Baby Pharmacist Princess

Underneath the long lashes, his eyes were vividly red.

They were like holly berries frozen in the snow.

The boy squinted as if seeing golden sunlight pour into the darkness for the first time, then slowly relaxed his gaze.

Even such small movements were elegant and noble, making him seem more like royalty than I did.

“I came to… find you.”

“Hey, I can’t hear you well. Do you have nowhere to go? Where’s your home?”

“I am from…”

“What’s your name? You can’t stand up, can you?”

“…No. If they find me…”

The boy, who had been struggling to answer, eventually coughed up blood and lost consciousness again.

I looked at my bloodstained hands and nightgown in a daze.

Then, snapping out of it, I checked his breathing first.

‘He’s breathing.’

Thank goodness.

With his fever raging, the only thing I could do was take him and give him some fever medicine and rest.

I pulled out the bandages I had and started wrapping his wounds again, trying to stay calm.

Such an intense first meeting.

I didn’t even catch his name, but I understood his last words.

‘He’s either being chased or came from the future and can’t be found by others.’

I had already decided to take this boy back to the palace.

I couldn’t leave him here or wait until he woke up again.

So, there was only one solution.

‘I’ll hide him in my wardrobe.’

My visit to the dragon’s market ended in an unexpected way.

Back at the palace, I hid the unknown boy in my wardrobe.

I must commend my past self for discovering the dragon’s market through the wardrobe.

‘It’ll be uncomfortable if he grows into an adult in there, but there’s no other place to hide him right now.’

Everyone seemed to be hostile towards him, and I couldn’t leave him at the dragon’s market.

So, please stay here for a while.

Luckily, the wardrobe was spacious, and there was a pile of my folded clothes and a blanket, making it cozy enough for him to rest.

‘Water… found it!’

Hanna always kept a bottle of water and a cup ready for me in case I got thirsty.

I dipped a clean frilled handkerchief into the water and wet it thoroughly.

Then, I carefully approached the wardrobe again and wiped the boy’s forehead gently.

It seemed the rapid formation of new wounds had stopped, thankfully.

I was worried the bandages might burst.

‘Don’t get hurt anymore. I don’t know who you are… but I guess I’ll meet you in the future?’

Maybe he’ll be my friend.

‘In his future, I must still exist. I hope I’m not still logged in when I’m older.’

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

‘No, surely not. I’ll log out before the fight for the throne gets intense.’

After cleaning the dust from his face, I hid the dirty handkerchief under the bed and pulled out the syrupy fever medicine I had.

His voice had sounded hoarse; I should give him some water and medicine.

‘Careful, careful.’

The maids slept in the room next to my bedroom.

They seemed to be deep sleepers, but I moved as quietly as possible.

He said not to get caught.

“This is cherry-flavored syrup. It doesn’t taste bad, so you need to swallow it.”

I whispered softly into the boy’s ear, carefully tilting the syrup into his mouth.

He spilled a lot, but I had a fresh handkerchief ready to catch it.

‘I hope you get better. What if he’s still like this in the morning?’

I was worried.

Seeing a child in pain tugged at my heart.

I watched until his labored breathing calmed before I carefully closed the wardrobe door.

‘Ah, I’m so tired.’

I had been up and about at a time when I should have been sound asleep, and now I had brought home a sick child. It was exhausting.

I wanted to collapse into bed and sleep until the afternoon, but that might arouse suspicion.

I could say I woke up early and felt like trying on a new nightgown if anyone asked.

And I’d refuse to let Shami or Hanna near the wardrobe all day, insisting on wearing the gown.

Kids often throw tantrums about their clothes, so it should be okay.

‘I want to call a doctor from the medical department, but…’

I wasn’t sure if I could do that.

After changing into my nightgown and climbing into bed, I pulled the covers over my head, stifling yawns as I glanced at the wardrobe.

‘When you wake up… let’s meet, friend…’

Blink, blink.

