/
Damia blinked at the unexpected words.
“You are his Highness’s alchemist that created the sleeping gas… … ?”
“That’s right.”
Heinrich nodded and pointed his jaw at the uncouth-looking man. To her amazement. And then introduced the two to each other.
“This is Kurd. You hadn’t woken up in three days, so I sent him here to check and see if there was a problem with his gas. I guess you just woke up?”
It made sense why the first face she saw was a gangster or the alchemist named Kurd.
‘Oh my…’
That he was such a great alchemist… … . It shocked her in many ways.
Damia stared intently at the very threatening-looking copper-skinned man who had untied the front of his shirt. Anyone who spotted him would immediately assume he was a hooligan who came to collect money or a thug who blocked the road and demanded a toll.
She knew she shouldn’t judge people by their looks, but she couldn’t help but have eyes.
“Don’t worry, Lady Damia. Despite his eccentric veneer, Kurd is an excellent alchemist.”
Heinrich added an explanation as if this was a common occurrence.
“There was no problem with the sleeping gas. But instead it looked like the drug was very effective? So she just slept longer than expected.”
“Yes, it seems she has a constitution that agrees with it. In fact, Miss, you probably feel fine, correct?”
Upon receiving Kurd’s question, Damia looked at her body anew. She had slept too long and therefore felt drowsy, but there was no particular discomfort or pain.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
At those words, Akkard was visibly relieved. His face, which had become emaciated over the past few days, looked like someone who had suffered severe heartache and distress.
Damia saw this and suddenly remembered the back of a man she had seen in her sleep, who was praying earnestly.
‘Was… … Wasn’t that a dream?’
Or was that really Akkard Valerian– was that you?
Damia thought blankly and blinked, suddenly remembering the situation before she passed out. Then she woke up as if doused in cold water.
“What the happened? What about Cesare? Is General Hemish safe?”
Heinrich raised a hand and stopped Damia’s gibberish. And he spoke kindly with a smile on his face.
“Firstly, the Primula family’s caravan and the general are safe. She fainted and couldn’t remember the situation. So, I made it seem that a robber broke in.”
“Oh, I’m really glad—But what about black perfume? —I must have stolen it—”
“Oh my, I’ll explain it step by step, so relax. Moveover, why don’t you eat something? Aren’t you hungry?”
After hearing those words, she suddenly felt hungry. Damia finally realized that she had not eaten anything for three days.
Just in time, with a knock outside her door, a maid came in pushing her tray. The smell was incredible.
“We’ll be drinking tea, so take your time eating and come out when you are done.”
Heinrich took the others and left her room so that she could comfortably eat. Thanks to this, Damia was able to satisfy her hunger and get ready with the help of the maids.
Upon regaining her usual well-groomed figure, Damia hurriedly went to the drawing room.
“Now tell me, Your Highness. What happened?”
She wasn’t flustered as before, but she was still impatient. Finally, Heinrich put down his teacup and asked with a smile,
“I have good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?”
Damia preferred hearing the bad news first. Growing up as an only daughter, she had no siblings to compete with, so she ate what she liked last.
But before Damia could even choose, Heinrich was capricious.
“No, just listen to the good news first.”
… …then why did you even bother asking?
Damia couldn’t understand, but he was the Crown Prince. So she decided to just keep her mouth shut and listen.
“First, I received the black perfume that you stole safely. Now Kurd is analyzing its contents.”
That was certainly good news. Damia smiled haggardly upon hearing that all her hard work had come to fruition.
“Well done, Lady Damia. Excellent work.”
Heinrich clapped his hands in praise. Then, he winked at Kurd.
“When we analyzed the composition of the black balm, we found something interesting.”
Kurd spoke and looked at Damia. And he asked with a serious expression:
“Do you know what the main ingredient of ‘black perfume oil’ is?”
“No, I have no idea.”
Damia shook her head and answered honestly. Kurd then gave an unexpected answer.