Baby Pharmacist Princess

“”Oh, I’m so curious! What will my birthday present be this year?”

Meow!

“I think it’s some kind of place, but I have no clue where. Do you guys feel the same way?”

Meow!

The familiars walking briskly beside me opened their mouths and answered.

Cats are said to communicate silently with one another, but they use human sounds when they want to talk with us.

“I wish I could understand you perfectly.”

Their reply, another round of meows, sounded like they didn’t mind, as long as they could understand each other, even if I couldn’t.

“Hey sis, I’m here!”

“Ah, my lucky charm is here?”

As I confidently pushed open the door of the shop, the owner greeted me with great excitement.

I had now mastered the spell to create horns myself, so a pair of hatchling horns sat proudly on my forehead. Because of that, the bustling customers in the shop weren’t startled by the sight of me and didn’t shout, “A human!” Instead, they were surprised in a different way.

“That hatchling! Isn’t that the superstar Cheriche?”

“I think it is! Look, she even has her four mascot cats with her!”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe it! It’s Cheriche in the flesh!!!”

Although their whispers made me a little shy, I was used to it by now.

Since Dragon Home Shopping became a huge hit, I had quickly risen to stardom.

I had sold products with a cute and charming face, and now, everyone just loved me!

“Ahem, Cheri. Over here.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Before the dragons could approach me, the shop owner quickly led me to a private room in the back.

“You’re here to pick up that birthday present map that rude guy left, right?”

“Yep, that’s right!”

“Here you go.”

Though it was the middle of the night in reality, the Dragon Shopping District was always bustling like it was daytime. I knew this place like the back of my hand, so I wasn’t worried about getting lost.

[Happy Birthday, Cherishe. I hope this gift brings you joy.]

I unfolded the note to find a key and a map. Excited, I smiled brightly and checked the map.

“Thanks again, sis!”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, and I made some jelly supplements this time. They might even work for hatchlings!”

I handed her a jar of jelly I had been carrying. Of course, it wasn’t poisoned.

“Hm, it looks just like regular jelly.”

“Come on, it’s packed with nutrients! It’ll help boost immunity.”

While humans didn’t yet understand the concept of immunity, dragons certainly did.

Leaving the jar behind, I smiled widely.

“Try giving some to the customers who are here now. Next time I come by, you can sell it!”

“Alright, that’s a good idea. Here, take this as a gift from me.”

“Oh my gosh! A Save Point Dart…!”

Wow. That’s such an expensive gift!

It was a good thing I had built up a good relationship with her!

I gave her a big hug and grinned from ear to ear.

“Thank you so much, sis! I’ll use it well! See you next time!”

I was so excited that I couldn’t stay long. I hurriedly left the shop and started walking toward the location marked on the map, practically skipping as I went.

At the end of the map was…

“Wow…!”

A beautiful brick house!

With a deep pink roof and square windows, it looked like something straight out of a storybook.

My eyes grew wide as I circled the house, admiring the low walls that made it feel even more welcoming.

The house was cozy, with what I guessed would be a kitchen and living room on the first floor and a staircase leading to bedrooms upstairs.

It was smaller than my room at the palace, but that made it even more fun.

“Let’s go inside, everyone!”

These days, the Dragon Shopping District was full of new cafés, and the brick house was nestled between beautifully decorated private cafés, making the location perfect.

Imagine stepping out of your house and having cute cafés within a minute’s walk. Amazing.

‘But why would he give me a house all of a sudden?’

I couldn’t quite understand.

Opening the white wooden door with the key, I entered and was greeted by a quaint, charming interior.

Though the furniture was brand new and untouched, it felt surprisingly cozy.

Maybe it was the sunlight streaming through the windows, brightening the whole place.

The cats were already stretching out on the couch, while I explored the cute kitchen and found another card.

[From now on, let’s meet here. I’ve decorated it in a way I think you’ll like. If there’s anything you don’t like, feel free to change it.]

Oh my.

Sihat, you sure are moving fast, aren’t you?

‘Are we already setting up a home together?!’

Of course, Sihat probably didn’t like meeting at the shop all the time. The dragons always glared at him, after all.

That must be why he prepared this place.

I ran my hand over the knotty wooden banister and carefully made my way upstairs.

