Chapter 26

“More precisely, they covet Pat’s ability.”

I had told him that I needed him, that I would never covet his children. Tears welled in his eyes, and he nodded. I hid the truth behind a smile.

‘I can take a few to make an antidote… It’s just compensation for the investment. I’m not coveting them.’

I kept my mouth shut. Then his hand cautiously reached out. My hand and Pat’s small hand touched. When we shook hands—his voice trembling as he asked me to take care of him—the door opened. The duke was standing there.

“Looks like things have been resolved.”

“Yes!”

I smiled brightly. An unintended good worker… no, companion had joined us.

Pat, skilled in poisonous herbs, and the heroine, skilled in medicinal ones. A perfect combination. Now all that remained was to bring the heroine in. And another talented person I would need to lead my merchant guild with me came to mind.

‘Everything is going smoothly.’

A gentle breeze brushed past, as if blessing me.

***

In a tiny, tiny village, there lived a girl who had lost her parents and was being raised by her grandmother. The only problem was that her grandmother’s health was poor, and she constantly coughed.

The girl was worried. Terrified that her grandmother might leave her just like her parents did.

So she decided to help with her grandmother’s work. Her grandmother was the village’s only apothecary and healed people’s illnesses. Yet she couldn’t cure her own.

The girl worried endlessly. And as she helped her grandmother, she developed an interest in the work—gathering herbs and making medicine with her small, clumsy hands in place of her grandmother.

Eventually, her grandmother became so weak she could barely move. Her notebook became the girl’s only guide.

Then—

The door burst open. The girl’s head snapped up in surprise.

There stood another small girl, just her size. The newcomer’s eyes curved beautifully when she smiled.

“Elena, right?”

The girl, pounding herbs with a pestle, stared blankly at the princess-like visitor.

“Yes… but who are you?”

“Me? Hmm… how should I put this…”

The pink-haired girl propped her chin on her hand, thinking. The man beside her was hiding behind her small frame.

“What? There’s only a kid here… Didn’t you say you hired someone amazing?”

“What are you talking about? She’s right there.”

“That kid?”

Elena blinked as the strange girl called her amazing. She flailed her hands, flustered, but the girl remained firm.

“You’re amazing. You’re basically responsible for the health of this entire village, aren’t you?”

“I’m only doing it because of my grandmother…”

The pink-haired girl tilted her head, as if that didn’t matter at all.

“But you are doing it. And all the villagers said you were incredible. Anyway—I’m here to scout you!”

“S-scout me?”

“Yes. I’ll take responsibility for your grandmother’s health. In return, you’ll work for me. You want to be an apothecary, right? I know a great physician. You can work as an assistant there for a bit, and next year, we’ll attend the Academy together. I need someone like you.”

Elena stared blankly up at her. The girl’s smiling face was dazzling. And she knew the Academy—every commoner did. It was a place ordinary people could barely even dream of.

“But… what’s so amazing about me…”

“Well, I’m looking for someone who knows herbs well. Someone precious to me is sick. But there’s no antidote. I’m searching for the person who can make it. And I believe that person is you.”

The pink-haired girl spoke brightly and offered her hand. Elena could only stare, stunned.

She couldn’t understand why this stranger was calling her amazing or giving her a chance to chase her dream. But it was an opportunity—a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Commoners could enter the Academy. But without a noble sponsor, it was practically impossible.

“I… I could really go to the Academy…?”

She swallowed the last part of the question. It was hard to trust people who barged into her home so suddenly. But the girl didn’t back away; she extended her hand again, confidently—and respectfully, saying she would honor Elena’s choice.

The sight was dazzling. Elena couldn’t refuse.

Her grandmother would be healed, and she could chase her dream.

‘She doesn’t look like someone who would lie.’

The man beside her smelled distinctly of earth. Slowly, Elena reached out.

That was how Lepina and Elena first met.

***

And just like that, five years passed. Time flew by. It felt like only yesterday that Evan collapsed after drinking poisoned tea, yet it’d already been five years.

I wished he would recover quickly, but even after all this time, his condition was still fragile—though far better than before. Now he could leave his bed for short periods and even swing a sword occasionally. I came early one day to surprise him, only to find him training with a sword in the courtyard. I nearly fainted.

That was the first time I’d genuinely scolded him.

Even if he was sick, moving a little was necessary. And that’s why I walk with him every day.

Right now, I was quietly watching Elena work beside Baron Perio, diligently making medicine.

Elena was truly incredible—a perfect heroine. Compared to her, I was basically someone using cheat-sheet knowledge. I only remembered things from the game and used that information to make medicine and identify herbs and poisons.

But Elena made her medicine by utilizing the knowledge she had learned to the fullest. Perio was also very fond of Elena.

With the knowledge she gained at the Academy and Perio’s expertise, she absorbed everything like a sponge. She still had one semester before graduation, but she was already recognized for her excellence and officially appointed the physician of the ducal house at a young age. No longer a mere assistant—now a full physician.

‘She caused me plenty of trouble in the beginning.’

When she first came to the capital, young Elena was timid and wouldn’t leave my side. I barely managed to coax her into becoming Perio’s assistant.

And we ran into issues when searching for her job. She wanted to work for the Clies household—which wasn’t my plan at all. I wanted Evan completely cured, and we already had a designated family physician. In the end, Elena became part of my merchant guild while working as the ducal physician.

By the way, the guild was thriving.

Having the game knowledge was convenient. I knew exactly what each character would do in the future.

Which is why, when I visited Liphas Village, I brought back Eldan—the heroine’s childhood friend who would one day become a merchant and dream of seeing the world.

He ended up becoming my right hand. Honestly, he probably had more influence than I did, since I rarely showed up at the guild. Smart as hell, too. He grew the shop so well that it upgraded from the Gron Merchant Guild to the Grow Merchant Guild.

My role was still herb cultivation and management. Everything else—I dumped on Eldan.

As for Pat, he couldn’t handle the growing number of people and the bustling guild, so we created a separate position for him. He was a key figure in making Evan’s antidote, so I kept him close. Now he teaches poisonous herbs at the Academy and manages the greenhouse.

‘He’s basically climbing the ladder of success, huh…’

He often grumbled about having to grow medicinal herbs now too, not just poisonous ones. I ignored him. He was a pain when he complained, but undeniably capable.

He even handled the connection with Zeiran Empire—our guild was the first to break into their trade network, all thanks to him. He grew plants well, found poisonous herbs, and opened foreign trade routes.

‘A very useful worker indeed.’

He resisted at first, but after I threatened him, he behaved.

What threat?

I told him if he didn’t like it, he could leave the greenhouse.

Leave the greenhouse—and all the plants behind.

Since the greenhouse was on my land, the poisonous herbs technically belonged to me. And the greenhouse too; the duke and my father helped me get it built.

Pat had nowhere else to go, so he had no choice but to agree. Of course, I paid him generously. I always reward people properly.

“Lady, is this correct?”

Elena handed me the medicine she made. Though she could’ve asked Perio, she always brought it to me first.

She had changed a lot. When she first arrived, she lacked confidence and could barely speak without stuttering. She was so shy that it took her three months to open up to Evan.

We were the same age, but she had been such a cute kid. It felt like ages ago now.

She used to call me “My lady, my lady” in that adorable voice—and I had to resist the urge to pinch her cheeks. She followed me everywhere like I was the only person she could rely on. I took good care of her. If I’d had a little sister, I imagined she’d be exactly like Elena.

But now she had grown into someone who exuded intellect and professionalism, fully embracing her role as a physician. Watching her made me smile with pride.