Baby Pharmacist Princess

“Of course. Let her join in.”

Lady Vincent’s demeanor had completely shifted since yesterday.

She was overly friendly now.

I smiled inwardly, celebrating the success of my plan.

‘With this, everything is set.’

Striking swiftly was always the key to victory.

Just then, I noticed Helga entering from the other side, where the young nobles had gathered. Alexandra was with her.

Behind them were Alexandra’s maids, but they couldn’t enter the tasting hall.

I had made a rule: no subordinates allowed inside. That included my own attendants, Sophia, Shami, and Hanna, who remained outside as well.

After confirming that Helga had escorted Alexandra inside, I plastered the cutest smile on my face and offered refreshments to the adults.

“Please wait here for a bit. We have a performance prepared midway through this tasting event!”

The performance was titled “The Sweet Potato Who Dug Its Own Grave.”

This morning, Alexandra had dressed herself in the finest clothes she could muster and boarded the airship.

She didn’t care whose birthday it was.

Wherever Alexandra went, she had to be the best.

Despite tolerating Helga’s annoying presence and enduring the irksome airship ride to Cherishe’s irritating birthday party, there was a purpose behind it all.

‘I need to win over the South nobles.’

That was the message her mother constantly hammered into her through letters.

Her mother, a native of the South, always reminded her that the South and the North were like two separate countries.

The South didn’t particularly respect or revere the Emperor’s children.

Winning their hearts was difficult, which was why Alexandra had to start building relationships from an early age.

The problem was that Alexandra, stuck in the northern palace, never had a chance to enter the South’s social scene.

But now, the Wynn faction had organized this gathering, and Alexandra had no choice but to come in a hurry.

‘I feel slighted.’

She was the daughter of the South Emperor, and yet Cherishe got to enjoy such privileges first.

Even though Alexandra often scoffed at the idea of getting rid of Cherishe once she became Emperor, she couldn’t help but seethe.

It was probably because she knew, deep down, that her parents loved her younger brother, Luon, far more than her.

So, Alexandra made herself even more perfect, even more dazzling.

She wasn’t foolish enough to let her emptiness show.

If anything, she’d sharpen her claws and scar anyone who dared pity her.

“Welcome, Helga! And Alexi.”

“Hmph.”

“Helga, you should go that way with the adults. Over there!”

Cherishe smiled smugly at her, which made Alexandra’s blood boil.

She wanted to force Cherishe to kneel before her immediately, but Cherishe had grown too much for that now.

‘Not for long, though.’

Alexandra had already gathered information about this “jelly supplement” in advance.

She did it all by herself, without Pabel’s help!

She had given a few instructions and was fully prepared to ruin today’s event.

But—.

‘What? Why is everyone acting fine?’

Not only that, but some were even munching on the jelly, looking visibly relaxed.

This wasn’t the reaction Alexandra had hoped for.

‘Could it be that the poison wasn’t added?’

That fool! After all the money I gave them!

‘No, no.’

She could still smell the poison. There was no way they could have escaped her sharp senses.

But then why…?

“Alexi, why are you glaring like that?”

Suddenly, Cherishe, beaming with that annoyingly innocent face, approached and thrust a piece of jelly toward her.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Mind your own business. I find this childish nonsense irritating.”

“Mhm, okay. But since you’re already here, why don’t you try some and give your thoughts?”

“Hmph! You think I’d eat that trash?”

“But everyone else is eating this ‘trash’ you’re talking about. Even Helga.”

At Cherishe’s remark, Alexandra whipped her head around.

Sure enough, on the other side of the glass, that idiot Helga was stuffing her face with jelly!

Now she had no choice but to eat some.

Yet, she hesitated.

‘Maybe the others just got lucky and picked the jelly without poison.’

It wasn’t like the poison would be spread evenly.

So if she was unlucky, she’d be the only one humiliated when her lips swelled up like a duck’s.

‘My hands won’t move.’

The certainty that the jelly contained poison held her back.

‘Maybe I can smell it and pick the right one.’

Alexandra bit her lip, stuck in indecision.

“Why? Worried that there’s poison in it?”

“What?”

“Look. Everyone’s perfectly fine. So what are you so suspicious of?”

Cherishe shrugged, popped a piece of jelly into her mouth, and chewed with exaggerated satisfaction.

‘If I don’t eat it now, it’ll look suspicious later when the poison takes effect. I have no choice.’

