“How can you make a cure in just three months?”

Leah muttered in a gruff voice, recalling the Duke she had met in the annex. That was something only possible with the full mobilization of modern medicine.

“Just my rotten luck.”

In her past life, she had worked her fingers to the bone, and just as she finally managed to buy her own house, she got hit by a car and died.

Reincarnated, she had just become an apothecary when she ended up learning the Duke’s secret that she never wanted to know.

Leah let out a deep sigh, lamenting her ill-fated circumstances. But what could she do? To survive, she had no choice but to at least pretend to make a cure.

“Speaking of which, ugh. Look at all this dust.”

Leah, who had come to the mansion’s library to learn more about Polarium, began to look around the interior.

Except for some patches of rust, the library in the outer estate was quite large.

‘It’s spacious, but…’

She hadn’t expected there to be a librarian. At the very least, she had hoped the books would be well-organized.

‘It’s a mess.’

Cookbooks and poetry collections were displayed in the same shelf, and novels meant for adults were mixed up with children’s fairy tales, creating utter chaos.

Moreover, it seemed no one even bothered to clean, as the smell of old dust wafted over.

“Cough, cough.”

Leah waved away the dust that enveloped her as she took a step.

While the Duke’s family had a long history and gave off an antique feel, the Duke himself didn’t seem to be managing it at all.

At this rate, she wondered if she could find a book on herbology today. Grumbling inwardly, Leah stopped in front of a large bookcase.

Fortunately, as if no one had been looking for them, the medical books were all gathered in one place.

“Quite diverse?”

From basic herbology to drug manufacturing methods and medical texts, there was quite a variety of books.

‘Though it looks old on the outside, it’s befitting of a Duke’s family.’

She began to pull out books on herbology indiscriminately and started researching Polarium.

As time passed, books were piling up like mountains in front of Leah.

“If you combine lily of the valley with acapodium, it can cause cardiac arrest…”

Then, couldn’t the side effects be prevented with herbs of completely different properties?

“Come to think of it, I think evening primrose was good for blood circulation.”

Cardiac arrest was generally caused by inadequate blood supply.

So, conversely, if she could find herbs that promote blood flow, couldn’t they be used as an antidote? This thought occurred to her.

As Leah was looking more closely into evening primrose, it happened.

“Found it.”

After turning a few more pages, there was detailed information about evening primrose. Leah’s gaze slowly followed the letters.

“It cleanses the blood by removing blood clots. So that means it’s good for blood disorders?”

If so, she thought evening primrose could be used as an antidote.

As she was turning the pages again to look for side effects of Polarium, a small note in the margin of the book caught her eye.

[Caution: Long-term use of Polarium may cause decreased vitality and sexual dysfunction.]

She blinked her eyes twice.

“Sexual dysfunction…?”

It could cause sexual dysfunction problems. This was the first time she had learned of this fact.

Just as Leah was about to bury her face in the book again to learn more details, she sensed movement outside the library.

– Hey, did you hear? It seems that rumor is true after all.

– What rumor?

The excited voices of maids began to be heard through the half-open door. Leah glanced towards the doorway where the voices were coming from.

– You know how the butler puts women in the Duke’s bedroom once a month to produce an heir? I heard he doesn’t even touch a hair on those women!

– Really? How do you know that?

– Last time, Mary was curious and secretly watched, and the woman came out again less than ten minutes after going in.

– Then that means…

For some reason, the whispering voices of the maids sounded as clear as if they were speaking directly into her ear.

– The Duke must certainly have a problem with his male function.

For a moment, Leah felt dazed, as if she had been hit on the head. At the same time, the precaution about Polarium she had just seen in the book flashed through her mind.

[Long-term use of Polarium may cause decreased vitality and sexual dysfunction.]

After staring into space for a while, Leah lowered her gaze. Was it just her imagination that the words ‘sexual dysfunction’ seemed particularly bold?

Leah carefully closed the book and hugged it to her chest.

“No wonder… I thought he seemed too sensitive.”

She remembered the Duke’s irritable behavior when she first visited his bedroom, throwing a flower vase at her.

It had seemed excessive for someone who was merely ill. To think there was such a heartbreaking story behind it.

“There was a reason for his sharp nerves.”

To have such an unspeakable illness at such a young age, of course mental illness would grow. For a moment, Leah felt pity towards the Duke.

“I should treat him well.”

She should also research a cure for that ‘illness’ that was fatal to a man. Soon after, she left the library with a determined look, carrying the books needed for her research.

* * *

“So heavy…”

Was it because she had been too greedy? The stack of books was so high that she could barely see in front of her.

As she was walking, inwardly regretting her late regret, she felt her heavy arms suddenly become lighter.

“It looked heavy.”

A man with deep purple hair reminiscent of amethyst approached her with a friendly greeting.

“You are…”

“You remember my name, right? Rikel.”

“Ah.”

Leah nodded as if she suddenly remembered the man. He was a servant of the mansion who had helped her when she was lost in the mansion a few days ago.

‘Did he say he worked in the kitchen?’

She had heard the maids gossip about him a few times because of his rather pretty looks.

“You’re going to the apothecary room, right?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Although he had been friendly from their first meeting, saying they were the same age, Leah maintained a polite distance by using formal speech with him.

