A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

Episode 11. The end.

“Now let’s finish it.”

As soon as the drinking session with the Marquess was over, Idun headed straight to the Princess’s room.

He must have had some drinks and looked tired, as the Marquess suggested he take a day off, but Idun had no intention of stopping.

“Let’s finish as soon as possible.”

And then rest.

That was the only thought in Idun’s mind. Even though he was Idun, enduring the constant immense exhaustion was a bit difficult.

But since he couldn’t just stop at this point, he would rather push himself to finish the job perfectly and rest without any worries.

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Moreover, curses were things that even humans couldn’t understand with their reason, and they could change within a day or two. So there was no use in acting tired and putting things off.

“After this is done, it wouldn’t hurt to go back to Adrian and find out what this curse is about.”

As Idun approached the Princess’s room, the red curses wrapped around his arm began to stir.

“…Are they recognizing the source?”

A tree follows its root. It was clear that the curse that became the source of the secondary curse was engraved in the body of the Princess.

Then I can’t leave it alone. Without hesitation, Idun opened the door.

***

In front of the Princess’s door, three maids gathered. They were the ones who had been serving the Princess for nearly ten years and knew that Idun was taking care of her every night.

The reason they gathered in front of the Princess’s room early in the morning was one and simple: Idun hadn’t come out of the room yet.

“What could be the matter? Should we go in and check?”

The youngest maid of the three, Piaka, asked anxiously as she nibbled on her nails.

“Of course, we have to wait. The Countess expressly told us not to let anyone in.”

“But this is the first time it’s been this late.”

Every night, the weary maid, Housa, peeled off the dry crusts from her chapped lips, and voiced her doubts.

“What if the apothecary collapsed? What if he ran away like some of the other officials? What has happened to the princess?”

The maids’ minds were indeed filled with complexity, but that was all.

Contrary to their earlier insistence that the door should be opened immediately, all three of them were standing far from the doorknob.

They hesitated to open it unnecessarily, not wanting to be scolded by the Countess or the Viscountess, and thinking that if they waited a little longer, Edun might come out on her own.

However, even after an hour of waiting, there was still no sign of any movement from inside.

“…Let’s open the door.”

As if determined, Housa bit her lower lip and spoke. Upon hearing this, her peer, Folka, and her younger sister, Pika, widened their eyes in protest.

“What? Open the door?”

“Are you crazy, sister?”

“We can’t just keep waiting like this. Something serious might have happened.”

Housa took a deep breath and put her hand on the doorknob. Then Pika hastily grabbed her hand and said,

“Sister, think about it carefully. What will you do if something bad happens to the princess or the apothecary because you opened the door without thinking? The shaman who came before also said not to open the door unless he’s conscious.”

“Yeah, that might be possible.”

Folka, who had been watching from the side, also tried to dissuade Housa.

“There’s no way something like that would happen without any magic or spells involved. Besides, knowing the apothecary, if he’s running late, he would have told us beforehand. He’s not the type to be late without saying anything.”

In case something like that did happen, the apothecary would surely understand.

Housa pushed back the resistance from around her and opened the door with all her strength. As soon as she opened it, a nauseating, acrid smell enveloped her.

With one hand covering her nose and mouth, Housa looked around the room. Although there was a foul smell, there was no evidence of a bloody mess or any disarray in the room, as she had feared.

“…What about the apothecary?”

“Well, it seems like nothing happened.”

The two maids, who had been watching from behind, couldn’t overcome their curiosity and walked out next to Housa.

“There he is! The apothecary is over there!”

Housa looked towards where Pika was pointing. Contrary to her expectation that he would be near the princess, Edun was crouched in a corner of the room.

“What, did he just fall asleep? We worried for nothing.”

Pika grumbled in a relieved voice. Regardless, Housa approached Edun. He was lying down in a hunched position without any movement, as if he were dead.

“…Apothecary?”

Surely he’s not dead, right? Housa cautiously shook Edun.

“Hmm…”

Fortunately, he wasn’t dead, Edun shifted his body. Housa could finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Master Pharmacist, please go inside and rest. Don’t sleep here.”

Fussa shook Idun incessantly, but Idun only let out a shallow groan without opening his eyes or getting up.

‘…What should I do about this?’

Fussa was at a loss.

She also wanted to leave Idun alone so that he could sleep comfortably after a long time, but this was the princess’s room. It was absurd for the princess and a man from the outside to be sleeping in the same room.

“Oh, sister!”

While Fussa was in the middle of trying to wake Idun, Piacar called her.

“I’m busy. Let’s clean up together.”

Fussa held onto Idun’s shoulder tightly and said. She had to wake Idun up somehow before the Viscountess or the Marquis found out.

“No, sister! It’s not that.”

“What’s the matter?”

Fussa turned around with annoyance due to Piacar’s constant urging. When she looked back, Polka and Piacar were both lying facedown on the floor.

