I will serve as Her Highness’s dance partner.”
“What? Really?!”
The unexpected words made Lucy’s face light up brightly.
She jumped to her feet.
“Thank you, Young Master Bartholomew!”
Clasping her hands together, she looked at him with an emotional expression.
Bartholomew only stared at the delighted Lucy with a stiff face.
Bartholomew went straight to see Cecil.
Cecil was puzzled when he saw Bartholomew standing before him.
Since Bartholomew received treatment in the special care ward, there was usually no reason for them to meet.
Ah—there was one time.
On the day Lucy collapsed after being caught in the rain, Bartholomew had shown interest in her and spoken to him.
“I heard you took a deadly drug from Her Highness.”
Cecil’s brows drew together.
“Were you the one who gave it to Her Highness?”
At his hostile question, Bartholomew let out a small laugh.
“Of course not. That medicine is mine.”
Cecil’s eyes widened slightly.
“What were you thinking, carrying a deadly drug? Don’t tell me—you’ve already taken it?”
Instead of answering, Bartholomew held out his hand.
“It’s originally mine, so please return it.”
Cecil hesitated.
Bartholomew was not his assigned patient, so he didn’t know how far he was allowed to intervene.
If I dig too deep, I might get tangled in something troublesome.
Thinking that, Cecil retrieved the vial and handed it over.
All the while, he remained unaware that he was treating Bartholomew differently from how he had treated Lucy when she possessed the same vial.
“You must not take that medicine, nor give it to anyone else.”
At Cecil’s warning, Bartholomew nodded vaguely and accepted the vial.
He tucked it back into his clothes and headed for his room.
Despite his expressionless face, his mind was in turmoil.
He felt betrayed—and hollow.
Soon, anger surged up.
This medicine had been given to him by Duke Paradei, who claimed it was specially made just for him.
He gave me an illness, and then he gave me the medicine.
And yet, the medicine had worked.
When the excruciating pain eased after taking it, Bartholomew had even felt grateful to Duke Paradei, if only for a moment.
How foolish.
Bartholomew felt pathetic.
What had he expected from Duke Paradei?
To cling to the very person who had driven him into a dead end, as if he were a lifeline.
There was no fool greater than that.
Realizing this made Bartholomew sick of everything.
Even without going this far, I would’ve disappeared eventually.
This was surely just in case Bartholomew didn’t.
By now, Bartholomew no longer felt like enduring it.
He wanted to see Duke Paradei—who had taken him lightly—end up in trouble because of him.
And so, Bartholomew decided to grant Lucy’s request.
Duke Paradei had forbidden Bartholomew from appearing at public events.
Bartholomew had obediently complied.
He had been told since childhood, drilled into him endlessly, that this was how things should be. He had never even considered rebelling—he had simply accepted it.
Bartholomew took the vial out of his clothes.
After staring at it for a long while, he hid it deep inside his luggage.
