Lord Lucien returned to work after that, but his sense of taste has never come back.
“It’s hell. Mealtime is painful. It’s like chewing sand. No matter what I eat, it doesn’t taste good.”
Every time Lord Lucien visited the Duke of Valentia’s house, he sighed and said that. His younger sister Liliana made a sympathetic face, but she just said, “It will come back eventually,” and did not deal with it any further. Even though she must know it was because of the champagne she put the aphrodisiac into.
(Foolish Lord Lucien. No matter how much you care for Liliana, this girl is just like this. She is not the type of person to worry about Lord Lucien or reflect on things. She is a child who cares about herself the most.)
In my heart, I ended up laughing.
My parents must also know it was because of that aphrodisiac, but they only looked away awkwardly. I think they are truly irresponsible people. However, Lord Lucien himself was the one who went to buy the aphrodisiac, and even if he ended up drinking it and losing his sense of taste, I think it is only his own fault.
That is why I comforted him with words, but I did not make any medicine to improve his condition. Why would I, someone who was left to die, save you?
◆◇
On the other hand, the Crown Prince’s health became extremely good, and I started being called to the royal palace almost every day. The reason was simple: the Crown Prince wanted to drink my special tea every single day without fail.
“Cecilia. Truly, since I started drinking that tea, my fatigue has gone away. It seems my sleep has also improved, so I can sleep soundly, and I wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.”
“I am honored to be of help.”
While answering that, I casually observed the Crown Prince’s complexion. His color was good, the dark circles under his eyes had disappeared, and his voice had strength too. It was clearly different from before.
——It is working. More than I imagined.
Because of that, I naturally became a presence who frequented the royal palace, and the Crown Prince also came to rely on me whenever something happened.
One day. During sword training, the Crown Prince hurt his wrist. At that time too, I listened to the voices of the medicinal herbs. Following the whispers coming from the royal palace’s herb garden, I selected the suitable medicinal herbs. I ground them up and applied them to the affected area wrapped in a soft cloth every day. I did not do anything special. I just used the “right thing” in the “right way.”
After a while, the pain visibly subsided, and his movements became smoother too. The gaze of the Crown Prince, who witnessed that change with his own eyes, became much heavier than before.
——The weight called trust.
In this way, I changed into an “indispensable presence” for the Crown Prince.
“Cecilia, let’s make a private mixing room for you. I will also prepare a private herb garden for you. After all, the medicine you make works the best.”
Before long, I received such thankful words from the Crown Prince, and a mixing room for me was made inside the royal palace, and even an herb garden exclusively for me was created.
A few days after that, an evening party was held at the Duke of Valentia’s house. Many nobles were present here, and of course, the Crown Prince was also invited.
In such a place, the one who raised her voice loudly was Liliana.
“Sister, even though you have a wonderful fiancé named Lord Lucien, it is embarrassing how you are all over the Crown Prince! Making him build a private herb garden and mixing room just for yourself… You are getting carried away because you are being treated specially! Don’t you feel bad for Lord Lucien?”