A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

5th Episode. What should I do~

“That person is Lady Royelle, the Countess.”

As Ella whispered, she quickly moved away from Edun.

Edun got up and approached the Countess.

Immaculate snowy white hair neatly tied up without a strand out of place. Deep brown eyes and neatly formed wrinkles around the eyes. Even the lips that remained closed straightly without showing any emotions.

Lady Royelle was a woman who naturally evoked the word “lady.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Royelle. I am the pharmacist Edun.”

“…YOU?”

“I heard that a new pharmacist has come, so I stopped by while passing by.”

The Countess’ tone was completely indifferent.

“It seems like you’re organizing the medicinal herbs. Are you going to discard all the pouches with red strings?”

“Yes. That’s correct. I’m sorting out everything except for the ones that still have medicinal effects or can be used in accordance with the law. Spoiled medicinal herbs are not medicine but poison, after all.”

“…The law? What exactly does it mean to be in accordance with the law?”

“It means further processing the medicinal herbs in a way that suits their properties.”

Despite the cold aura emanating from the Countess, Edun calmly continued her explanation without being intimidated.

“There may be traces of poison remaining in the medicinal herbs, or in cases where their properties are too strong and need to be suppressed. Sometimes, they are further processed to soften the taste.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard such a story.”

“It’s not difficult. When you usually eat herbs, don’t you boil them and drink them instead of eating them raw, or add honey or milk?”

“Well, that’s true, but none of the doctors I’ve met so far have ever said anything like you.”

Eden, who was about to say something, quickly stopped speaking. What reason would the Countess have to come all the way here and initiate a conversation, one by one?

‘She must be testing me…’

If that’s the case, it would be most effective to say what the Countess wants to hear in order to alleviate her suspicions.

“It is true that there are effective herbs even with regular remedies. However, if you invest a little more time and effort, you can enhance the efficacy of the medicine, which I believe would be better for the patient.”

“…Is that so.”

The Countess tilted her head slightly, her words trailing off.

By her ambiguous attitude, it seemed that the Countess neither completely believed nor completely doubted Eden’s words.

“Anyway, I understand. Eden, you will be in charge of His Excellency’s medication, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“I have something to discuss about that. Come to my study after dinner.”

The Countess’s gaze shifted away from Eden and towards Ella.

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“And lastly, Ella, maintain the dignity that a noble young lady should always have.”

Whether she was done with her business or not, the Countess turned around and went back into the palace.

As the Countess moved away, Ella hurriedly came over to Eden.

“Eden, are you okay? I was really surprised because of the Countess.”

Eden bowed his body to match Ella’s eye level. Looking at her endlessly widened pupils, it seemed like Ella herself was quite surprised rather than Eden.

“No, Miss, I only had a conversation with the Countess. But it seems like you were quite surprised more than anything, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

Despite saying that she was fine, Ella kept glancing towards the direction the Countess had left.

“I didn’t know that the Countess would come out to the garden at this hour. Usually, she always moves according to a fixed schedule. But seeing her come out like this, it seems like the Countess was really curious about you, Eden.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. The Countess usually stays by Lady Ludimine’s side or is busy in the study.”

“I see. By the way, I’m sorry for causing trouble and getting you scolded by the Countess.”

After checking his gloves, Eden gently tidied Ella’s disheveled hair.

As the Countess pointed out, it was not just Ella’s lack of knowledge about the main herbal ingredients, but also Eden’s responsibility. It was not the job of an eight-year-old little girl to do the work of a noble lady-in-waiting.

After making eye contact with Eden, the maid nodded and approached Ella.

“Miss, wouldn’t it be better for you to go back to your room now? It’s almost lunchtime.”

“Has it already gotten that late?”

“Yes, the chef put in extra effort for today’s lunch. Are you looking forward to it?”

Nanny skillfully tidied up Ella and led her away.

“We need to finish quickly before it gets any later.”

Thanks to Ella and the nanny’s help, there wasn’t much left to do. Edun carried a bag with a blue ribbon tied around it.

***

A conversation with the marquis that felt like tightrope walking. Sorting out a pile of herbs. And a meeting with the countess in the evening.

