Chapter 11

The apothecary was tucked away in a gloomy back alley of the market. Oddly, it was sandwiched right in the middle of a row of taverns, making its location strange from the start.

Pushing aside the beaded curtain, which was strung with imitation jewels, a pungent smell of bitter herbs hit them. The air was bad. It seemed like they were burning something in a censer. Ruslan naturally pulled out a handkerchief and covered his nose and mouth.

“This isn’t a place for customers with expensive clothes. What are you looking for?”

The old man sitting behind the scales opened his eyes, looking suspicious.

Could this old man be the doctor Juju was looking for? Just as Ruslan was wondering, Juju turned sharply to look at him and spoke loudly enough for the old man to hear.

“Why did you bring me here? There’s no way they’d sell sleep-inducing tea in a place like this. You’re a liar!”

Ruslan instantly understood what she meant and lowered his handkerchief. He smiled knowingly and lowered his posture.

“When did I ever lie? I meant that if you went to heaven with me, you’d be able to sleep soundly.”

“Just playing with words…! I’m not drinking any more tea that you give me!”

Ruslan naturally moved Juju behind him and began to bargain.

“She talks like that, but she’ll drink it if you appease her. Do you have anything good?”

Juju lightly tapped Ruslan on the shoulder in a show of childish protest. They looked for all the world like a pair of clueless lovers.

Seeing that, the old man sighed and lowered his guard.

“Look here, young noble. Do you think love potions exist in this world? If they did, no man would have to struggle.”

“Really? That’s different from the rumors I heard. You don’t deal in anything illegal?”

“This isn’t that kind of shop, and what you do in your bed is your own business. If you have no more business, leave.”

Just as the old man was clicking his tongue and about to put the scales away, Juju seized her opportunity and jumped onto the counter.

She was already holding a herb-cutting knife in her hand. Her other hand slammed against the medicine cabinet behind it. The tip of the knife gleamed, just inches from the old man’s neck.

The old man stopped, not even daring to breathe. Juju’s eyes flashed under her hood, and she slightly rotated her wrist. A tiny bead of blood appeared.

“Th-, this is a robbery!”

The moment the old man shouted, Juju whispered lowly.

“Old man, I know you’re not the owner. Where is Angela?”

“Nonsense! Get out of here and stop causing trouble!”

Juju gracefully tucked her loose blonde hair behind her ear.

“So, you do know who I’m talking about. She’s here, isn’t she? Isn’t it about time she woke up?”

The old man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His gaze was filled with palpable tension.

“You… did the Emperor send you?”

“No.”

Juju denied it outright.

“The First Prince’s mushroom soup. Just go and say that. She will understand and let me in.”

“I already heard, so no need. Put down the knife.”

A door in the back opened, and someone intervened.

Juju turned her head sharply with a triumphant look. Ruslan, on the other hand, looked towards them with a somewhat peculiar expression.

He had expected this to some extent when he heard the name. Still, seeing the real person was surprising.

The doctor in question was a young woman.

She had a strong jaw that matched her husky voice. Her thin hair was tousled. There was a flush of drink on her cheeks, but the sharpness in her eyes was undiminished.

“I, including me, are the only three people in this world who know the truth behind the First Prince’s death. Surely, the Emperor wouldn’t have disguised himself as a little girl.”

Angela picked up a piece of licorice displayed nearby and chewed on it. Even though it should taste sweet, she scowled as she glared at Juju.

“You, and that young man over there. What’s your relationship with Charlotte-nim?”

Charlotte first met Angela in the capital.

At that time, Albert was a rising star. He had gained recognition for his administrative skills after managing the territory of the Second Prince, whom he had eliminated from behind the scenes. The old Emperor was so moved that his youngest son, whom he had left out in the countryside, had grown up to be so capable, that he immediately summoned him to the palace.

Albert’s cronies went with him to the capital. Angela was one of the people Charlotte had employed at that time.

Assassins don’t just kill. When necessary, they set traps and use poison. However, since Charlotte was ignorant of poisons, she needed a doctor to consult.

Angela was actually quite capable. Charlotte didn’t dislike her. While they weren’t close enough to be called friends, they could enjoy afternoon tea together.

When the pressure on Albert from the First Prince reached its peak, Charlotte casually asked her,

“How does one distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms?”

Angela taught Charlotte about mushrooms. She even brought some samples for her to examine.

A little later, news broke that there had been a mistake in the mushrooms delivered to the First Prince’s residence.

That was all there was to it.

The two had broken off contact five years ago when Charlotte was punished. It was Angela who diagnosed Charlotte when her knees were crushed and her blood vessels ruined.

“Your Majesty, the prisoner will never walk again.”

She had left Charlotte, who was tied to a cart and sent to the North, with a solemn word.

“I also saw your family executed. There was a will, it was…”

That was the last conversation they had.

‘I’m thinking of leaving the capital and living in Ovenhafen,’ was the plan that Angela had only told Charlotte. She didn’t give a specific reason, but one phrase summed up her feelings.

“It’s just, it’s starting to get boring. This isn’t the kind of game I wanted to play to see this outcome.”

After that, Angela had seemingly been in hiding. Juju, being led to the back room, could roughly guess the situation.

The back room was clearly dishevelled. The old bed was still marked with the impression of someone having just gotten up.

On the other hand, the medical tools that were always by her side were nowhere to be seen. Only bottles of liquor, meant to pass the time, were scattered around.

A life spent without using her medical knowledge, loosely selling the medicinal herbs that came into port. Juju could immediately picture the past five years.

“If you’ve come this far, why don’t you tell me? What is your relationship with Charlotte-nim?”

Angela slumped down on the bed. Then, as she belatedly realized that there was a guest who appeared to be a nobleman, she waved her hand dismissively.

