🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 27
Sophie went to bed at dawn and woke up at dawn.
An apothecary had to be diligent. Since plants were diligent, she had to be just as hardworking.
Also, since the children grew with the help of the spirits’ powers, they needed constant care.
“……”
But for Sophie, waking up early was a great struggle. Truly, a painful one.
Sophie−nim!Youhavetowakeup!Sophie-nim! You have to wake up!
A spirit clung tightly to her cheek. “Wake uuuup!” Even as it shrieked right by her cheek, Sophie didn’t budge.
“…Just five more minutes.”
She couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her eyelids were so heavy.
In the end, she pulled the blanket over her head.
Ahhh!Nooo!Youcan’tgobacktosleep!Ahhh! Nooo! You can’t go back to sleep!
Youdidthislasttimetooandsleptforawholehour!You did this last time too and slept for a whole hour!
The spirits yelled.
“It’s just so hard to get up in winter…”
Escaping the warm, body-heated blanket was an incredibly hard task.
“Ahhh! Wake up!” A spirit dangled by her ear, yelling.
Eventually, Sophie got up. As soon as she left the blanket, the cold hit her like a wave.
She wanted to dive back into the bed immediately.
But the spirits had already neatly folded and put away the blanket.
“Sigh…”
She hurriedly put on her robe, but the cold still seeped into her bones.
So cold.
Youhavetowashupnow!You have to wash up now!
“So cold…”
Bathing in winter was always a struggle. Entering the bathroom in the nude was cold, and stopping the hot water even briefly was even worse.
Eventually, unable to resist the chattering of the spirits, Sophie washed up—barely.
She only splashed some water on herself.
“Winter’s really here now…”
Winter was in full swing. It had already been a month since she returned from the Imperial Palace.
Rolf had said she could visit whenever she needed, but Sophie hadn’t gone.
In the meantime, the weather got colder and the world turned monochrome.
Sophie−nim,Sophie−nim!TheTeleshclosedupwellovernight!Sophie-nim, Sophie-nim! The Telesh closed up well overnight!
ShouldwegrindtheOlshinegrootseparatelyintopowder?Should we grind the Olshineg root separately into powder?
Sophie’s apothecary sold different herbs depending on the season. Essential ones were grown in a greenhouse, so she wasn’t limited by the time of year.
Still, the efficacy of herbs could change slightly depending on temperature, climate, or season.
Especially Olshineg, which bloomed in winter. When processed during its blooming season, the medicine was more potent.
“Brrr! It’s freezing!”
She rushed into the greenhouse after opening the apothecary door.
Sophie prepared some candied chestnuts to eat as a substitute for breakfast.
They were peeled chestnuts soaked in syrup.
She scooped out three pieces and enjoyed them warm with tea.
“Tasty?”
Delicious!Delicious!
The spirits enjoying the warm chestnuts made for a pleasant sight.
An apothecary’s work was endless.
Even with herbs, she had to decide whether to use the root, the flower, the stem or leaves.
And whether to grind, roast, dry, or steam them.
Each preparation method determined its effectiveness.
She couldn’t look away for a second, lest she accidentally make something toxic.
Sometimes the root was medicinal, but the flower could be poisonous.
“Whew…”
Sophie brewed a particularly bitter tea to combat the winter chill. On cold days, bitterness actually felt slightly sweet.
She blew gently on her teacup and took a small sip.
“There’s a lot to do today.”
Without the spirits, Sophie would’ve really struggled.
Because they directly helped her, she could manage numerous herbs easily.
Especially the earth spirits—some were even more knowledgeable apothecaries than she was.
Though small in appearance, they had a wealth of knowledge and served as great teachers to her.
“Eat up while you can. Otherwise, you’ll get hungry later.”
At Sophie’s words, the spirits quickly shoved more chestnuts into their mouths.
Their cheeks bulged with chestnuts. Sophie burst out laughing.
“But don’t eat too fast. You’ll get indigestion.”
Okay.We’lleatslowly.Okay. We’ll eat slowly.
As Sophie sipped her tea, she suddenly felt the apothecary was unusually quiet.
‘It’s usually full of people…’
Other than the occasional emergency patient, the apothecary rarely bustled with noise.
Most people just came to buy herbs and left.
But lately, the apothecary had been bustling with customers—people seeking her teas.
From morning to evening, many came for tea, so now that it was quiet, it felt almost eerie.
Earning a lot of money and seeing people benefit from her teas made Sophie happy.
She had gotten used to selling her medicinal teas.
“Still, this is an apothecary, not a teahouse…”
People kept mistaking it for one.
“How did you do it? My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“That’s good to hear. It probably worked better because you drank the Pureg warm.”
