A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

Episode 42. Stories piled up.

The Infamous Penyard Family.

Now a noble family beyond comparison, the Penyard family was once known as a family of scoundrels.

With no proper territory to call their own, the Penyard family was a shadow family existing for the Benue Empire. They supported the imperial family instead of the empire itself, following the emperor, who was the head of the imperial family, absolutely.

However, not everyone in the empire knew the true identity of the Penyard family.

Only the successors to the throne were informed of the Penyard family’s true identity by the emperors of the past. This was to ensure that the Penyard family could be useful for a long time.

The Penyard lords used the secret funds sent by the emperor recklessly, ingratiating themselves with other nobles and obtaining the information that the emperor needed. They also handled various dirty tasks.

Despite receiving covert support from the emperor, the Penyard lords could never receive a title higher than that of a count, and they could only have one child.

Current lord Quilden Penyard was no exception.

Quilden Penyard started receiving rigorous education to become a shadow to the emperor since the age of six.

As an adult, he followed his father, who was the previous lord, and learned the ropes. After five years, he could inherit the lordship.

Once he became the lord, he dealt with any task that the emperor assigned, utilizing everything he had learned and mastered until then.

Some people may feel sorry for Quilden Penyard’s life, but he did not consider his life to be arduous or pitiful.

However, occasionally, very rarely, he felt frustrated with his position.

For example, when he thought of Ella, who lived the same life as him, or when his master did something inexplicable.

*

When Quilden first met Idun, he thought he was just a decent apothecary.

But as time went on, Quilden’s thoughts about Idun began to change.

“No matter what it takes, I must keep Idun.”

With exceptional skills and a good character, Idun was truly a talent that anyone on the Continent would covet.

Quilden wanted to make Idun his own, and if Idun were by his side, he could do anything.

The reason he didn’t forcefully keep Idun from leaving was for that very reason.

Rather than forcibly confining a great bird in a cage, it had to be tamed gradually.

Once he regained the palace, he would find Idun again. He didn’t seem to value wealth and honor, but he seemed weak to affection, so he would slowly draw him to his side, showing his face often.

Quilden had his own plan when he let Idun go. And he never thought that plan would fail.

*

That night, when Quilden heard the sound of Idun falling out of the window, he felt as if his blood had run dry.

As time passed, when he found out that Idun made that choice because of his future service to Leodimene, he thought his initial loyalty to the imperial family was foolish.

Still, he couldn’t betray the former emperor. It was the same as a hunting dog that had known nothing but the yard all its life.

When the owner gets into trouble, the hunting dog that follows must somehow clean up the mess.

Should he find Idun or leave for the capital as planned.

After much deliberation, Pheniard decided to head to the capital as planned.

“Now is the time to abandon Idun.”

He was a mere pawn that had to support the royal family.

Since abandoning Idun, everything had worked out smoothly as if it were a lie.

The palace had regained stability, and his only daughter, Ella, had grown up beautifully.

The Emperor appointed Pheniard as the captain of the royal knights and granted him a fairly decent territory thanks to the Emperor’s radical treatment. Because of this, the Pheniard family was able to leave the outskirts for the first time.

However, the master of the house, Pheniard, had never been at ease even for a moment.

The fact that he abandoned Idun, who had given everything for the Empress and Ella, and who had saved many lives in Umstendel Castle, became like a thorn in his heart, piercing him.

Especially, whenever his daughter Ella sobbed silently, unable to forget Idun, his heart was torn apart.

Thus, the painful years had been ten long years.

Though he had endured the regrets and pain that choked his throat for ten years, the moment Pheniard faced Idun, he felt the guilt and regret he had suppressed all at once burst out.

“I’m truly sorry.”

Pheniard couldn’t say anything other than those words.

“I, I’m truly sorry for leaving without finding you then.”

After finishing his words, Pheniard covered his face with both hands.

*

The tea had cooled unexpectedly.

Idun quietly reheated the teapot and looked back.

Viscount Pheniard, sitting on the sofa, was engulfed in a storm of pent-up emotions.

Watching his figure, Idun felt that he had been too indifferent.

To be honest, Idun had never expected Viscount Pheniard to be so tormented.

Although the Viscount cared for him, hadn’t they already agreed to part ways?

Moreover, the noble blue-bloods Idun had met until now had always seen the people beneath them as replaceable chess pieces.

Naturally, he thought it would be the same this time.

He had thought that even if he disappeared, it would be like losing a regrettable chess piece.

Idun placed the warmed tea on the table.

“I’m truly fine, Viscount.”

At Idun’s words, the Viscount slowly lowered the hands that had covered his face.

