# 35
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Etheus approached Phleus and stopped in front of him.
Fleus, who was handcuffed by the guards, smelled strongly of alcohol.
He said while laughing.
“Ha! The Emperor was very impressed by that...but I ended up in prison because of it.”
Etheus's lips moved slightly.
“What was loaded onto my cart?”
Felius answered him stammering.
“Catherine Ellimore placed on board a collection of pamphlets for poorhouses, hess...”.
Although Felius's words were mixed with wine, he was stating the clear truth of what happened that day.
Etheus said, smiling wryly.
“Ha...”
After a long period of silence, a sigh mixed with complex emotions escaped his lips.
Poor shelter leaflets loaded onto his wagon that day had allowed the Revolutionary Army to receive food and supplies.
If the Sestina shelters had not helped him, the army's food crisis would have worsened, the health of the soldiers would have deteriorated, and more of them would have fallen victim to pneumonia.
Karn called it the intervention of fate, but Etheus could not shake the strange feeling of unease it caused him.
But hearing that the one who put those flyers on his cart was Katherine...?
Etheus gritted his teeth.
“But hes, don’t misunderstand, she just did it to make fun of you.”
Felius continued babbling in his sugar-coated and distorted language.
Looking at the usual picture of Catherine, this goal was clearly evident.
She was the type of woman who would send Etheus to investigate Fadelmen just to scare him, claiming that it would teach him a lesson through terror.
He said, smiling sarcastically.
“You know... how cruel Catherine has a personality... cough.”
Etheus was silent, raised his foot lightly, and stepped on Philaeus' toes.
A cry of pain escaped from Felius as he screamed.
“Khhhh!”
But these unrelated coincidences began to form in Etheos' mind with a faint thread of understanding.
Even if they were illusions that would fade away, he glimpsed the shape of an oasis in his dry awakening – and his heart couldn't help but speed up.
He pressed harder, stepping on Fleus' toes before finally lifting his foot.
Most likely, some of his nails were crushed.
Between his drunken state and the severe pain, Felius' head bowed and he fell unconscious.
The guards who were restraining him watched everything, pretended not to see, and let Etheus do as he pleased.
Part of him wanted to end Felius' life there, but killing him in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, was impossible.
Glancing coldly at the clouded Phleus, Etheus turned and walked away.
A dry, emotion-laden voice came out from between his dry lips.
“...Ha, Katherine.”
* * *
A few days later, I heard that the members of the Revolutionary Army had obtained a sufficient amount of medicine.
Today the relief was at 70%, which means the medication seems to be working well.
I spoke roughly that day to avoid suspicion, and for a moment I feared that Etheus would become suspicious of the medicine because of it.
But fortunately, everything went well.
I coughed.
But it seemed I couldn't avoid getting pneumonia again.
I was now lying on the bed, wrapped in blankets.
Hirose, who had fully recovered, was sitting next to me, taking care of me.
“Please don’t be sick, ma’am,” he said gently, gently placing his hand on my forehead, hot despite the medication.
He added in a tender voice.
“I would rather be mentally ill than see you like this.”
I replied in a mocking tone.
"bunk."
He looked at me with a serious expression, his eyebrows furrowed, and I smiled gently.
My body felt miserable, but the warmth of being cared for like family wasn't entirely uncomfortable.
In addition, as long as I took my medication correctly, I would recover soon, so it wasn't stressful.
After a while, I heard a knock, and a servant entered carrying a cup filled with a pale purple liquid.
Hirose tried to gently pass his hand behind my back to help me sit up.
“I told you I didn't need help getting up.”
He ignored me and took the medicine from the servant.
"What is this? A new drug? I've never seen it before."
He said while smiling.
“This morning, a rare herb was found at the front gate, called Osenil – it only grows on the slopes of frozen ground and is considered one of the hardest herbs to harvest.”
I'd never heard of it before, but smart Hirose seemed familiar.
He said while smiling.
“Because it is very difficult to obtain, it is known as the best for restoring vitality. A single root of it costs from tens to hundreds of thousands of debt. No one knows who sent it, but perhaps they heard that you are sick.”
He added: “We also tested it for toxins, and it is completely clean, so you can drink it with confidence, ma’am.”
The bright color of the medicine was scary, but since it was from a rare and very powerful herb, I was supposed to drink it.
I didn't know why it was left anonymously at our door, but at the very least, I got to accept the kindness of the giver.
I tilted the cup and sipped the medicine by mouth, then frowned.
“Ah...”
I expressed my dissatisfaction, furrowing my eyebrows forcefully.
“As I expected... very bitter!”
* * *
Thanks to the unexpected medicinal herb, I quickly regained my strength in just one day, and after a few days —
“Khhhhhhh, thanks, Madam Elmore, the medicine is very rare and hard to find.”
The nobles of the Imperial Party, looking ill, gathered at Elmore Palace to receive medicine.
Someone said as he sat down.
“Please sit down, you look too weak to stand.”
About ten nobles sat in the reception room.
Coughs were coming from all directions, and some of them were swaying unsteadily.
Among them was Marquis Regalo, who was clearly tired despite his difficult breathing, and appeared depressed.
He was Flius Regalo's father, to whom I had sent the cancellation notice, so he had a grudge against him, of course.
Hirose said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, take the medicine.”
He answered, raising his hand.
“Yes, ma'am.”
Currently, the price of treating pneumonia was very high.
One pill was worth an entire house for a commoner, making it a burden for nobles as well.
Of course, this was double pricing.
For the poor, I would l it through distribution to shelters at the closest price with a small profit margin.
As for the nobles, who ignore the medicines of the asylums, it will not occur to them that the medicine is the same.
I even changed the appearance of the pill for this purpose.
I said in a low voice.
“You don’t know how difficult it is to secure this supply, why would I suffer for you.. huh.”
She let out a small sigh.
“If you end up in bed, disrupting state affairs and burdening Your Highness, then consider this my exaggerated behavior for the sake of the empire. Others will pay double the price for it.”
As their gazes turned to me, as I scolded them, they accepted the medicine with grateful expressions.
By paying a very high price, they found a way to escape this deadly pneumonia — and of course, they would be relieved.
Someone said
“Thanks... really, thanks for ling it to us.”
One of the noblewomen said seriously.
“You are truly one of His Highness's loyal agents, Madam Elmore.”
I watched them swallow the pills with trembling hands, and hid a slight smile.
After a while, after taking the medicine and regaining some of their psychological balance, they looked at me with genuine curiosity.
“We heard... that you have made a huge fortune from this business.”
My previous words about others who offered to double it were not in vain.
I shrugged and spoke with arrogant confidence.
“Well, my business abilities were known even to my late father, the Duke of Elmore, so this is just a natural consequence.”
Immediately, envious looks flowed towards me.
I felt them, so I continued.
“In addition, I have the rights to do dozens of projects that could bring in huge fortunes. If only I had multiple bodies to manage them all.”