It had been a sufficiently eventful day, but unfortunately, Edun had one more task added to her plate.

“Phew, look at this dust.”

The director Estelon entered the reception room and let out a long sigh. He looked around the room and then noisily placed a prescription on the slightly intact desk.

The princess’s medicine had to be made on the spot while the dispensary was being renovated.

They needed a temporary dispensary.

In a hurry, Edun set up a workbench and an oven in an empty room on the first floor. It was taking quite an effort, as the construction wouldn’t be finished within a day or two.

“These are the medicines to be used from tonight.”

Edun put down the small hammer and checked the prescription.

The director’s prescription only had the names of the herbs and medicines written on it.

It should include details such as the patient’s examination results, respiratory condition, temperature, and whether there were any changes. But the prescription, as the only medical record, didn’t have any such information written on it.

“I didn’t expect it to be like this here, too.”

Despite the director Estelon’s skills not being too bad, there was a reason why he couldn’t run the medical institution alone. Even though he had the ability, his nonchalant attitude of ‘this should be enough’ was the biggest cause.

“Even if things get complicated, they really get complicated….”

As Edun put down the prescription, the director, who had been sitting on the sofa, started opening his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“To be trapped in such a stuffy place and peeping at strange women, you shouldn’t have readily accepted the marquis’s proposal back then.”

“…But Her Highness the princess, what if others were to find out?”

At Edun’s words, Director Estelon frowned in an impressive manner.

“You’re so frustrating, can’t you tell just by looking! Not all princesses are the same just because they’re princesses! It’s unimaginable for the royal family to have a woman like that in their favor, isn’t it?”

“….”

“And, to save a woman who could die at any moment, does that even make sense? I’m not a saint. Moreover, if she were to die, that would be the end for us!”

The director gestured with his fingers around his neck as if threatening himself.

Whether there was hope or not, giving your best is the mindset of a medical professional who deals with people’s lives. In that moment, Edun felt a surge of contempt for the director, but she managed to hold it back.

The director Estelon continued speaking with an arrogant voice, unsure if Idun understood his thoughts or not.

“Listen, Idun. You foolish person, we are on a rotten ship without knowing where we are going. We should jump off this ship even though we can barely go back now.”

“We’ve come this far. Is there any other option?”

“That’s what I’m saying…”

He clapped his hands towards the director who was sitting on the sofa. As Idun approached, the director continued speaking in a quiet voice.

“Listen to me. It seems that if you endure for 2 or 3 more weeks, the Viscount or the Countess might be willing to let you go. They probably think you have no skill since there hasn’t been any progress in the treatment.”

“So?”

“If you seem unfavorable to the Viscount, you can leave the castle even faster, right? So, what I’m saying is, you don’t need to try so hard to impress the Viscount anymore. No, you should act in a way that makes you more outcast.”

“Is it necessary to do that? If what you say is true, I might be able to return to the L’Ar village soon.”

L’Ar was the name of the village where Estelon Medical Center was located.

“There’s no way you can stay in a filthy place like this for 2 or 3 more weeks. It would be better for you to work at the medical center.”

The already thin eyes of the director became even thinner.

The director was telling Idun that if he wanted to work at Estelon Medical Center, he should take action on his own.

“I think you’ve understood what I said. And I need to rest in the evening, so you can deliver the medicine to the Countess. We agreed to meet anyway.”

The director got up from his bulky body and closed the door with a bang as he disappeared.

Left alone, Idun organized the prescription and picked up the wooden hammer again.

It was obvious that persuading the director would be difficult after he had spoken like that.

There was no need for Idun to return to Estelon Clinic, but the problem was whether Idun could stay in Umsteldeen Castle anymore.

Even if the Viscount was currently favorably disposed towards Idun, if the princess’s condition did not improve within 2 or 3 weeks, Idun would also become an incompetent pharmacist.

“The illness is indeed a problem, but the curse on the princess seems to be the biggest issue…”

He could temporarily wake up the woman, but if he didn’t lift the curse itself, the princess wouldn’t last long.

With the sound of the hammer echoing steadily, Idun was lost in deep thought.