Chapter 50
The fact that he brought this up at all…
It stirred an instinctive, unavoidable suspicion within me.
‘Then it wouldn’t be strange if he was disappointed in me.’
Were his words sincere? Or was he trying to lower my guard?
Many thoughts crossed my mind, but one thing was certain and it calmed my confusion.
‘Hebaro’s grandson regaining his sight is only temporary.’
He would have to continue taking my medicine to fully recover his vision. And I hadn’t shared the recipe with Hebaro.
So he must know.
That his grandson is still under my thumb.
‘In that case, there’s no way Hebaro would harm me.’
If anything, he would be desperate to stay on my good side.
Thinking that made me feel much more at ease.
With a gentle smile, I placed what I brought on the table.
“You always help me with such sincerity, Hebaro. You know I’m always grateful, right?”
“Heh heh, and now I wonder—what kind of difficult request am I about to receive?”
He chuckled as he carefully unwrapped the package.
Inside was a flower pot, neatly secured so it wouldn’t shift, with a bright red flower blooming from it.
“This is…”
“I found a seed among the Emperor’s tribute collection. I tried growing it, and look! It bloomed into this pretty flower!”
“Hm, I’ve never seen a flower like this before.”
Hebaro took off his glasses to get a better look.
Then, as if noticing something odd, he leaned in and sniffed the flower.
“My word… it has no scent?”
“Right? Isn’t that fascinating? I thought so too!”
I smiled as he marveled at the flower.
“Now, here’s my request. This is an ancient plant. I want you to use it in the medicine you’re currently researching.”
“!”
Hebaro’s eyes widened as he looked at me in shock.
“Your Highness… do you know what I’m working on right now?”
“Of course! As the Emperor’s personal physician, you’ve been entrusted with a very important task!”
I answered brightly on purpose.
“You’re developing a new drug to suppress His Majesty’s growing madness day by day. Isn’t that right?”
“Your Highness…”
Hebaro calmly put his glasses back on.
But I didn’t miss how his wrinkled hand trembled slightly.
“How… how do you know about that? Did His Majesty tell you directly?”
“…You know I’m good at picking up on things, Hebaro.”
Hebaro knew by now that I wasn’t just a harmless, innocent ray of sunshine.
But that didn’t mean I had to show him my true self.
I let out a long sigh, keeping my innocent expression.
“Since Mother passed away, it’s only natural that His Majesty’s condition worsened. For a while, he managed by having tea with me regularly…”
“But you realized that wasn’t enough.”
He finished my thought for me, a conflicted look on his face.
“You also figured out that His Majesty ordered me to find a solution, as his symptoms fall under my care. You are very perceptive, Your Highness.”
“To be honest, it was only half a guess.”
“In my experience, Your Highness’s guesses are never wrong.”
He laughed softly.
I waited until he took another sip of tea and visibly calmed down.
Since Hebaro already knew a bit of who I was, he regained composure quickly.
“This flower… what do you mean it’s an ancient plant?”
“Have you ever read records about ancient flora, Hebaro?”
“Of course. One of the privileges I receive as His Majesty’s physician is access to materials reserved for the royal family… Ah!”
Being a seasoned man, Hebaro seemed to grasp my intention before I even said it.
He lowered his gaze and studied the red flower on the table.
“Do you believe this is the same red flower recorded in those documents?”
“Well…”
I blinked innocently and smiled.
“To be honest with you, Hebaro, I don’t care whether it’s that flower or not.”
“Pardon?”
“I only called it ancient to make it sound convincing. I’ve never seen it before, so how would I know what it really is?”
“Then why…?”
“Hebaro. Do you understand what it means that His Majesty sees me as a substitute for my mother?”
At that, Hebaro hesitated.
I smiled faintly, as if tinged with sadness.
“Mother was never allowed to leave the palace. Now I must take on that role.”
“Your Highness…”
“I know it’s disloyal of me to think this way. But… it’s suffocating. I’m sorry to both His Majesty and to Mother… but I can’t breathe.”
When I glanced at Hebaro, his eyes were already filled with sympathy and pity for me.
I seized that emotion and continued gently.
“Every early summer, Mother, Moren, and I would go to the Telum Duchy together.”
“Yes. His Majesty allowed the Fourth Empress that trip as an exception.”
