Baby Pharmacist Princess

I rushed over to Sihat with a smile, grabbing his hand tightly.

“How did you get here so early?”

“The new High Priest decided not to shun me but rather to use me. He thinks if I meet with Shuya, I might be able to bring back some useful information about the Imperial Health Department,” Sihat said, shrugging his shoulders. Then, with a sly smile, he revealed the bouquet of flowers he had been hiding behind his back.

“It’s been a whole month since we last saw each other, Shuya. How have you been?”

“Wow, a bouquet of freesias!”

“I brought them because they reminded me of you. Happy birthday,” he whispered in his usual gentle yet clear voice.

I buried my nose in the flowers, inhaling their sweet fragrance deeply.

“Could everyone leave us for a moment? I’d like to speak with His Holiness,” I requested, and after a brief hesitation, Sophia reluctantly bowed and left. She didn’t look too pleased.

‘It’s not like I said I’d marry Sihat right here and now,’ I thought, feeling a bit hurt by her reluctance. Even though I understood she was worried about me, it still stung. Sihat was someone important to me, after all. Just because we came from opposing factions didn’t mean we couldn’t be close. Sihat had even come all the way from a distant future just to be with me—although, of course, that was a secret.

“The real gift is, as always, hidden inside,” Sihat added with a soft smile.

Perhaps Sophia disliked Sihat not just because of his position, but because she thought he only ever gave me a bouquet for my birthday. But Sihat’s gifts were always more special than that—they were our little secret.

‘As expected.’

Hidden among the flowers was a small key with a heart-shaped tip—an entrance key to Dragon Merchant’s Alley. It was the same heart-shaped key I’d received in previous years, but today it felt a little different. Maybe it was because Sihat seemed more grown-up, especially after not seeing him for a month.

‘Doesn’t he seem more mature somehow?’

I peeked over the bouquet, my eyes focused on him. Today, I noticed the changes in him even more—the sharper jawline, the broader shoulders. He was growing into a man, and part of me felt… left behind. It was like he was maturing without me, leaving me as I remained the same.

‘Would it have been better if I hadn’t let my memories of Yoon Chaeri fade so much?’

But it was too late now. Yoon Chaeri was almost a faint shadow in my mind, leaving only the medical knowledge I had accumulated from that life. The moment I embraced my familiars, making them part of my world here, all my lingering attachments to that previous life disappeared. I had fully become Cherishe, an 11-year-old princess celebrating her birthday.

“Ahem, Sihat,” I called, trying to hide my nervousness.

“Hmm?”

“I just have this one thing I want to ask you… kind of a silly question, really.”

Could it be… were we actually married before?

‘But what if he says no? That’d be so embarrassing! And if he says yes… I wouldn’t know how to react!’

What if we were passionately in love? And all this time, I’ve been treating him like just a friend. Back then, I had been too young, too focused on repaying debts to even consider such things. But now, with some space to breathe, my mind wandered to thoughts I had never allowed before.

“So, um… about us,” I stammered.

Ugh, why am I letting it show so obviously that this is bothering me?

I stared into Sihat’s deep red eyes, gathering the courage to finally ask.

“Were we ever… in lo—!”

“Princess!”

“Ah!”

The door suddenly burst open, and Sophia came rushing in.

“The young ladies selected as your Undines have arrived.”

“Right now? Really?” I groaned in frustration.

‘Sophia must be acting on Dad’s orders to interrupt me. It’s obvious.’

Sophia loved me dearly, that much was clear. But she always listened to Dad’s orders first, and Dad clearly didn’t like Sihat. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Dad acted so petty about it.

‘It’s so unfair,’ I thought, glaring at Sophia. She avoided my gaze, looking guilty.

“I’ll see you later on the boat, okay?” Sihat whispered.

“Alright,” I replied through gritted teeth.

With that, Sihat left, and I turned to Sophia with a pointed remark.

“I’m not going to speak to you for a whole week, Sophia.”

“Princess, please…!”

“If you keep listening only to Dad’s orders, you’ll have to deal with me being angry. Sophia, you’re the worst!”

Sophia’s face turned as pale as a ghost, but I wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. She deserved this.

