Chapter 4

A plan to treat the Empress and deal a blow to her third daughter, Princess Anais.

“To be honest, this isn’t an easy task. If we mishandle it, we might only strengthen the backing of the Empress’s third daughter.”

No matter how foreign she may be, the influence of the surviving Empress cannot be ignored.

Moreover, in the Britannia Empire, many people depend on trade with the East for their livelihoods. Although the Empress has been locked away in the palace, living like a plant, if she sets her mind to it, she still has the power to wield various forms of influence.

In the middle of explaining how this could be done, Siena interrupted.

“Yes, it seems quite feasible.”

She nodded her head as well.

“Your Highness?”

“You don’t need to say it. I roughly understand what you’re thinking; you want to use my reputation to instill doubt in that woman Anais, right?”

“…”

“Indeed. How many people would easily believe me if I say I care for the Empress? Especially with the recent rumors that I’ve set up a torture chamber and have been killing innocent people?”

And yet, here he is saying it himself. Of course, it’s true.

“Yes, Your Highness. With the right bait, the reaction will be significant. With luck, we might even provoke the third princess to attack you directly. At the very least, someone in her faction will fall for it.”

“After that, when I heal the Empress, the ones who slandered her will face the consequences.”

Fortunately, she understands, at least when it comes to such despicable schemes.

By now, she must be imagining her own devoted and filial appearance, working selflessly for the estranged Empress, and the despairing face of her half-sister who antagonized her and fell into ruin.

However, Siena wasn’t just blindly agreeing.

“But… Alan? How do you plan to cure the Empress? You’re not planning to send her back home on a ship, are you?”

It’s strange to see this knight, known for wielding a club, suddenly pretending to be a strategist with knowledge of opium. It’s questionable how he plans to treat a long-standing mental illness.

“Well, I can explain if you wish.”

That was just a casual statement, but Siena stared at him before shaking her head.

“Never mind. You have your own ways, I guess… So, ultimately, are you willing to take on this task?”

“If you entrust it to me, I will deliver results that will satisfy Your Highness.”

He answered as solemnly as possible. Still, Siena hesitated.

‘Is this how cautious he is?’

While this level of political strategy should naturally be approached carefully, this wasn’t the Siena he knew. She was closer to someone who would act recklessly and then scramble to avoid responsibility when things went awry.

Thoughtfully, Siena explained why she didn’t trust him.

“I’m curious. Why do you volunteer for such a difficult mission?”

“Well…”

“Don’t pull that loyalty shtick. Who even believes that nonsense?”

Ah, so she distrusts him rather than the plan.

It must be strange for a mere bodyguard to willingly take on such a significant risk. A mistake while playing games with royalty often leads to death.

He decided to give her the reason.

“Truth be told, I have a request.”

“Go on.”

“If I achieve something that satisfies Your Highness, may I ask for a reward?”

“Money?”

“…Yes, what’s more important than money? I would like a reward of one million talers. And after that, I’d like an extended leave of at least a month to enjoy and spend it.”

He deliberately smiled faintly while speaking. People who act out of self-interest are often more trustworthy than those claiming absurd loyalty. It also aligned with Alan Medoff’s public image.

One million talers — a considerable sum. But he saw no harm in getting it.

However, his real goal wasn’t the money but the leave. He needed time to find a way to distance himself from this woman.

Fortunately, Siena didn’t suspect his true intentions.

“Yeah, I know you like money. And I’m aware that you’ve been siphoning a few coins from my business ventures. I’ve just been turning a blind eye, considering it part of your bonus.”

“…”

“Alright, if your plan works, I’ll give you that much.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. There are conditions, and I’m sure you can guess them.”

“Should the plan go awry, I’ll take full responsibility. There will not be the slightest inconvenience to Your Highness.”

With that, the discussion concluded. She even summoned the chief steward of Temseugung on the spot.

“Make sure to fulfill all of Alan’s requests.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

With a brief instruction, Siena left promptly.

Beside her was a knight with somewhat stubby limbs, guarding her. That was Bono, who was caught gossiping about Siena on some occasion. Instead of retaliating directly, Siena has been dragging him around, making him miserable in real-time.

It must be tough for him, but it’s not pitiable.

After all, if the plan fails, his position will be even worse than Bono’s.