“I want to go again this year. After Mother passed, I haven’t been able to properly console Moren. She’s been so devastated she hasn’t even left her residence.”
For the record, Hebaro was weak to Moren.
Because his grandson and Moren were about the same age.
Hebaro let out a deep sigh.
“What do you need me to do?”
I smiled inwardly at the words I had been waiting for and answered with a voice full of guilt.
“His Majesty must’ve given you all the medicinal herbs and plants from his tributes, right? For your research?”
“…That is true.”
“Then tell him this flower is an ancient plant you only recently discovered. Say you plan to develop a new drug with it—but that there’s one condition.”
“That condition wouldn’t happen to be…”
“Exactly. Since the drug is meant to alleviate madness, you’ll need me to be gone to properly measure its effectiveness.”
Hebaro pressed his lips together, his face growing serious.
But I wasn’t nervous.
I knew he was in no position to refuse me—better than anyone.
Just as I expected, Hebaro didn’t remain silent for long.
“You want me, His Majesty’s physician, to lie? That’s rather cruel of you, Your Highness.”
“Humans instinctively look toward the sunlight. Without suspicion!”
“I never imagined that same sunlight would try to blind the eyes of a dragon.”
He looked me directly in the eyes.
I met his gaze with desperate sincerity.
Unable to withstand my stare, he finally nodded.
“I can only buy you so much time.”
“A week! Just one week—I need just that!”
“One week… long yet short.”
“You can do it, Hebaro!”
At my cheerful reply, Hebaro chuckled softly.
Luckily, he didn’t seem too reluctant.
Maybe because we’d already conspired in secret many times before?
Either way, things were going in my favor.
“To deceive His Majesty, I’ll have to actually use this flower. It looks like you grew it with care—are you okay with that?”
“Of course!”
“Very well. I’ll submit the report around the time you leave for the duchy.”
“Perfect! Thank you so much for understanding.”
I gave a beaming smile, looking genuinely moved. Hebaro gazed back at me with warm eyes and adjusted his glasses.
At that moment, Marin fluttered into view and circled the red flower.
『I’m the one who did all the hard work, but he’s the only one getting praise~ Isn’t that unfair~?』
Hearing her small grumble, I comforted her inwardly.
My cute Marin. Of course it’s all thanks to you. You’re the best.
『Hmph~ At least you know I’m cute~.』
She rubbed her little face against my cheek, clearly pleased.
Then, one by one, the other spirits popped into view.
『Master! What about me?! Am I cute too?! Huh?!』
『Tsk tsk. Don’t indulge Marin too much, Master. That fish is just being jealous!』
You’re all cute, Modeway, Nesgal—every one of you.
『Hehe! Yay! Master is cute too!』
『Ahem! Me, too? That’s… a bit much…』
『Oh, come on, Nesgal~ You’re happy too but pretending not to be~.』
『Tch! Don’t lump me in with you!』
『Such a liar~』
Their chatter made me smile softly.
Good thing I finished copying that flower in advance.
Like I’d ever use the whole thing without a backup.
If my guess is right, that flower will be a vital ingredient in what’s to come.
Thank goodness Marin could copy it.
Even high-level magic that mimics copying can’t replicate living organisms.
So I wasn’t sure, but…
Marin successfully copied it without much trouble.
And that gave more weight to my theory.
That red flower might really be related to ancient plants.
Ancient plants grew only in lands blessed by the god Dahlia, and spirits, too, were tied to Dahlia’s power.
Both stem from a ‘god,’ so it makes sense that the spirit could copy it.
Still, we won’t know for sure until Hist awakens Dimodi.
Since I’ll be leaving the capital this time, I can’t send spirits with Hist.
Which means I won’t be able to hear about what happens… and that makes me uneasy.
But there’s no helping it. I’m not in a position to be carefree right now.
More than anything—I’ve decided to trust, in the name of friendship.
I quickly brushed away the image of Hist’s mischievous grin that popped into my mind.
Anyway, I needed a convincing excuse to fool the Emperor, and the timing worked out perfectly.
Besides, according to the original story, this is exactly the time I needed to go to the Telum Duchy.
It’s been a while since I’ve left the capital.
There will be plenty to do once I get there, so I should start preparing Moren in advance.
The more intricately I plotted, the brighter and more carefree my smile became.
