Baby Pharmacist Princess - Chapter 98

Actually, I wonder if Sihat wants to ask me to be his girlfriend but just hasn’t been able to yet.

“Who asked first between you and Shynen?”

“I confessed first. I couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.”

“Wow, that’s so cool.”

“Olivia was probably asked out. They’re about to celebrate their 100-day anniversary.”

Goodness, they’re all so lovey-dovey.

I never imagined so many children were already dating like this. I mean, sure, I hear bits and pieces of gossip in children’s social circles, but I never got to hear anything this deep.

Besides, the children’s social circles are usually supervised by sharp-eyed chaperones, like mothers or aunts.

‘But now that I’m playing the role of a water nymph, we’ve gotten a little closer.’

It’s like we’ve taken another step deeper into friendship, enough for them to share these kinds of stories.

Plus, since it’s an open space, the adults are sitting far enough away from us.

I listened to the girls’ cheerful chatter and waited until the conversation slowed down before slipping in my own comment.

“So, what do you think about someone traveling back in time just to meet someone? Like, going to the past for love?”

“Oh! Are you talking about a romance novel? That’s Lucia’s specialty!”

Lucia, the quietest of the group, looked shy and quickly shook her head.

“M-me? I wouldn’t know anything about that. When it comes to books, Lady Estin is the expert.”

Blair just smiled calmly at Lucia’s remark.

‘It must feel like something out of a novel, right?’

What Sihat did is truly extraordinary.

If the only reason he returned to the past was for me, then that’s even more… unbelievable.

Maybe it’s because of this conversation, but I suddenly felt a fluttering in my chest.

“Princess, are you going to marry the Pope?”

That’s when it happened.

“Hey!”

Thwack!

Shynen smacked Naiola on the back and immediately lowered her head, folding her hands together in apology.

“I’m so sorry, Princess. I apologize on her behalf.”

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

To these girls, he wasn’t ‘Sihat,’ but ‘the Pope.’ And wasn’t marrying the Pope supposed to bring misfortune to the Princess?

I glanced around at the young ladies before shifting my gaze to Blair.

“Blair, do you think I’ll marry the Pope?”

“Well, from the Wynn faction’s point of view, that would be advantageous.”

“What if I don’t marry him? Would that be a loss?”

“No, it’s just that there would be an extra advantage if you did. It’s not that you must marry him.”

So, it’s a benefit, but not something essential for Idsys to become Emperor.

Even if there’s some advantage, Dad would never allow it. But I was just curious.

I mean, I’m allowed to be curious, right…?

“I hope you end up with someone you truly love, Princess.”

“Do you have someone you love, Blair?”

“I… As a noblewoman of this nation, I must not have such feelings. And even if I did, I mustn’t reveal them.”

How tragic.

It sounds like the setup for a dramatic forbidden love story…!

But before I could fully immerse myself in the emotions of the moment, Naiola shattered the mood with a blunt comment.

“Princess, Lady Estin is only interested in men from books. She prefers them over real men!”

“What?”

“Kya! She says her paper boyfriend is the best.”

Naiola whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, but Blair remained as dignified as ever.

“As you mentioned earlier, the idea of going back in time to meet a lover is quite common. I could recommend at least seven books right now.”

Huh. Blair’s eyes, which had been so calm moments ago, suddenly sparkled.

She looked like someone with an overwhelming passion for something.

“Men like the male leads in books don’t exist in reality! So I’ve decided to love the ones in books instead.”

Oh. Well, that makes sense.

I almost got swept away by her grand speech.

“Then… what if there was a guy like that in real life?”

“What? I’d capture him right away. How romantic would that be? My heart would race!”

Blair clenched her hands together, breathing a little faster.

Watching her, I subtly shifted away and turned my attention elsewhere, eventually spotting Sihat.

He was surrounded by adults, deep in conversation.

‘Tch.’

I can’t even talk to Sihat like that.

I always feel so watched, no matter where I go.

It made me pout a little, even though I knew we’d meet at the Dragon Shopping District later that night.

“!”

As I was thinking that, my eyes locked with Sihat’s.

Even in a sea of noble girls, he found me immediately and smiled with such dazzling charm that it felt like a red flower was blooming in the black-and-white background.

Thump.

My heart skipped a beat.

Flustered, I quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something else.

What just happened?

“About the Pope… It really seems like…”

“It’s obvious he’s fallen for you, Princess.”

It was Rosemary and Olivia who cautiously broke the silence.

“They say the Pope never smiles. My father does business with holy relics, so he meets him often.”

Olivia chimed in.

The conversation continued with remarks like, “I’ve never seen him smile before,” or “I didn’t know he could make expressions like that.”

