Chapter 17

Evan was soon heard softly breathing and falling back asleep, satisfied with my presence beside him. I gazed intently at Evan’s sleeping face. The gaze that should have been fixed on my book refused to leave Evan’s face.

“Be strong.”

I’ll make the medicine for you soon.

I vowed it to myself and wished he would have good dreams.

Knock. Knock.

A small knock on the door sounded then. I flinched, and Evan’s eyes shot open.

At that moment, the distance between Evan and me was quite close. I awkwardly jerked my hand away.

Evan spoke in a voice that was annoyed and sleepy all at once.

“Who is it?”

“Young Master, it is I.”

The voice belonged to the attending physician, Baron Perio.

“I came when I heard the Young Lady has arrived. And also to deliver the medicine.”

“Yes, please come in.”

“……”

I heard a crunching sound behind me. I wondered what the noise was and turned around, but there was only a smiling Evan. Baron Perio leisurely stroked his beard and chuckled.

“It’s all for the Young Master, so please endure it a little longer.”

Baron Perio, who gave Evan a hearty laugh, then turned to me with a serious expression and asked me various things. The Baron was fascinated by the knowledge I possessed and was incorporating different things into Evan’s medicine.

I intended to give him all my information if Evan’s condition improved, so we often had deep conversations. Last time, I had told him the formula for the medicine that maintained my own body, and he immediately made the drug. Not stopping there, he mixed in other herbs to create an even more potent medicine.

The reason Evan was sleeping more and his complexion was improving was all due to the medicine. However, for some reason, Evan seemed to dislike sleeping so much.

“Yes, that is a good method too!”

“As expected, conversing with the Young Lady always brings new combinations to mind.”

The same went for me. But that’s all there is to it. A formula isn’t just about knowing the herbs. The medicine doesn’t suddenly pop into existence just by throwing herbs into a jar and stirring them well, like in a game. The formula differs depending on which part of the plant to use, how much quantity is needed, and whether it should be consumed as a powder or boiled down.

“I feel lucky to have you, Baron. Thanks to you, Evan’s condition is improving.”

“Haha…. The Young Master is fortunate. Is he not receiving the Young Lady’s affection?”

“Ah, no, not to that extent…”

Baron Perio stroked his beard with a sly smile. Feeling self-conscious, I massaged my neck. Of course, I loved Evan, my favorite character, but my guilt was greater than that.

However, a moment later, Perio’s laughing face darkened. There was hesitation in the hand that slowly stroked his beard.

“Regarding the poisonous herb you mentioned, Young Lady. Truly, no one knows of it.”

“Ah… that’s a shame.”

“Indeed. If, as the Young Lady says, it is the main ingredient for the antidote, we must find it. Yet, no one seems to know of it…”

A poisonous herb that even famous physicians don’t know about… We might find it someday, but how quickly we find it was what mattered.

The poisonous herb I asked Baron Perio about. It was the Lily of the Valley that blooms under the full moon.

There is a saying that poison should be cured with poison. To suppress the Alosi poison and further neutralize its effect, we needed the Lily of the Valley that blooms under the full moon, a poisonous herb with detoxifying properties.

The Lily of the Valley that blooms under the full moon. It was different from a common Lily of the Valley. As the name suggests, it blooms under the full moon and is yellow. In the game, during the story progression, the kind heroine helps an old woman and receives the most precious item, one she values more than her life: a pendant her husband gave her.

Adorning that pendant was the Lily of the Valley that blooms under the full moon. Her husband had accidentally obtained the flower, dried it, and used it as a decoration.

Though discovered by chance, the heroine realizes that the flower is an unknown poisonous herb she has never seen before. She experimented with it as a medicinal ingredient, and the result was the only antidote to the Alosi poison.

However, that incident happens when the heroine is eighteen. It is hard to find the old woman, who lives in an unknown location. It was more convenient to find the poisonous herb, whose exact name was known.

And no one could guarantee that the antidote would magically appear in one go, like in the game! In other words, I needed to figure out the location of the Lily of the Valley that blooms under the full moon. But…

No matter how much I searched and searched, there was no sign of it appearing!

‘Should I search every mountain on the night of the full moon…?’

I had held out a little hope. I let out a long sigh.

“It can’t be helped… I didn’t expect it to be easy to find.”

“If that is the key to the antidote, we must find it…”

Perio and I pondered together.

