“Even if magicians are foolish, their abilities aren’t stupid, are they? Wouldn’t it be quite cool to be a magician? It would save on medicine and reduce treatment time. There was also a spell for instant teleportation, right? Then I could quickly reach distant patients…”

Although I said it jokingly in response to Ian’s request for a wish, on second thought, becoming a magician seemed like a pretty cool idea.

Too bad. It would have been nice if there were a real opportunity to learn magic. But I’ve heard that the ability to learn magic is predetermined.

Only a very few people possess it, and flowering that talent requires astronomical sums of money, which is why there weren’t many real magicians.

Even those few were mostly stationed in the magical kingdoms, not in the Calobanian Empire. It wasn’t that I seriously considered becoming a magician. It was just a jest in response to Ian’s joke.

Ian shook his head with a troubled look.

“That’s beyond my power. If there’s no wish I can fulfill, how about marrying me instead?”

“…”

I was speechless for a moment. Perhaps I was too tired from sorting herbs late yesterday. It seemed like I had heard nonsense. I was so tired that I thought he had just said, ‘How about marrying me?’

I rubbed my ears with my fingers. Although there was nothing unusual, I blew on my fingers and spoke to him.

“Your Highness, something must be wrong with my ears. I think I heard something strange. Could you please repeat it, unless you just proposed to me?”

“Fortunately, your hearing seems perfectly normal. You heard me right. But I’ll say it again. Marry me.”

I stared at him with a frown.

His smooth forehead, deep-set eyes, clear, lake-blue irises, and the long eyelashes casting shadows over them.

I wasn’t gazing at him to admire his handsome features. I was curious why he was making such an absurd statement.

Surely it was a joke. Despite his serious expression, a proposal? And to a commoner like me? It couldn’t be serious. What a terrible joke…

‘If he’s serious, there must be severe side effects from the medicine I made for him. That harsh medicine for changing eye color has been overused. It wouldn’t be surprising if it caused side effects.’

Had I been a naive young girl, I might have misunderstood his joke and been thrilled.

But as an adult, different from a girl dreaming in her fantasies, I was someone who faced reality head-on. Growing up solely with my blind grandfather, I had always confronted life realistically.

I ran my fingers through the tied ends of my hair. As expected, my rough hair, tangled and stiff like a broomstick, was difficult to brush. My red hair, always tied up because it easily got entangled, was hard to manage.

Spending days and nights tending to patients, my face was sunburnt and darkened. The scar on my left cheek, from a patient’s clawing in a fit, hadn’t faded over time.

I was as tall as most men. My height, a head taller than other women, made me slouch and hunch my back.

Especially my skeletal structure, clearly that of a foreigner, made me stand out. I had no complexes about my appearance, but the thought of Ian proposing to me out of love seemed far-fetched. It had to be a joke.

With a forced calm voice, I said,

“Talking nonsense like that, it’s definitely a side effect of the medicine.”

“Nonsense? I’m being serious. It’s a good idea, isn’t it? Families share secrets, after all.”
His words felt contradictory. He had hidden his red eyes from the emperor for so long.

“Don’t even joke about such things. Are you trying to ruin someone’s chance at marriage…”

His expression turned fierce as if he had heard something undesirable.

“Did you already have plans to marry someone else? Did you find someone you wish to marry?”

His voice sounded almost angry. Why was he upset? And did he really think I had no intentions of marrying?

I was just too busy to meet anyone. It wasn’t that I was uninterested. If I found a compatible partner, I would consider marriage.

After Grandfather passed, it had been lonely running the pharmacy alone. Having someone to share life with would be comforting. The problem was finding that someone.

“I’ve always been open to marriage. In fact, Geppetto, the tavern owner near our pharmacy, offered to introduce me to someone nice.”

“What? Who? Who is he introducing?”

Although Ian’s voice felt sharp, I thought it was just my imagination and responded.

“Yes. Geppetto, the tavern owner, always pesters me about why I’m not married.”

“He must be senile.”

He spoke as if Geppetto was his enemy.

“So I told him to introduce me to someone decent if he’s so concerned. He said he had someone in mind. Always so cantankerous. Why scold me about not marrying when he had someone to introduce all along?”

“Strange old man. Whoever he introduces will be obvious. You don’t need to meet them!”

He dismissed the idea outright.

“Geppetto might be odd, but the person he wants to introduce seems nice.”

He frowned deeply, asking.

“Have you already met him?”

“Not formally yet.”

“How can you know he’s nice if you haven’t met? He’s probably some dirty, unattractive drunkard with a beer belly. A man who hasn’t married late in life usually has a reason. It’s a waste of time to meet him.”

I waved off his comment.

“That’s not the case. I saw him when I passed by. He seemed quite decent.”

“You saw him in passing? Who is this guy?”

I enthusiastically described what I knew.

“He’s a blacksmith. Apparently quite skilled; even high nobles wait months to have their swords made by him.”

“If he was truly decent, he wouldn’t still be single.”

“He’s too busy to meet women. I saw him briefly, and he looked strong and reliable. His body was so well-built…”

I passed by his forge, pretending it was accidental, and watched him hammer glowing metal with satisfaction. He was shirtless due to the heat, and his muscles, especially his chest and arms, were impressive. Just thinking about it made my face flush.

Embarrassed, I quickly cooled my cheeks with my cold palms.

Ian looked at me with irritation, presumably seeing my flushed face.

“His body was good?”

“I didn’t purposely look at his naked body. It’s hot in a forge. He was shirtless, so I just happened to see, coincidentally.”

I emphasized the coincidence, worried he might suspect me of being a voyeur.
“Because of a mere blacksmith, and that too, a rude one who undresses anywhere? You would reject my proposal, the Crown Prince?”

“What are you talking about? Stop this nonsense and come sit here. I need to treat you quickly so I can leave.”

He still had an angry expression as he spoke to me.

“We could go a bit slower, you know.”

He put down his fan on the table and pulled a chair up close in front of me to sit.

“I’m a busy person. I have herbs to prepare when I get back today.”

At that, he stopped pestering and deflated. I grabbed his face and moved it around, examining his eyes visually.

He let his face naturally fall into my hands without any guard.

Confronted with his unguarded demeanor, a playful spirit welled up in me.

“Ah, try this. Ee, try this.”

Following my command, he made an innocent face and shaped his mouth as instructed, ‘Ah ah’, ‘Ee ee’.

It wasn’t necessary for the treatment. It was a method used to check the teeth of animals.

Unaware of this, Ian silently followed my instructions.

His innocent look was unbearably cute, and I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Pfft!”

Startled by my sudden laughter, he looked at me with wide eyes, puzzled.

“Just, looking at His Highness the Crown Prince reminded me of a dash.”

Male lead is a clingy little husband

One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.

Introduction:

One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.

One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.

As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.

From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.

But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.

Mini scene 1:

One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.

Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”

Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”

Mini scene 2:

After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.

Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.

Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”

Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”

Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.

[Reading Guide]

1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.

2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.

_____

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