The Man in the Locket

“Conscience? That wasn’t the only reason I worried about Lucian.”

Shana bit down on her lower lip and answered.

“…And the people here are terrible at treating patients, so that made me even more worried.”

The imperial physicians.

Even Leon, the Vice-Captain who was supposedly one of Lucian’s closest aides.

They were dull to his internal injuries, brushed off dangerous symptoms as trivial, and even while he continued to push himself beyond his limits, no one around him noticed or tried to stop him.

‘If things keep going like this… and another war breaks out and he has to return to the battlefield… he might really die next time.’

“Some nonsense about a ‘special constitution’ and all that.

Do they even realize how carelessly they’re handling this?

If this is the kind of doctors he has to rely on, I’d rather hurry up and develop a proper treatment for Mana Rejection Syndrome myself—”

“Shasha?”

Lucian asked while looking directly into her eyes.

“So you’re saying you’re doing all that… for me?”

His expectation seemed slightly subdued, yet he still looked pleased.

Seeing that, Shana abruptly turned her head away.

“Whatever. Just stay here and rest.

Now that I’ve confirmed you’re awake, I’m going back to the apothecary to continue my research.”

“What? You’re leaving me? I’m still sick…”

She knew Lucian suffered when they were separated.

But the pain he felt now was caused by Mana Rejection Syndrome anyway, and she wanted to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Whenever a monster problem appeared, Lucian always had to step forward to deal with it.

Could he rely on luck like this next time too?

Shana rested her small head briefly against Lucian’s chest.

“…But if you stay like this, you’ll have to rest for a whole month. Then when will I have time to do my research?”

“Shasha. Give me three days.”

“Three days?”

A man who had been unconscious for an entire day recovering fully in three days?

That was ridiculous.

“When I’m with you, Shasha… I recover quickly.”

Lucian said with a gentle smile.

“…According to the examination results, Your Grace has recovered perfectly.

All of your physical indicators have returned to their original levels.

This is truly astonishing resilience.”

Three days later, even the voice of the Imperial Chief Physician carried a hint of reverence.

Lucian had not been lying.

In only three days, he had recovered completely, as though the man who had been coughing up blood and collapsing before had never existed.

‘…Seriously, how did he recover like that?’

It felt like only yesterday that he had been vomiting blood with a pale face.

Yet the reports produced after the doctors thoroughly examined him with all sorts of magical instruments only declared one thing—

He was perfectly healthy.

It was almost as if his determination to return to the apothecary with Shana and continue his unfinished research had created a miracle.

‘Maybe Leon isn’t the loyal one.
Maybe Lucian is.’

What exactly was wrong with his sense of patriotism?

Shana clicked her tongue inwardly.

“Ah, then I suppose I can return to the apothecary with Shasha now.”

Lucian said with a satisfied smile.

At that, a brief look of confusion crossed the Chief Physician’s face.

“Pardon? Shasha?”

The physician repeated the name as if asking who that was.

‘I told you not to call me Shasha!’

“Haha, the nickname ‘Shasha’ is just because His Grace treats me very comfortably…”

Shana forced a natural laugh and cleared her throat as she made an excuse.

“Ah, that’s the apothecary’s nickname?”

One of the doctors adjusted his glasses.

“I had no idea the two of you were so close.”

“Your ranks differ quite greatly, yet His Grace treats even those below him without any stiffness, just as the rumors say!

Your character truly is admirable!”

Another physician added with clear flattery.

“Below me? Shasha isn’t someone below—”

“Although I’m unworthy, it’s always something I appreciate, being treated comfortably while assisting with Your Grace’s health.”

Shana quickly cut Lucian off.

Fortunately, the doctors did not interpret the two of them as lovers.

They seemed to assume it was simply a familiar nickname between a lord and a trusted subordinate.

‘It’s good that they didn’t misunderstand… but why do I feel weirdly wronged?’

Deliberately, Shana addressed Lucian in a stiff and respectful tone.

“Your Grace.

You mentioned returning to the apothecary, correct?

Once we return, I will examine your condition again and prepare any medicines you may require.”

She intentionally mentioned returning to the public apothecary rather than some private space between the two of them.

It was her way of drawing a line.

“…Ah, I see.”

Lucian slightly raised his eyebrows.

“Well, you may return now.

According to the records, you’re healthy enough to resume normal activities.

Still, I recommend avoiding exertion and resting for the time being.”

“In that case, I’d like to leave immediately. This place is suffocating.”

Lucian said with a slight grin as he rose.

He no longer clung to Shana like before, but he watched her every movement as though determined not to miss a single one.

Just before Shana and Lucian left, someone was waiting for them in the corridor.

Vice-Captain Leon.

“Captain, you’re leaving already? The other knights were planning to come visit soon.”

“As you can see, I’m fully recovered.”

Lucian replied as though nothing had ever happened.

Leon then turned to Shana.

“I thought so. Lady Crowell, didn’t I tell you? He would recover quickly.”

He smiled with clear pride.

Shana replied half-heartedly.

“You predicted correctly. Congratulations.”

Lucian narrowed his eyes slightly.

“When did the two of you talk?”

Leon answered brightly.

“Lady Crowell treated my injured leg.”

“She treated your leg?”

Lucian slowly looked Leon up and down with displeasure.

“You look fine now. Make sure you take better care of yourself from now on.”

“Ah, yes! I will remember that!”

Leon bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle as if he had just received priceless advice.

“Well then, Shasha. Let’s go.”

“Again—”

Just as Shana was about to scold him—

Lucian casually wrapped an arm around her waist.

A flash of white light appeared.

In an instant, they vanished.

Only Leon remained standing alone in the palace corridor.

“…Shasha?”

‘That’s definitely a name I’ve heard somewhere before.’

The pink hair.

The watery blue eyes.

The round face.

Now that he thought about it, it all seemed familiar.

That was precisely why he had waited, hoping she would speak to him first.

‘Shasha…Wasn’t that a name I heard on the battlefield?’

When he heard the introduction “Shana Crowell,” the face had not matched the memory.

For three years on the brutal battlefield, Lucian Rithardt had rarely even spoken about his family.

He was a man who revealed almost no personal emotions.

But there had been one thing he treasured like his life—

An old locket necklace.

Every night inside his tent, he would quietly take it out and look at it alone.

Inside the locket was a small portrait of someone.

Whenever anyone tried to get even a little closer, he would notice immediately and snap it shut.

So no one had ever properly seen the face.

But Leon had once, purely by chance, seen the color of the hair in the portrait.

Hair the color of spring cherry blossoms.

“So how did you end up treating Leon?”

The moment they returned to the apothecary, Lucian questioned her.

“Hm? Well, his leg looked uncomfortable. It’s just a professional habit.”

‘And more importantly… it was good money.’

“How did you treat it?”

“I kneaded it a little and twisted the ankle.”

“Kneaded it? You touched him?”

Lucian frowned slightly.

“And then I gave him some ointment.”

“Ointment too?”

Lucian muttered something under his breath as though thinking.

Then he continued calmly.

“Shasha, that guy’s sword stance has always been terrible.

That’s why he’s constantly suffering minor injuries.

Actually, despite how he looks, he changes girlfriends pretty often—”

‘Why is he suddenly telling me this…?’

After listening to Lucian’s complaints for a while, Shana smiled faintly.

‘He really cares about his subordinates that much.’

It seemed like he wanted to correct Leon’s sword stance and even worried about his relationships.

Even though he had complained about not wanting to work after taking medicine, Lucian still clearly cared about the knights as their captain.

Watching him grumble, Shana said,

“Lucian, you care a lot about the Vice-Captain. Do you want to go back to work already?”

“…No.”

“By the way, I reported the monster to him earlier.

That’s okay, right? He seemed to realize I was with you.”

“It’s fine.

I’ve already arranged that anything related to monsters will be handled directly by me.

Even if they find out I took you there, I can just say I brought my personal apothecary.

No one can object.”

Lucian said as if it were nothing.

‘Status really is everything.’

Shana nodded while organizing newly purchased herbs into the drawers.

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, Shasha.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to keep neglecting me like this?”

His voice dropped low and quiet.

But the drink taken from the heretical ritual—

Moon Dew—

and the insect-type monster samples that were believed to be its ingredients were piled high in one corner of the apothecary.

Thanks to that, the environment was now perfect for Shana to immerse herself completely in medicinal research.

“I have to make medicine.

And I need to consider the deadline for the treatment requested by the Imperial Palace.

The diplomatic delegation arrives in a month.

We don’t have a choice.”

“…A month?”

A look of despair passed over Lucian’s face.

As expected, after returning to the apothecary, Shana devoted herself entirely to experiments.

The heretical drink did indeed stabilize mana temporarily.

But it was far from enough to cure Lucian’s illness fundamentally.

Her ultimate goal was to amplify the effect, eliminate the side effects, and completely erase Mana Rejection Syndrome itself.

She squeezed the insects to extract their juice.

Dried them in sunlight to grind them into powder.

Soaked them in strong alcohol to extract their components.

Using every method she could imagine, she refined the monsters into medicinal ingredients.

Until now, she had pursued research purely for money.

But now there was a different, far more desperate motivation.

On that dangerous border where the heretics had been, Lucian had essentially saved her life.

‘I have to save Lucian’s life.’

With that thought, Shana poured everything she had into developing the medicine.

For three full weeks, she stayed up nearly every night manufacturing and testing medicines.

Eventually, unable to watch anymore, Lucian came over and spoke quietly beside her.

“Shasha, you should rest now. At this rate, you’ll collapse before I do.”

“No need. There are still components I need to analyze, so I can’t sleep yet—Lucian?”

But the moment she said that—

Click.

The lamp illuminating the worktable suddenly went out.

Lucian had obviously turned it off.

Shana narrowed her eyes and glared toward him in the darkness.

But he simply hummed a tune casually.

“Ah, looks like the mana crystal in the lamp ran out. Can’t be helped, Shasha. Come here quickly and sleep with me.”