TLDOWN 38

CHAPTER 38…..

My Body Feels So Hot

The peaceful morning at the mansion, welcomed after a long time, was instantly shattered by a single letter.

“To summon me to the capital.”

Akia scoffed and threw down the letter stamped with the royal seal. From the moment the courier arrived from the royal palace, she had felt uneasy, and her instincts hadn’t been wrong.

“What a ridiculous demand.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to go to the capital? His Majesty the Emperor is the Duke’s cousin after all.”

At this, Akia glared sharply at Leia with wide eyes. Though Leia only briefly mentioned “His Majesty,” the atmosphere around the Duke changed noticeably.

‘Surely all this has something to do with the Emperor.’

According to rumors circulating in the capital, the Emperor held the Duke in special favor.

But what Leia had seen and experienced here was quite the opposite. Judging by the Duke’s reaction, her vague suspicions turned into certainty.

‘It’s definitely related to the throne.’

Akia, the eldest son of the former Emperor, did not become Emperor due to his frail health. Instead, his cousin, Ile, became Emperor.

From Ile’s standpoint, Akia, who had legitimate claim, was a threat. In fact, if we speak frankly, the person who would most want the Duke dead was the Emperor himself.

Sigh. I don’t know what to think.

Leia had thought matters of the throne and power struggles had nothing to do with her, but now she found herself unexpectedly allied with the Duke.

Knowing the Duke’s true situation made her life as an apothecary more complicated. She had planned simply to make an antidote for the Duke and quietly leave the mansion.

She sighed heavily to herself.

A few days after Bayern was expelled, news came that he died while being transported to the capital. Shortly after, there was a major reshuffling of staff at the mansion.

Under Rikel’s leadership, the servants were reorganized with people related to the Magnolia Guild, and all of the steward’s close aides were kicked out.

‘Of course, Jane was kicked out too.’

Originally, Jane was supposed to atone with her life, but because she had cooperated at the last moment, she was officially pardoned.

‘It was also because of her sick younger brother…’

Though it wasn’t the right thing to do, thinking that she did it for her ill brother was bittersweet. Still, the fortunate thing was that the Duke had agreed to support treatment for Jane’s younger brother.

It probably wasn’t easy to forgive someone who tried to kill her. The more Leia got to know the Duke, the more her impression of him changed.

‘He seems like a pretty good person.’

Of course, recalling how he teased her in front of Rikel a few days ago was annoying, but…

While Leia was reflecting on these past few days at the mansion,

“Are you making the antidote well? It’s almost been two months, but there’s no news.”

“…Yes?”

Lost in thought, Leia was startled by the sudden inquiry about the antidote.

“Is there some problem?”

“No! None at all.”

Akia eyed her suspiciously as she stumbled over her words. He had been troubled by the antidote problem lately.

“How far along are you?”

“Almost at the final stage. Just a little more, please.”

“Don’t forget the deadline is near.”

Leia avoided the Duke’s silent threat-filled gaze. He kept staring at her persistently, then finally turned and left the room.

Click.

As the door shut, Leia exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

“What should I do?”

Actually, the antidote was already complete, save for the most crucial last step.

“I need to do clinical trials…”

But once again, a heavy worry overwhelmed Leia.

‘Clinical trials are good, but who would volunteer?’

No one would readily try a medicine that might have unknown risks.

Besides, this new medicine was made by a novice apothecary who hadn’t even been in the position a year.

‘Who would agree to participate? I wouldn’t, if I were them.’

If she told the Duke this, he would probably say no trials were needed and try to take the antidote immediately.

She recalled how the Duke trusted Alparadia and was about to eat food laced with Jane’s medicine.

‘The Duke has no hesitation about risking his own body.’

He didn’t know how to protect himself. So she vowed not to mention the antidote until its safety was confirmed.

‘Then there’s only one answer.’

She sighed deeply. There was only one person suitable for this clinical trial from the start.

