Chapter 2

Her entire body froze when she spotted the man standing in front of the shop.

Benedict von Seneber Lorkan. Her former husband and the emperor’s brother who would soon stage a coup had come here.

“…Welcome.”

Although Rudbeckia was so stunned she doubted whether she had greeted him properly, she still stared intently at her husband’s face, whom she was seeing again after three and a half years.

Naturally, he hadn’t changed from how she last remembered him. Still young, still radiant.

The man with his sturdy frame, bright hair, and deep eyes possessed colors that seemed to embody a summer morning, yet the air around him was heavy and cold.

While his brother the current emperor’s pale green eyes reminded one of refreshing fields, Benedict’s eyes brought to mind thick foliage or shadows beneath greenery.

“It is an honor to see Your Highness again.”

Benedict, who had entered through the open door, gazed at her with inscrutable eyes as she greeted him.

Right now, Rudbeckia was staring straight at him without lowering her head.

“Though you may not remember, I am Rudbeckia of House Diaz.”

“I remember.”

Rudbeckia introduced herself despite knowing he remembered her.

Her mind was currently in chaos. Born as a duke’s daughter, she had become acquainted with him since her debutante days, from Imperial New Year’s parties and end-of-year celebrations, and even monster subjugation missions.

But now was a time when they shouldn’t have been meeting, with last year’s subjugation unit being their last encounter. According to her memories, their new meeting shouldn’t have been in this small healing shop, but at the imperial garden tea table after the coup.

“Thank you for remembering. This is Hugo, my guard knight.”

Even in her confused state, Rudbeckia created an opportunity for Hugo to leave. And Hugo seized that chance immediately.

“I am Hugo Becker of the Diaz Racht Knights. I serve the Miss with my humble abilities.”

She saw Benedict nod and immediately dismissed the man.

“Hugo, go inside first. I’ll call for you later.”

“Yes, Miss. Your Highness, I shall take my leave then. Glory to the Empire!”

Rudbeckia faced Benedict again as she listened to Hugo’s footsteps.

Why did I open so early? But why would opening early suddenly lead to this meeting?

Rudbeckia hid her complicated thoughts and took a slow deep breath.

She needed to think rationally. He had visited the shop now, and this place sold healing medicines made using their holy power. Looking at it that way, his purpose became clear.

“Your Highness, are you looking for specific medicine?”

Though surprise tinged her voice, she maintained a composed expression.

Benedict then raised his gaze and slowly turned his head. As he looked around the shop with indifferent eyes, Rudbeckia instinctively tensed at the strangely chilling sensation.

He spoke without looking at her,

“I need painkillers, Lady Diaz.”

Though she expected him to respond, Rudbeckia’s shoulders flinched. She thought for a moment and carefully asked.

“Did you perhaps get injured during training?”

It was a question Benedict could more than understand the meaning behind.

He slightly furrowed his brow while fixing his gaze back on Rudbeckia.

She had asked whether the painkillers he sought were for external bruises or internal injuries, and Benedict needed to answer.

After a while, Benedict replied briefly.

“It’s not from training.”

It meant internal injuries. She nodded calmly without asking further.

She remembered too. This was around the time when the emperor changed his method of trying to kill his brother. From assassination to poison.

Knowing well that Benedict had resistance to various poisons, the emperor experimented with different types and amounts of poison. It was a roundabout method, but after every assassin he sent had failed and died, the emperor had no other choice.

And now Benedict, who had come to find her, had only minor internal injuries thanks to that resistance, but would soon be at death’s door.

After that, he would survive and stage a coup. Rudbeckia would not stop that from happening.

She just needed to avoid marrying that man. Then she would never have to set foot in that frightening place again.

‘Benedict won’t die anyway. If he can survive poison, there’s no need for him to suffer to the point of death.’

Rudbeckia’s rationalization was impulsive. After finding the internal medicine he mentioned, she opened another cabinet and reached deep inside. She remembered making it just in case during a monster subjugation, but had only kept it in storage since there was no occasion to use it.