“I have never resented you, Viscount, and I have never thought that I was abandoned. So please don’t apologize to me.”

Although the Viscount seemed to think that he had abandoned Idun, Idun had also abandoned them. So, there was no reason for the Viscount to be so tormented.

“…Have you ever resented me, even once? Even after being used and abandoned?”

“Because you haven’t received enough money, right? And honestly, I thought I would never show my face in front of the Marquis again.”

“…Why?”

“It was a kind of escape. I wanted to rest because I was so tired.”

Eden’s clever words made the Marquis give a faint smile.

“Besides, I didn’t know that you would remember me until now. I thought you would forget me quickly.”

“How can I forget you? You are such a precious and good person.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Not only me, but everyone in the Umenstel Castle misses you. Just by seeing that, I can tell how good of a person you are.”

Eden was aware that the people of Umenstel Castle liked him. He just didn’t know that the depth of it was so profound.

“To be honest, even when you said you would leave the castle back then, I didn’t want to let you go. I just couldn’t hold on because of the situation.”

“…”

“But still… I’m grateful that you said that. It really made my heart feel refreshed after a long time.”

The Marquis, whose face had become more relaxed than before, picked up his teacup.

“It’s really nice to be able to drink the tea you brewed.”

“I hope you like it if it suits your taste.”

“Someone else brewed it, so it must be delicious.”

Throughout the tea-drinking, the Marquis never took his eyes off of Eden.

When the gaze became slightly uncomfortable, the Marquis spoke again.

“By the way, your eye color seems to have changed a bit.”

“Oh, the color became a bit dull? I guess it’s because I suffered a bit back then.”

The Marquis’ eyebrows slightly furrowed at Eden’s response.

“Surely you’re not still unwell?”

“It’s nothing, please don’t worry. And I quite like my current eye color.”

“Alright. If you say so, who am I to say otherwise.”

The empty teacup was placed down by Marquis de Peniard, and Eden refilled his cup.

Until the considerably large teapot ran out, Eden and Marquis de Peniard had a long conversation.

***

The next morning, Eden quietly made his way to the underground of the castle. It was to talk with Leta alone, at the Marquis’ request.

“If the daughter of the Lord refuses to speak unless it’s you, can you try to talk to her? Investigation might not be affected even without her help, but just in case, could you try once?”

It was a one-sided chase and escape relationship, so why wouldn’t they speak up if it wasn’t themselves?

I couldn’t understand, but it was difficult to refuse the Marquis’s request.

Idun stood in front of the wooden bars, looking into the prison.

Leta stood in one corner of the prison, holding her knees and bowing her head.

Should I call her Leta, or should I call her the caretaker?

As Idun pondered, Leta raised her head suddenly.

“!!!”

With a vacant gaze, Leta looked around and rushed to the bars as soon as her eyes met Idun’s.

“Pharmacist!”

Leta exclaimed as she clenched the bars tightly. She seemed to have lost some strength compared to yesterday, but her voice was still sharp.

Though the wooden bars held, the distance between them was too close, so Idun took a step back and spoke.

“Why did you call me? It doesn’t seem like we have a relationship to speak face-to-face.”

“…I called you because I have a request.”

“A request?”

“Yes. If you just listen to my request, I will cooperate with the investigation.”

Despite saying that she would cooperate with the investigation, Leta still stared at Idun as if she wanted to devour him.

“You seem to have forgotten your position. If you want to save your life, it would be better to negotiate with the inspector rather than face me.”

“….”

“And above all, I have no reason to listen to your request. There’s no reason.”

After finishing his words, Idun turned his body.

Instead of having such useless conversations, it would be better to go out and treat the people in the village.

Thump. As Idun turned his body, a sound of something falling echoed.

“It’s a request.”

Followed by a desperate voice.

Surprised, Idun turned around to see Leta kneeling on the ground.

“What are you doing now?”

“I have a request. I am willing to die, so please.”

Leta pressed her head against the ground while speaking.

“Please save our father.”

“….”

“Father said that the inspector plans to send him to the monastery. Without treatment.”

Leta was crying quietly.

“As the lord, he was framed as a fake lord, deceived the royal family, and persecuted the Mellow people, but our father did nothing wrong. It was all my doing.”

“….”

“You know how painful that disease is, right, the pharmacist? Our father suffered for so long because of that illness. But if he goes to the monastery in that condition…”

Even a healthy person would deteriorate if confined to the gloomy solitary confinement in the monastery.

To confine someone in such a state was essentially condemning them to slowly wither and die. Leta’s father had effectively received a death sentence.

“It was, it was all my fault. I will tell you everything about what I did. Please, just save our father.”

After finishing her words, Leta began to sob. Iden silently looked at her.