Baby Pharmacist Princess

“Wh-what…?”

Sophia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“It’s just a random question! Nothing serious!” I added quickly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Sophia’s reaction seemed over the top, her expression full of dismay as she spoke, “Yes, it’s possible for the Pope to marry, but it’s a terrible position! You should never marry the Pope!”

“I’m not saying I want to marry him!” I blurted, now feeling completely awkward about the situation.

Why was she reacting so dramatically?

I couldn’t help but pout a little, feeling embarrassed by the intensity of her response.

“The Pope… has a special privilege. After he ascends to the position, he can propose marriage to one of the Princesses,” Sophia explained, her voice more serious now.

“So… are the Princesses forced to marry him?”

“Well, the Princess can refuse, but it doesn’t really mean much. The Pope usually proposes to someone who doesn’t have the power to refuse, someone without enough influence to say no.”

“Oh…” I nodded in understanding.

“And if you marry the Pope, you’ll have to give up everything as a Princess! Everything!” Sophia’s eyes sparkled with urgency as if she was desperately trying to warn me.

At first, I thought she was overreacting, but as she continued, I began to see why she was so concerned.

“You’ll have to wear robes made of the same fabric as commoners, and you can only eat what the Papal Church provides. And that’s not all! You’ll have to travel abroad frequently!”

“Travel abroad…?”

“To spread the teachings of the god Haphneous! You’ll be sent to Romund, Cahil, and Hithaisen Kingdoms for at least a year in each country!”

Sophia was getting worked up as if she could already imagine the horror of it all.

‘Well, with all that, Dad would never allow it anyway,’ I thought to myself.

I chewed on the end of my quill, pondering the new information. “So is that marriage… a real marriage? Like, they actually become a married couple?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And do they… have children?”

“As far as we know, none of the Popes have ever had children. At least, not that we’re aware of.”

I see…

I started thinking about Sihat.

His dark hair, a striking contrast to his pale skin, and those still slightly reddish eyes that always softened when he looked at me. The way his voice gently called out, “Shuya.”

The thought of anyone else standing beside Sihat… it was unimaginable.

And right now, there are only a few Princesses in the Imperial family—Alexandra, Helga, and me. Who else could possibly marry the Pope?

‘If I think about it… it could only be me.’

Wait.

That thought jolted me to a halt. I accidentally dipped the quill too deeply into the ink, leaving me staring blankly into space.

“Princess? Princess!” Sophia called out, but I couldn’t respond. My mind was too caught up in this new scenario.

‘What if… what if, in the future, Sihat and I… end up getting married?’

Thinking back, Sihat’s words always had a deeper meaning. Whenever I asked if we were friends, he never said yes. He would always respond, “It’s something more than that.”

“Princess? Are you alright?” Sophia asked again.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” I quickly reassured her, shaking off my dazed expression.

Could it be possible that Sihat came back through time… just to see me again?

Most people don’t do that just for a friend, right?

‘Or maybe? Do other people have friends like this?’

It was a ridiculous thought, but I couldn’t help wondering. Maybe when I finally have close friends, I’ll ask them.

I’ll ask them if they’re in relationships.

‘Romance…’

I hadn’t thought about it seriously before, but Gergys’s offhand comment had started a whirlwind of thoughts that I couldn’t stop.

‘Me and Sihat?’

But what is romance even like? How would I know—I’ve never been in a relationship before.

‘Is it like secretly meeting up without my brothers or Dad knowing?’

But… I already do that. Sihat and I sometimes meet up alone on Dragon Street.

We always part with a promise to meet again, and if he can’t make it, he leaves a note for me at shop.

‘So, being close to each other and only spending time together…’

We already do that too. Neither of us has other friends. Sihat treats me so well—better than anyone else, in fact. To be honest…

‘He’s quite rude to everyone else.’

It’s not an insult. It’s just the truth. Even the shopkeeper calls him ‘our rude boy’ whenever he visits.

‘No, no, this isn’t what I mean. There has to be more. For example… holding hands?’

Wait… we already do that.

Sihat always holds my hand when we walk, saying he’s worried I’ll trip.

So what exactly makes it a relationship?

People usually ask each other out to be in a relationship, right?

“What’s something only couples can do…?” I muttered aloud.

“Excuse me?”

“Could it be… k-kissing?!”

“Princess?!” Sophia dropped what she was holding with a loud crash.

Thud!

My jewelry scattered across the floor as Sophia clutched her chest, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

“Please tell me you’re not secretly dating someone, Princess! Please tell me it’s not true!”

Her reaction was so intense that I immediately clamped my mouth shut.

It felt like saying the wrong thing would be a disaster.

“Cherry.”

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and I heard Idsys calling my name.

“Brother?”

Thank goodness! His timing was perfect! Now I didn’t have to deal with Sophia’s teary-eyed interrogation.

I opened the door with a smile, but then… ah, the light!

The sun was so bright that I squinted, half-blinded by the sudden glare.

Standing there was Idsys, a strikingly handsome blonde.

‘Idsys, you’ve grown into such a classic beauty.’

When he was younger, he still had a hint of that pretty-boy charm, but now… he was a full-fledged man.