First, he needed to find a way to treat the Empress.

—

The Empress’s illness was severe homesickness — in essence, depression.

She writes letters during the day intended for family or friends back in her homeland, plays the lute silently at night while weeping, and spends the rest of her time staring out the window, motionless like a plant.

Understanding her longing for home was not difficult.

The Empress, at just eighteen, was married off to a foreign land, not too long after an internecine conflict within the royal family.

It must have been exhausting for her at such a young age, despite the respectful treatment she surely received. There must’ve also been xenophobic attitudes.

‘Perhaps in the end, all she thought of was her home.’

Her unfamiliar and stifling life in the empire, her longing for a happy childhood spent as a princess, along with the natural rosy reminiscence of those days.

To treat her, I chose medicine. I’m not a psychiatrist and lack the ability to provide counseling therapy.

However, I knew of a drug that could improve her depressive symptoms without turning her into a recluse.

Even better?

It could be found in nature.

I instructed the steward Gordon, one of Siena’s trusted aides, to hire an herbalist to procure mushrooms.

“Mushrooms, you say?”

“Yes, mushrooms. They have a light brown cap about the size of a fingernail, are not sticky to the touch, and when injured, the wound turns blue quickly. They can be found in the following terrains…”

“For what purpose?”

“That’s none of your business.”

I described their features in detail as I ordered their procurement.

These weren’t ordinary mushrooms; they contained the compound psilocybin — hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The original story mentioned hallucinogenic mushrooms which gave me the idea. A female assassin character was known to casually munch on mushrooms believed to be hallucinogenic… Reflecting now, the creator was quite peculiar.

Psilocybin-class hallucinogenic mushrooms had numerous uses.

They caused hallucinations but had a much weaker addiction potential than tobacco and lower dependency than marijuana. They didn’t physically damage the body like opium would, though combining them with excessive alcohol could harm the liver.

Most importantly, psilocybin effectively alleviated depressive symptoms in a short time. There were even countries where it was approved as a treatment.

While there are no perfect antidepressants in the world, it didn’t matter.

‘Treatment might not succeed, but she could be left with pleasant memories for some time.’

After enduring depression for a long time, even a brief experience of being whisked away to another world could be a powerful stimulant for the Empress.

I have witnessed the real thing.

—

“Are you cultivating hallucinogenic mushrooms at home? Was this why you asked me to create a mushroom-growing substrate?”

“No, just…”

“Crazy girl.”

Three years ago, at my younger sibling’s request, I utilized all my specialized knowledge to develop a mushroom-cultivation substrate, only to find out later they used it to grow hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Instead of opium, mushrooms. While not entirely ethical, this was the quickest method or at least appeared to be, for improving depression.

“Sir Alan. I’ve brought what you requested.”

Two days later.

The palace servants arrived with a bulk supply of mushrooms.

Most of the fungi weren’t the type I ordered. Mushrooms are notoriously tricky, to the point where even professors of mycology are rarely considered true experts.

I picked out the mushrooms needed for the medicine carefully.

I also ingested a small amount for testing purposes.

‘Crazy as it seems, it’s better than accidentally poisoning the Empress. Anyway, this body’s tough enough.’

About 30 minutes later, I began to feel a floating sensation, and everything in my sight started rippling. Thankfully, due to the small dosage, it was mild; otherwise, with a proper dose, I’d probably be floating through a world of synesthesia now.

Ah.

Thank goodness it was just a small amount.

‘Good selection.’

Since plain mushrooms wouldn’t do, I added a bit of theatrics.

I processed them into the form of pills, with which the Empress might be familiar, and ordered the procurement of a luxurious medicine box made of ivory from the East.

This took a few more days but was necessary.

Presenting mushrooms as merely mushrooms wouldn’t serve our interests. Making it appear as though it went through an intricate manufacturing process worked to our advantage. To truly indebting the Empress, it helped to show that it required much time and effort on our part.

“Looks good.”

The result was fairly satisfying.

If I could directly take it to the Empress, how wonderful it would be.

However, I had one more promise to Siena to fulfill — luring Princess Anais and tarnishing her image to Siena’s level, or even lower. Given Siena’s already tarnished reputation, this wasn’t difficult.

I immediately set the bait.

—

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