Baby Pharmacist Princess

“Bossy, aren’t you?”

“Don’t get upset because I didn’t dance with you.”

“Wh-who said I wanted to dance with my sister?”

Gergys’s face turned red, and he yelled. I knew he would, so I had already covered my ears.

But then, something caught our attention.

“The Pope is coming this way?”

“This new Pope is very handsome.”

“I’ve heard that his holy power is several times stronger than the previous Pope’s.”

I was about to eat a pumpkin-shaped jelly for a sugar boost when I heard the murmurs.

Then, as if on cue, the nobles around the table parted to the sides in amazement.

Walking toward us through the gap was… Sihat.

“Princess! Princess!”

“Oh my, do you think he’s coming to ask Princess Alexandra for a dance?”

Nearby, Alexandra and her entourage were squealing. Alexandra kept her haughty expression, raising her chin arrogantly.

But Sihat… he walked right past Alexandra without even glancing at her.

He didn’t look at her once.

It was so funny that I let out a small laugh.

‘Ah, I didn’t mean to laugh out loud.’

Alexandra’s sharp gaze immediately flew toward me, and I quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.

Sorry, but it was hilarious.

‘So, who is Sihat approaching?’

I tilted my head and continued chewing my jelly.

The sugar-coated treat was so sweet it made my mouth water.

“Cherishe.”

“…?”

“Hello.”

Drip.

I was so surprised that my mouth opened, causing my saliva to drip.

I looked down at my round skirt, then back up at Sihat, who was standing in front of me, and quickly closed my mouth.

Did he just talk to me?

‘I thought he would talk to others first and then come to me?’

I should thank him for waking me up when I couldn’t get up for a week.

It wasn’t strange for Sihat to show interest in me.

We share a secret, after all.

But wasn’t my turn too soon?

“How are you feeling?”

“Oh… good…?”

“That’s a relief. I’ve been worried about you every day since I returned to the papal residence.”

There it is again.

That smile that can enchant people.

Every time that spring breeze touched his pale and cold face, my stomach felt ticklish.

It’s probably because his expression only changes when he looks at me.

“My name, as you might know, is Sihat. You can call me Sihat. You don’t need to use honorifics since you’re a royal.”

“Well, um. Okay! I’m Cherishe Wynn Castalia. Nice to meet you, Pope.”

“Not Pope, Sihat.”

Is that okay?

I looked at Gergys for help, but he was of no use.

Idsys should be here in times like these.

I couldn’t tell if calling the Pope ‘Sihat’ in front of everyone was a bad move or not.

“Is it still difficult? I wanted to be friends.”

Then, Sihat made a sad face, lowering his eyebrows.

He already looked fragile, and that expression made me feel like I had done something terribly wrong.

‘Oh well, Idsys or Dad can handle any fallout.’

I took a deep breath, glanced at Alexandra who was glaring at me, and spoke brightly.

“I want to be friends too, Sihat.”

“Thank goodness.”

When I called his name, Sihat sighed in relief.

Only then did he shift his gaze to Gergys, greeting him with a completely different expression from the one he had when looking at me.

“Prince.”

It was a dry tone, as if saying ‘Oh, a chair’ when looking at a chair or ‘Oh, a dog’ when seeing a dog.

Gergys looked bewildered, and I was a bit flustered, my eyes darting around.

Uh… it’s clear he’s only being friendly to me, isn’t it?

“I want to ask you to dance, but as I am bound to the order, it’s impossible… Instead, I’d like to give you a blessing. Is that okay?”

A papal blessing.

That’s a very rare item to obtain in the game!

Although it’s called an item, it’s actually an effect you get by meeting the Pope and completing an SSS-level quest.

‘It grants infinite stamina! And it lasts for almost 10 years!’

I absolutely had to get it if I could.

I nodded my head so quickly it seemed like it might come off.

Yes, please! Give it to me!

The high priests and senior clerics exchanged urgent glances, realizing the situation.

The Pope giving a single blessing at this event was predetermined; the issue was ‘to whom.’

Before I knew it, Dad was standing beside me, and the musicians, sensing something odd, lowered the volume of the music.

The bald high priest I saw on the day I woke up approached, trying to stop Sihat.

“Hohoho, Your Holiness. You must be confused. You should bless Princess Alexandra, not Princess Cherishe.”

Now that I think about it, in the game, starting with Alexandra meant the temple’s favor was already high.

I glossed over it then, but now I see the Jen faction and the temple are probably in cahoots.

