TLDOWN 05

CHAPTER 5:

 Let’s Make a Deal

“How could you make a cure in just three months?”

Leah muttered gruffly, recalling the duke she had met in the annex. That kind of feat would require the full power of modern medicine.

“Just my luck.”

In her past life, she had worked herself to the bone only to be hit by a car right after finally buying a home.

Now reincarnated and just barely getting by as an apothecary, she’d stumbled into a secret about the duke that she hadn’t even wanted to know.

Sighing deeply, Leah lamented her unfortunate fate. Still, what could she do? If she wanted to survive, she’d at least have to pretend she was developing the cure.

“Ugh, look at all this dust.”

Wanting to learn more about Porarium, Leah visited the library within the estate and began looking around.

Aside from some rusted spots, the library in this remote domain was surprisingly large.

“Spacious, sure…”

She hadn’t expected a librarian, but at the very least she’d hoped the books would be well-organized.

“This is a mess.”

Cookbooks were placed beside poetry collections. Adult novels were mixed in with children’s fairy tales. It was total chaos.

Not to mention the place clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a while—the musty smell of old dust was overwhelming.

Cough cough.

Leah waved away the dust as she stepped forward.

The library, though old and stately in appearance like the duchy’s long history, was in complete disrepair.

At this rate, it was doubtful she could find a single book on herbs before the day was out. Grumbling internally, Leah came to a stop before a large bookshelf.

Apparently untouched for some time, the medical section was fortunately kept all in one place.

“Quite the collection.”

From basic herbal studies to pharmaceutical compounding and medical techniques, the library actually had a broad range of topics.

“They might look old, but definitely worthy of a ducal house.”

She began pulling out every book she could find on herbal medicine to research Porarium.

As time passed, a mountain of books began to pile up in front of her.

“Mixing Lily of the Valley and Acapodium can cause cardiac arrest, so…”

Couldn’t the side effects be neutralized with herbs of an entirely different nature?

“Evening primrose… I think that helps with blood circulation.”

Cardiac arrest was usually caused by poor blood flow.

If she could find an herb that improved blood supply, maybe it could serve as an antidote.

Just as she was flipping deeper into a book for more on evening primrose—

“Found it.”

A few more pages in, she spotted a detailed section about the herb. Leah’s eyes began scanning the text.

“It purifies blood by removing blood clots. So, it’s effective against blood-related conditions?”

If that was true, evening primrose could potentially serve as an antidote to Porarium.

Flipping back to review the side effects of Porarium, Leah noticed a small caution note written in the margin of the page.

[Warning::: Long-term use of Porarium may cause fatigue and reduced sexual function.]

Leah blinked.

“Reduced… sexual function?”

That was a first.

Just as she buried her face back into the book to investigate further, she heard voices coming from outside the library.

“Hey, did you hear? I think the rumor’s true.”

“What rumor?”

The voices of two excited maids carried clearly through the half-open door. Leah’s gaze flicked toward the doorway.

“You know how the butler sends a new woman to the duke’s room every month, saying he needs an heir? Well, I heard he never lays a finger on them!”

“No way! How do you know?”

“Marie peeked in last time—said the girl came back out in less than ten minutes.”

“So, that means…”

For some reason, the gossiping voices seemed to ring directly in her ear.

“There’s definitely something wrong with the duke’s manhood.”

Leah froze, like she’d been struck in the head. The caution she had just read flashed through her mind again.

[Long-term use of Porarium may cause fatigue and reduced sexual function.]

She stared blankly for a moment, then slowly lowered her gaze. Was it just her imagination, or did those words seem especially bold?

Carefully closing the book and hugging it to her chest, Leah muttered:

“So that’s why he’s so touchy…”

She remembered how the duke had furiously thrown a vase at her the first time they met.

It had seemed like an overreaction for someone who was supposedly sick. But now, she realized there was a deeper, more painful reason.

“He had every reason to be irritable.”

A man burdened with such a humiliating condition at a young age—it was no wonder it had taken a toll on his mental state. For the first time, Leah felt a twinge of sympathy for the duke.

“I should be kinder to him.”

Maybe she should research a cure for that condition as well. With new determination in her eyes, Leah gathered the necessary books and left the library.

“So heavy…”

Maybe she’d gotten a little greedy. The stack of books she carried was so tall she couldn’t even see where she was going.

Just then, the weight in her arms lightened.

“You looked like you could use help.”

