Baby Pharmacist Princess

‘Familiars are fragments of the soul.’

However, the three familiars I brought with me came from my original world. In other words, they don’t meet the requirements for being fragments of my soul.

‘Nana seems like she could be a fragment of my soul, though.’

The others all have red fur, while Nana alone has white fur.

‘This is still a game, right?’

I was possessed while playing the game. That much remains true.

But how could a fragment of my soul be created?

Even what Sihat had said just now falls into the same category.

There are new details emerging—things that were never part of the ‘game.’

This is reality.
Yoon Chaeri’s life was reality, too.
Yet it feels like the game was a simplified version of this reality, as if the game was a bridge connecting the two.

In this way, the elements I saw in the game exist here, but there are aspects of reality that the game didn’t include.

‘So I crossed over to this reality through a virtual reality game?’

I’m trying to reason through it, but I wish someone could confirm whether my theory is right.

‘Should I have caught that jester rabbit?’

Based on elimination, I’ve already deduced that the jester rabbit is probably Grandfather’s familiar.

But my plan to get him to summon the familiar by plying him with plum wine failed.
My attempt at flattery failed.
My pleading also failed!
Everything failed, and I still haven’t confirmed anything.

‘If I could just catch that rabbit, I might be able to figure out all these lingering mysteries.’

For now, I’ll shelve these thoughts and focus on the palace when I return.

“So, Sihat didn’t die even after growing up? That’s a relief.”

“Of course. Why would I die?”

“Then… why didn’t we get married? Did Dad object strongly?”

I grew a little more serious.

Sihat, on the other hand, just curved his lips into a slight smile.

But his response was completely unexpected.

“Make sure to visit the gift I gave you later.”

He was implying that it was a place to go.

Sihat’s gifts were always imaginative, perfectly tailored to things I’d like.

I nodded enthusiastically with a bright expression.

“Yes!”

“Now, shall we try the rest of the jelly? The Prince will come by soon.”

“Ugh, Dad is so overprotective. I’m all grown up now.”

“Yes, our Shuya is all grown up.”

Sihat smiled indulgently, which made me feel somewhat embarrassed.

It was like he was humorously affirming, ‘Yes, you’ve grown up, absolutely.’

Blushing, I rubbed my heated cheeks and reached for the next piece of jelly. But just as I was about to eat it—

“Wait!”

I swatted Sihat’s hand, making him drop the jelly.

“Shuya?”

“There’s something weird on this jelly.”

It wasn’t like I had an animal’s keen sense of smell or heightened survival instincts.

I just knew a lot about poison.

“This is definitely… poison.”

I picked up the fallen jelly and inspected it closely. When I brought it near my nose, I detected a strange, sharp scent.

It was masked by the fruity aroma, but I couldn’t miss it.

Quickly, I checked the other jellies laid out on the table.

‘Effect-checking lens.’

I blinked three times…

[♡Myerden’s blood, sweat, and tears went into making these vitamin jellies♡]
Contains a blend of essential vitamins.

Yes, that’s what was supposed to appear.

But what I saw below was shocking.

[Effectiveness: 0%
Toxicity: 55%]
(Hellebore juice has been applied.)

“This is… hellebore!”

I shouted in anger.

Hellebore is a toxic flower, large and vibrant, often with a dark crimson hue, giving it an ominous appearance.

It’s a member of the buttercup family and blooms in winter.

Although it’s not an instantly lethal poison, it can cause someone’s lips to swell up like a duck’s bill.

But think about how terrifying that would be for young noble girls.
They would never trust medicine from the imperial health department again!

“My tasting event would have been completely ruined!”

“You said the imperial health department staff prepared this space?”

“Yes. It looks like we had a rat in the house.”

Though I was seething with anger, I quickly regained my composure.

Now wasn’t the time to get mad—I needed to focus on catching the culprit. I should tell Gergys.

“If everyone ate these jellies and fell ill, it wouldn’t just ruin my birthday. It would also destroy the imperial health department’s credibility. How convenient.”

“And who would do something like this?”

“There’s only one royal who would stoop this low—Alexandra.”

I’ve had plenty of chances to bring Alexandra down before.
My achievement level is high enough to surpass her anytime.

But I left her alone because she wasn’t much of a threat, and frankly, I pitied her.

‘She had barely anything left.’

