Chapter 4

“Lady.”

“Yes?”

Her hands were slightly strained. The part of his hand that was holding her tightened, making April to frown slightly. He rubbed the back of her hand several times with his thumb, causing April to feel a chilling sensation.

April thought she noticed a momentary wrinkle on his forehead, but quickly looked away as soon as Ian’s eyes fell on hers.

“Are you all right?”

“What? Oh, I-I am fine.”

Ian looked down at her trembling fingertips briefly before returning to look at her eyes. As soon as their eyes met, he brought his index finger to his lips. It meant that she should not show it. April nodded quickly as if she was possessed by something, while the corners of his mouth bent up faintly.

“Excuse me.”

Rumors were very courteous as they were, but there was something doubtful. After Elise’s trial, it was a burden to April, who had difficulty when she dealt with the nobility. Leaving her behind, Ian climbed back on to the horse.

“What was it? That man…..”

April, who was having a momentary fondness for his afterimage, hurried to her senses at the babble and turned her way towards the opposite street. She was on her way back to her daily life. Without knowing what future this encounter will bring.

“I’m here.”

April dropped herself on the lab couch as soon as she arrived. She wanted to rest as she felt like she was walking a long way around the street, but she had to get up and go to the front of the workstation because she had a tight schedule.

“Great. I’ll get you something cool.”

“Yes, thank you.”

April released the premade detox beads into the water and dropped all the petals. After removing the toxin, only the necessary parts were extracted.

“How’s the material?”

“Good. Nothing has gone bad.”

April savoured the sweet fragrance of the red incense to her heart’s content. Red incense was a material that was rarely sold at the market because it was very difficult to remove small toxins, and thus it was very expensive.

“It was so crazy outside. The nobles are no joke. The Grand Duke will marry Lianna anyway, so what am I going to give her when I see her?”

“Dear! Do you think that would be because of His Highness? It would be because of the Marquis.”

“Ah……”

Excellent appearance, great family, and a never-to-be-troubled penitentiary. As the rumor has it that Ian was a man of great interest in the whole family. At first glance he would seem cold, but it also seemed that he had drawn a line before him so as to not commit any disrespect.

But April couldn’t get rid of the strain because she cared about something else than his appearance or personality. His hands, which seemed to be desperately ordered to remain silent, were evenly coercive.

“It felt so strange.”

“What? Is he not good to see in person?”

“No! It’s not that.”

April was terrified every time she remembered the moment she touched him. It was on her mind. It was like a dull pain that she felt when she poked the healing wound again.

‘What should I call this?’

Dalia looked at April, who was only staring at her palm. Suddenly, she hit the wall as if she remembered something.

“Oh, come to think of it, was it when you were a kid? I’ve seen a writer once. It must have been when he went around looking for a fever reducer until he got married.”

“Do you mean the predecessor of Marquis Reykis? And he was going around the neighborhood to find a fever reducer?”

“Yes. Did he want the best medicine in the world? Maybe Rill could have just prepared it.”

“Then he must have had a regular family.”

Though she didn’t believe the story of the posthumous writer that she heard from Dalia, April replied deftly.

“You’re thinking of doing some more business, aren’t you? Anyway, I have to get ready for my night business.”

After Dalia left the lab, April opened Elise’s notebook, which she had left in one corner of the bookcase. It was a compilation of the witches’ traditional knowledge that Elise wanted to pass on to April

“Did he have a fever or a cold? I have never heard of it.”

The business was not in full swing. As a pharmacist who majored in pharmacology at the prestigious Pedoba Institute, she was only intrigued by the bizarre fact that the fever got better after marriage.

Of course, she could not find the word “special medicine” without some harshness. ‘You never know again, do you?’

“Not much.”

After confirming that there was nothing to look for, April placed a lock spell back on her notebook and put it on the shelf. Soon after, she began to prepare the potion that was ordered by Count Rose. After moving some jars of juices and powders from the desk to the workbench, she put out all the lights except for the one at the side of the workbench.

“Blue atoll juice with some petal powder, a little bit of fruit scent…….”

April held the glass bottle in her hand, gently closing her eyes and murmuring briefly. The purple-colored liquid gradually became clear and soon became as transparent as water.

The work was finished quickly. Even though the material was difficult to prepare, the preparation of the potion was quite easy. April sat down on a chair to catch her breath, glancing at a bottle as big as her index finger. The color of the medicine and Ian’s face kept overlapping before her.

***

“April! This is the necklace I got recently. This seems magical,

right?”

April, who was wondering why Lianna had suddenly called her, was startled to see what she had handed over. It was no doubt that it was a witch’s tool that she had difficulty in getting from a rare antique shop not too long ago.

“That’s right. I think it has been over 200 years.”

“Really? They said it was from the north, so I was just wondering!”

April brought the necklace close to the light and carefully examined the decorations. Originally, it used to be very shiny, but now that it was neglected for a long time, the surface became much rougher. No imprints representing the original owner could be read.

“Isn’t it the remains of a witch who suffered during the war of chastity about 200 years ago?”

“….. It might be.”

200 years ago, the most independent witches were killed in a small war to incorporate the outskirts of Calleva, a stronghold of witches, into the empire. Even though it was part of a long history, it was not just someone else’s story to April.

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