A man with deep violet hair—like an amethyst—approached her with a friendly smile.

“You’re…”

“You remember my name, right? Rikel.”

“Ah.”

Only then did she nod in recognition. He was a servant from the mansion who had helped her a few days ago when she got lost.

Didn’t he say he worked in the kitchen?

She’d overheard the maids gossiping about his handsome looks more than once.

“To the apothecary room, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Though he had acted overly familiar from their first meeting—claiming they were the same age—Leah kept her tone polite and distant.

Something about him felt off.

“Characters with sleepy eyes like his always turn out to be suspicious.”

It was practically a literary cliché—those characters always had some hidden agenda.

Sure enough, as Leah eyed Rikel warily, he turned and asked with a smile:

“So, I heard you got scammed?”

“What?”

“Everyone in the estate says so. That you must’ve been conned—why else would you sign up to be the duke’s apothecary?”

‘Damn it.’

Being told she was swindled—by an actual former con artist—was deeply insulting. She coughed awkwardly in embarrassment.

“It wasn’t a scam. I just… misread the contract a little.”

A small mistake with big consequences.

“Sounds like a scam to me. They say the penalty for quitting is huge.”

“Yeah… something like that.”

Her shoulders slumped again at the reminder of her pitiful situation. Rikel gave her a sideways glance and stopped a few steps ahead of her.

Leah halted, blocked by his body, and looked up.

“I think I can help.”

“Help with what?”

He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“I can get you more money than that penalty fee.”

“…Money?”

More than the penalty? His words sounded like the devil’s whisper. Leah swallowed dryly.

“Well? Want to hear the offer?”

He smiled, eyes curved in amusement.

What Rikel proposed that day was shocking.

[You want me to spy on the duke?]

[Exactly. Just slip in a little something I give you from time to time—nothing dangerous, not poison or anything. Don’t freak out.]

“Nothing major? One mistake and I’m dead.”

Rikel promised a huge payout and even a stable job afterward if she played the duke’s spy.

Claimed his employer was generous and fair.

“Not a bad deal…”

For a commoner apothecary, the offer was incredibly tempting. But the part that made her heart race most:

[You need that penalty money, right? The payment’s pretty big.]

Apparently, if she impressed his boss, they’d even cover her contract fee.

“So if I pull this off, I get 200 silver coins?”

At the moment, Leah had no better options. But her instincts screamed something wasn’t right.

“This is dangerous.”

The duke wasn’t just a noble—he was of royal blood. The rightful heir, in fact.

Which meant the people watching and plotting against him were no small fry.

From her experience, getting involved with such people never ended well.

Leah tapped the desk with her finger, deep in thought, then stood.

“There’s only one thing to do.”

Having made up her mind, she left the room with a resolute expression. Her destination: the duke’s bedroom.

“Whew…”

She took a quiet breath, checked her surroundings, and knocked on the door.

“Your Grace, it’s Apothecary Leah. May I come in?”

Silence.

Then she remembered—the duke was pretending to be mute.

Right. He can’t answer me.

She hesitated, wondering if she should wait for him to open the door. Just then, she heard something drop inside.

Was that a signal?

Taking a chance, she quietly stepped into the room.

Click.

The door closed behind her—and she heard a familiar voice.

“Good. At least you’re quick on the uptake.”

The duke looked at her with a gaze that asked, What now?

“There’s no checkup today. Don’t tell me you’ve already developed a cure? What do you want?”

His suspicious eyes scanned her. Leah took a breath.

“I have something important to discuss. Very important.”

He stared for a moment, then nodded.

“Sit.”

With his permission, she sat on the sofa in the center of the room.

“Go ahead.”

He crossed his legs arrogantly, waiting.

“Someone made me an offer today.”

“An offer?”

“Yes. In exchange for reporting on your personal matters, they offered me something very tempting.”

“Tempting, huh…”

He chuckled faintly, amused.

“Why tell me this?”

“Because I want to make a deal with you instead.”

“With me?”

His voice was flat. This was a gamble—one that could cost her everything.

Leah’s palms were damp with sweat.

“I’ll be your double agent.”

“Double agent?”

“Yes. I’ll pretend to work with them, but I’ll report everything to you. In return…”

She swallowed and held up three fingers.

“Triple.”

“…”

“Give me triple what they offered.”

Take money from both sides and run.

That was the conclusion drawn by Leah—former con artist.