My vision dimmed, and I soon fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours later.

Just before dawn.

The wardrobe door creaked open.

Thud.

The boy’s feet touched the carpet as he slowly approached the bed.

Despite his injuries, he moved with ease, probably thanks to the neatly tied bandages.

“You’ve had this habit of bringing home sick people since you were a baby.”

His soft whisper carried a tone of nostalgia.

Cherishe, still asleep, couldn’t understand the deep, profound emotions in his voice.

The boy, still so small, carefully sat beside her and pulled up the blanket to cover her.

He remembered Cherishe telling him how she often wore animal-shaped pajamas as a child.

Today, she wore one resembling a chick.

Her golden hair spread out over the frilly white pillow, making her look even more adorable.

“…Ha.”

The boy buried his face in his hands.

She was so irresistibly cute; he wanted to take her away immediately.

He didn’t want to be apart from her.

But he couldn’t bring himself to wake her.

How could he?

He had never seen the older Cherishe sleep so peacefully.

She was always busy, always tired, always getting only brief naps.

Too many people sought her out, and the world was so tumultuous. By the end, he wondered if the world could function without her.

There were days when she didn’t even get two hours of sleep.

“I came back to this hell to see you.”

To him, the hell of the future and the hell of the present were one and the same.

So, when he found a way to travel back in time, he did it without hesitation.

“Because you weren’t in the future.”

To change the future without you.

To ensure you wouldn’t suffer or be in pain.

As dawn approached, the hallway grew noisy.

The boy raised his head, listening to the sounds outside, then reluctantly stood up.

He didn’t want to leave but had to.

Knowing Cherishe was here was enough for now.

‘Still, maybe I should leave a sign.’

He had something hidden in the inner pocket of his torn robe.

The rule was not to bring anything from the future when traveling back in time.

But he didn’t care about such rules.

He had already broken the absolute taboo of merging with his past self.

What else was there to fear?

‘This is what you said to me.’

A glass flower.

When it caught the sunlight, it shimmered with rainbow hues, but in the dark, it remained endlessly clear. He placed it gently beside the sleeping Cherishe.

And then the boy slowly began to fade.

True divine power is quiet and serene.

It cannot be imitated by those who merely mimic it.

The vast radiance is never noisy and never flaunts its presence.

“Have sweet dreams.”

After he completely vanished,

“Oh? Princess, you’re awake… oh, no.”

Shami, who had sensed movement, opened the door and entered, then tilted her head in confusion before leaving again.

Cherishe woke up hours later.

It was already late afternoon.

***

Finally, the day of the Agricultural Day dawned!

The White Night Palace was bustling long before the sole princess finished her meal.

After her meal, the hustle and bustle only increased.

“I’m finally going to meet him!”

Squeak, squeak!

I played with a squeaky duck toy, then raised my hand in the bathtub.

“Yes, you’re going to the Celestial Palace all pretty and clean.”

“Uh-huh!”

Shami bathed me in fragrant water with basil and lavender.

Then, Hanna dried my hair, and Sophia brought new clothes I had never seen before.

“The Prince ordered every shop in the capital to make dresses for the princess. These are all yours.”

“Really, all mine?”

Wow, so many?

I looked at the rows of clothes filling my room, pretending to be excited.

I had to, or I’d start thinking about that boy and feel sad.

‘Where could he have gone with that injured body?’

He must have left because he could move, but he could have said goodbye.

The day after returning from the dragon’s market, I woke up late and was so shocked that I flung open the wardrobe door.

But it was empty.

I thought he might have been discovered, so I questioned Shami, but no one mentioned an intruder.

‘All I have left is… this glass flower.’

It was a mesmerizing piece of art.

In the sunlight, it shimmered with rainbow colors, sparkling brilliantly.

‘Just like him.’

I worried if he was okay, if his wounds had healed. I had no appetite.

He knew who I was, but I had no idea who he was.

It felt unfair.

“Now, princess, what would you like to wear?”