She was a figure that Ileana had introduced before coming to the banquet, saying to remember her above all else. She said she was a person with great influence in social circles despite not having a high title.

She was said to be a great informant, with all rumors not just from social circles but from every corner of the capital passing through her ears.

With her body language suggesting she was about to reveal a secret, everyone leaned in and listened intently to her story, not wanting to miss the conversation. Of course, I was included among them.

What kind of story could it be to start so meaningfully?

“They say His Highness the Crown Prince sometimes appears at the south gate of the imperial palace late at night.”

‘The south gate? The south gate is near 17th Street where pharmacies and herb shops are concentrated…’

The pharmacy I used to run was also located at the end of 17th Street, and the south gate was quite close to there.

“Oh come on, that can’t be. If he was too unwell to attend official meetings, why would he be at the south gate?”

“It’s probably just a rumor.”

“But Baroness Monica’s stories have never been just rumors before.”

This person called Baroness Monica seemed to be highly trusted by people. Everyone reacted as if her words were the truth.

A noblewoman in a navy blue dress, who had been listening silently, cautiously spoke up.

“Um… actually, I’ve seen it. I saw His Highness the Crown Prince around the south gate.”

Though spoken quietly, it drew considerable attention.

The ladies standing around exchanging stories reacted with amazement, saying “Really?” and “As expected, Baroness Monica’s story is credible.”

“You know our mansion is near the south gate. I happened to see him on my way back from attending Countess Fireina’s party!”

Baroness Monica asked her exactly where near the south gate, inquiring about the detailed location.

“It was where the pharmacy used to be. There was a big fire before and the building became like a haunted house, but he was standing there lost in thought. The atmosphere was so somber that I couldn’t bring myself to greet him and just came back.”

At the words that Ian had been looking at the site of the burned-down pharmacy, a corner of my heart ached. I had been so busy adjusting to my new life that I didn’t have the luxury to think about how much he had been hurt by my death.

Of course, I had thought of him and worried about how to deliver medicine to him, but I hadn’t paid attention to his feelings.

“I know about that burned pharmacy too. It was such a big fire that they say the pharmacist who was sleeping there died. Could it be that the ghost of the spinster pharmacist who died then is haunting His Highness the Crown Prince?”

I glared at the blonde noblewoman making such absurd remarks.

A spinster ghost! That’s going too far! Even if I had died and become a ghost, why would I torment Ian? What wrong has Ian ever done to me?

Moreover, not content with just insulting me, to treat Ian like a madman possessed by a ghost! There are things you can say, and things you shouldn’t say!

“That can’t be. He attended the banquet today perfectly fine. He looks thinner than before, but still seems as intelligent as ever.”

“That’s right. You might be able to hide physical illness, but you can never hide mental disturbance. I’ve seen the eyes of someone not in their right mind before, and it’s incredibly eerie.”

The woman in the navy blue dress who said she had seen Ian listened to their conversation and quietly agreed.

“That’s right. At that time too, rather than looking possessed by a ghost, His Highness the Crown Prince’s atmosphere was, how should I put it… It was a wistful atmosphere as if he had lost a beloved woman.”

What is this now? This time I was flustered for a different reason.

‘It’s not the wistfulness of losing a loved one, but the sadness of losing a friend. Or perhaps the regret of losing the only pharmacist who could make his medicine…’

It’s true that having known Ian for many years, I had a different bond with him than others.

But hearing them arbitrarily conclude that we were lovers made me feel like my insides were twisting with embarrassment and awkwardness.

“Come to think of it, there have always been widespread rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince had a separate lover.”

“He’s of marriageable age but hasn’t gotten engaged and has rejected all the marriage proposals coming from everywhere.”

“But would there have been occasions for His Highness the Crown Prince to meet a commoner pharmacist?”

Baroness Monica asked cautiously.