“Young man, there aren’t any chairs in this room, so just stand around. I’ll finish this conversation as soon as I figure out who this girl is.”

Ruslan politely placed his hand on his chest.

“Since it’s a chance to catch up, I suppose the outsider can wait.”

“Catch up, when have I ever seen this girl before…”

Juju finally removed her hood, fully revealing her face and opened her mouth.

” ‘In the will, Lord Moden didn’t say anything. But the Baroness left one word.’ Angela, you haven’t forgotten it, have you?”

Angela’s eyes widened for a moment.

She abruptly stood up from the dusty bed. Striding towards Juju, she grabbed her face with both hands. Their faces were so close, that they were almost touching.

After staring intently for a while, she finally let go. Angela took a few steps back in a daze.

“…She’s taller.”

She looked like she couldn’t believe it. Mumbling, she said the next words.

“Her face is completely different. Her hair color, eye color, features, even her voice. Even if you shaved the bones and put in wax, could it become this face?”

“You’re admitting that only the real person would know those things.”

“How did this happen. Did she get out of the prison? How on earth did she, no way, it can’t be!”

Angela finally grabbed her hair. It seemed like her common sense as a doctor, and as a normal person was breaking down, and she was in a panic.

Juju quickly explained before she could start tearing out her hair.

“You don’t need to be surprised. I received her memories.”

She couldn’t reveal the magic of immortality here. So, Juju said what Ruslan and she had agreed on in advance.

“This body isn’t Charlotte. It’s Juju. I don’t know what kind of phenomenon it is, but after I accidentally drank some poison, I woke up with Charlotte’s memories inside of me.”

“The temples don’t even preach miracles like that! If you’re just making up some strange story, I’ll kill you!”

“Your habit of becoming harsh when you can’t accept something is exactly like her.”

Juju tilted her head slightly and smiled.

At that moment, Angela realized. It was the exact habit Charlotte had often made. Although the girl in front of her had a completely different face, the feeling of her smile was exactly Charlotte as she remembered.

“Possession…?”

Angela finally uttered a word that a doctor could not accept.

Living in a shabby market, you meet all kinds of people. There were many swindlers. Some claimed to be necromancers, and some claimed to be possessed by evil spirits.

In Angela’s eyes, they were all liars. But this girl was different.

Even though she didn’t share any features, she was clearly acting like someone Angela had known.

Someone who had been unfairly broken, someone who would make even someone who was only slightly acquainted with her feel dismay.

Juju slowly approached Angela.

“Imagine whatever you want. I don’t know how I look in your eyes, but I think of myself as both Juju and Charlotte.”

She lowered her waist and whispered quietly.

“I’m going to set up a big plan in the capital. If you want to end this life, come up. If you find Earl Kaitel, he’ll protect you soon enough.”

At those words, Angela flinched and glanced at Ruslan behind her. Leaning against the closet with his arms crossed, Ruslan answered with a nod.

“And one more thing. There is a rumor about a new type of poison. Do you know anything about it? A poison that acts only on the dantian, without leaving any marks on the skin.”

At those words, Angela was startled, and immediately picked up a liquor bottle that had fallen on the floor. The moment she tried to hit Juju in the head, Juju lightly dodged it. She stepped back and with a flick of her left hand, cleanly broke off the neck of the bottle as if she’d cut it with a knife.

Angela was speechless at her amazing skill. Juju, without even a change in her breath, said,

“You still stay on guard if you think the Emperor is involved. Well, Albert was good at annoying people, anyway.”

“You, the one who is imitating Charlotte-nim… what are you trying to do?”

Then, Juju burst out laughing. The sound of her laughter grew louder.

“Drink your favorite liquor and imagine hard. If Charlotte came back to life, what would she want to do?”

It was well past midnight when the two left the market.

The waves crashed against the harbor docks, making a splash.

Ruslan looked at the swaying shadows of the ships and said,

“If you reveal that you’re Charlotte, you’ll lose the merit of changing your body. You still want to recruit her even so.”

Juju pulled her cloak a little tighter. It was a bit chilly with the midnight sea breeze.

“…It’s about relying on an uncertain factor called trust. I had a business relationship with Angela, and I never thought of her as a friend, but she was the only one who was frustrated with what happened to me when I was in prison.”

“Uncertain factors. I seem to have been misunderstood.”

Ruslan took off his coat and placed it on Juju’s shoulders.

“I was just relieved that there was someone left who was still on your side.”

“Why are you relieved about my relationships?”

“It would be sad if you were only surrounded by traitors.”

Ruslan’s tone was casual. It wasn’t a contrived comment made to comfort her, but a genuine feeling.

Even so, Juju’s face flushed slightly. The warmth of the large coat gave her a certain delusion.

In the end, she pouted her lips and tapped her toes.

“What. I told you I don’t like you acting like you know everything. How presumptuous.”

“You express your displeasure very openly.”

Ruslan chuckled and changed the subject.

“There is no need to worry, she seemed like she was in the mood to join us. But, where did you get the confidence that someone who has turned their back on the world will join us?”

“If I had to say, it would be that she’s living in Ovenhafen.”

Her cloak, covered by Ruslan’s coat, was fastened with a lace ribbon in the front. Juju fiddled with it.

“If Angela was really avoiding the Emperor, she would have gone into some mountain. But, she deliberately chose an eastern port where foreign poison infiltrates, and even set up an apothecary shop, constantly staying on guard.”

Albert had thoroughly betrayed those closest to him.

Angela must have been anxious about what methods the Emperor would use next as a citizen of the empire.

“Well, she was always more suited for machinations than for being a proper doctor. With that kind of personality, she would have gathered all the rumors about the new poison as well.”

That was why she had come to the port now.

The two people who were strolling along the dock stopped in front of a warehouse.