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CHAPTER 09
Finding the Backing of a Betrayed Villainess —
She bit the lid of the potion bottle open with her mouth and spat it onto the ground.
Her injured left forearm trembled violently, as if seizing.
Without hesitation, she poured the potion over it.
The purple liquid touched her skin—and was immediately absorbed.
The potion seeped into the gaping wound, and before everyone’s eyes, the torn flesh began to slowly knit itself back together.
The throbbing pain faded little by little along with it.
“……”
A deathly silence fell over the area.
Even those rescuing people at a distance stopped moving, as if swallowed by the atmosphere.
She poured the remaining potion over her arm.
The wide-open wound was gone, leaving only a faint red line across her forearm. Even that would soon fade.
“I…”
She paused briefly.
Is it really okay to say this?
But hesitation didn’t last long. There was no time to think.
“I was personally hired by His Grace the Grand Duke.”
Those who had been whispering and rejecting her only moments ago now stared at her, speechless.
“I was delayed because of an accident on my way here.”
Clink, roll…
She dropped the empty bottle onto the ground. All eyes followed it as it rolled away.
“If you doubt me, you can verify it later at the Grand Ducal Castle.”
It was half a gamble.
But it was also a gamble she was likely to win.
One reason she had chosen the Grand Ducal estate in Wintergarten as her destination after escaping exile was precisely this.
Black hair, blue eyes—and even a beauty mark beneath the eye. The person she had in mind closely matched the rumored appearance of the Grand Duke of Wintergarten.
Her mouth felt dry.
“But right now, please let me save that child.”
Someone who could still be saved was dying in front of her.
She was sick of watching people die helplessly.
If someone could be saved, she wanted to save them. It felt like her duty.
If they still didn’t believe her, there was nothing more she could do.
She looked at them desperately.
Their gazes shifted between the rolling potion bottle and her.
No one spoke.
And then—
“…Can you really save her?”
“Miriam!”
The woman who had been crying beside Celine—her mother, Miriam—grabbed her hand tightly and looked up at her. Emotion churned wildly in her eyes.
“You’re asking if I can save her?”
Her tone was sharp, almost accusatory. But she nodded without hesitation.
“If we don’t delay any further, then yes. I will.”
Miriam’s eyes trembled violently.
“If anything happens to my child because of this treatment… I will never forgive you.”
She met her gaze.
“Do as you wish.”
At those words, Miriam finally collapsed to the ground, breaking down completely. She clutched the hem of the woman’s clothes as tears poured down.
“…Please save her.”
“Miriam.”
“Please… please save my child.”
The words, spat out like blood, weighed heavily in the air.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The cold winter night air brushed her face.
Yes. Today, she would save that child—and everyone here.
“Maria.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Do you have flamewort?”
* * *
The moment Miriam realized her child’s breath was fading, she thought only one thing:
At the very least, her child should not leave this world alone.
She had lost her husband early and had raised Celine alone. Without Celine, there would be no reason for her to live.
Her world was turning into grayscale.
Please… anyone… I don’t care who…
Even if it were the devil.
If she could see her child smile again—if she could watch her grow even a little longer—she would offer her life without hesitation.
And then, someone like a devil appeared before her.
No. That person wasn’t a devil.
She was a god.
“Two roots of flamewort, and extract the juice from Noctil. I’ll decoct the Sinta fruit first, so can you prepare it within five minutes?”
“But flamewort is—”
“We don’t have time to convince each item. If you’ve decided to trust me, then trust me.”
A young woman, her face half-covered by worn cloth, making her expression hard to read.
The physician personally hired by the Grand Duke.
Someone who handled ominous medicine without it becoming ominous.
And someone confidently claiming she could save Celine.
“Miriam, please give this to Celine first. I can’t treat the respiratory tract directly, so the potion needs to be absorbed as close to it as possible. Be careful not to let it enter the airway.”
Miriam took the bottle handed to her.
Inside swirled golden dust—a potion.
Her grip tightened until her hand turned pale.
There was no long hesitation.
She quickly lifted Celine and carefully poured the liquid into her mouth.
“Celine, good girl… just a little more… for your mother, okay? Just a little more strength.”
The child’s small body was weakening by the moment.
Holding back her tears, Miriam slowly fed her the potion.
Thankfully, Celine was swallowing.
Hope began to bloom in Miriam’s face.
“Good, that’s it… you’re doing well. Almost there.”
It almost seemed like the child was swallowing more easily now.
After finishing the potion, Miriam gently laid her down again, biting her lip.
At some point, pink hair appeared beside her.
A sharp gaze studied Celine over the edge of the worn cloth.
“She’s stable.”
“…Pardon?”
“The child. The immediate danger is gone.”
Startled, Miriam looked down at Celine.
“A-ah…”
It was true.
Celine’s breathing had stabilized. She was still in pain, but her complexion was better than before.
Miriam’s hands trembled uncontrollably. Her vision blurred.
“I’ll borrow the cauldron.”
No one dared to stop her anymore.
They had just witnessed a dying child stabilized by a single bottle of potion.
The woman moved briskly to the workstation.
“Flamewort, please.”
The crowd obeyed as if enchanted.
“Now Noctil.”
Before their eyes, medicine was being created.
She requested ingredients without hesitation, never once taking her eyes off the cauldron.
Her hands moved steadily as herbs were poured in.
“W-what is this…?”
“Shh.”
Someone tried to speak, but was silenced.
She placed a finger to her lips and closed her eyes.
Then she reached out over the cauldron.
The air shifted.
A wind that was neither smoke nor ash swirled around her.
A faint golden light followed the motion of her hand.
Everyone held their breath.
All attention focused on her.
Then—
“It’s done.”
At that moment, the tension snapped.
Fear and anxiety—and a thin thread of hope—flickered through the crowd.
With practiced movements, she divided the medicine and returned to Celine.
The crowd parted like the sea.
The physician glanced around and let out a faint smirk.
Miriam stared at her, transfixed.
Without hesitation, the physician tilted the potion bottle.
Celine swallowed it like a baby bird.
And then—
“Ugh… mo-mom…”
Celine opened her eyes.
