Published at 6th of October 2021 10:26:51 AM

Chapter 35

Ah, this is making me thirsty. Ahem

Looking at the disappointment dawning upon my face, Walter fanned the air with his hands and took the bottle of herb juice next to him, gulping it all down.

Still, no matter how much I looked at it, it didnt seem like juice.

Thats not juice, is it?

Did I get caught?

At my persistence, Walter finally relented. I brewed it a while ago. Its mixed well. Do you want a sip?

Walter offered the bottle to me.

Next time, perhaps.

I shook my head and turned him down. It wasnt a good time.

Even if I wanted to drink a bottle by myself and sit on the sidewalk as I lamented, if Camilla were to hear about how a Duchess would do that, she wouldnt let me off with just a simple scolding.

This isnt just alcohol. Its medicine. Medicine, I tell you.

Medicine?

The ingredients I used are all good for the body. What good am I if I dont do that as a pharmacist?

He smiled and took another gulp from the bottle.

Just how many bottles of that do you have?

Huh? Hmm, about seven bottles?

Saying so, he pointed to the glass bottles lined up on a shelf.

Does your wife know about this?

Of course not. Why would I tell her?

On the outside, the glass bottles had labels sorted by the date, the names of all kinds of herbs on them.

These look exactly like medicine.

Right? The color makes it look like that, too. Besides, I really only used the best medicinal herbs! Its better than some stupid medicine.

Its still a drink, though.

Whatevers in it, alcohol is either medicine or poison. But thats because I doubled the potency of this formulation, except for the toxicity of the alcohol.

Walter was overflowing with pride.

The more I drink this, the more I gain strength! Day and night! Theres no other place you can get this.

Finishing his words, he burst into laughter as he crossed his arms.

If its that good, then give me some.

What, just give you some? I used expensive ingredients! I cant give it to you for free Huh?

Realizing that it was another person that responded to him and not me, Walters voice faltered, and immediately stared at the person.

Li Lily.

Long time no see, Selena.

Its nice to see you again.

It was Walters wife, Lily, who entered the pharmacy while Walter was in the middle of bragging about his homemade liquor.

Yes Its nice to see you.

Because of the silence around us, it was easy to hear the sound of someones teeth grinding in contempt.

Walter tried to hide the bottle he held behind him, but when Lily looked sharply into his eyes, he sneaked it back up and placed it on the table.

Im here to say sorry. I shouldnt have kicked you out that time just because I was swept up by my anger.

NoIt was my fault.

I could understand Lilys feelings. I would be angry, too, if I looked after the store while my husband was off to the racetracks. Though I couldnt bear to see the scene unfold before my eyes, so I just memorized the prescription again.

Its been a while Did you both have a nice chat?

Yes, its been a long time But, I should get going. It was nice to see you again.

I slowly backed away, just as my instincts told me. Behind Lily, I could feel Walters pleading gaze, telling me not to leave him to his fate. Nonetheless, I myself had to continue to live. As they say, no one should involve themselves in a lovers quarrel.

Oh gosh, we havent seen each other for so long, so you should take a gift with you home.

A gift?

Looks like you have someone sick at home. And, this drunkard over here made a lot of healthy tea.

Lily pointed to the bottles on the shelf.

Oh.

Walters expression right now looked as if the world had ended. He was screaming quietly by himself, but Lily didnt quite seem to care.

Come now, take it! Its a small gift from us. Isnt that right, darling?

O-of course. It wont be a waste if you take it, Selena.

Thats right. Youre a great pharmacist, so you know how to make everything, from painkillers to stomach medicine.

Lily shifted her gaze from her husband to me.

So, go ahead and take it. I want to do this much for you, dear. Youve worked so hard for such a long time.

As she said that, Lily walked over to the shelf and started taking the glass bottles one after another.

Walter was forced to help his wife with the rest of the glass bottles she couldnt carry by herself.

Are you sure I can have it?

I asked Walter carefully. Although Walter right now seemed to have had all his energy sucked out, as if his blood were all gone.

Yes, of course. Id be delighted if you took these off my hands, Selena

Walter continued to mutter gloomily. Ill be fine

As Lily continued to glare at her husband, I obediently picked up the bottles.

Thank you, then.

On our way back to the estate in the carriage, I said nothing.

