That day was just one of the ordinary days.
In novels, when the main character dies, there are strange phenomena such as a flock of crows covering the sky, a glass breaking for no reason, or the atmosphere becoming dark and gloomy like the eve of a storm, but my death was different from that.
There were no tragic omens, no special events. It was an ordinary day, as if to remind us that death is as natural as the birth of life.
It was a very ordinary day where I finished work as usual and barely went to bed late at night.
And the next thing I remember was the moment I was trapped under the clock decoration. I don’t remember how I got from the bedroom to the store where the clock decoration was…
“Nothing comes to mind immediately. The fact that only the pharmacy burned without damage to other buildings suggests the fire started in the pharmacy, but where exactly did it start? I usually manage fire sources carefully… Did I forget to put out the stove fire?”
Because there were many papers and dried herbs, I was always thorough with fire prevention.
In the past, my grandfather said he once lost his pharmacy due to a momentary mistake when he was young. Because of that, he worked as a military doctor for over 5 years to earn the cost of rebuilding the completely burned pharmacy.
Of course, while caring for many patients on the battlefield, he was able to encounter various cases and research medicines, but that experience didn’t just bring good memories to my grandfather.
My grandfather lost his sight in an accident on the battlefield. Moreover, when he returned home with his disability, his son and daughter-in-law had already died in an accident, leaving only their daughter.
Perhaps because of this, my grandfather was sensitive to fire-related matters. I, who grew up under such a grandfather, was also quite sensitive to fire.
If I had to use fire, I always made sure to have sand or fire water nearby, and when going to bed, I would check if the embers were completely extinguished.
At that time, it was the rainy season in the capital, so there was a lot of rain, but I would have managed the embers carefully as usual. Yet it was strange that there was a fire big enough to burn down the entire building.
“We suspect arson. There were traces of deliberately setting fire inside the store. It was a time when it had been raining for days, so it’s difficult for a building to catch fire so quickly.”
“Arson?”
I thought it happened due to my carelessness since the fire started inside the house. Doesn’t arson usually occur outside the house? Did a thief who came to steal accidentally start the fire? What kind of stupid thief…
“It was late at night, so there were no witnesses. Since Jane said she didn’t see the culprit, we’ll have to inquire about the people around Jane. Do you suspect anyone?”
“Well… There’s no one around me who would do such a thing… I’ve had arguments over medicine prices, but those people wouldn’t set fire to kill me.”
“Documents and books were gathered and burned inside the pharmacy. I’m not sure if there were documents that needed to be hidden, or if papers were gathered to help the fire spread.”
“So all the documents and books were burned. That’s strange. I heard before that while loose sheets of paper catch fire easily, bundled papers take longer to ignite or spread.”
“That’s right. The investigator also said that during a fire, books on shelves rarely burn completely. When books are stacked, the inside lacks oxygen, so they don’t burn sufficiently.”
“Then how…”
“It seems a considerable amount of kerosene was used.”
Did someone really deliberately set the fire? Wishing for my death? Wishing for the pharmacy to disappear without a trace?
I felt like I heard a ringing in my ears. I pressed my hand firmly against my chest, which seemed to be beating unusually fast. I thought I had a fearless and dull personality, but I guess that was a misconception.
What is it that I can’t remember? I need to think of it. So I can tell Ian. So the culprit can be caught quickly…
My mind feels stiff, and I don’t know what to say. My lips just quivered. Goosebumps rose on my arms as if a chilly wind was blowing from somewhere.
“Are you okay? You seem very shocked. Your hands are trembling like this…”
His warm hand covered the back of my hand. I felt the trembling subside a little at his warmth.
“Just… I never thought someone would deliberately set fire.”
Ian spoke in a voice full of concern.
“I guess I shouldn’t have asked. Jane, you don’t need to worry at all. We’ve dispatched investigators, so we’ll catch the culprit soon.”
I shook my head at his words. Although I was shocked, I couldn’t just avoid it out of fear.
‘Why? For what reason?’
If I couldn’t find the culprit and clearly understand the reason, I would never be free from fear.
The culprit probably won’t try to kill me in Claire’s body again, but my uneasy feelings will remain the same until the culprit is caught.
“If there are no witnesses, will you be able to catch the culprit?”
“We estimate that a considerable amount of kerosene was used at the fire site. Unless that much kerosene fell from the sky, there must be a source, and there might have been witnesses in the process of moving it, so if we inquire, something might come up.”
I was worried it might remain an eternal mystery without witnesses, but this was reassuring. That there’s a possibility of catching the culprit. However, I still couldn’t understand who would do such a thing.
It’s not like we keep a lot of money in the pharmacy, and I don’t have any particular enemies…
“I only asked because if Jane had anyone she suspected, it might help progress the investigation. Don’t worry about it.”
His words suddenly reminded me of something. A letter I received from the Perfumer’s Guild a few days before the fire. It urged me to join the Perfumer’s Guild.
They coveted my position of making perfumes for Ian, the Crown Prince, alone, and demanded that I join the Perfumer’s Guild, but I had consistently refused.
‘No, it can’t be. They wouldn’t do such a terrible thing just because I didn’t join the guild?’
It seemed like things would get too big if I told him. Even though Ian treated me comfortably, he was the Crown Prince and a person with power. I didn’t want to carelessly open my mouth and trouble the innocent Perfumer’s Guild.
“If you think of anything later, please make sure to tell me.”
“Yes. But why did the culprit come into the pharmacy to set the fire? The pharmacy didn’t have much money to be robbed, and I don’t have any enemies who would want to take my life.”
“I don’t think it was for money either. Just the cost of the kerosene used to start the fire would not be a small amount.”
“I really can’t understand why someone would go to such trouble and expense to set fire to the pharmacy.”
“That’s right. There must be another reason. A reason to set fire to the pharmacy even at great expense.”
“What could be the reason for having to set fire to the pharmacy? They’re not crazy.”
But there were too many strange points to think of it as just the act of a crazy person. They said a considerable amount of kerosene was used to start the fire, and since one person couldn’t move that much kerosene alone, it probably wasn’t the act of a single person.
“That’s why I thought Jane might have known a secret that she shouldn’t have known. A secret of someone with wealth and power who could mobilize manpower and use money to the extent of setting fire to a pharmacy. Then it would make sense why they went to such trouble to burn documents and books.”
“There’s no way I could have such a thing. The books were all medical texts, and most of the patients I care for are poor commoners. Those people can’t even afford a candle to light their rooms, let alone kerosene to set fire to a pharmacy.”
The biggest secret I knew was Ian’s illness. I usually organize most prescriptions as documents, but I never left anything in writing related to Ian.
No one knew about the disease Ian was suffering from. At most, it was just me, Ian, and Simons.
Even his parents, the Emperor and Empress, don’t know about Ian’s illness. So it didn’t make sense that they burned down the pharmacy to uncover Ian’s secret.
‘Moreover, if the goal was to uncover Ian’s secret, it would be much more efficient to threaten me and find out, rather than burning down the pharmacy.’
“What secret could they have wanted to find out through me?”
“It might not be a secret they wanted to find out, but a secret they wanted to cover up. A great shame, or a secret they absolutely don’t want revealed.”
“Then I know even less. If it wasn’t about wanting to know the effects or side effects of medicines, or treatment methods… I can’t remember anything that could be a weakness for someone.”
Especially if it’s a weakness of someone with money and power.
“You might know it but not realize at all that it could be a weakness or shame for someone.”
“What could that be?”
“We’ll have to catch the culprit and ask. Once we track the kerosene movement route, we should be able to catch them quickly.”
__________
Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up! (Female-dominant)
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead