Baby Pharmacist Princess

“You’ve come to see me, how unusual.”

At the same time, in the Celestial Palace.

In a sitting room illuminated by a crimson glow, Raerhod, sitting on a dark green sofa that had gone out of fashion about a hundred years ago, was pouring himself a drink when he sensed a presence and slowly opened his mouth.

“Did you know?”

The intruder appeared calm, but that was only a facade. He was actually very angry, which Raerhod could sense from his aura.

“Raising you has made you bold. You’re even displaying such an aura in front of your great-grandfather.”

The owner of the lavish sitting room was, of course, Raerhod. The late-night visitor was Vikal.

“I asked if you knew that a demon has infiltrated the imperial palace.”

“Click, you really have no manners. You were like this even as a child. If you’ve come, at least have a drink with me.”

The current Vikal was not the composed and mature figure he had shown at the White Night Palace. He was anxious, distressed, and irritable.

Though he had become a leader of a faction and a father, in front of his great-grandfather, Vikal always felt exposed, as if all his secrets were being laid bare.

“Look at this. It’s an object possessed by an evil spirit. Do you know what chaos it caused outside the capital with the power of the demon behind it?”

“…….”

“It was a scheme to lure me outside. Meanwhile, Cherishe….”

Vikal ground his teeth.

Raerhod glanced at the paper bird Vikal had brought, then resignedly took a sip from his glass.

The table, now devoid of nuts, felt lonely, but there was nothing he could do about it. His cheeky great-granddaughter had warned him that they were poisoned.

“Leave it be.”

“Why? Do you know my daughter only woke up today?”

“She was unharmed in the end, wasn’t she? That demon has a contractor. It’s not an immediate threat, so let it be.”

“Genovia consumed a demonic fruit. That fruit disrupts the mind and amplifies strength. Even so…!”

“Young blood still courses through you, I see.”

Raerhod clicked his tongue at Vikal’s fierce rebuke but repeated his stance.

“Even if that demon gave Genovia the fruit and triggered this incident, Genovia must take responsibility for his actions.”

“How can you say that?”

“…….”

“How can you be so cold? My daughter found a way to cure your illness. Yet you…”

“So I allowed her to use Myerden to move the imperial medical department. I’ve paid the price.”

Raerhod was calm, neither raising his voice nor showing any sign of distress.

Vikal clenched his teeth, his silence filled with a cold tension. He looked ready to strike at any moment.

Raerhod clicked his tongue again.

“What did I tell you? Your temper is your problem. You were confined because you couldn’t control it.”

“…….”

“As a result, Kienna’s daughter was neglected. You know I can’t intervene in personal matters.”

He was essentially telling Vikal that Cherishe’s hardships were due to his confinement and to avoid repeating the same mistake by staying calm.

But Vikal was beyond listening.

“I will deal with that demon. Try to stop me if you can.”

“Do you have proof that the demon in the palace gave Genovia the fruit?”

“…….”

“Without proof? Do you plan to kill all demons?”

“I can do it if necessary.”

Vikal’s expression was far from his usual. His true nature was emerging, showing a madman who craved battle and slaughter.

Realizing there was no point in arguing, Raerhod decided to change the subject.

“That child is clever.”

“Indeed, she is. She doesn’t calculate. She mingles freely with commoners in the kitchen and garden and is loved by them.”

“You talk a lot when I mention her.”

Raerhod smirked, taking another sip of his bitter, potent drink. It was strong enough to induce a semblance of inebriation, as anything weaker would be ineffective.

“Don’t drink too much, Raerhod.”

“Drink?”

“Not beer, but Cherry’s homemade liquor. Shall I send some to you?”

Cherishe’s voice echoed in his mind, cheeky yet endearing.

So Raerhod was drinking something other than beer now, just as she suggested.

“You mentioned recently that she sees a familiar.”

“Why the sudden interest?”

“That child should have a familiar by now.”

“And how do you know this?”

Vikal eyed him suspiciously.

“Is there anything I don’t know?”