Rona sat in front of me and was quiet as well, watching me as I was extremely serious.

It seemed as though she was curious about where I had been and what I had been doing, but she didnt say anything because of the sombre atmosphere.

Was I mistaken?

I could feel my determination loosen up within me just as the energy I had slowly drained. Raymond should be a good doctor, then, seeing as he didnt do anything to the medicine.

Regardless, he was still the most likely suspect to poison Amoide.

Who else was there? Or maybemy hunch was just all wrong? Amoide might die right on schedule, and that means Ill die as well.

Ive thought about it a lot.

Maybe once were dead, Camilla would want to bury her daughter-in-law and her son together in a fit of rage. She could kill me in any way, not just poison! Of course, that meant Id be murdered.

I turned my attention to Rona, who was sitting across from me.

The country I was in right now, though illegal, had an active slave market. It was a place where you could throw away anyone none-the-wiser, and it would be easy to dispose of someone like me as if I were a lowly rat or bird.

Milady, is something the matter?

Huh? No.

But, what are all these? She asked, tapping on the bottles that were on the carriage floor.

Thats

I didnt know what to answer, so I hesitated.

Its a gift.

Well, I wasnt wrong.

However, the gift-giver looked as if he were handing over his children

What would Rona think if she came to know that I was on my way back to the estate with seven bottles of liquor? I decided to downplay it.

Its a herbal concoction. I heard its hard to get anywhere else.

I was thinking of how to get rid of these, but Rona suddenly replied with an excited voice.

This is alcohol, right?

Of course, Rona saw through me right away.

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How did you know? I asked in surprise.

How could I not know?

Her eyes flashed as if she were a snake in front of a rabbit.

Ah, yes, well. Youre right.

I forgot that Rona was the strongest drinker you could find at the estate.

Good liquor cant hide its scent.

Where did you hear that?

What exactly did a tightly sealed glass bottle smell like?

Hmm The date it still needs to be fermented. You have to wait a bit until you drink it. She checked the labels on the bottles one by one.

Rona, you want to drink it?

Eyy, you know me well, Milady!

I know you drink well.

I smiled at her.

Drink well?

Rona tilted her head to the side in her confusion.

Ah, well, theres a word like that, too.

[T/N:Selena uses the word , which means person who drinks alcohol reeeeally well. ]

I leaned back against my seat and laughed heartily.

When its ripened, Ill give you a bottle.

Really?!

Rona squealed, placing both hands on her cheeks and letting out a scream for joy. Really, really?!

Of course.

And with a smirk, I added. To share with Robert?

Oh my gosh.

She looked ecstatically at the bottles.

Youre not going to drink any, Milady?

When will I ever drink that stuff?

You can share it with the Master!

With Amoide?

Yes While the mood is cozy, after teatime

Another fairytale was unfolding before Ronas eyes.

Thats not going to happen.

Just us two, facing each other and drinkingIt was scary just thinking about it

His attitude towards you has become much softer these days, Milady.

But, thats

At that, I gazed at my hand, the one meticulously wrapped in bandages. The injury was serving me a lot better than I expected.

It had a great effect whenever he was feisty.

It does make me a bit guilty though

Still, it was still very useful. The carrot and stick method was good and all, but this was the best method to tame him.

It was incredible how one injured hand can rein in such a ferocious man. However, it was a weapon with a limited shelf life. I had to stop using it at the right time because I couldnt just have a bandage on my hand for the rest of my life.

Nevertheless, I was still worried about what would happen if Amoide would just return to how he used to treat me before.

So, Id decided to use this weapon for just a little longer.

If I didnt have this, he would just continue to ignore me.

I felt a bit guilty for deceiving him.

Walters pharmacy was quite a distance from the Ducal estate, so the sun was already setting when we returned to the mansion.

The Madam is looking for you.

And, as we arrived, Camilla was right there waiting for me.

Where did you go?

Camillas sharp eyes scrutinized me.

It seemed that she already knew that I didnt go to see my siblings.

Ah The carriage driver.

I even gave him gold coins just so he wouldnt talk. Still, I had no expectations since he wasnt one of my people.

With that in mind, I decided to abandon any excuses I had on the tip of my tongue.

I went to a drugstore, but you already know that, Mother.

Youre not making any excuses?

Against my nonchalant response, Camilla was dumbfounded.