But to poison my jelly, especially one meant for children to taste?

‘That’s it. No more mercy.’

To secure my place as an heir, someone had to be removed.

I wanted to dethrone Alexandra right then and there.

“Is there no chance it’s Helga?”

“Helga… no.”

I liked Helga. She seemed to have a favorable opinion of me, too.

But in the fight for the throne, there’s no room for such ambiguous feelings.

What I trusted was this:

“If it were Helga, she wouldn’t have been so sloppy. She would’ve poisoned the drinks in the kitchen. It would’ve been more efficient and lethal.”

Helga is terrifying.
If she decides to kill someone, she’d smile sweetly while snapping their neck.

“This kind of petty scheme? That’s pure Alexandra.”

“Yes, you’re right, Sihat. And it feels personal, too.”

The poison causes the tongue and throat to swell within minutes. If not treated quickly with an antidote, dizziness and vomiting set in.

“One of hellebore’s signature traits is that it makes your lips swell up, making you look… very ugly.”

At my explanation, Sihat raised an eyebrow.

“If all the noble girls ended up with duck lips, the imperial health department would lose everyone’s trust.”

“That would’ve been quite the scandal. We can’t let this slide.”

“Both Alexandra and Helga will be at tomorrow’s party.”

Alexandra had never attended my birthday party before, but this time, she had no choice.
Not only was the party being held in South territory, but many South nobles, personally invited by Dad, would be in attendance.

No matter how high and mighty she is as the Emperor’s child, Alexandra grew up in the northern palace, like all the other heirs.

To the local nobles, she was just an unfamiliar princess.

If she wanted to build connections, she had to attend.

‘Why do you think Dad went all out to throw this party here?’

He loves me and wants to throw me a grand celebration, of course, but there’s also a political motive.

‘Idsys needs to start getting close to the South’s local power players.’

These nobles believe that ‘though emperors may change, lords are eternal.’
Even after ascending the throne, it’s impossible to earn their loyalty.

You just manage them—sometimes tightening control, sometimes loosening it.

One of the main theories as to why Grandfather divided the empire between the north and the South is that, by managing the empire as one whole, he couldn’t keep the South’s local power in check.

“I’ll use my divine power to neutralize the poison in the jelly.”

“No, Sihat. We can’t destroy the evidence. I have a better idea.”

I leaned in and whispered in Sihat’s ear.

We’d remove the poison from the adults’ jelly with divine power, but as for the children’s…

‘Parents get more worked up when their children are in danger than when it’s themselves.’

Just wait until tomorrow, Alexandra. I’m going to make sure you’re utterly humiliated!

The party started in earnest in the evening, and it was packed with people.

Not just the nobles from northern Castalia but many South nobles I had never met before.

Among them, the most striking figure was Duchess Vincent.

Yes, the owner of the boutique that made my dress.

She’s the one who made a dress for the Empress of South Castalia.

“Hello, Duchess.”

A group of children had already gathered around her, eager to win her favor.

But no one was brave enough to approach her directly.

It’s only natural.

Duchess Vincent had a strong presence, tall and thin, with a sharp hooked nose. She looked rather intimidating.

“Princess Cherishe, I presume? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The Duchess greeted me with an air of grace.

“Thanks to you, I’m wearing an incredibly beautiful dress. I appreciate it.”

Although I was royalty, I was still young, and the Duchess was older, so we spoke to each other with mutual respect.

I understood the unspoken rules of high society and didn’t commit any faux pas.

“I merely fulfilled an order placed with the highest payment.”

Oh, looks like her feelings toward me are at least as positive as the hefty sum Dad paid for the commission.

Her breath had trembled slightly when she mentioned ‘the highest payment.’

Right now, I had my hair styled in two braids and wore a striking red dress.

As I walked by, I could hear murmurs about the intricate lace layers, the pleats, and the ribbons.

That meant the Duchess had done an excellent job.

I clasped my hands together and pulled out my secret weapon—granddaughter-like charm—but not too much.

“There’s a jelly vitamin tasting event tomorrow. I made them myself. Would you come and try some?”

“It would be an honor, but…”

The Duchess pursed her wrinkled lips as if the idea inconvenienced her. So, I leaned in closer and whispered softly.

“You’ve been looking for a cure for your granddaughter’s boils, haven’t you?”

“!”

“I can help with that.”