The small, peaceful space made me feel like it was infused with nostalgia, but maybe that was just my overactive imagination.

I found an empty picture frame and gently tapped it.

There were plenty of picture frames around the house, but none of them had any pictures in them yet.

I guess I’m supposed to decorate it myself.

‘I should hang up a picture of me and Sihat, and maybe one of Dad and my brothers.’

Being here made me feel relaxed, and I could feel my body starting to grow sleepy.

‘There’s a window on the roof, so I’ll be able to see the night sky.’

During the day, the light pouring in from above gave the whole house a warm, cozy feel, like a bowl of pumpkin soup.

“Oh. There’s only one bed…”

Upstairs, there were two doors.

One led to a bathroom.

The other… a bedroom.

But there was only one bed!

‘The bed is just as big as the one I sleep in.’

It wasn’t like Sihat and I would be sleeping here together, but even if we did, there’d be plenty of space between us.

“What am I even thinking?”

Shaking my head vigorously, I calmed my increasingly wild thoughts.

‘Sihat, you shouldn’t have given me a house like this.’

There was a desk near the window, and on top of it was a bouquet of statice flowers.

I picked up the bouquet and breathed in its fragrance.

There was another card underneath the bouquet.

[In front of everyone, I had to give you freesia, but the flowers I really wanted to give you were these statice. – Shya.]

Statice.

This lovely flower with tiny blossoms clustered like stars was simply adorable.

Did it have a special meaning?

Curious, I flipped the card over, and there was a single word written on it.

[Statice – Eternal love.]

How could anyone read that and not feel their face flush like a ripe apple?

I could sense how deeply and passionately Sihat felt about me.

How could I possibly say no to such affection?

Clutching the bouquet of statice in the sunlight, I closed my eyes, letting the warmth fill my heart.

It was a wonderfully peaceful 11th birthday.

“That worthless thing has finally gone too far.”

South Castalia Empire, Imperial Palace.

At the crack of dawn, the palace was thrown into chaos.

News had come that Alexandra Jen Castalia had gone on a rampage.

She had lost her sanity and attacked everything in sight, forcing Prince Vikal to subdue her with force.

According to the law set by Absolute Emperor Raerhod, when a member of the royal family loses control due to Dragon Heart, it is the duty of other royals present to stop them before they cause significant damage, even if it means one of them could be maimed or crippled in the process.

That law ranked higher than any concern for personal safety or royal dignity, making the Prince’s actions completely legal.

In fact, numerous South nobles had witnessed the event, making it impossible to deny.

Emperor Rikraz of South Castalia chuckled dryly when he heard the report.

“Well, she was useless anyway. Good riddance.”

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry.

The ministers remained silent, bowing their heads.

Everyone knew that sending Alexandra, the eldest daughter, to the northern lands was a deliberate move by Rikraz.

His goal was never to make Alexandra the next South Emperor.

She had always been meant to serve as a sacrificial pawn in his grand plan.

Even the Empress, Alexandra’s mother, had accepted this harsh reality.

With only a few years left before Rikraz’s grand ambition came to fruition, Alexandra’s incident had thrown a wrench in his plans.

“The Prince is a dangerous man, like a lurking wolf. Letting him into the palace could be a risk.”

“Yes! He might catch onto something!”

As his loyal subjects voiced their concerns, Rikraz furrowed his brow.

They were right.

Rikraz had fought Vikal for the throne since childhood, so he knew better than anyone how dangerous Vikal was.

He still hadn’t forgotten.

After years of fierce competition, Vikal had suddenly announced one day that he was getting married to a woman and gave up the throne.

He had said he was content being a Prince and living in the north.

If Rikraz remembered correctly, Vikal had even claimed he wanted to raise his child in the north himself.

To Rikraz, Vikal had been his final rival, the one he could never defeat.

Vikal had stepped down voluntarily.

But the fact that Rikraz hadn’t bested Vikal still lingered like a scar in his heart.

“I disagree, Your Majesty. We have made sure that nothing can be discovered.”

At that moment, a dissenting voice rang out.

“So, we should take advantage of this situation.”

“Take advantage, how?”

“Invite him, Your Majesty. We can use that girl in the side palace.”