Even Sophie found it a bit surprising.
Her herbs, with the help of spirit affinity, had stronger effects.
Last night, a customer who had suffered from digestive problems confessed they felt much better after drinking her tea.
“Pureg works better when it’s drunk warm.”
“Pureg? I don’t know much about herbs…”
“It’s a flower that usually grows between cliffs or rocks. It’s roasted eight times and dried repeatedly.”
Sophie smiled brightly.
“Sounds complicated to make.”
“It is. Would you like to buy some separately?”
“Really? You sell it separately?”
“Of course. This is an apothecary, after all.”
“…Not a teahouse?”
The customer asked, bewildered.
“It’s an apothecary.”
“Then I’ll buy some separately.”
“I’ll have it ready for you before you leave.”
Yes! Sophie silently cheered.
This was how she sold herbs along with her teas.
People who saw great results from her teas usually bought the herbs too.
She essentially earned double.
“…Sometimes I think you’re a brilliant businesswoman, Sophie.”
“Oh, Arabelle. I have to make money to keep the apothecary running.”
Sophie shared this truth of life.
“It sells well, so I keep selling the teas regularly.”
Recently, a wealthy man had even bought a large quantity of her herbs.
Sophie turned the situation of princes and dukes frequenting her apothecary into an opportunity rather than a crisis.
If she couldn’t kick them out, she might as well make money off them.
“Besides, the customers love it. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Why would she go to Kevaris when she could earn money and gain recognition right here?
Sophie chuckled to herself.
“Sophie. Are you here?”
“Mr. Segel!”
Sophie approached the bakery owner, Segel.
“I’m here to buy more cold medicine again…”
“Why? Didn’t the last one work?”
“No, it worked really well.”
Segel chuckled.
“But I need an excuse to go.”
“Ah.”
He had a crush on Betty, the restaurant owner.
He visited her restaurant daily just to catch a glimpse of her.
But since she got sick with a cold and couldn’t work, he was now using medicine as an excuse to see her.
“You really like Miss Betty that much?”
“She’s beautiful. Kills me with how pretty she is.”
Segel laughed.
“How can someone be so gorgeous?”
“Oh dear. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Once again, Segel left Sophie some bread along with the money. The rich scent of butter wafted from the bread he gave her.
It smelled so good that even the spirit next to her gulped.
“I slathered it in butter and toasted it. Just now.”
“Thanks. But why do you visit Betty so often?”
Come to think of it, Segel really did visit Betty’s restaurant daily.
“There’s no special reason.”
With a simple answer, Segel left the apothecary.
Sharing Segel’s love-filled bread with Arabelle and the spirits, Sophie welcomed a peaceful afternoon.
It had gotten so cold that not many braved the chill to visit the apothecary.
But someone had pushed through the cold to come.
“…Lord Rolf?”
It had been nearly a month since she last saw him.
This was their first meeting since they saw each other at the Imperial Palace.
Sophie never expected the elusive Rolf to visit in person.
Covered in a black robe, Rolf still attracted attention wherever he went.
It’sbeenawhile.It’s been a while.
Harl stood with a haughty face and folded arms. Seeing him, the spirits came running from the greenhouse.
“Hello. Did you come for tea?”
At Sophie’s question, Rolf gave a slight nod.
As always, his face was mostly hidden. Only a hint of lips was visible between the delicate features.
‘What kind of tea should I prepare?’
If he had just gotten burned, she would know what to give, but now, there wasn’t much suitable.
So Sophie prepared a tea good for fatigue recovery.
“It’ll be a little bitter. You can add milk or sugar if you’d like.”
She brought him the tea with both milk and sugar on the side.
Rolf took a small sip, then poured in sugar and milk.
Apparently, he had a sweet tooth.
Seeing him drink the obviously sweet tea happily, Sophie asked,
“Sorry. Now that I think about it, I haven’t visited you at all this past month.”
She hadn’t intended to anyway, but she still apologized.
It’sfine.It’s fine.
Harl conveyed Rolf’s voice.
“But I didn’t expect you to come here personally.”
Sophie smiled a little. Arthur and Valentis came because they were patients, but Rolf’s situation was different.
“Is something special going on? Maybe some research results?”
“……”
Rolf stayed silent. Sophie turned to Harl, expecting him to answer instead.
Then Harl spoke.
Hecamebecausehemissedyou.He came because he missed you.
“…?”
Harl spoke with a smug expression.
Rolf looked flustered and glared at him.
Youdidn’tsaynottotellher.That’swhatyouwerethinking,soIjustsaidit.You didn’t say not to tell her. That’s what you were thinking, so I just said it.
Harl muttered defensively.
