Reborn: The New Empress 40 Ch. 3 - First Kiss

It was difficult to find the ingredients for the antidote but with a stroke of luck, I managed to find most of it in just a few days. Based on my observation, the Emperor has been poisoned for some time now so I need to administer the antidote as quickly as possible. It'll take a few days or maybe even weeks but it's something I have to do for the sake of this Empire. Whoever is poisoning the Emperor is out there and I bet he's planning something diabolical.

"My lady, I came from Muichiro and Kanae's home. They said they were starting to feel better after taking your medicine." Mei reported to me. I felt relieved at the thought of them being happy and healthy. I decided to drop by and see for myself.

"Mei, let's head out and visit Muichiro. I want to see for myself." I said, I put on my cloak and we headed out.

"My lady, welcome!" Muichiro greeted me at the door. He ushered us in and offered us tea.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, he smiled at me and gave me a cup of tea.

"I'm all better now. My leg has recovered." he said, Kanae came out to greet me as well. She's looking better than the first time I saw her. Now, she's able to walk around without fainting and her usual pale face has a pinkish tone now.

"Thank you so much for helping us, my lady. We owe our lives to you for curing us." Kanae said. I shook my head.

"You don't have to thank me. I did what I should've done. I just can't stand by and do nothing when I know for myself that I am capable of helping." I explained. The hippocratic oath is really something. There's a sense of moral responsibility weighing on my shoulder and I just can't ignore it.

"By the way, those bandits we encountered the other day, have they shown up and caused trouble?" I asked. Muichiro looked at me and frowned.

"They haven't, my lady, but I always feared that they would come back." He admitted. I thought the same. Those bandits weren't the type to just walk away. Once the money I gave has run out, they'll be sure to come back here and make trouble to get more money out of these poor people. Good thing I found a solution for this.

"I knew this would happen so I planned ahead. I'd like to invite both of you to the Prime Minister's manor. If it's alright with you, I asked my father for permission and he has allowed you to work for us. What do you say?" I offered. Muichiro and Kanae couldn't contain their tears.

"We would be honored to serve you, my lady. Thank you so much." Kanae said in between sobs. A short while after, Kanae and Muichiro were both packing up their things. I stayed in the carriage while waiting for them to gather all their belongings.

"We're ready, my lady." Muichiro came up to me and I opened the door for them. The looks on their faces were pure excitement. They were happy to leave their old life behind to start anew. When we arrived home, I instructed Mei to bring out all of the servants in my palace to greet us.

"Everyone, this is Muichiro and his wife Kanae. They will be working here starting today, so please treat them well." I said. Muichiro and Kanae will be working here for me. There are no senior maids in my palace however all of the maids and servants know what to do already so it wouldn't be a problem for Muichiro and Kanae to adjust. I excused myself and went back to my room.

"My lady, something happened to the medicine you asked me to watch." Mei reported. I didn't answer, I went to the pot that was in the center of my room. The medicine started to change colors. That was supposed to happen. That color change indicates that I need one more ingredient to finish the concoction. But there was one problem, the last ingredient I need can't be found here. No one uses that herb for medicine because they don't know about its medicinal property yet.

"Mei, prepare me a basket and a set of clothes that are not too heavy." I said. She didn't ask questions and went to prepare the things I asked for. A few moments later and she gave me the things I asked for. I changed into the set of clothes she arranged and I put the basket on my back, just like a backpack.

"Mei, if father asks, tell him there was something important I had to do and I'll be back later." I said. Mei nodded and opened the door for me. I took a horse from my stable and proceeded to the mountains. When I got there, there were a lot of people picking herbs. They must be apothecaries from our town. I looked around and didn't find what I was looking for so I a.s.sumed it must be higher in the mountains. I tied my horse to a nearby tree and I went on foot.

After a few minutes of idle walking, my eyes caught sight of a blue flower by the edge of a cliff.

"Finally, I found you." I made my way quickly but I was too rash and didn't notice the patch of moss just next to the flower. I slipped but I managed to grab the flower. I was about to fall off the cliff. I needed something to hold on to but there was nothing around me. My heart started beating loudly and I closed my eyes and prayed that the fall wasn't that high. I suddenly felt a pair of arms around me. I opened my eyes and saw the familiar pair of red eyes. I blinked twice to make sure that I wasn't dead.

"Aside from making unreasonable requests, I see that you like causing trouble too." Prince s.h.i.+ro said. Apparently, he was the one who caught me. I covered my face and blushed. This is embarra.s.sing for me. I haven't experienced this kind of humiliation in my whole life. I was trained strictly, I didn't have the kind of life other kids went through.

"Why are you here?" I asked. He looked at me and then up at the cliff where I fell from.

