Four Steps, One Problem

After Lucian completely lost his mind, Shana’s life narrowed down to just two worries.

First, how to shake off that gigantic man who followed her around like an oversized guard dog.

Second, how to shake off that heat-struck, obsessively clingy lunatic.

The reason those worries were essentially the same was simple.

Lucian never left Shana’s radius of four steps, not physically and not mentally, not for a single moment.

Even when he was just sitting there, stuck to her side, he wouldn’t stay quiet.

He stared at her obsessively and recited embarrassing nonsense as if it were poetry.

Even during meals, he dragged a chair right up next to hers and watched with rapturous eyes as she chewed and swallowed every bite.

“Stop staring, Lucian.”

“I’m going to get indigestion.”

“How am I supposed to stop?”

“How could anyone look away from those tiny lips moving like that?”

“That would be blasphemy against the gods.”

‘Please just kill me.’

If this were the old, rational Lucian, he would have apologized the moment she pointed it out.

But the current Lucian justified his nonsense as if it were universal truth.

And whenever Shana tried to move away or escape his surveillance, he immediately began listing symptoms.

‘Shasha, my heart is beating too fast.’

‘It feels like it’s going to burst.’

‘I’ve got a fever.’

‘Just thinking about you moving away makes my head burn.’

‘My stomach feels sick.’

‘I think I’d get better if you hugged me…….’

Faced with that unverified collection of symptoms, Shana eventually ended up living as if she were fused to him.

The bigger problem was that Lucian seemed determined to drag her down with him into complete unemployment.

Perhaps it was compensation for years spent rolling around battlefields, but he was clearly intent on turning Shana into his full-time partner in joblessness.

The moment she touched any experimental equipment to begin working on an antidote, Lucian rushed over and grabbed her hands.

“Shasha, you’ve already worked for five whole minutes.”

“You can’t overwork yourself.”

“You need to rest.”

‘I made the potion, but this side effect is truly horrific.’

The only method that worked at all was threatening him with her own health.

“If you interrupt me again, I’m sleeping with my eyes open tonight.”

“What?”

“Shasha, sleeping with your eyes open?”

“What if your eyes dry out and you go blind?”

She obviously wouldn’t go blind, but Lucian’s expression turned grave, as if he had just witnessed the fall of the Empire.

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You can’t abuse Shasha’s jewel-like eyes like that.”

“You’re not serious, right?”

“I am serious.”

“So don’t interfere.”

Only after that level of threat did Shana finally earn the right to sit at the workbench.

Even then, it was only half-freedom.

The moment she sat down, Lucian dragged a chair right next to her, propped his chin on his hand, and stared at her.

‘No.’

‘I can’t give in to that pitiful puppy look.’

She had to end this madness as soon as possible.

Since the day he declared he was “resting,” letters had been flooding into the remote cabin nonstop.

‘And every single one is from the Guard or the Rithardt Grand Ducal House.’

From what she’d skimmed, most were documents requiring the captain of the guard’s approval.

But Lucian wouldn’t even glance at anything that didn’t have Shana’s face printed on it.

That fact alone weighed heavily on her.

“Shasha, aren’t you paying that glass bottle a bit too much attention?”

“What about me?”

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

“…This is my actual job.”

“It’s more important than you.”

Shana let out a long sigh.

Not only had she failed to make progress on the Mana Rejection Syndrome treatment, she’d gained an even more troublesome patient.

She handed Lucian a newly prepared concoction.

It was a strong brew made from calming herbs, meant to stabilize the mind.

“Drink this, Lucian.”

“No.”

“It looks bitter.”

“I’ll sleep with my eyes open.”

At that, Lucian frowned deeply and downed the potion in one go, like it was poison.

“Well?”

“Any change?”

“Do I still look pretty even after you drank it?”

“Do you still not want to be away from me?”

“How could that be, Shasha?”

“No being alive could look at your face and think that.”

‘Another failure.’

No matter how many sedatives or libido-suppressing agents she tried, nothing worked.

Just how vicious was this potion’s side effect?

‘Enough.’

‘Time for a frontal assault.’

“Lucian.”

“I’ll apologize.”

“I don’t think I can make the antidote quickly.”

“I don’t care.”

“If we can stay together like this forever, what’s the problem?”

“That’s exactly the problem!”

“Your mental state has gone completely—no, strangely—off.”

“But, Lucian.”

“Hm?”

“We still have responsibilities.”

“Here.”

“At least look at this.”

Shana held up the top document from the towering pile.

“Hm.”

“Trivial matters.”

Lucian brushed the papers aside as if they weighed nothing.

“I don’t want to go to work.”

“I’d have to be away from you.”

He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Please, Lucian.”

“We both need to work.”

“At this rate, the Empire will collapse.”