“Is that… His Holiness? The real one?”

“Oh my gosh, he’s so handsome!”

“I can’t believe we saw him in person!” the young ladies murmured in awe as they watched Sihat leave.

Trying to calm my frustration, I composed myself and sat down to greet the seven young ladies who had been chosen as my Undines.

“Hello, Princess. My name is Blair Estin,” the first girl greeted with a polite bow.

“Hello, Lady Blair.”

“I’ve been unwell and unable to attend many parties, so it’s such an honor to be invited,” Blair said softly, her brown hair and round glasses adding to her gentle appearance. She seemed just as cautious and thoughtful in person as she had in her letters.

I liked her right away, so I smiled warmly at her.

“We’re the same age, so let’s be friends from now on!”

“Thank you, Princess,” Blair replied with a shy smile.

The next to greet me was Shainen Bachman.

“My mother has spoken highly of you, Princess. It’s an honor to meet you formally.”

“I’m grateful to your mother. Thanks to her, my music skills have been improving steadily. I owe her much, Lady Shainen.”

“Please, feel free to just call me Shainen.”

“Alright, Shainen it is.”

Shainen had struck me as poetic and composed from her letters, but meeting her in person, I could sense a certain strength in her. I liked her instantly.

‘She resembles her mother a lot,’ I thought, noticing how much Shainen took after the Bachman Countess. Shainen’s maturity made her a natural leader among the group of Undines.

Next up was a girl with flaming red curls, fiery red eyes, and freckles. I knew who she was right away.

“Ha! It’s an honor to meet you, Princess! I’m Naiola Rodium. Please, do take good care of me!”

“Well, you’re quite lively. Nice to meet you, Naiola.”

“Oh, please, call me Naing! It sounds way more fun!” Naiola winked and laughed loudly, her voice filling the room.

She was loud and energetic, but not in a bad way. If anything, her vibrancy stood out in a group of otherwise calm young ladies. I could tell she’d be the life of the party and perhaps a talented gossip gatherer too.

As the introductions continued, Sophia, looking sheepish after our spat, brought in refreshments before leaving quietly. Normally, this would’ve been Hanna’s task, so Sophia was clearly feeling apologetic—but I wasn’t about to forgive her so easily. Not yet.

“By the way, is His Holiness really that famous?” I asked, changing the subject. “You all seemed so excited earlier.”

“Haha, of course! He’s the most popular among the mini portrait card collections. Though, I must say, Princess, your card is pretty famous too!” Naiola exclaimed.

“My card?”

“You didn’t know? Oh, I’ll show you!”

Naiola rummaged through her handbag, and as she did, I noticed a split reaction among the other young ladies. Blair and Shainen seemed clueless, but the others clearly knew what Naiola was talking about.

“Ta-da! I had to spend half my allowance to get this!” Naiola proudly presented the card.

I was stunned.

“These mini portrait cards are all the rage in social circles. They’re incredibly rare!”

“Is that… Idsys? And Gergys too?”

“Of course! The two princes are incredibly popular!”

Good heavens.

The “mini portrait cards” Naiola was talking about were thin glass cards with detailed portraits of royal family members, including Idsys and Gergys—and even Alexandra.

‘I’m not sure how to feel about this….’

It was oddly endearing but also a little bizarre.

One of the young ladies, her voice trembling slightly, spoke up.

“To us commoners… the royal family is like stars… far beyond our reach….”

“I see. So, what do you do with these portrait cards?”

“Well, we… put them next to us when we eat. You know, so it feels like we’re dining with royalty,” the young lady explained timidly.

What? I stared, confused.

Naiola chuckled and answered for her.

“Obviously, it’s to imagine dining with a member of the royal family!”

Ah, I get it now. It’s a kind of fandom thing. A bit odd, but I could wrap my head around it.

“Apparently, the artist is a huge fan of Princess Cherishe. Your card is the most popular,” Lucia explained.

“Lucia, if you have one of my cards, would you mind giving it to me?”

“Of course, Princess.”

“Thanks.”

The card was strangely fascinating—a small portrait of me, standing proudly in the outfit I wore to the New Year’s banquet last year.

‘Someone must be profiting off our likenesses,’ I thought.