Chapter 4

“Rudy, should we move up our opening time? If rich people like this come in the morning, I could wake up early every day.”

Near closing time, Irene was delighted checking the sales record of her half-brother’s purchase.

Internal medicine was the most expensive among healing products, and he bought three bottles. Since that meant he was in that much pain, Rudbeckia shook her head, containing her wishes.

“No. That customer won’t come again.”

“Really? Well, it’s true that medicine you don’t need to use is the best kind. But who was it?”

“Um, well, they asked to keep it secret.”

Though she was the one who promised to keep it secret, Rudbeckia awkwardly smiled and brushed it off, and Irene, knowing Rudbeckia’s nature, didn’t ask further and continued balancing the books.

Hugo and Irene’s guard knight sat on the stone step in front of the shop cleaning their swords in the setting sunlight, while Rudbeckia organized the medicines that needed restocking.

It was peaceful.

Rudbeckia wished this daily life would continue.

Though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, the time she spent bedridden and paralyzed for over three years wasn’t the present. Only she remembered it, and it hadn’t happened yet. During the time she could only lie down, her thoughts and motivation for revenge disappeared, and she didn’t know who to take revenge on.

Though continuing the shop work might worry her family somewhat, since it was ultimately for everyone’s peace, Rudbeckia wanted to maintain this life.

She wanted to live happily.

“Rudy, today’s sales are amazing!”

“Really?”

Rudy bounced over to Irene who called her.

That’s when Irene’s guard knight, Derek, came looking for his master.

“Your Highness.”

At that call, both Irene and Rudbeckia’s gazes turned toward the door.

Hugo, who had been leisurely cleaning his sword with Derek, stood up and bowed his head, and merchants came out of their shops creating a commotion. Where everyone’s gazes were directed, two particularly tall figures were walking.

Rudy and Irene recognized their presence immediately.

“His Highness the Prince is coming.”

“When His Highness enters, close the door, draw the curtains, and stand in front of the shop.”

“Yes.”

While Irene commanded calmly, Rudbeckia was extremely flustered beside her.

Why was Benedict, who she was certain wouldn’t return, coming here again, and why was Aaron with him?

“We meet again.”

“I’m honored.”

Benedict, who had quickly walked to the front of the shop, acknowledged Hugo who had already bowed his head. Aaron glared at Benedict from a step behind, and as if by agreement, everyone pretended not to notice Aaron’s irreverent gaze.

Finally, the two men entered the store.

Derek swiftly moved as if he had been waiting, drew the curtains, closed the door, and stood at attention in front of it. With Derek and Hugo guarding the front of the store, the merchants who had come to look around left one by one.

Only after all the shadows in front of the store had departed did Irene open her mouth.

“No need for formalities, Sir Diaz. What brings you here, Brother?”

“There’s an issue with the goods.”

Rudbeckia, who had been quietly assessing the situation behind Irene, visibly trembled.

Irene, unaware of her friend’s state, frowned.

“You come suddenly and say there’s a problem with our goods?”

Benedict ignored his sister’s sharp response and stared directly at Rudbeckia. Following his gaze, Irene’s eyes also fell on Rudy.

Rudbeckia, who had frozen stiff, grabbed her skirt hem and thought that selling out Irene had indeed been a mistake.

“Greetings, Lady Diaz.”

She tried to buy time by offering the missed greeting, but even that was blocked.

Irene looked at Rudbeckia, silently questioning what was going on. However, Rudbeckia was equally clueless about what the problem might be.

“Should I… offer a refund?”

As she asked while reading the atmosphere, Aaron, who had been quiet, let out a hollow laugh.

Irene turned to Benedict and asked sharply.

“The internal injury medicine, did you buy it, Brother? Sigh, what poison did you take this time? You should be more careful, but you keep taking poisons without avoiding them, so you end up buying these medicines.”

Having quickly grasped the situation, Irene, showing disloyalty, scolded the Emperor and worried about Benedict’s condition while grumbling.

Regardless, Benedict kept staring only at Rudbeckia, so Irene reached out her hand to him.

“Rudbeckia couldn’t have made a mistake. But since you say there’s a problem, I’ll check it properly.”

