Chapter 22…
“What?”
Yeah, I knew he’d say that.
Cynthia swallowed dryly and spoke again. It was time to drive the nail in.
“You know you couldn’t have made that medicine without me, right? Without me, you’d probably still be stuck in this tiny apothecary selling mediocre potions for the rest of your life!”
“That’s… a bit harsh.”
“But now you’re about to make a fortune, you lucky bastard, Enoch!”
She had expected him to argue or insist on getting the remaining 550,000 mints right away, but instead, he looked surprisingly thoughtful.
“R-Really?”
“Yes! A miracle potion that restores the sight of people whose optic nerves are dead! You made it yourself! I only gave you a hint — the full recipe is something only you know!”
“Hmm… I guess that’s true.”
“And the effect’s solid, right?”
At this point, Cynthia smoothly changed the topic.
Enough about money — time to talk about the potion itself.
“Of course. I made it myself.”
Enoch said it confidently.
But Cynthia needed absolute reassurance.
“What if putting it in someone’s eyes causes harm or side effects?”
“No way. I’ve already tested it thoroughly. For an ordinary person, it just makes their eyes feel refreshed.”
After thinking for a moment, Cynthia opened the lid of the glass bottle.
“Then can I try it on you?”
“What? Don’t you trust me?”
“No, I do trust you! I just want to make absolutely sure.”
Annoyed by her lack of faith, Enoch huffed through his bangs, then closed his eyes and leaned toward her.
“Go ahead, drop it in. You think I wouldn’t have checked something like that? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class from the Berlium Central School of Magical Pharmacy—ah, cold!”
Cynthia held open his eyelids and quickly dropped the blue liquid inside. Enoch frowned briefly, then blinked a few times and smiled wide.
“Ah, refreshing!”
Oh, so it really doesn’t have any bad effects?
Cynthia’s eyes widened in admiration. Still, just in case, she decided she’d try it on herself later back at the Bailey mansion.
“Thanks, great job!”
Satisfied, she tried to put the bottle into her bag, but Enoch snatched it back again.
Cynthia frowned.
“…Are you messing with me right now?”
Enoch chuckled lightly.
“Tell me your name.”
Cynthia looked up and met his gaze. His yellow eyes gleamed playfully as he looked down at her.
“Why?”
“I’m curious. You already know my name.”
“I didn’t ask for it, though.”
“So, what is it?”
He asked again.
Cynthia rolled her eyes, thinking. It’s just a name — no harm in telling him, right?
“Cynthia.”
“Nice, Cynthia. So, who’s the potion for?”
“You don’t need to know that!”
She reached out quickly and snatched the glass bottle from his hand.
Nice catch!
Enoch shrugged, helpless, and tucked the envelope containing 50,000 mints carefully into his inner pocket.
“Thanks for the hard work. I hope your plan goes well with the recipe.”
Cynthia turned without hesitation and headed for the apothecary door.
Enoch watched her retreating back, then smirked and shook his head.
“…Interesting woman.”
A few days later, Cynthia headed to the Grand Duke of Lumanov’s mansion, carrying the blue eye drops Enoch had made.
Every morning since then, she had tested the drops herself — thoroughly.
Wow, refreshing! Her whole body felt energized after using them. Maybe she should ask Enoch for another bottle?
Beaming with satisfaction, Cynthia waved to Ruth, who was just stepping out of the main gate.
“Ruth!”
After cautiously checking that no one was nearby, Ruth approached and spoke in a low voice.
“Good day, Lady Cynthia! Um… have you thought about the proposal I made to you?”
“Yes. Thank you for the offer. I’ll gladly accept it.”
Ruth’s face lit up with relief.
“Milady…! Thank you so much! Then… you’ll keep the Grand Duke’s secret, right? I’ll hurry with the process of returning the Ritemper Trading Company.”
“Yes! Oh, and I brought a small gift for His Grace. Could you deliver it to him for me?”
“Of course! Please, give it here.”
With a cheerful nod, Cynthia pulled a small glass bottle from her bag. The blue liquid inside shimmered as she tilted it.
“I got this specially. It’s a high-quality tonic that relieves fatigue.”
“A tonic! That’s perfect — His Grace has been unusually tired lately. It’ll be a great gift. But… why don’t you deliver it yourself? He’s inside right now—”
“No, that’s fine! Please give it to him for me. But note, it’s used a bit differently. You drop it in the eyes like eye drops.”
Ruth blinked, puzzled.
“Eye drops? Hmm… but as you know, our Duke doesn’t really need something like that…”
“You don’t understand! If your eyes feel refreshed, your whole body feels refreshed!”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes! Trust me and give it to him. Or, if you really don’t believe me, you can use it yourself.”
“N-no! I’ll be sure to give it to His Grace.”
As Ruth hurriedly took the bottle, Cynthia added quickly:
“But don’t tell him it was from me.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because if he thinks I gave it to him out of guilt for learning his secret, that would just make things awkward, wouldn’t it?”
“Ah… yes, that makes sense! Thank you so much, milady!”
Cynthia smiled at his gratitude and turned to leave.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you, Ruth!”
Whether it’s the Ritemper Trading Company or the magic potion — I’m counting on you!
“Yes, my lady! Have a safe trip.”
Ruth bowed deeply, holding the bottle carefully in both hands.
On her way back to the Bailey mansion, Cynthia stretched her legs out comfortably in the carriage.
Her part was done. No need to feel sorry for him anymore. Once everything was over, she wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed as a fake Elizabeth either.
Tession would regain his sight, the Baileys would reclaim the Ritemper Trading Company, and she’d get her 5 million mints — then live the rest of her life in peace!
“Ah, what a relief!”
Later, she’d brag to Dale about how she pulled it all off! She could already imagine his stunned face and couldn’t stop smiling.
A few days later, she received a short letter from Ruth.
Lady Cynthia,
The return of the Ritemper Trading Company will be completed within this month.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Have a pleasant day.
—Ruth
“Huh? Where’s the part about the Duke’s eyesight?”
Cynthia, who had been lying on her bed humming, sat up abruptly. She flipped the small letter over, checking both sides for more writing.
“This is all it says…”
If Tession had regained his sight, word would’ve spread quickly — or Ruth would’ve told her. But since there was no news at all…
“Don’t tell me he didn’t deliver the eye drops properly?”
But she quickly shook her head. Ruth didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d steal a tonic for himself.
“Then maybe that so-called magic pharmacist failed to make the medicine correctly?”
Ugh, should I go check on him again? Restoring the Duke’s vision is way more important than the trading company issue!
Feeling anxious, Cynthia got off the bed and began pacing around the room.
“I can’t let the order of events get messed up…”
If the Ritemper Trading Company was returned before Tession regained his sight — and the engagement got broken off — he’d be heartbroken.
Regardless of the contract with the Bailey family, Cynthia didn’t want to cause him more pain.
He’s already someone with enough scars…
After a brief hesitation, Cynthia stood up abruptly and hurried out the door.
