The Strongest Man’s Fake Wife Wants to Live Chapter 16

Thinking of it that way, suggesting to Owen that they bring in Iceberg instead of hoban did not feel like such a burden after all.

It was not that difficult to speak to the lord on behalf of the medical staff tending the patients or the people of the territory, after all.

“But what should I do about this?”

It was just as Pesha was about to fall into thought again.

Someone knocked on the door.

Since it was late, Pesha assumed it was a maid who had come back to retrieve something she had left behind.

She readily opened the door and said,

“Brie, did you leave something behi—. Gasp.”

She had opened the door while picturing the face of the maid who was about her height, only to be startled when a huge shadow fell over her.

When she looked up, a strikingly handsome man with strongly defined features was looking down at her, his pitch-black eyes rolling toward her.

“L-Lord Namoi?”

When Pesha called out to him in confusion, Owen opened his mouth.

“May I come inside?”

“What?”

Into my room? Why?

She wanted to ask that first, but it was impolite to leave a visitor standing outside the door, so she reluctantly stepped aside with a dubious expression.

“Of course……. Come in.”

Perhaps he had only just returned from going out, as he was still dressed in his outdoor clothes. He entered the room and slowly looked over the interior.

Perhaps because the luggage Pesha had brought from House Rydell had been unpacked, the room was somewhat better than its initially bleak appearance.

“But why are you here……?”

When Pesha asked, Owen’s gaze, which had been surveying the room, turned back to her.

Perhaps because he was such a taciturn, expressionless man, his face was stiff and impossible to read.

“I’m sorry for coming so late. On my way back from an inspection, I received a strange report.”

Having explained why he had suddenly come to visit, he went straight to the point.

“I heard that you distributed an unidentified liquid at the emergency clinic.”

“Ah…….”

For a moment, Pesha was at a loss for words.

In the end, he found out before I could tell him.

What should I do……. I haven’t found a way to reduce the cost yet.

She thought she was in big trouble, but quickly pulled herself together.

If she gave an awkward response, she would only deepen his suspicions.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? Get a grip, Pesha Rydell.’

Thinking that steadied her heart.

Pesha answered with an extremely aggrieved expression, as if she were genuinely hurt.

“An unidentified liquid? That’s a little harsh.”

“Then can you tell me what it is?”

“It’s tea. Since it was brewed with medicinal herbs, you could call it herbal tea.”

“Medicinal herbs?”

A crease formed between Owen’s brows.

Simply frowning slightly added even more force to the already imposing presence of the man.

“What kind of herb?”

Pesha instinctively tensed. She swallowed hard before answering.

“The fake roses the butler brought in turned out to be usable as a medicinal herb. It’s only a painkiller, but I thought it might be useful, so I made it into tea and delivered it.”

“Are they short on painkillers at the emergency clinic? I was under the impression that we were supplying enough.”

This is it.

From this point on, she had to choose her words carefully if she wanted to persuade him.

“You mean hoban, right? I know that herb, too. It’s not deadly enough to kill a person, but it is, strictly speaking, classified as a poisonous herb.”

“A poisonous herb?”

Owen frowned.

When hoban had first been brought in, he had never been told that it was a poisonous herb.

Pesha read his thoughts and nodded.

“Don’t be too surprised. Not every poisonous herb has the ability to kill, and the people selling it probably wouldn’t have gone out of their way to explain all the details. Medicines don’t only have beneficial effects, after all. In the case of hoban, it causes dry heaving and hives along with its painkilling effect, so they probably introduced it by emphasizing only the painkilling part.”

“…….”

“Besides, hoban’s painkilling effect is only temporary. Considering the side effects, it isn’t a particularly efficient medicine.”

Owen’s expression hardened even further.

“On the other hand, the flower the butler brought in…… Iceberg has an excellent painkilling effect without the other side effects, so it could be used as a substitute.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I heard it has already been supplied to the clinic for quite some time.”

“That was because there wasn’t a proper way to procure it. Iceberg is a wildflower that grows in the north. There’s a considerable distance between the north and here, so you know better than I do how much the transportation costs and tolls would increase by the time it arrived here. It would exceed the current budget spent on hoban. Since I hadn’t found a solution to that problem…… I couldn’t confidently tell you that it was an alternative.”

Owen listened to Pesha’s words in silence, lost in thought.

He seemed to be considering and calculating various possibilities, but there probably was no easy solution for him either.

“There is a way. We could send someone north and sign a direct contract without middlemen, or handle the transportation ourselves.”

“But…….”

It would be nice if they could do that, but those things were not as easy as they sounded. They would need people, and it would take a long time, too.

Not wanting to dampen his words by pointing all that out, Pesha let her voice trail off dejectedly.

But Owen continued speaking.

“If we look into it, we’ll find more ways. And even if the alternative isn’t perfect, that’s fine. Finding one is my job.”

His tone somehow sounded as though he were reassuring her.

Though there was no way that could be the case.

When there was still no sign that Pesha’s expression would brighten, he spoke in a firmer tone.

“I’ll see if we can bring it in along with another shipment. It grew well in the Count’s castle garden, so it shouldn’t die easily.”

At those words, an idea flashed through Pesha’s mind.

“That’s it.”

When Pesha suddenly raised her head and spoke with shining eyes, Owen’s expression became slightly peculiar.

“……Does it die easily?”

“That’s not what I meant. What you just said—the Count’s castle garden!”

“Why the garden…….”

“We can grow an Iceberg in the Count’s castle garden! The other land is too polluted to grow it, but it managed to survive in the flower beds here!”

Seeing Pesha brighten and excitedly exclaim, Owen’s eyes widened slightly.

She began listing all the possibilities that had occurred to her.

“If there isn’t a suitable place to grow it within Swapro, we can grow it in the Count’s castle garden. If we bring in seeds, they’re light, take up very little space, and the transportation costs will be drastically reduced. Besides, once we have enough of a field established, we can become self-sufficient, can’t we? So it would be best to buy only enough to use for now and, in the long term, turn the Count’s castle garden into an Iceberg garden!”

“You’re suggesting that we turn the castle garden into a field of painkillers?”

When Owen asked, Pesha, who had been excitedly chattering away, quietly began watching his expression.

“Is…… that not allowed?”

“I don’t care whether we plant painkillers or anything else. But I hear the appearance of the garden is a matter of prestige among noblewomen.”

That was true.

Since the garden of a residence was the first thing invited guests saw, how well it was maintained was considered a reflection of the lady of the house’s refinement and dignity.

‘But so what?’

If they could free the people of the territory from their pain, even if only for a little while, couldn’t she plant Iceberg—or even radishes and cabbages, for that matter?

Moreover, when it came to receiving guests, the problems with this castle were not limited to the garden. Other matters, such as the food and repairs to the castle, were far more urgent.

“No problem. An iceberg resembles roses, doesn’t it? White roses symbolize purity, peace, and love, so they’re a popular flower in many gardens.”

Pesha answered as though it were nothing at all.

He seemed to ponder for a moment before finally opening his mouth.

“Do as you please.”

With his permission granted, Pesha smiled brightly.

“I’m sure it’ll work out.”

Thank goodness.

Unlike roses, which were vulnerable to pests and diseases, Iceberg was fairly hardy and not particularly difficult to grow.

‘Still, this can’t heal injuries, so it isn’t a fundamental solution.’

Even so, she thought she deserved to enjoy the joy of an accomplishment for at least one day.