Lea set the meal on the table in front of the sofa where the Count was sitting. After briefly explaining the lunch menu, she took out another set of cutlery from the trolley.
“I’ll check it first.”
“What?”
She cut off a piece from the edge of the steak that the Count would eat.
‘I never thought I would end up testing food.’
Her plan was as follows:
Pretending to care for the unconcerned Count, she would test the food and try to lower his guard.
After confirming that there was no discoloration on the silver cutlery, Lea put it in her mouth. Then, she flipped the hourglass that was with her.
“What are you doing?”
Akia, who was watching, twisted his face in a peculiar way.
“I’m testing. Checking for poison in the food.”
“And why are you doing that?”
“Of course, I should check. In the royal palace, they always test the food before meals.”
Lea brazenly widened her eyes and smiled.
“After all, even though you’ve been given the title of Count, you are the only prince of the empire.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t the safety of the person I serve the most important? There’s nothing wrong with the food. You can eat.”
Akia chuckled at Lea’s skillfully crafted words. It was unbelievable.
This was the first time anyone had offered to test the food he would eat in this mansion. Count Heidern was under the watch of the imperial family.
Every single grain of rice that entered the mansion had to be sanctioned by the emperor.
She must have seen the hostile attitudes of the servants toward me while she was staying here.
‘Testing for poison?’
That’s funny.
It was a blatant attempt to gain his trust.
‘Now that I think about it, she seems more like a con artist than a pharmacist.’
Even after she said the testing was over, Akia had no intention of picking up his spoon. Rather, he sunk deeper into the sofa.
“Feeling okay?”
“Huh?”
Unexpectedly faced with a question, Lea froze.
“As you said, the food was often poisoned. So, I don’t eat anything from this house.”
Lea seemed to be trying to understand his words, her eyes darting back and forth. After a few seconds of silence, Lea choked as if she had swallowed something wrong.
“Keuk. Kek!”
Lea’s face turned white as she looked at the unmoved Count.
‘What a sight.’
The Count seemed to find Lea’s state amusing, a smirk forming on his lips.
.
.
.
The Count, who claimed he had no appetite, truly didn’t even lift a spoon. Was he really under the threat of poisoning?
After finishing the checkup, Lea asked the Count.
“Do you have any other discomforts?”
“I can’t sleep well these days.”
“Your insomnia has always been severe, right? I’ll prescribe some medication.”
The record from the previous pharmacist also mentioned severe insomnia. She was considering appropriate herbs.
“I’d like some Ziziphus jujuba.”
“Ziziphus jujuba?”
“Yes. I used to drink it as a tea when my insomnia got severe, but I’m out.”
Ziziphus jujuba is a seed of the jujube tree. It is said to help with insomnia, but it’s a folk remedy passed down from the East.
“I’m not sure if it’s available at the downtown pharmacy. I’ll ask.”
The market day, which happened only once a month, had been a few days ago. The moonflower tea the Count was currently drinking was also made from herbs she bought that day.
Moreover, ginseng is not common in this world. The Duke’s lips twisted at Lea’s uncertain words.
“You’re not planning on buying it, are you?”
“Of course, I intended to purchase it. It’s not a common medicinal ingredient.”
“Right. It’s not common, so it’s expensive.”
Lea furrowed her brows at the Duke’s strange comment. She had been irked by his smirk ever since.
She was uneasy. She had a bad feeling.
“What do you think of the Duke’s mansion as seen through your eyes?”
“It’s atmospheric… because it has been preserved as it was, not dilapidated.”
Lea almost told the truth. The Heidern mansion was too old and worn to be considered a Duke’s residence.
Akiya snickered at Lea’s tact in changing her words without changing her expression.
“Well, how could I afford the expensive medicine for this household? Go and procure it yourself.”
Lea’s mouth hung open, trembling.
‘What nonsensical argument is this? Then what was the big money you were going to give me last time?’
Just because the Duke’s household is in bad shape doesn’t mean the Duke is also inferior!
Clearly, the Duke was deliberately assigning a nuisance.
“Hahaha. It’s a joke, right?”
Lea forced out a hollow laugh, waving her hand. But seeing the Duke’s persistent smirk, she knew he was serious.
“Do I look free enough to joke with you?”
The low, deep voice resonated in Lea’s ears. The smile on the smirking Duke’s face had stopped.
“If you’re willing to show off your skills without being asked, it means you’re very dedicated to this medicine procurement.”
“…….”
“So, would it be difficult to procure a few fruits? I need to drink it tonight.”
Lea clenched her skirt tightly. She suppressed the urge to throw away her stethoscope and everything else.
That man was a goose that lays golden eggs. She had to endure until the gold coins were produced.
Despite her burning frustration, Akiya picked up his teacup nonchalantly.
He took a sip of his tea with an infinitely high and graceful gesture, and then put down his cup.
“What are you doing? Go, instead of standing around.”
‘Elegantly insane.’
Unable to utter those words, Lea clenched her teeth and smiled in return.
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
