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Chapter 24
Heading to the apothecary, I immediately began reviewing the bundle of documents I had prepared in advance.
The densely packed files were none other than Jaden’s medical records.
‘I’ve already heard a brief summary of his medical history…’
Still, that wasn’t enough.
Since he was a child, I wanted to be extra careful not to miss anything.
As I diligently read through the documents, a thought struck me.
‘Something’s… off.’
Although Tamutar disease was known as incurable, Cain hadn’t completely given up on treatment.
‘That’s why he got the Sharpleaf herb in the first place.’
Over the past few months, Jaden had been prescribed medicines made from it. They weren’t a perfect cure, but his symptoms should have been somewhat alleviated…
‘Then why was Jaden’s condition so severe?’
It was as if he hadn’t received any treatment at all.
One possibility crossed my mind, but…
Hmm. No, I need to check this immediately.
Jaden, being young, might not know or could be hiding something, but there was a way to confirm it.
‘If I ask his personal maid, she might know something.’
I sprang from my seat and headed straight for Jaden’s bedroom.
However, the maid’s waiting room was empty. When I stopped a passing maid to ask, her answer left me bewildered.
“Ah… Miss Celia hasn’t come to work yet.”
“What? She hasn’t come yet?”
It was already mid-morning. I wondered if she was feeling unwell, and asked again. The maid hesitated, lowering her voice.
“Well… she’s still asleep. She gets angry if someone wakes her up.”
“……Then what about the young master’s breakfast or medicine?”
“I took care of that for him. Miss Celia is often late, so it’s not unusual.”
Where should I even begin?
I had noticed the disorder in Jaden’s room earlier, and now it all made sense.
My head throbbed, but my task hadn’t changed.
I waited another two hours until I finally heard the click of heels at the end of the hallway.
She walked leisurely, draped in a lavish dress as usual.
Celia noticed me and furrowed her brow mercilessly, looking as if she’d stepped in something unpleasant.
“What is it? Why are you here?”
“Miss Celia, I have something to ask you.”
“Hah. Honestly, commoners like you shouldn’t be wandering around. No manners, barging in without notice. Do you even know how busy I am?”
She waved her fan irritably in front of me.
Normally, I might have let it slide, not wanting unnecessary conflict.
But this wasn’t a matter to ignore—Jaden’s health was at stake.
I gathered my courage and spoke in a clearer, more assertive tone than usual.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not here to see the young lady of the Dorn family.”
“What?”
“I’m here to meet Jaden’s personal maid. It’s regarding work.”
“This is…!”
Celia’s face instantly flushed red at my words.
“So? What is it you want to say? Are you going to nitpick something again?”
“Nitpick? No, I just need to confirm something about the young master’s medicine.”
“Confirm?”
Celia let out a hollow laugh, incredulous.
“Who do you think you are? How dare you try to check up on someone?”
“I’m not his superior. I’m asking as a pharmacist. I noticed something unusual in his records…”
“Ridiculous. You’re doubting me?”
Celia snorted and narrowed her eyes.
“What? Are you doubting I didn’t give the young master his medicine, or that I messed something up?”
“…….”
“Why would you even tell me about the young master’s medicine? You’re the personal pharmacist!”
Not content with just mocking me, she even poked my shoulder with her index finger.
Though my headache flared again at the lack of cooperation, I forced myself to stay calm.
“No, that’s not what I’m questioning. I just want to know if he ever had a reaction to the medicine, or if there was anything unusual…”
I asked as politely as possible, but Celia didn’t understand. Her eyes were already full of hostility.
“Excuses! You just want to find a flaw and report it to Conrad, don’t you? You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
I remembered hearing something about Conrad earlier, and now her hostility was directed entirely at me. I felt completely speechless.
Sigh. I swallowed a deep breath.
It was fine if Celia disliked me, but being so uncooperative was unacceptable. This wasn’t about pride—this was about a sick child.
“……There seems to be a misunderstanding. But…”
I spoke as calmly and maturely as I could, trying to soothe her.
“Miss Celia, let’s set aside personal feelings for a moment. This concerns the young master’s health. I need accurate information to provide proper treatment, so please…”
“Enough!”
Celia cut me off.
“I did my job. I delivered his medicine to his room every day. Whether he takes it or not is none of your business!”
“Then have you ever confirmed that he actually took it?”
“Hah! Do you think I’m a maid for that? You know how difficult it is to satisfy a child’s whims!”
Celia snapped, but I didn’t mind. I had already obtained all the necessary information.
I returned to the apothecary, lost in thought.
‘As I suspected… it seems Jaden has been secretly refusing his medicine all along…’
But why?
I recalled how feverish and weak he had been a few days ago. Just enduring it was impressive.
Suddenly, Jaden’s words echoed in my mind.
“Anyway, I’m not sick right now… do I really have to take the medicine?”
At first, I had thought it was just ordinary childish whining.
Children rarely like medicine, and even adults often dislike it.
That’s why I had prepared the syrup—if it was sweet, he might be less resistant.
‘But…’
What if there was a deeper reason behind Jaden’s words?
‘I need to find out what’s really going on.’
That’s where the treatment would begin.
After making a plan, I got up and gathered the supplies, heading straight to Jaden.
“Young master, today I’ve brought a special kind of medicine.”
“Medicine… huh? Hmm.”
Jaden, who had been smiling, suddenly drooped like he was sulking. I spoke even more cheerfully.
“I know you don’t like medicine, so I paid extra attention this time.”
Ta-da!
I opened my fist to reveal the medicine I had been hiding.
Round in shape, wrapped in packaging that looked more like candy than medicine.
Jaden tilted his head in curiosity.
“This is medicine?”
“Yes! Viola’s special candy medicine!”
I added an explanation with a bright smile.
“This way, young master, you can take it easily. It’s not bitter at all and tastes great. Even back when I lived in Heyron Village, all the local children lined up to get it…”
I exaggerated to pique his interest. As a typical child, Jaden perked up his ears, but soon pouted his lips.
“I’m not that much of a child.”
“Correction. Even adults lined up for it.”
“That’s quite an exaggeration.”
Jaden gave me a skeptical look. His expression was so cute that I almost reached out to pat his head—but I stopped. I had work to do first.
“Anyway, you can take this medicine today. It’s much better than the bitter powder, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You can take it right now.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
When I gave him a firm look beneath my soft words, Jaden’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Still, he obediently took the medicine I handed him.
‘Now? Is it really now?’
