A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

Meeting of Three – Part 2

The spacious medicine room was filled with an indescribable awkwardness. The princess’s words and actions were completely unexpected.

“*Hicc*.”

Piacca, a skilled court lady, seemed quite surprised as she began to hiccup.

Adrian, whose reddish brown tail descended from atop a cabinet, also seemed interested or uncomfortable with the situation as he continued to sway it back and forth.

Stuck in the midst of the commotion, Idun was extremely taken aback. He couldn’t even properly judge whether what he had just heard was true or what response he should give.

“What are you hesitating for, plebeian?”

As Idun remained silent, the princess urged him once more.

Looking at the princess’s slightly flushed cheek, Idun quickly organized his thoughts.

‘…Why is she suddenly acting like this?’

He could understand her seeking out a pharmacist after yielding countless times and being in pain.

However, offering her hand for an examination was an attitude that would only be seen in a relationship where the two were on good terms.

But weren’t Idun and the princess entangled from their very first meeting?

Although no one had explicitly told him, or rather, people around him tried to hush it up, Idun knew very well that the princess rejected him. The actions of the Countess and the Viscount were enough to suggest that.

“No, please wait a moment.”

He couldn’t understand the princess’s thoughts or her attitude, but he couldn’t simply ignore her pain. It was his belief that once he took on a patient, he would take responsibility until the end, regardless of the circumstances.

‘There’s a red snake, so we can’t hold hands, but I should at least look in her eyes.’

Idun focused his mind while looking at the princess’s heart.

A few moments later, the vitality flowing from the princess’s body turned into a shimmering blur, revealing its true form.

“Hmm…?”

The energies emanating from the princess’s body, though slightly weak, were adorned with beautiful golden and green hues.

“There’s no pain anywhere….”

Why did she say she’s in pain?

“How much longer do I have to hold my hand up?”

The princess’s face was slightly redder than before.

“Oh, you can put your hand down now.”

“…What does that mean? Are you saying you won’t examine me now?”

The princess quickly lowered her hand in response to Idun’s words. She couldn’t hide the confusion on her face.

“That’s not it. In my opinion, Your Highness doesn’t have any abnormalities in her body. As long as you continue to eat and take medicine like you have been, you should be fine.”

“…But you haven’t even checked my pulse, how do you know?”

“There are many ways to diagnose a disease. You can diagnose it purely based on external factors like complexion or breathing sounds without having to feel the pulse.”

Idun turned his gaze towards Pia Car, who was standing behind the sofa, as he spoke.

“You may find it hard to believe me, but at least I’m not lying. I have diagnosed Pia Car in the same way before.”

When the princess looked at Pia Car, Pia Car slowly nodded.

“…I see.”

The princess’s voice somehow sounded disappointed.

“Just in case, from tonight, I will add more herbal ingredients to strengthen your vitality.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

The princess let out a short sigh and stood up from her seat. Her face was still slightly flushed, but Idun pretended not to notice.

“I entrust the medicine to you.”

As soon as the princess left the pharmacy, Idun let out a sigh of relief.

***

“…What an idiot. Even though he’s old enough, he’s so clueless.”

Adrian, who was watching the princess and Idun from the top of the dresser, wagged her tail with a satisfied smile when Idun rejected the princess’s hand.

Although the princess’s face was becoming bright red, it had nothing to do with Adrian. No, it was actually satisfying.

Idun didn’t know how he felt, but in Adrian’s eyes, the princess’s intentions were very clear.

The ghost was just an excuse, and she came here just to see Idun.

However, Idun was not an easily influenced person, not even a little child.

“…To meddle out of mere curiosity without knowing what kind of person Idun is.”

Adrian recalled the first time she met Idun.

Frozen and sinking in the cold lake, Idun. He certainly had more vitality than anyone else, but at that time, Idun didn’t seem like a person who was alive.

Later I found out that at that time, Idun cherished himself because he had lost someone precious due to his own blood, and he was doing everything to die.

Living an endless life alone is terrifying enough, but as a fellow immortal, Adrian couldn’t bear to leave Idun alone in such a pitiful state.

Although he couldn’t remove the power of immortality, Adrian traveled around in all directions looking for great sages and dragons, hoping to release the curse.

Fortunately, he was able to obtain information from a dying dragon that by accumulating good deeds, one could receive blessings from the creator of the world. Adrian wasted no time in informing Idun of this information.

The day after Adrian told Idun about accumulating good deeds, Idun, who had always been sprawled in the cave, got up for the first time.

“…Share your knowledge and power with me so that I can accumulate good deeds.”

“…”

“Please, I’m begging you. I’ll do anything if you ask….”

From that day on, Idun focused solely on accumulating good deeds, and Adrian wholeheartedly helped him in every way possible.

When he left Idun, even she felt proud.

Idun was the one she had cherished and cared for all this time. He was a precious item that she would never give to anyone else.

“…The young one is quite adorable.”

Now that she thinks about it, she’s really glad that the princess rejected Idun.

If that hadn’t been the case, the princess would have tried to keep Idun by her side under the pretext of being the royal physician.

“And Idun would have continued to take care of the princess.”

Although there were times when he was careless and lazy due to their long companionship, Idun was a kind and generous person.

He may think of himself as being rational, but Adrian didn’t see him that way at all.

At first, he may have been a bit aloof, but once he started to develop affection, he gave everything he had, be it time or attention.

“Well, it seems like things have been resolved, so that’s fortunate. We just need to stay like this until the scheduled day and then return to the Lair with Idun.”

In that way, Adrian and Idun will be able to spend some time alone together for a while.

Adrian released the energy he had kept suppressed and closed his eyes.

In her drowsy state, scenes of Idun rejecting the princess’s hand flashed in her mind, over and over again.

…

“…It’s ruined.”

Returning to her room, Ludimine immediately buried herself on the long sofa.

“Your Highness…”

“Just give me a moment, I want to be alone.”

Fiacca approached with a worried expression, but Ludimine gestured for her to leave.

The actions Ludimine exhibited today were truly out of character, even for someone in a hurry.

“…No matter how urgent it is, I went straight to the apothecary before anything else.”

At first, I never intended to do such a thing. But Idun’s attitude of wanting to send me away quickly was so irritating, even though it was an irritating attitude in itself.

As a result, something fierce and intense surged inside Ludimine, and she acted with the thought of only wanting to quickly receive the examination and leave, not caring about you.

But she didn’t receive the treatment that was pressing on her, and she became a patient who was seeking a pharmacist for a nonexistent illness.

“In terms of results, it’s a complete failure.”

What’s more frustrating is that despite facing such a situation, my curiosity towards Idun never disappears.

No, if anything, my curiosity only increased. It was such an astonishing ability to be able to identify a person’s illness just by looking at them.

“At that point, shouldn’t we call it not a name but a god?”

By this point, even the foul odor didn’t bother me at all. I was just so curious to the point of going crazy about this man named Idun and how amazing he was.

For a while, Ludimine buried her face in the cushion and shook her head in frustration before turning towards the window.

She thought that if she could feel the cool breeze, her flushed face would calm down.

However, on this unlucky day, as soon as Ludimine stood by the window, she saw Idun and his calico cat. They were diligently taking care of the garden that Ela and Idun had created someday.

“…They seem happy.”

Even though they seemed to be doing such a trivial task as pulling out weeds, Idun was different when facing her, and he had a bright smile.

Ludimine couldn’t afford to keep watching that sight, so she firmly locked the window and headed towards the bed.

“…Even that cat, even the pharmacist. Nothing goes according to my will.”

Even though the refreshing breeze passed through her body and the room, Ludimine’s heart became even more frustrated.