“Ah, Baron.”

“…?”

“Please speak casually to me. You don’t have to use honorifics with me all the time.”

“Hmm… but.”

Perio strangely glanced behind me, at Evan.

Although Perio’s rank was lower than that of an Count, the fact that he was a noble under the Duke’s family placed him quite high in position.

“I feel like if I had a grandfather, he would be a person like Baron Perio…”

My answer didn’t seem too bad; he showed a sign of hesitation.

There was a reason I suggested speaking casually to Baron Perio. It was because I wanted to approach him more warmly. As the attending physician, he would have a lot of interaction with me in the future, especially if the heroine joined him as an assistant.

I want him to think well of me. Who knows if even such small things could be a bonus? No one disliked being treated cordially.

Moreover, perhaps because of the memory of my past life, it felt awkward for me to be spoken to honorifically by an older person. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have grandchildren my age.

When I kept urging him, Perio grinned and said, “Frankly, it was killing me with awkwardness. I maintained my manners because there was a guest, but it’s really not my style. I won’t mind the Young Master’s presence anymore.”

“Huh?”

I fully turned my head and looked at Evan. And I witnessed a slightly crumpled frown. What’s more, he still hadn’t taken the medicine.

“Evan, aren’t you going to take your medicine?”

He was standing with his arms crossed, as if something displeased him. Evan looked up at me briefly, then lowered his eyes and said, “Ah…”

“Evan, you have to take your medicine consistently to get better.”

I encouraged him, sensing his reluctance to take it. Eventually, Evan took the medicine.

“They say things that are good for the body are bitter… but this is too bitter.”

Seeing Evan furrow his brow, I realized I had been inconsiderate. I hastily rummaged through my pocket. I often carried small candies or chocolates with me to eat when taking bitter medicine.

However, my pocket was empty.

“Why are you behaving this way? You usually take it well…”

“Do you have any candy or chocolate?”

“……”

As I was about to pressure Baron Perio, who hadn’t answered, Evan spoke from behind.

“It’s okay. Instead, could I lean on Lep a little?”

“Yes! Of course!”

I tightly hugged Evan’s body as he leaned into me. He was still frowning, as if trying to push away the bitter taste left in his mouth. My heart ached for him, and I gently stroked his hair.

“Lep is much more effective than candy or chocolate…”

Effective? I tilted my head. I wouldn’t clean out his mouth or taste sweet, so what did he mean?

I heard a sound of “Honestly” from behind me.

“Ah, right. I almost forgot this news.”

Perio, who smiled like a mischievous child, said.

“We haven’t found the location of the poisonous herb, but a solution has emerged. I spoke to His Grace well, so go and visit him.”

“Excuse me?”

“There is probably a gift for the Young Lady.”

I was flustered by the Duke’s sudden appearance in the conversation. The hand that was stroking Evan’s hair stopped. He should have told me that sooner! I didn’t know what the gift for me was, but it must be something I needed, right?

“Didn’t the Young Lady mention something the other day? I told His Grace that story, and he said he had a method. Anyway, go see His Grace when you have time. Oh dear, my back hurts. I have mountains of work these days.”

Perio seemed to have come just to deliver that piece of information. As soon as he finished his message to me, he left again. With a wish for me to have a good time.

“Lep? …Keep going.”

What I had asked Baron Perio about was the whereabouts of the Lily of the Valley. But he had said he hadn’t found the location. Yet, a gift?

I became intensely curious about the gift the Duke was giving me.

Lost in my own imagination, I anxiously wished the gift was the medicinal herbs from the Zeiran Empire that I had separately requested. The Lily of the Valley blooming under the full moon was important, but other herbs only found in the Zeiran Empire were needed to manufacture the antidote.

Evan looked up at me with a pitiful expression, but I was in such a hurry that I suppressed the urge to reach out and said, “Evan, I’m sorry. I’m going to see the Duke for a moment.”

“……”

I rushed out of the room, not noticing Evan’s fierce expression and the low sigh he let out.

As I left, the butler was standing right outside the door. I managed to suppress a scream of surprise. The butler calmly said, “Are you not going to see His Grace?”

“Ah… yes, I am.”

The butler nodded and guided me.

We soon arrived at the Duke’s office, and as I entered, the Duke scanned me with his eyes. The butler guided me to a sofa and served me a cup of tea.