His jawline was sharp, his nose perfectly sculpted. His long, shadowed eyes were striking, with neatly groomed eyebrows and a noble forehead. Just one glance was enough to think, Wow, he’s handsome.

‘He’s my brother, but I bet he’s incredibly popular.’

And then, out of nowhere, someone threw an arm around his shoulder. Someone even taller than Idsys, a woman.

There was no way I couldn’t recognize her.

“Oh, so this is the little chick you’ve been fussing over?”

“Helga, let go.”

“Wow, she’s adorable! I regret not meeting her sooner!”

Helga Chin Castalia!

‘Wait, has she already finished the pirate-hunting mission?!’

Helga didn’t fit the description of being pretty or cute. Instead, she was cool, even ruggedly handsome.

Her appearance was so androgynous that it was hard to tell at first glance if she was male or female. She had grown up on the battlefield, never bothering with frills or fancy things, and she naturally didn’t like those kinds of things anyway.

But she did have one fatal weakness…

[Character Information: Helga Chin Castalia]

Title: Heir to the Throne

Special Trait: Has an extreme fondness for cute and adorable things.

That’s right. Helga was a sucker for anything cute.

“Hi there, little chick! Do you know who I am?”

“Hello, you’re Helga, aren’t you?”

“Yep! But calling me sister feels a bit wrong. You should probably call me auntie.”

There’s quite an age gap between us, but I wasn’t about to call her aunt. We had to keep it friendly, so sister it was!

“Good thing I came to see you before Alexandra did. How’s life at the palace? Is this guy treating you well?”

“Brother Idsys is kind to me.”

“Really? That’s a surprise. Well, if you ever get tired of life at White Night Palace, you’re always welcome at mine. The doors are open for you anytime.”

Helga’s defining features were her dark brown hair and vivid red eyes, not to mention the horizontal scar across the bridge of her nose. Her powerful arms showed off her muscles, and her armor was worn casually, barely fastened. Her appearance said it all—straightforward, brash, and a bit of a free spirit.

As for royal etiquette? She couldn’t care less.

‘Well, all four of the heirs had their own distinct positions.’

Idsys was the Emperor.

Gergys was the knight.

Helga was a warrior like Gergys, but her role was closer to that of a mercenary.

“Now that I’ve seen Cherry, I’m off to greet His Majesty.”

“Wow, did you really just say our Cherry? You’ve grown, Helga.”

“Stop treating me like a child.”

Idsys’s soft grumble made Helga laugh heartily.

It was like watching a big sister tease her younger brother.

“See you at dinner, little chick. I think we’ll all be eating together tonight.”

“Okay!”

What a whirlwind.

After Helga left, Idsys remained, clearly exasperated.

But no matter how annoyed he was, Idsys never took it out on me.

“See you at dinner, little one.”

“Take care of yourself, Brother.”

“I will.”

Come to think of it… wasn’t this supposed to be Idsys’s nap time?

‘Poor Foreign Ministry staff,’ I thought, offering them a mental prayer as I returned to my work.

At least the whole commotion had distracted me from thinking about Sihat and marriage for a while.

At Mea Palace, Alexandra’s personal domain, not a sound could be heard today—not even a mouse.

There was only one person causing chaos.

“Helga was supposed to be dead this time!”

Crash!

Another vase shattered as Alexandra hurled it against the floor.

But gravity wasn’t kind. The vase smashed into countless pieces, losing its original shape entirely.

“She was supposed!”

Crash!

“To be dead!”

Crash!

“Already!!!”

Shatter!

The sound of splintering vases echoed as Alexandra fumed, seething with rage. Nine vases had already met their demise at her hands.

The maids cowered against the walls, trembling, as Alexandra’s eyes gleamed wildly, searching for something else to throw.

“I thought she’d die this time. We sent 400 pirates after her, and Helga was left alone.”

“But why is she back, completely unharmed?!”

“The mistake was not anticipating that Helga would be able to handle naval combat.”

Sixteen-year-old Alexandra was as beautiful as a rose.

Even as she screamed and rampaged, she was undeniably stunning.

If she hadn’t been, she would have already been disposed of by now.

Pabel, standing beside her, let out a small sigh and began gently prying her clenched fingers open, one by one.

“But Alexandra, some things were out of our control. Who could’ve guessed Helga was hiding that ability?”

“Oh, you couldn’t help it? Do you know how many times I’ve heard that excuse?!”

“It hurts to hear you say that.”

Pabel shrugged.

The fight for the throne had been intensifying behind the scenes.

At this point, there were no more royals under the protection of age.

The youngest, Princess Cherishe, was about to turn eleven.

Which meant… anyone could kill or be killed now.

“Ash is suffering from a mental breakdown and can’t leave the palace. Cedric and Thierry are constantly ill.”

“Who cares about those weaklings?”

“Then how about this?”

Alexandra’s sharp gaze remained fixed, still furious.

Pabel sighed softly.

“Your little brother. He’s in constant agony, isn’t he?”

Alexandra’s square shoulders trembled at Pabel’s pointed remark.

“That poor thing… he can’t even sleep anymore. He’s having hallucinations during the day. Are you still going to say I didn’t do enough?”