“You might have had a secret friend. I actually dreamt of having one when I was young.”
Eliana chatted away as she cut the irises.
“Having a secret friend that no one knows about. If that were the case, I’d understand why Claire never mentioned it to me. But it’s fascinating.”
“What is?”
“The idea that Claire had a commoner as a secret friend, and that person turned out to be someone special, loved by the prince.”
I quietly listened to her cute imagination. It almost felt like the story of Claire and me being secret friends was becoming a fact… Surely, she didn’t actually believe in what she was saying?
“It’s not that I was friends with Jane, the pharmacist. It’s just that her name sounded familiar. Maybe I heard it somewhere, or it stuck in my mind from Lady Monica’s story.”
Eliana stopped picking irises and looked at me. She chuckled and said,
“Of course, I know. It’s just a fun thought. Unless Claire’s memory returns, it’s a mystery. Jane can’t tell us herself.”
I nodded.
Part of me wondered if Claire and I really had no connection.
My memories as Jane weren’t complete either. It seemed strange to be in her body with no ties. But I guess I’ll never know.
Holding a bunch of fresh golden irises, I got into the carriage with Eliana. The carriage was exquisite, reflecting the McCain earldom’s power.
“Do you really want to get a healer’s license?”
“I want to try. I’ve received a title; it’d be good to try something new.”
“Why does it have to be a healer? You could manage an estate or learn art or music.”
Eliana didn’t seem thrilled about me becoming a healer.
“I like the idea of studying medicine and helping people. Managing an estate seems too difficult for me right now, and I don’t think I have a talent for art or music.”
I wasn’t sure about Claire, but I lived a life unrelated to art. I’d only ever run the pharmacy.
I thought about adapting to Claire’s life, but now that I had a title, I wanted to start over. I took pride in my work.
“But, Claire… I hate to bring it up since you seem to have forgotten… ”
“What is it?”
“Real nobles don’t have jobs.”
“What? But…”
The condition to take the healer’s exam is ‘being a noble’. It used to mean ‘having a title,’ but recently it’s ‘being part of a noble family.’
If you pass, you get a noble status even without a title, so nobles without inheritance often become healers.
But even Claire’s brother, Shuri McCain, works for the royal guard.
“Work means laboring for money, right?”
“Yes.”
“Nobles find it shameful to labor for money. It’s usually fallen nobles or those who can’t inherit titles that work…”
So, it seems there’s a conflict between the desire to work as a healer and the noble status, highlighting the unique societal norms and expectations in this world.
Eliana seemed to hope that I wouldn’t become a healer, perhaps due to the dignity associated with being a noble.
The idea that having a profession could damage a noble’s reputation was new to me. Although I intended to live earnestly as Claire, the noble lady, the possibility of becoming a healer was too appealing to easily give up.
Plus, I thought that being a healer might make it easier to deliver medicine to Ian.
It would seem more natural for someone with a healer’s license to offer medicine than a young, ignorant noble lady just handing out drugs.
“Ian does have extra medicine, but even a cornucopia runs out eventually.”
“Is it not possible?”
I pleaded with Eliana, looking pitiful. I knew that for nobles, reputation could be more important than life, but for me, this matter was more pressing.
She sighed deeply and nodded, seemingly resigned.
“Well, I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ll try to convince him. He’s not particularly concerned with noble decorum, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get permission.”
“Thank you, Eliana!”
I hugged her tightly, grateful she had agreed despite the trouble. Her affection was apparent.
“Don’t be too happy. Just because he agrees to let you become a healer doesn’t mean you’ll succeed right away. The healer’s exam is tough, with lots to memorize and keen observation needed. It’s rare to pass on the first try.”
She was right. Though I had long experience as a pharmacist, I knew nothing about the healer’s exam process.
“Then I’ll just have to start preparing right away!”
Eliana nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s not the most pleasant thought to see Claire as a healer, but your enthusiasm is good. If you need help preparing for the healer’s license, I’ll support you.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best!”
“Your familiarity with the pharmacist might be due to a long-held admiration for the profession.”
“Maybe!”
“Jane the pharmacist was quite famous, even though she wasn’t a healer.”
Famous? That was news to me. I knew I had a good reputation, but I hadn’t thought my name was known among the nobility.
“Eliana, you knew of Jane before Lady Monica’s story?”
She nodded.
“She was very well-liked. Although I never met her, I heard so much from the nannies and maids. It’s tragic she passed away in an accident.”
She shared a story she’d heard.
“The maids in our estate often used her pharmacy. They praised her, saying she was more skilled than many healers in the royal city.”
Hearing this made me shyly scratch my cheek.
“My nanny told me about a maid with a boil on her buttock who was suffering. Without money and too embarrassed to show anyone, she went to Jane’s pharmacy on hearing they treated even those without money.”
Many maids with boils on their buttocks came to me. Especially in summer, wearing poorly ventilated uniforms and sweating from constant work, they were prone to skin diseases.
Moreover, since most pharmacists and healers were men, it was uncomfortable for them to show boils on their buttocks.
“Even thinking of going to healers was daunting, as their entrances were so extravagant, making them worry about how much the treatment would cost. But seeing the worn-out door of that pharmacy put them at ease. They felt they could trust it not to overcharge, even without asking the price. They also felt grateful.”
“Grateful even before getting treated?”
“Yes, despite being so famous and likely earning a lot, keeping the old door seemed to show care for poor patients. If the door had been grand and opulent, they wouldn’t have easily entered, even after hearing that the place treated those without money.”
“Ah… I see. Hahaha. So even the pharmacy door had such a meaning.”
I let out an awkward laugh.
It was just too bothersome to spend time fixing the door. It didn’t latch well and creaked annoyingly, but as long as it opened and closed well enough, that was all that mattered.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the pharmacy.
“I’ll be back soon, so wait here!”
“Don’t worry about me. Take your time.”
After waving goodbye to the departing carriage, I looked at the pharmacy.
“The fire must have been big. It would have been hard to find my body…”
The site where the pharmacy stood was largely burnt. There was barely a trace of the building, just grotesque ruins marking where the pharmacy once was.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