“Ugh…”

Rudbeckia stood on her tiptoes to reach for a small glass vial about the size of her pinky that was barely within reach. As she tapped it with her fingertips, the vial teetered precariously, and her posture was unstable.

Suddenly feeling exhausted for no reason, Rudbeckia was about to withdraw her hand but bit her lip and focused.

The husband she remembered had visited her even when she was bedridden during the war with the Ahen Kingdom, and never failed to visit her even during imperial banquets.

Though such an encounter would be strange between them now that she was twenty-two, knowing this, Rudbeckia still wanted to deliver this medicine to that man.

Just a little more.

She stretched out her hand again with all her might.

Just as the small glass vial was within reach, it wobbled and threatened to fall. Simultaneously, Rudbeckia’s body swayed weakly.

“Ah!”

A single exclamation escaped her lips. However, despite the precarious sequence of events, Rudbeckia stood steadily, and the vial didn’t fall. Instead, she had to startle at the man standing behind her, holding her waist.

Caught between the cabinet and Benedict, she froze while turning to face him. His shoulders that could easily obscure someone of her size and his broad frame matched surreally well with his appearance.

Rudbeckia barely gathered her wits while facing Benedict’s familiar yet strange features right in front of her.

“Your Maj– no, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Lady Diaz.”

He calmly answered while retrieving the vial she had been trying to reach.

Rudbeckia deliberately raised both hands calmly.

“Thank you, but would you please step back?”

“Ah.”

Ah?

Benedict furrowed his brows as though he had just realized he had grabbed more than just the vial. Rudbeckia felt dumbfounded but couldn’t respond in kind, given who she was dealing with.

“You can take the internal medicine right away. Would you like some water?”

As soon as Benedict stepped back, Rudbeckia also took a couple of sidesteps while bringing the topic back.

He alternately looked at the medicine she offered and the small vial in his hand.

“I’ll keep your visit here a secret.”

Hurriedly bringing water, she placed both the water and internal medicine in Benedict’s hands. He obediently took the medicine on the spot as she intended.

“Take it three times a day. If the pain is severe, four times is fine too.”

“What is this?”

“This is…”

Rudbeckia pondered while looking at the blue potion she had struggled to reach. She needed to find the most appropriate answer, as she couldn’t say it was something for him to take when he would be in death-like pain soon before his deployment.

“Irene.”

She inadvertently mentioned her friend’s name and immediately regretted it. Her lips suddenly went dry.

“Irene asked me to give it to you.”

“Irene did?”

Benedict tilted his head while looking at the medicine, and she, thinking ‘whatever,’ made up any words.

“Irene saw Your Highness in danger in her dream. Though it probably won’t happen, Irene made it just in case, so please take it while you’re here. I’ll tell Irene myself.”

She felt ridiculous even as she told the lie. Having rapidly spoken an unbelievable story from start to finish, Rudbeckia tried to maintain as brazen an expression as possible.

Benedict shifted his gaze from her raised chin to the blue potion she had handed him. Rudbeckia’s heart pounded fearfully as she lied.

Who am I daring to lie to? Though she became frightened, she repeatedly justified to herself that this was ultimately for his sake.

“Should I ask Irene when to take it?”

“No. You’ll just… know when the time comes.”

“When I feel like I’m dying, something like that?”

“I wouldn’t dare say such things to Your Highness… Yes.”

Rudbeckia lowered her head, seemingly apologetic for speaking such ominous words, but in reality, she avoided his gaze because maintaining a composed expression proved difficult.

Her heart fluttered whenever she lied, so she took a deep breath. Around when she felt her irregular heartbeat improving slightly, Benedict moved.

“I’ve been quite rude.”

“Not at all, Your Highness.”

“Until we meet again.”

“Glory to the Empire.”

Rudbeckia slightly lifted her simply patterned skirt and gave her final greeting. Benedict responded with a bow before finally leaving the shop.

She felt genuinely relieved watching the blue potion in his hand. Though Benedict might find it strange behavior, she judged it as the right thing to do in the end.

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