No matter how long she waited, there were no cries of agony.

Everyone was taking this childish game so seriously, even scribbling earnest evaluations with their quill pens.

“Go on, try it.”

Cherishe offered the jelly once more.

Alexandra, trying to appear calm, picked up a piece but couldn’t bring herself to eat it.

She had picked the one with poison.

It had a sour, tangy smell.

While she wasn’t an expert in poisons, she could tell that this sharp scent was definitely from the poison.

Alexandra wrinkled her nose, desperately searching for a way out.

“Well? Are you going to eat it?”

Without warning, Cherishe grabbed a handful of jelly and shoved it all into her mouth, pushing it down her throat.

“What are you doing?!”

Alexandra screamed as Cherishe swallowed the jelly. Though Cherishe spat most of it out, she still managed to gulp down one piece.

Glaring furiously at the annoying girl who pretended to be oblivious, Alexandra stomped on the jelly that had fallen to the ground.

At least she hadn’t swallowed all of it.

Just one piece. She had spat out the rest…!

“Princess Alexandra?”

“Are you alright?”

Oh no.

She was surrounded by strange looks from all around her.

Alexandra finally realized that she had lost her composure in front of everyone and exhaled deeply.

It’s fine. Since nothing happened to them, nothing will happen to me…

“!”

The reaction came suddenly.

It felt like her throat was on fire.

The stinging, burning sensation crawled down her esophagus as Alexandra clutched her neck in agony.

This was definitely… poison!

“Save me! You, you put poison… ugh…!”

“What? You’re accusing me of putting poison in this?”

“It’s not, an, accusation… ugh… I, I can’t breathe…”

“Why are you acting, Alexi? Do you hate me that much?”

Cherishe slumped her shoulders, looking dejected.

Fake!

What was this pain, this burning agony?

Worse yet, her arms and legs were starting to go numb. Alexandra grabbed onto the arm of a nearby lady for support.

“Eek! Princess, your face. Your face…!”

“M-my… f-face?”

In the eyes of that nameless, unimportant noblewoman, Alexandra saw her own reflection.

Her appearance was completely different from usual.

Crash!

She staggered backward, colliding with the jelly table, sending pieces flying into the air. The sharp smell of poison filled her nostrils.

‘What’s going on? Why is this happening to me? Why is everyone else fine?’

Her skin felt like it was peeling off.

But strangely, no one seemed to suspect Cherishe.

“Wow, you really are starting to look like a duck.”

Cherishe held up a mirror, and when Alexandra caught a glimpse of her reflection, she was so shocked she fell to the floor.

‘I-I’m hideous!’

Her lips were swollen, her tongue was puffing up, and it was just about to spill out of her mouth.

‘My face is numb. Am I… am I going to die? But I didn’t use enough poison to kill!’

Panic gripped Alexandra even tighter.

“Heal me… fix this…!”

The light was too bright. Tears streamed down her face as her vision blurred.

She knew how pitiful she must look, but her mind was in chaos.

Her judgment clouded, Alexandra ended up crying like a helpless child.

“How can I treat you if I don’t know what poison it is, Alexi?”

“You… you know everything!”

“I don’t know a thing. And by the looks of it, if we don’t treat you soon, you might have to live like this forever.”

She’s bluffing. She’s lying.

But…

‘She knows about medicine.’

What if she’s telling the truth?

How could she possibly return to the northern palace like this after visiting her parents in the South?

Countless thoughts collided in her mind, and it wasn’t until her heartbeat began to slow that Alexandra finally blurted out the name of the poison.

Someone from the adults should have rushed over by now, but maybe they were stuck behind the glass wall, or maybe for some other reason, no help came.

She was going to die at this rate.

Realizing this, Alexandra clutched her chest and shouted.

“Hellebore! It’s hellebore!”

“Hellebore? You’re wrong, Alexandra.”

Cherishe leaned in closer, pretending to examine her with a worried expression.

“Your face is numb, and it feels like you want to tear it off. You’re also feeling extremely cold, aren’t you? Those are the symptoms of wolfsbane.”

“What? That’s… not the poison I used…”

“Oh, so you did use hellebore?”

Crap!

‘I’ve been tricked.’

Alexandra wanted to bite her tongue, but it was too swollen to do so.

The poison had clouded her judgment.

With that one slip of the tongue, she had effectively admitted to poisoning the jelly herself.