CH 2.2

Her fault began when she, who was never interested in other people’s business at all, poked her nose where it didn’t belong.

“What are you going to do now?” He asked as he looked at her, who seemed lost in her thoughts.

With determined eyes, she replied,  “First of all, I need to make an antidote. I think that’ll take some time. But I’ll try to make it as soon as possible.”

His brows furrowed when she added that it would take time. Still, she couldn’t throw a ridiculous offense and go on defense later. The antidote was not something that she could easily make.

Nevertheless, the love potion was quite a complex medicine with a few ingredients.

She had to find various ingredients and purify them, but it wouldn’t be easy.

“I like to be precise.”

Unlike his handsome appearance, the man’s personality was on the opposite side of the spectrum. Yet, that kind of personality was famous in novels, too.

As with most other novels, Archduke Kyar was a man with a cold heart that closely resembled the cold wave in the North.

“Within a year–”

His raven eyebrows went up slightly. She saw her life flash before her eyes, and it urged her to open her mouth again.

“I’ll do it in six months.”

Kyar nodded slowly, and for a while, he was agonized by her urgent answer.

“Good. Then come to my castle with me.”

“What?”

Her blue eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“I would have said it. I feel like I will die if I don’t see you. It’s because of the strange medicine you made, so you have to take responsibility.”

“But that’s a little uncomfortable.”

“Then I’ll have to stay at your house.”

+++

She waved her hand in dismissal, finding his words absurd.

She wished it was a joke, but he had regarded her with a grim expression.

The thought of a man, who was nearly 190 centimeters tall, entering her little cottage full of herbs was already suffocating enough.

“All right, I’ll go to the Grand Duke’s castle. By the way, can you provide us with a meal?”

There was nothing more important than rice, and she was always hungry for food.

As long as they provided meals, she thought she could do her research in comfort.

“Don’t ask me for anything right now. If I feel like it, I think I’ll give it to you if you ask for it.”

‘Youngji?’ Her blue eyes sparkled as she thought of how vast the northern Yeongji was

Should she ask for more?

At the moment, greed tried to overwhelm her mind, but she quietly pushed the idea in.

Then, after she figured everything out, she may have to give up her life.

Now, she couldn’t kill him quickly because of the love potion, but when he returned to who he used to be, he would be a person who would cut his head at once.

Money is money, but nothing is more precious than life.

She had already tasted death once, and she didn’t want to die like that again.

Her goal was to live a long and healthy life in this life.

I wanted to become wealthy and powerful and spend that money for a long time and die.

“First of all, I’ll go home and get some things I need. If you go back to the castle first–”

“No. I don’t want to be away from you at all.”

Archduke Kyar watched her with a predatory gaze that seemed to devour her whole, and she responded with nothing but an awkward smile.

“Then, follow me.”

‘She shouldn’t talk to a mad person longer than what was necessary.’

As she took a step forward to the cabin, she recalled the life lessons that had given her strength.

“What’s your name?”

She stopped walking at the unexpected question.

He had already confessed that he loved her without even knowing his name.

What should she do?

This was a mess.

She had quietly abandoned her plan to go to the capital and sell her love potions at a high price.

‘Seeing that even Archduke Kyar, who was cold-blooded and shed no tears, asked like that….’  The love potion seemed to be a more dangerous medicine than she thought.

“My name is Isabella.”

“Isabella. I should have found it annoying, but it is a pretty name.”

She thought he would say that she was pretty just by breathing at this rate.

Somehow, she felt that she would be exhausted in the future.

Fortunately, The Great Duke Kyar did not talk to her anymore, and she entered the cabin quietly.

“Isabella! Why did you come back so quickly? Did you already succeed in hunting?”

As soon as she opened the door, Ignis flew toward her.

Ignis, who flew and talked loudly around her, looked at Archduke Kyar and narrowed his eyes at him.

“What is this bird that chirps so loudly?”