‘And my bank balance will collapse first.’

“Oh.”

“So what if the Empire collapses?”

“As long as I have you.”

He smiled with the purest expression in the world.

‘Dear gods.’

Was this really the Empire’s hero who had spent his youth and life fighting monsters out of sheer loyalty?

Shana decided to play her final negotiation card.

“How about this?”

“You go to work during the day.”

“And come straight back here as soon as you’re done.”

“Then we can stay together all night.”

“Then during the day, when I’m gone,”

“you’ll just keep experimenting, won’t you?”

Lucian asked with a sulky expression.

Seeing him look like that at all meant things were already deeply wrong.

“Do you like those glass bottles more than me?”

“It’s not about liking them.”

“It’s something I have to do.”

Shana forced a smile.

Honestly, she was scared to let Lucian go to the palace like this.

If it got out that the Empire’s captain of the guard had turned into a parrot obsessed with Shasha, there would be chaos.

But if he continued his strike, she couldn’t handle the fallout either.

“Shasha always wants to send me away.”

“That’s not it.”

“Work is important.”

“…Is a man who doesn’t work unattractive?”

‘This is it.’

Shana’s eyes lit up.

“Yes.”

“To be honest, my ideal type is someone extremely competent and diligent in their field.”

“But following me around all day like this…”

“It’s kind of disappointing.”

She said it shamelessly.

Something she would never say under normal circumstances.

But it might work on the current Lucian.

“…Really?”

Lucian grabbed her wrist, his face serious.

Shana swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah.”

“…So I have to work.”

“Got it.”

“By the way, Shasha.”

“How much does this apothecary make in a month?”

“Ah…”

“About two gold?”

That was her most optimistic estimate.

“…What?”

“That’s about the same as selling vegetables in the market.”

“Shasha, are you being exploited?”

Shana fell silent.

She had assumed he was a clueless noble, but his financial sense was surprisingly sharp.

“I’m just bad at business.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Shasha is perfect.”

“This is a location issue.”

“No wonder it’s bad out here in the middle of nowhere.”

How far did his rose-colored glasses go, exactly?

‘Please don’t tell me he’s about to suggest working together.’

Just then, Lucian stroked his chin with a satisfied smile.

“This works out nicely.”

“If it doesn’t make money anyway, let’s move the apothecary to a busy district near the Imperial Palace.”

“…Wait.”

“What did you just say?”

“The capital would be perfect.”

“We can live together there.”

Lucian smiled as if everything were already decided.

“No.”

“You can just come here after work.”

“Why move the apothecary?”

Lucian’s face immediately fell.

“Shasha…”

“I told you, it hurts when we’re apart.”

“This place is far from the palace.”

“And we can’t be apart.”

“Then how are you supposed to work?”

“Obviously, you’ll stay with me in my office.”

Shana’s jaw dropped.

“How am I supposed to sit in the captain of the guard’s office?”

“All I do is approve documents.”

“If people think I’m bringing my personal apothecary because of Mana Rejection Syndrome,”

“no one will question it.”

He said it smoothly, as if he’d planned it all along.

“No.”

“I refuse.”

“There’s no way.”

He was already clingy enough as it was.

There was no guarantee he wouldn’t act the same in front of dozens of knights.

That was when Lucian pulled out his trump card.

“Shasha.”

“It’s written in the contract.”

‘If side effects occur, Party A will cooperate fully with Party B’s treatment.’

“…It is.”

“So you want me to work while ignoring the pain it causes me?”

Shana squeezed her eyes shut.

There were only two options.

Let Lucian continue his strike until the Guard stormed in and everything came out.

Or agree to this absurd joint commute and buy time.

“…I’ll go with you.”

Option one was 100% destruction.

Option two was 99%.

She had to gamble on that 1%.

Lucian beamed and kissed the back of her hand.

“I hate working.”

“But if it means staying with you all day, I’ll do anything.”

“…But can you really find an apothecary space in the capital that fast?”

“Yeah.”

“Two days, tops.”

‘Of course. Grand ducal connections.’

“And the rent…?”

“I’ll pay it, obviously.”

Shana’s face brightened instantly.

‘The biggest problem is solved.’

Her monthly expenses vanished in one stroke.

She felt bad taking advantage of potion-addled Lucian, but breathing room was breathing room.

‘Yes.’

‘The capital will be better for business anyway.’

‘This is a crisis—and an opportunity.’

As Shana ran optimistic scenarios in her head, Lucian spoke again.

“But, Shasha.”

“I have one request too.”

“I’m doing things I hate and moving to the capital.”

“What will you do for me?”

“What kind of request?”

Lucian looked at her with shining eyes.

“Kiss me every morning, afternoon, and night.”

The moment he finished speaking, Shana’s hand flew straight into his lips.