The high priest’s words made Alexandra’s previously sour expression light up as she approached with a triumphant air.

Her smug demeanor was irritating.

But I was confused.

Was he really not intending to bless me but Alexandra instead?

“Why should I?”

However, just as Alexandra pushed me aside and stepped forward, Sihat tilted his head and questioned.

“Why should I bless Princess Alexandra? It’s you who accepted bribes from the Marquis Alistair.”

“!!!”

The person pointed out as Marquis Alistair flinched and quickly backed away.

It seems the Jen faction used bribes to secure a blessing for Alexandra.

‘Oh dear, today the Alistair family. It must feel like a funeral for them.’

Stay strong!

“The deity wishes to bless Princess Cherishe… It’s wrong to intercept that.”

“Is that so? Haha!”

“High priest. The deity says he is worried about your health. He is deeply concerned that you might collapse and be replaced soon.”

“But as you can see, I am very healthy!”

“We’ll see…”

Sihat’s words trailed off as he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

There’s something very! Significant about his expression.

“You’re hiding a lot in your belly. How can you buy and sell blessings?”

I couldn’t help but admire him.

There were so many points to marvel at that I didn’t know where to start.

First, openly accusing the high priest of accepting bribes right here was surprising, and doing so without changing his expression was impressive.

Ignoring Alexandra’s presence was also remarkable…

‘He knows how to capture an audience.’

His voice modulation, clear pronunciation, and calm demeanor.

His words hit the mark.

And he seemed to know the right pace to maintain the flow.

‘It’s not instinctive, it looks like he’s done this hundreds or thousands of times… trained.’

I’m curious how he’ll grow up in the future.

“If the Pope says so, I have no choice but to believe it.”

“We can’t doubt the words of the deity’s representative.”

Dad and Idsys exchanged words.

The nobles, presumably from the Jen faction, quickly approached and pulled Alexandra back.

The high priest, surrounded by senior clerics with blazing eyes, was sweating profusely.

‘Blessings cannot be bought. That’s why they’re valuable.’

For royalty, anything that can be bought with money is considered base.

Things like this.

Things money can’t buy.

These have value.

“Bless Princess Cherishe Wynn Castalia with the divine blessing.”

The high priest, embarrassed and muttering about his innocence, quickly left with a few clerics.

Anyone could see he had accepted bribes ‘alone’ without sharing and got caught.

It was amusing to see a few senior clerics chasing after him.

“This is clearly our side’s disgrace. Blessings are divine gifts and cannot be valued by money… I apologize on behalf of us.”

One of the senior clerics, who seemed to be on bad terms with the high priest, made the sign of the cross and spoke bitterly.

‘High priest grandpa. You should’ve shared the bribes.’

Too greedy, tsk tsk.

Once the situation was resolved, Sihat placed his hand on my head.

I naturally clasped my hands and bowed my head.

‘Ah, here’s that feeling again.’

An inexplicable sense of longing overwhelmed me.

A feeling I couldn’t explain.

A mix of anxiety and restlessness, as if I was forgetting something.

“Oh, did you see? The Pope is blessing her!”

“Isn’t this his first blessing since his coronation?”

“And it’s for Princess Cherishe…?”

The murmurs grew louder.

Seeing the Emperor allowing all this to happen, maybe they had finished talking earlier.

The warm light Sihat generated completely enveloped us.

As a brilliant sphere of light formed.

Sihat lifted his hand from my head.

“Huh?”

“This will last about a minute. I created it to talk privately. No one outside can hear us.”

Indeed.

Suddenly, the outside noise was cut off.

It felt like it was just the two of us in the world.

“Thank you for helping me that time.”

“Huh, you remember? The dragon market street!”

“Of course. You saved my life.”

Talking to him in a crowded setting was uncomfortable, but being alone made it easy.

Sihat touched my cheek lightly and smiled.

“You got hurt once, and so did I.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“I’m glad to see you unhurt today.”

Sihat’s voice fluttered like a butterfly.

It made my heart ticklish.

I tried to stay focused and asked the question I had been harboring.

“In the future, are we friends?”

“Friends… we were closer than that.”

“You’re from the future, right?”

“Yes. We were each other’s only.”

“Then why did you come back to the past? Can you help me?”

I had many questions, but little time.

Sihat hesitated, then made a big decision and stepped closer—hugging me tightly.

It felt unfamiliar, yet familiar.

I stood still until Sihat pulled away.

“I’ll tell you more on January 1st, New Year’s Day, at the dragon market street.”