“No. As you said, there’s no problem with that medicine.”

Benedict pulled out a small glass vial from his chest pocket. Irene knew that bottle, which was smaller than the length of a pinky finger.

She turned to Rudbeckia with surprised eyes, and Benedict raised his eyebrow.

“Lady Diaz, I believe we need to talk privately.”

“Privately?”

Aaron and Irene were the first to react to Benedict’s words.

Rudbeckia, her mind tangled trying to think of excuses, watched them take the lead for now.

“Just do it here, Brother. Rudy feels uncomfortable.”

“Right. Do it in front of me.”

Rudbeckia and Benedict’s eyes met.

As delayed as her reaction was, and as surprised as she felt, she belatedly realized that having this conversation with Benedict here would put her in a difficult position.

Rudy quickly judged that explaining herself to Benedict would be much easier than explaining to Aaron and Irene. The time she had spent with him in the future made her weigh this option.

“No. His Ma– I mean, His Highness says he has something to discuss with me privately. I’ll just have a conversation in the research room and come back.”

Free love had become fashionable less than a quarter century ago. While young nobles under the changing times followed the trend, their parents generally disliked it.

Of course, there were also young nobles who weren’t tolerant of this trend.

Rudbeckia hurriedly took the lead, worried about what Aaron might say with his disapproving expression.

“This way, Your Highness.”

Though the space behind the counter was separated by just a wooden door, it was designed so that only Rudbeckia and Irene could open it.

When she grabbed the doorknob and opened it, a research room with a small window appeared. Before Aaron and Irene could say anything, the door automatically locked as soon as the two entered, and Rudy lit the lamp and candles in the research room.

Though the sunset light was still coming in as the sun hadn’t set yet, the window itself was small, limiting how bright the space could become.

“I’ll serve you tea. It won’t be as carefully prepared as what you drink at the Imperial Palace. It’s just something simple.”

Rudbeckia spoke to him quite naturally.

Benedict recalled how flustered she had been just this morning. The woman who had seemed like she would just sit quietly and answer only when asked was now preparing tea for him.

“It’s very simple, right?”

The tea, briefly steeped in boiling water, was placed side by side on the small table. She carefully chose her words, and Benedict lifted his gaze from the two teacups.

Their eyes met in the air — her eyes reflecting orange in the candlelight and his cool eyes that had turned almost mint green.

She met his gaze and smiled apologetically.

“Aaron must have given you trouble. I’m sorry.”

Rudbeckia, who hadn’t expected Benedict to come back, carefully chose her next words. From her perspective, Aaron was a variable, but Benedict’s actions were also unexpected.

“I thought I wouldn’t get caught.”

“It seems you thought you’d get away with it even if you were caught.”

Benedict hit the nail on the head, and Rudbeckia blinked her large eyes before lowering her gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

She apologized again.

She had sold out Irene to deceive Benedict. Using a member of the imperial family to lie… Rudbeckia was either bold or thoughtless. This morning, driven by the impulse to give him that medicine, she hadn’t considered the potential problems.

“If you want to punish me…”

“No.”

Benedict cut off her words. Then, to hide his turbulent emotions, he picked up the teacup and drank the tea she had served.

The warm flower tea went down his throat. Fortunately, the cheap street tea helped calm his mind.

“I want to know why you gave me your spiritual power, to the extent that you even used a lie that would be discovered so quickly.”

Right.

Rudbeckia stopped herself from blurting out that response and considered a plausible answer.

She didn’t want to lie again to him, who had accepted even the absurd story about Irene having a dream. However, since she couldn’t tell the truth either, Rudbeckia first followed his lead and drank her tea.

Soon, her red lips, moistened by the tea, slowly opened.

“I’m not sure how Your Highness will take this, but…”

Benedict quietly watched Rudbeckia’s lips, which struggled to continue speaking even after starting.

He didn’t rush her. But while Benedict was generally a man of few words, his silence didn’t necessarily mean he was waiting patiently.

Knowing this better than anyone, Rudbeckia added without too much delay.

“I was certain you would need it. That’s why I handed it over with such a lie.”

“So in your eyes, I must have looked like I was about to die.”