Hearing all of this made my heart swell with warmth.

‘It feels like this feeling I couldn’t name before has finally been given a name.’

Secretly, I wiggled my toes inside my shoes.

My heart skipped along with the lively, upbeat melody the orchestra was playing.

I absentmindedly bit the end of my straw and sipped my cherryade.

“Ah, look over there!”

“Oh my goodness, is that…!”

The young ladies suddenly gasped, covering their mouths and raising their voices.

Curious, I glanced over in that direction… and almost slammed my hands on the table.

‘Arm in arm? She’s holding Sihat’s arm?!’

Plop.

The straw fell from my mouth.

Someone had pushed through the adults and approached Sihat. The girl now linked to his arm was smiling sweetly. Who was she?

“She must be a lady from the South’s social circle.”

Shynen spoke carefully.

“I don’t recognize her, so she must be part of the South’s native aristocracy. That’s probably why she’s acting so brazenly.”

Blair added.

Just as I thought. A local noble.

“Kya! Don’t worry, Princess! She’ll get what’s coming to her soon enough.”

Naiola grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

“After all, the Pope only attends Princess Cherishe’s birthday parties. Even when he appears, no one dares approach him. He’s always focused on Princess Cherishe alone…”

Smack.

At that moment, Sihat pushed the girl’s arm away, as if touching him had been filthy.

I could see the shocked look on her face.

“See? That’s what happens when you get too close! The Pope only treats Princess Cherishe with any real affection. Everyone else? He treats them like dust!”

Naiola giggled.

Hmm. It made me feel a little better, honestly.

‘I wish I were the only one who could link arms with Sihat. And he said he only wants to be that way with me.’

Suddenly, it hit me.

The reason I’d never felt any jealousy or possessiveness over Sihat until now was that I’d never had a reason to.

Just like Naiola said, no one in the northern Castalia ever approached Sihat like that.

No one.

From the year Sihat first appeared, he had already humiliated Alexandra. Naturally, that kept the Jen faction’s young ladies at bay, while the Wynn faction girls kept their distance because of me.

As for the friendly faction, they were too small and disorganized to even try.

‘But things are different here.’

This is the South.

For my birthday party, we invited many noble families that had been deeply rooted in the South for generations.

These people didn’t need to care about me.

They didn’t know how special my relationship with Sihat was.

“Princess Cherishe?”

I stood up abruptly.

My eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

I couldn’t sit by and watch this any longer!

With determination, I marched toward Sihat.

But just as I approached, Sihat turned around and started walking toward me instead.

“Sihat?”

“I couldn’t wait anymore. Even waiting until tonight is too hard.”

“!”

“Let’s go, Shya. Somewhere we can be alone. I want to properly celebrate your birthday.”

Sihat’s eyes softened with a playful glint.

It was so endearing that I instinctively took his hand. From behind us, I could hear Gergys shouting at the top of his lungs!

“Stop! Don’t you dare move!”

Sihat, holding my hand, casually tilted his head and stuck out his tongue in a playful tease.

And a few seconds later.

Just before Gergys could grab us, we disappeared.

We reappeared in a secluded area of the ship.

“Phew, hahaha!”

“Pfft! Did you see Gergys’s face just now?”

“Yeah, I feel so much better now.”

A little while later, Sihat and I were laughing uncontrollably in the corner of a hallway, clutching our sides.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Gergys’s expression. It was priceless.

Wiping away the tears that had formed at the corner of my eyes, I took a deep breath.

“But where are we?”

“This is the third-class section. The guests are staying in the first-class cabins, and this is where their servants and maids stay.”

“Ah, that’s why the hallway feels so narrow.”

I wasn’t surprised by our sudden change in location. Sihat often used his divine power for teleportation-like spells.

But how did he know about this place?

“Have you been here before?”

“No, but I did a quick sweep earlier. I figured it was important to know the layout, just in case something happened.”

“Ah, so that’s why you know everything around here.”

Nodding in understanding, I ran my hand along the wall as we moved forward.

It was completely different from the bright and grand first-class area above.

“If we go up here, we’ll reach the billiard room, which isn’t being used today. Gergys will never guess we’re hiding there.”

Sihat smiled mischievously as we stopped in front of an iron door.

I nodded and followed him, feeling a sense of excitement, like we were going on an adventure together.

“Wow!”

When we reached the billiard room, I dashed around, weaving between the billiard tables.

Sihat, still in his solemn papal robes, sat atop one of the tables, looking oddly fitting.

“Shya.”

That’s when it happened.

Sihat looked at me with a smile that made my heart skip a beat.

“Want to come up here?”