“We wouldn’t know. You know how it is in popular novels. They fall in love at first sight. His Highness the Crown Prince, who happened to go out to inspect the people, falls into danger from assassins targeting his life, and by chance a commoner pharmacist who witnesses the scene saves his life…”

Now it seems Baroness Monica wasn’t a social informant but an imaginative novelist. Though as a novel, it was too cliché.

But the other ladies listened intently with interested faces as if her words were the truth.

Baroness Monica’s voice wasn’t loud but quiet, yet she had a charm that made you keep listening. Moreover, those gathered here had considerable trust in Baroness Monica, so they believed whatever she said.

They probably would have listened with interest even if she said Ian was actually a descendant of dragons. If it wasn’t a story about Ian and me, that is.

“Not knowing his identity as the Crown Prince, the pharmacist would have just treated him like any patient. Captivated by this, His Highness the Crown Prince would have said to her, ‘You’re the first woman to treat me so casually.'”

I was witnessing the astounding starting point of how unfounded rumors begin. Regardless of my discomfort, her story continued, and everyone was deeply engrossed in it.

Baroness Monica interjected phrases like “This is just my imagination, of course” throughout the conversation, but paradoxically, this made it feel closer to the truth.

‘I can’t step up and deny it… How frustrating.’

“At first, he probably couldn’t believe his own feelings, but His Highness the Crown Prince, belatedly realizing the emotion of love, must have felt frustrated by the reality that he and she couldn’t be together.”

“But why? Why can’t they be together?”

Someone immersed in her story shouted.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is royalty, and the pharmacist is a commoner. There’s an insurmountable wall of status between them.”

“Oh my…”

“A love that transcends social status…”

“I wish I could experience such a passionate love.”

“Now that I hear it, I understand His Highness the Crown Prince’s recent actions. In fact, Crown Prince Ian has been working tirelessly to solidify his position. Even though he doesn’t really need to.”

Everyone nodded as if they understood. It seemed I was the only one who didn’t understand their words. I finally couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked.

“Isn’t it natural for His Highness the Crown Prince to solidify his position?”

At my question, the noblewomen looked at me as if I were an ignorant child.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is in a different situation from His Majesty the Emperor, so even if his position is shaken, his life isn’t in immediate danger. His Majesty the Emperor had many half-siblings and intense power struggles, so he needed to consolidate his influence just to survive, but the current Crown Prince is the legitimate eldest son.”

“Moreover, his only sibling, His Highness Daniel, has little desire for the throne or interest in politics. He’d rather enjoy the privileges of royalty than bother learning about politics.”

“That’s right. Ian is particularly eager to strengthen imperial power. Some nobles are opposed to this, but for now, His Majesty the Emperor’s influence is still… Anyway, many nobles are anxious because of this. They wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince wants to rule with an iron fist like His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Many questioned why he would take such risks when it wasn’t necessary, but if there’s a commoner woman he loves, it makes sense. If his position is strong enough, it might not be impossible to take a commoner woman as his partner.”

Despite their explanation, I was still puzzled.

“Is that possible? For the Crown Prince to marry a commoner woman?”

This time, Ileana spoke up.

“It’s not impossible. There’s a way to ‘launder’ her status by having her adopted into a noble family before marriage.”

“Adoption, status laundering… Such deception is possible?”

“There are actual precedents.”

“Though not exactly the same, there was a lot of talk when Empress Melina married His Majesty the Emperor. She was from an unknown noble family from the frontier.”

“And that was marrying the daughter of a baronet family… A baronet’s title isn’t even hereditary, so it’s practically the same as a commoner.”

“The nobles couldn’t even voice their opposition.”

“If they didn’t want to lose their heads, they couldn’t even open their mouths.”

Their words suddenly reminded me of what Ian had said.

I thought it was just a joke because it sounded absurd, but apparently it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Not that I believe his marriage proposal was sincere, though.

“Seeing how he’s recently been uninterested in politics and sunk in despair, it must be true.”

“To lose his beloved in an accident. How pitiful…”

“A man plunged into despair by the pain of love…”

The ladies wore dreamy expressions. They all seemed to be imagining Ian’s appearance.