“Snooping is a bad habit. Aren’t you too old for that?”

“I didn’t exactly snoop….”

Always lacking charm.

Raerhod grumbled, setting his glass down. His expression remained controlled.

‘A child who should not have a familiar now does. So that means…’

He had tolerated Vikal’s intrusion to ask about this.

Last night, the Dragon Lord had sent a discreet message.

The words written on the plum blossom petals sinking into the table were simple.

“The Saintess has been given something she could never possess. For the sake of our beautiful future.

Is your health alright?”

For the sake of a beautiful future implied the future was not beautiful. Meaning they had failed.

Their entire plan had failed, and Castalia had perished.

Thus, the Dragon Lord and he had likely combined forces to turn back time. If they failed, they would have done so.

However, no matter how strong and long-lived he was, he was still human. He couldn’t be like a dragon. While dragons could remember turning back time, humans could not. Except for the .

‘The judgment is roughly concluded.’

The world was now likely following the same path for the second time. Only two things could change.

and the who remembered the lost time.

Supporting them subtly to allow them to move more freely was necessary.

Otherwise, everything should proceed as before to ensure the future changed safely.

Therefore, even if he realized the world had ended and everything had restarted, Raerhod’s actions remained the same.

He would act as he had before realizing it, especially concerning demons.

‘No wonder I’ve been feeling unusually unwell lately.’

Future me must have died.

Raerhod judged this calmly. After performing such a tremendous feat as turning back time, he could not remain healthy.

He would likely age quickly and develop numerous ailments.

The natural aging process that ordinary humans should experience would catch up rapidly.

‘Turning back time and dying for future generations is quite a grand thing to do.’

But he wondered if his successors would write it as grandly in history.

He worried a bit about that as he watched the increasingly rude Vikal and decided to end their conversation.

He felt an unfamiliar fatigue creeping over him.

“I have plans regarding the demon. Don’t interfere.”

“That demon has already made moves in front of my daughter.”

“You won’t give up, will you?”

The silver-haired demon in the palace.

Hovering around Alexandra, he already knew about that.

‘It’s best if matters concerning demons change as little as possible.’

Killing it, if possible, might not be bad.

But if fate wanted to pose a threat to this country, the demon would survive until the critical moment, no matter what Vikal did.

Coincidence and timing could even prevent them from meeting.

The world was designed that way.

If we consider the world as a play, the threat appearing in the crisis would survive until the crisis.

Cherishe’s existence was a kind of Deus Ex Machina.

The machine deity.

A divine entity intervening in a world-ending play, saving a situation humans could not resolve.

“Young people never listen to the old. Your presence ruins my drink, so leave now.”

Vikal closed his mouth for a moment at the dismissal, then quietly responded.

He had likely said it several times before.

It was a statement filled with his entire earnestness.

“I will not become a monster like you.”

“Please do not, my young grandson.”

I never wished for you to become like me.

“…….”

The presence disappeared.

Raerhod closed his eyes, sinking into the sofa.

‘Still, with him around, I won’t be needed.’

Vikal’s two sons were also capable.

Especially Idsys, who had the potential to become the future Emperor leading the nation.

Capable of reuniting South and North Castalia, a ruler.

Though he still lacked in some areas due to his youth, Vikal could support him.

What needed to disappear was himself.

‘The familiar must be the lingering attachment the Saintess couldn’t let go of from her previous life.’

Otherwise, the Dragon Lord wouldn’t have risked his life to turn back time and provide a familiar.

Perhaps that familiar was one of the reasons for the failure.

“I can’t turn back time twice. So this time, we must not fail.”

A low murmur.

But no one was there to hear it.

Raerhod suddenly felt a wave of loneliness.

A feeling he had never known when he was virtually immortal, but now that aging had caught up, even his mind seemed to age.

‘Well, I might try being an ordinary grandfather like everyone else.’

Though he didn’t know what that meant, if he had one wish, it was to be an ordinary family grandfather with the time he had left.

It might be greedy, but so be it.