Leia looked at her reflection in the window across from her.

‘It has to be me, doesn’t it?’

Theoretically, there was nothing wrong, but it was impossible to predict what variables might occur when administering to a human.

‘Still, even if there are problems, it probably won’t be life-threatening.’

Leia comforted herself.

“It’ll be okay! I believe in you, Leia.”

After standing still for a while, as if resolute, Leia picked up one of the medicine bottles on the table.

Though not exactly the same as the Duke’s physique, she needed to observe the antidote’s effect under as similar conditions as possible.

She picked up one of the two bottles on the desk.

It was the concentrated poison of polarium that the Duke usually drank. Of course, this was slightly stronger than what the Duke consumed.

“To get this over with in one go, I have to drink this much.”

Without hesitation, Leia downed the liquid in one gulp. The bitter taste spread in her mouth, making her grimace.

“Ugh, so bitter!!”

How on earth did the Duke keep drinking such a bitter, awful-tasting thing? She suddenly admired him.

Clack.

She set down the empty bottle and wiped her lips. Then she picked up the other bottle next to it.

“This is the antidote I made.”

Thanks to the polarium concentrate, her body would react quickly. That’s why she planned to take the antidote immediately after.

‘This will probably taste awful too.’

Hesitating briefly, Leia poured the new medicine into her mouth. The sharp, alien liquid went down her throat.

Clack.

She placed the last bottle on the table. Her expression was as solemn as someone who had completed a major mission.

“Now all I can do is watch the results.”

She had done everything she could.

From tonight and for a week, Leia planned to record changes in her body after taking the medicine, just in case something happened while she was asleep.

But less than a full day after taking the medicine, that very night,

Her plan to continue taking the medicine steadily was shattered.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Where on earth is she?”

In the deep night when everyone was asleep,

Akia’s unexplained irritation grew because Leia was nowhere to be found, even though she was expected to be working in the annex.

“No wonder, her reaction earlier was strange.”

It was clear there was a problem with the antidote.

From what he had observed so far, whenever Leia had trouble or wanted to avoid something, she couldn’t meet his eyes.

‘Tsk.’

He had told her to come to him anytime if she found something difficult or complicated.

Even without seeing it, he knew she was stubbornly worrying alone. Akia strode impatiently to her room.

Knock knock.

“Leia.”

He called her name, but there was no response from inside.

‘Could she be asleep?’

Just as he was about to turn away thinking she had gone to bed early,

Thud!

He heard the sound of something heavy falling on the floor beyond the doorframe. Feeling it was like a person collapsing, Akia turned back.

“What’s going on?”

An ominous feeling wrapped around him. He swiftly flung open the door.

Inside, the thick heat was so intense that Akia felt it on his skin.

There was no heating in Leia’s room, so it shouldn’t be this hot.

“What did you do to make the room this hot?”

Stifled by the scorching heat that soaked his whole body, Akia loosened the buttons of his shirt. Looking around for Leia, he found her collapsed on the floor.

“…Duke…”

Hearing her call him, Akia knelt beside her. But up close, she looked strange.

“Leia?”

He reached out at once to her body radiating intense heat.

“What… is this?”

He picked her up and placed his hand on her forehead.

Her body temperature burned like a fireball against his hand.

His hand, feeling like it was being scalded, startled Akia.

“You need to take a fever reducer immediately. Get up—”

Just as he tried to support her, she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“…Duke.”

When Akia regained his senses, Leia was pressed underneath him, her half-lidded eyes heavy with a decadent look.

Normally, her eyes would gleam with a leaf-green light, but now they shimmered deeply.

‘Those eyes…’

They were filled with a thick, burning lust.

‘No way.’

He hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking.

But Leia ignored his assumption completely and leaned forward as if to swallow his lips.

The hot breath escaping her lips tickled his cheek.

“Duke… ha, ha…”

Then she called him in a breathy, half-whispered voice.

“My… body feels so hot…”