<CHAPTER 52>
A Man Worth 120 out of 100th
Ehilie was astonished.
To think she would hear words straight out of a romance novel from a pathetic ex-boyfriend or a third-rate villain.
‘Disappointed? Who does he think he is to be disappointed in me?’
This was classic gaslighting.
Trying to belittle someone’s value and claim moral superiority—she couldn’t bear to watch.
“Mm, that’s right. I judge a man by his face.”
Ehilie’s confident declaration made William flinch.
“What?”
“Do I just look at his face? No, I examine the body, wealth, and family thoroughly too.”
“Ha, you’re such a materialistic woman? Was all the image you’ve shown me just an act?”
“Call it high standards, not materialism. And that’s barely what I look at.”
Ehilie linked her arm with Rek’s, emphasizing her point.
“Of course, looks matter, but most importantly, it’s about a person who loves me sincerely. Someone who cherishes me as the most precious in the world, not tearing me down.”
“A person who envies and belittles those who shine versus a person who lifts others to shine—do I even need to say which has a better heart?”
William scowled at Ehilie, brimming with anger, but he couldn’t threaten her.
Rek was beside her, and even without him, Ehilie was ready to retaliate.
She had plenty of self-defense tools hidden under her skirt that had once dealt with Cain.
“Ehilie.”
Red eyes looked at her warmly, as if seeing the world’s most precious treasure.
“Am I a man who meets your standards?”
His gentle voice made her smile.
“Yes. I’ll give you 120 points out of 100.”
“An honor.”
William, trembling in front of the perfect couple, shouted.
“Hey! How dare you toy with me? We’ll see about this!”
He left, spouting the lines of a third-rate villain to the very end.
Why do such strange people always surround me?
Now I realize why he talks so much every time he comes for potions—he was testing me.
Ehilie sighed.
“By the way… there are hardly any customers today.”
“Hardly any today? So usually it’s like this too?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Your potions are effective, so naturally, I thought people would line up to buy them.”
“That’s true…”
Ehilie was confident in her potions’ effectiveness.
There wasn’t any secret recipe in the original story.
But she had studied all night, scouring books to improve the potions. She carefully selected only high-quality ingredients and spent a long time making each bottle.
Every potion on display was the result of her effort.
However…
“I don’t have an official pharmacist license.”
“Do you really need one?”
“Not necessarily. Selling without special permission isn’t illegal. But with the golden seal from the association, people feel more confident buying. Potions affect the body directly, after all.”
“I see.”
“Originally, there was a guild that supplied potions. They acknowledged that mine worked, but…”
Ehilie’s voice turned wistful.
“Just before I met Rek, the guild master changed, and my contract was canceled. No matter how effective, they said items without the official seal couldn’t be sold. Selling them would damage the guild’s reputation.”
It was disappointing, but understandable.
Even I wouldn’t buy an unverified, unknown substance!
“Is it difficult to get the license?”
“Ah, the test itself isn’t hard, so I passed immediately.”
The exam was indeed easy for her.
The imperial pharmacist association’s test was notoriously difficult, with very few passing each year.
But Ehilie was the type of person who had prepared for competitive exams and certifications in her past life.
Well, I wasn’t the best student… but compared to that, this exam is easy.
“However, to get the seal, one has to pay a donation to the association.”
The problem was the donation.
“The amount is equivalent to a mansion in the capital. I had saved, but the fire destroyed everything.”
She smiled bitterly.
Even if she could retake the exam, she couldn’t afford the donation, so obtaining the seal was impossible.
Rek looked at her solemnly.
“If it’s okay with you, Ehilie, I—”
“No.”
Ehilie cut him off firmly, sensing what he would say.
“This is my work. I won’t accept your help.”
“But…”
“I don’t want to owe you. Didn’t you hear? Even among family, money shouldn’t be borrowed.”
“…Even family?”
“Yes. The closer you are, the more careful you must be with money. Your presence is enough for me.”
Rek, somewhat dissatisfied, nodded.
“So no financial support, understood.”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Though regrettable, I will respect your wishes.”
“Thank you for understanding, Rek.”
No other customers came.
Sometimes, someone would seem interested, but seeing the missing seal, they left quickly.
In the end, not a single potion was sold as the day drew to a close.
“Shall we head back?”
“Yes.”
Ehilie walked reluctantly.
If today doesn’t work, we’ll try again tomorrow. If not, we keep going until it works.
“Ah. Before we go, let’s stop by the butcher. You’ve worked hard today, so I’ll make a delicious steak tonight.”
She had savings, so she decided to buy good meat for Rek.
***
No financial support, huh.
So long as it’s not money, I can still help him.
Fortunately, he had many useful qualities beyond wealth.
A respectable face, as Ehilie acknowledged.
Redenberk deliberately stumbled and sat in a moderately crowded spot.
“Rek, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I was outside too long, just a bit dizzy. Ehilie, could you give me the fatigue-relief potion you gave me earlier? It works wonders.”
“Ah, I don’t have that, but how about this instead?”
Ehilie handed him a potion containing violet liquid.
“What ingredients are in this?”
“Goji berries from the mountains, honey I collected myself, herbs and rosemary for relaxation, plus other excellent ingredients.”
His blue eyes shone unusually bright.
Her passionate explanation was beautiful.
Keeping her locked inside wouldn’t let me see such a lovely face.
Redenberk felt a renewed regret that he could never keep Ehilie hidden, and he drank the potion at once.
Soon, his body felt burning hot.
“How is it? Feeling better?”
“Yes, Ehilie. I feel as if the fatigue has been washed away.”
Technically, it’s not fatigue but my organs melting into ease.
Redenberk spoke nonchalantly.
“Thanks to this, I’m so energized that I might not sleep tonight.”
“What? You shouldn’t have trouble sleeping… did I need more sleep-inducing ingredients?”
Her innocent face made him want to press his lips to hers.
He wanted to carry her home immediately, but there was still work to do.
“Hey, mister, does this potion really give energy at night too?”
A nearby man had wandered over curiously.
Redenberk answered with the harmless tone he reserved only for Ehilie.
“Yes. My stamina isn’t great normally, but after this potion, I could stay active all night without trouble.”
“Then, miss, give me one of those too!”
Others who had been lingering nearby slowly gathered as well.
“Oh, my husband’s been tired lately, maybe I should buy one too. Miss, give me one.”
“Goji berries are supposed to boost… stamina, right?”
“Hey! I came first! No cutting in line!”
In an instant, the crowd grew bustling.
Ehilie welcomed the customers, puzzled.
Just as planned!
Though she disliked flaunting wealth in front of ordinary people, she couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing her smile like this makes all the pride and dignity worth it.