"I was at the army camp nearby and I heard someone shouting. I thought it was the bandits so I made way here but all I found was a troublesome fiance." He said, I uncovered my face and smiled at him.

"Hey, you're finally acknowledging me as your fiance." I said teasingly. His face turned red and when I was about to point it out, he let me go and I hit the ground.

"Ouch!! Why'd you do that?" I asked. I stood up and rubbed my b.u.t.t.

"It's not your turn to ask questions. What are you doing here?" He asked, I looked at my hand and noticed that I was still holding onto the flower.

"I… was picking flowers." I said. He raised his eyebrow at me.

"You're picking flowers this far out in the mountains?" He asked. I nodded my head and smiled. I hid the flower in my basket and turned back to him.

"So, is that all you want to ask? I'll be on my way then." I said, but before I could leave, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"There's no way back from there. You have to pa.s.s by the army camp to return to the foot of the mountain." He said, I sighed and agreed to come back with him. As we were walking, I kept looking over at him. I was drawn to his red eyes. Back in my time, the only red eyes I've seen were from cosplayers. They didn't come natural like his. He must've noticed that I was staring when he looked back at me.

"Why are you staring at me?" He asked. I shook my head and smiled.

"I'm just admiring how handsome my fiance is and how lucky I am." I said, teasingly. He turned his head but I could see that his ears had turned red. It doesn't take much to see him fl.u.s.tered. I thought he was the calm and calculating type but it turns out he's just a big softy. I ran up to his side and held his hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a panic. I just smiled and let him blush like crazy until we reached the army camp. When we arrived, all of the soldiers were looking at us.

"4th prince, who is this girl?" One of the soldiers asked. Prince s.h.i.+ro looked at his army and had a stern face on.

"This is the Prime Minister's daughter." He said. I puffed my cheeks because he didn't mention that I was his fiance. I thought it would be funny to see his reaction when I say it.

"I am also the Prince's fiance." I announced. Prince s.h.i.+ro didn't falter but his soldiers had a look of excitement on their faces.

"I heard that the Prince was engaged but I've never seen his fiance up until now." One of them murmured. They all started to talk amongst themselves about their Prince's private life. It looked like Prince s.h.i.+ro wasn't bothered. Suddenly, he cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention.

"Continue with your training, I'll be taking my fiance back." He said. Everyone followed his words and returned to their training. Prince s.h.i.+ro held my hand and pulled me out of the camp. We reached the foot of the mountain and I saw my horse.

"There's my horse." I told Prince s.h.i.+ro. I tried to pull my hand away but he was holding it tightly. I just ignored it and when we got to my horse, I faced him.

"Well, I'll be going home now." I said. He looked at me sternly. Then suddenly, he mounted my horse.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He offered his hand to me which made me even more confused.

"I'm taking you home." He said. My eyes widened.

"Why?" I asked again. He didn't answer. He just offered his hand again. I had no choice but to accept it. He pulled me up and I sat in front of him. The horse was at a steady pace. It was a bit awkward with us being silent and not saying anything. I decided to break the ice.

"Prince s.h.i.+ro, why did you decide to accept the engagement?" I asked. He was silent for a while before he answered.

"It was my father's wish. Whatever he asks of me, I would gladly accept it." He answered. What a boring answer.

"Then, what did you think of me when you met me for the first time?" I asked, he didn't think twice when answering me.

"I thought you were childish and annoying." He said. I turned to look at him.

"Hey!" I said,

"Why? is it not true?"" He asked me, I scoffed and crossed my arms.

"Of course not! Well, when I first met you, I thought you were boring and mean. I guess I was right." I said. I heard him snicker and I turned my head to glare at him but when I looked at him, he had a straight face. He's such a tsundere.

"Well, now I think of you as childish and annoying but very beautiful." He said, the moment I realized he was complimenting me, I turned to tease him.

"I didn't know that Prince s.h.i.+ro had this sweet side to him. I can't help but blush." I said, mockingly. He turned away from me but I could still see him blus.h.i.+ng. We reached home and he helped me down the horse.
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"Thank you for taking me home. How are you getting back to the camp?" I asked. He looks like he was at a loss on what to do. I guess taking me home was a spur of the moment decision.

"You can take my horse. She's really nice and I think she likes you. Just be sure to take care of her, okay?" I said, He nodded and was about to mount the horse. Before he could, I pulled him close to me and I kissed his cheek.

"That's my thank you for taking me home." I didn't wait for his reply. I ran inside the manor and went to my room. I opened the door and was greeted by Mei.

"Mei, please prepare this flower. I'll go and take a bath." I said. She nodded and I left to take a bath. Tomorrow, I'll be able to cure the Emperor. I just hope my antidote works.