“What’s going on? Why are you both lying down like that? Did something spill?”

Fussa exclaimed, and Polka gestured with her eyes towards a certain direction. Fussa, who followed her gaze, immediately closed her mouth.

Princess Ludimene, who always lay down, was sitting upright with her back straight. While Fussa was caught off guard, the princess’s lips moved slowly.

“Who is that man?”

Indeed, the voice of the princess, which she hadn’t heard in a long time, was incredibly chilly.

***

“Since God has given me this power, I will no longer hesitate.”

Idun’s eyes flashed open at the eerie voice that brushed through his mind.

“…What happened?”

Although he was undoubtedly taking care of the princess, he found himself lying in his own bed now. Not only that, but night had turned into day, and a considerable amount of time had passed.

Who moved me? Idun quickly recalled his memories.

However, the memories after he broke the most important curse on the princess were completely gone.

“Well, it seems like I successfully broke the curse for now….”

Idun mumbled as he looked at his left arm. A large red snake, which he had never seen before, was coiled around his left arm, in addition to the red tentacles.

Hiss. The red snake met Idun’s gaze and darted its tongue while tightening its grip on his arm.

“Well, at least it’s not a snake from the curse.”

Having spent a long time with a large lizard, Idun found reptiles more familiar than tentacles.

“Seeing a tail embedded in my arm, it seems like it won’t return to the princess. If that’s the case, then it’s truly over.”

As he watched the snake flick its tongue restlessly, Edun felt a mixture of pride and a sense of emptiness in his heart.

The curse must have been lifted, and the meridians must have been somewhat cleared. There was no need for Edun to do anything special; it was obvious that the princess would wake up on her own.

“If the princess wakes up, I’ll become unemployed. What should I do from now on?”

Count Peniad or the wife of a viscount could suggest becoming the princess’s personal physician, but Edun had no intention of accepting that proposal.

“It’s best to settle the relationship with the princess here.”

Whether she was a bastard or a woman born from noble bloodline, now that she had regained her health, she would return to the palace.

In that case, her personal physician should go to the palace as well, and Edun had no desire to go to the palace.

His only goal was to live peacefully and simply, accumulating merits and breaking the curse that hung over him…

Should he return to Adrian and discuss the curse, or should he find a new job, or maybe he should just go to the countryside and do farming? Would feeding hungry people not be considered a merit?

Ding dong. Edun was lost in his thoughts when someone knocked on the door.

“Edun?”

It was Ella who came to find Edun.

“Come to think of it, if I leave here, I’ll also be parting with Ella.”

It had only been a little over a month since they met, but Edun had grown quite fond of Ella. She reminded him of the sister he had sent away in starvation when they were young.

“It seems like he’s still sleeping. Maybe you should come back later.”

As Edun remained silent, the nanny seemed to be trying to console Ella.

“…It’s not anything serious, right?”

“Estelon’s head physician said the same thing, and so did the viscount. It’s just fatigue. Resting will make him feel better.”

“Heh.”

Unable to bear Ella’s sniffles any longer, Edun got up from bed and opened the door.

“Did you sleep well, miss?”

“Edun!”

Ella jumped into Edun’s arms in one swift movement. Edun almost let go of Ella, as if he was about to miss her, but he managed to hold her tightly.

“Are you okay, Edun? Were you in a lot of pain?”

Ella said as she cupped Edun’s face with her small hands. Looking at Ella’s puffy eyes, Edun’s heart suddenly ached.

“I’m fine. Thanks to a good night’s sleep, I feel completely fine now.”

“That’s a relief….”

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Ella said, and then she burrowed even deeper into Edun’s embrace. Edun, too, embraced Ella tightly, just like holding a baby bird. In his heart, he wanted to hold her with both arms, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, fearing that the snake wrapped around his left arm might harm Ella.

After a long while of being nestled in Edun’s embrace, Ella whispered quietly in his ear.

“Edun, thank you for saving Lady Ludimine.”

“…Did Sister get up?”

It seemed that breaking the biggest curse was the most effective.

“Yes, but it’s a secret. Father said it should be kept secret for a while.”

It was clear that she was buying time to build up her strength.

“Anyway, you can always come and visit Sister. Sister has always told me to come and visit her whenever I want.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, I was wondering, would you like to come and visit now?”

“…Now?”

“Yes. Oh! If you’re feeling very unwell, you can rest. Sister will wait for you, I’m sure.”

It wasn’t true that she was feeling unwell. Li De said this while raising her head, looking at her.

“Would you like me to send for Sister?”

Since it was just a short trip, and her condition didn’t seem too bad, it was necessary to check on Huang Nv’s condition one last time. There was no reason to refuse Ela’s suggestion.

“Yes!”

Li De’s words made Ela nod her head forcefully.