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~Chapter 19~
Shariette didn’t know what was so “funny,” but she noticed the suspicion fading from Nixia’s eyes.
Nixia swallowed the remaining pill and, with a calmer smile than before, said,
“Thank you, Shariette.”
It wasn’t the kind of heavy gratitude one would expect for a single pill. Shariette tilted her head.
“It’s just an ordinary headache medicine.”
“Ahaha, this too, but… I meant about Noxian.”
“Nox… the young duke?”
“Actually, the headache was the second reason. I called you here because I wanted to talk about this.”
Had talking with the duchess the other day not been enough for her? Shariette thought it strange how everyone in this house seemed more moved over a sleeping pill than the actual person taking it.
But unlike then, Nixia’s face now had a bitter expression. The shadow on her face looked familiar.
“How much has Noxian told you about the curse?”
Damn. The karma she had tried to bury was rolling back to her like a snowball. Shariette swallowed hard.
Leaving out her own faults, she answered,
“I only know that the Latium curse causes insomnia.”
That wasn’t a lie. It was truly the only thing she had heard directly from him.
“You’ve probably already heard the rumors across the kingdom— that Noxian’s curse is connected to the destruction of the Argen Marquis family and the breaking of the family agreement.”
“……”
This was as uncomfortable as sitting on a bed of nails.
Feeling the cold sweat run down her neck, Shariette nodded.
“In truth, none of that should have happened to him. If things had gone normally, it would have been my burden to bear.”
Nixia’s lips curved in a long, gloomy smile.
“No family sends their heir into a dangerous play with unknown outcomes. But Noxian stepped in for me. And I… I thought it would be fine because he was stronger than me.”
But the brother who went to the Argen Marquisate for appearances never returned after a week… ten days… half a month.
In the end, Nixia went to Argen herself.
Yet when she finally met her brother after a month, she saw that he was different. Still, she couldn’t deny it if he claimed it was his own will, and so she returned.
The Rubellot family had used every shadow at their disposal to scour Argen Castle and eventually made contact with an insider, allowing them to rescue the heir. But—
“…That wasn’t the end.”
Nixia fiddled with her empty glass and left the rest unsaid.
Shariette, being that “insider” herself, knew exactly what those unsaid words were.
When they smuggled Noxian out, he wasn’t fully healed.
To avoid Matthias’s suspicion, they could only restore him enough for Blanche not to notice.
Shariette had calculated and given him the medicines he’d need once back at Rubellot, but the family must have still been deeply shocked.
And on top of that, he’d gained insomnia as well.
“That’s why I’m grateful to you, Shariette. No matter what kind of person you are. I thought I’d never see him rest like a human being again.”
Nixia spoke calmly, but honestly.
Where she came from, what kind of etiquette she had despite not being noble, why it resembled Blanche Argen’s so much, and why only she could make Noxian sleep when even renowned doctors and power-wielders had failed—
It was full of mysteries, with nothing certain. Rationally, she knew she shouldn’t trust someone like that.
Yet she was desperate enough to set all that aside and rely on her.
Feeling the weight of such sincerity from her patient’s family, Shariette fidgeted her fingers, her conscience pricked.
She didn’t know why she felt guilty when the real criminals were elsewhere.
She was certain: even if Nixia had stepped forward to marry Matthias, Argen would have somehow swapped her out.
Because Blanche had wanted it.
“That old king was useful for once, wasn’t he? Good thing he didn’t keel over senile before then.”
She remembered the day she first heard about the engagement.
Blanche had tossed her diamond engagement ring carelessly on the vanity and even hummed a tune.
For a half-sister who was nothing but madness and violence, seeing her that happy was rare.
She was so pleased she didn’t even kick Shariette in the head while the latter massaged her perfumed feet.
“Don’t forget my credit, little sister. If our family gave them a son, they would have had to give us a daughter in return.”
“Stop bragging! You’re ruining my mood! Shasha! Why are you so slow?!”
That was before Matthias jumped in to stir her anger.
In any case, when Blanche wanted something, Argen made it happen—so they would have gotten Noxian Rubellot no matter what.
Not that I can tell her that.
Shariette didn’t know how to comfort people, so she gave the best guarantee she could:
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he can sleep even after reducing the medicine. If he refuses, I’ll knock him out and put him to sleep. That’s my specialty.”
“Pfft!”
Nixia burst out laughing. Shariette had meant it seriously, but she took it as a joke.
Wiping the corners of her eyes, Nixia asked,
“Ahaha, alright, I’ll count on you. By the way, would you like to dine with us later? If it’s alright, maybe from now on too.”
“Me?”
Nixia smiled warmly, cutting off her retreat.
“Mother feels bad too. She said we’ve been neglecting you after bringing you here, and since the one who brought you just left on his own, we should be the ones to treat you.”
She had perfectly sensed that this strange apothecary seemed to have a soft spot for Marian.
“And, I want to be friends with you.”
“With me?”
Was her head hurting in another way? Shariette examined Nixia’s complexion again, but Nixia just chuckled.
So talking strangely runs in the family too?
To Shariette, everyone in this house—including Noxian—felt strange and unfamiliar.
They called Rubellots cruel and heartless, but they all seemed rather soft.
For someone who’s tripped Blanche up so many times, she’s awfully kind.
Shariette nodded.
Why not? Eating together wasn’t a big deal.
“Then I have a request too.”
Shariette took out a detox capsule disguised as a nutritional supplement.
“This is a supplement I made to suit Lady Marian and you. Please try it and tell me how it works. Two capsules a day, every day without missing, for the effect.”
With this, their lives would be safe for now.
Shariette then considered what Eden, now stressed and with his plan disrupted, would do next.
He’ll stop the experiment, remove the interfering variable, then revise the plan.
Which meant—next would be an attack.
A researcher wanting to control variables would use a method already tested and proven.
In the Rubellot mansion, new talk began circulating among the staff about the young duke’s new physician.
“She’s not from the Pharmacology Academy, I heard.”
“Even Doctor Heron has served the Rubellots for generations. Eden graduated top of the Academy and was recommended by Heron himself. But no one knows anything about her? How is that possible?”
“Honestly, it’s not just me, right? They say she’s from a commoner background like us, but look at the special treatment she gets.”
“Special? She has her own room and a dedicated maid. You’d think she was nobility.”
“And now she even dines with the madam and lady of the house? Trusting someone whose origins are unknown seems reckless.”
“The young duke says she’s a lifesaver, but who knows? Maybe she approached him with ulterior motives…”
Suspicion, resentment, envy, and jealousy began to grow.
At first, it was just whispered gossip, but soon the rumors evolved into malicious acts.
“Oh no, sorry! What should I do?”
Her laundry came back torn and ruined.
“That’s strange, I swear I left it here. You’re not suspecting me, are you?”
After cleaning, small items disappeared from her room.
“You should have been more careful! At least you can treat yourself, so that’s lucky.”
She was bumped into or tripped often, or at meals, tricks were played on her plate alone.
They were small mistakes, accidents, and petty harm—annoying enough to pile up steadily.
But the “anyone” who was supposed to get angry and frustrated… was not the person actually experiencing it.