Somehow, this man made her uncomfortable.

‘Characters with half-closed eyes like that usually have something going on.’

Wasn’t it a cliché in novels? Like how squinty-eyed characters awaken when they open their eyes, that kind of predictable setup.

Maybe that’s why Leah couldn’t help but be suspicious of this Rikel. As she was eyeing Rikel with suspicion, he asked cheerfully.

“By the way, I heard you were scammed?”

“What? Scammed?”

“Everyone in the mansion is saying it, that you must have been scammed. Otherwise, there’s no way you would have volunteered to be the Duke’s apothecary.”

‘Damn.’

To think that a former con artist had been conned. It was quite a blow to her pride. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.

“It wasn’t exactly a scam. I just misread the contract a bit.”

Though the consequences of misreading one contract were bigger than expected.

“That’s what a scam is. I heard you’d have to pay a huge penalty if you want to quit being the apothecary?”

“Well, yeah…”

Leah’s shoulders slumped again as she was reminded of her pitiful situation. Rikel, who had been glancing at Leah, stopped a few steps ahead of her.

Suddenly blocked by Rikel’s body, Leah stopped and looked up.

“I think I might be able to help you a bit.”

“Help me with what?”

He glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. Then he leaned in and lowered his voice.

“I’m saying I could help you earn more than that penalty fee.”

“…Money?”

And more than the penalty fee at that. Leah couldn’t help but swallow dryly at Rikel’s words, which sounded like the devil’s whisper.

“What do you think? Want to hear more?”

He smiled at Leah, his eyes curving into crescents.

* * *

What Rikel proposed to her that day was quite shocking.

[You want me to spy on the Duke?] [Yeah, just keep an eye on him and occasionally mix in a little of what we ask into his medicine. Oh, of course, it won’t be poison or anything, so don’t be scared.]

“It’s not a small matter, it could be life-threatening if I’m not careful.”

Rikel told her that if she acted as a spy for the Duke, she would be guaranteed a large sum of money and a stable job in the future.

He said the person he served was benevolent or something.

“It’s not a bad condition…”

They were generous terms that any common apothecary would be tempted by. Among them, what made her heart flutter the most was:

[You have to pay the penalty fee, right? The compensation will be quite substantial.]

According to Rikel, if she impressed the person he served, they might even pay the penalty fee for her.

“Does that mean they’ll give me 200 silver coins if I successfully complete the job?”

As things stood, Leah had no better option than to accept Rikel’s proposal. But her sharp intuition was telling her something was fishy.

“It’s too dangerous after all.”

The Duke wasn’t just any nobleman, he was royalty. Moreover, he was the legitimate prince who should have inherited the throne originally.

Those who were watching and wary of such a Duke must surely be influential figures.

In her experience, she had never seen a good ending for those who got involved with such people. Leah, who had been tapping her finger on the desk lost in thought, stood up.

“Then there’s only one way.”

As if she had made up her mind about something, Leah left the room. And the place she arrived at with a grave expression was the Duke’s bedroom.

“Phew…”

Leah, who quietly took a deep breath, looked around to see if anyone was there and knocked on the door.

“Your Grace, it’s Leah, the apothecary. May I come in for a moment?”

“…”

But what greeted her was quiet stillness. Only then did Leah remember that the Duke was pretending he couldn’t speak, and she let out a sigh.

‘Right. He can’t speak, can he?’

Should she wait until the possibly sleeping Duke opened the door? As she was contemplating this,

Suddenly, there was a sound of something falling to the floor from inside the room.

‘Maybe.’

Thinking it might be a signal to enter, Leah cautiously stepped into the room.

– Click.

Along with the sound of the door closing, a familiar male voice was heard.

“It’s fortunate that you’re quick-witted.”

The Duke, who greeted her with words that could be either praise or insult, looked at her as if asking what was the matter.

“I believe there’s no examination scheduled for today. You’re not here to say you’ve already developed a new medicine… What business do you have?”

He looked her up and down with suspicious eyes. To this, Leah took a short breath and replied.

“I have something urgent to tell you, it’s a very important matter.”

The Duke, who had been staring at her for a moment, nodded.

“Sit down.”

As soon as his permission was given, Leah took a seat on the sofa placed in the center of the bedroom.

“Speak.”

Soon after, the Duke arrogantly crossed his legs as if to say, go ahead and talk.

“Someone came to me this afternoon with a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes, they made quite a tempting offer in exchange for information about Your Grace’s circumstances.”

“A tempting offer…”

He contained a chuckle as if finding it amusing.

“And the reason you’re telling me this is?”

“I want to make a deal with Your Grace.”

“A deal with me?”

He murmured in a monotone voice. This was a gamble. A gamble where she might lose everything.

Leah’s hands became damp with sweat.

“I’ll act as a double agent for you.”

“A double agent?”

“Yes, I’ll pretend to accept their offer and give you the information I learn. In return.”

Leah, who was moistening her parched mouth with saliva, spread out her fingers.

“Triple.”

“…”

“Give me triple the amount of money they offered.”

Eat the money from both sides and run.

That was the conclusion reached by her, a former con artist.