Baby Pharmacist Princess

His eyes were tinged with red, making it seem as if I had made him cry!

I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure of what to do, and quickly changed the topic.

“Did I ever tell you my other name?”

Back when we first met, it seemed like he was about to call me Chaeri…!

“Yes, of course. Yoon Chaeri.”

Gasp, he really knows!

“I’m glad you came here. I was afraid you might not come,” Sihat said, exhaling in genuine relief. He then reached out his hand to me.

“Shuya.”

“…”

“Uh… Can I touch your cheek? It looks so soft…”

No one had ever called me “Shuya” before. My nickname was always Cherry. I nodded, tilting my head curiously.

“Did you call me ‘Shuya’?”

“Yes.”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Sihat. Just call me Sihat.”

“Without a nickname?”

“I do have a nickname, but it’s too early for that. Later.”

As he gently touched my cheek, Sihat smiled and then held out his palm as if for a high-five. I placed my hand against his.

‘His hand is cold.’

Is he nervous? Naturally, I checked his pulse.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

His heart was racing so fast that it made me worry.

“Sihat, hold on. I’ll give you a hand massage.”

“Pfft, you enjoyed giving massages even back then.”

“Give me your hand. There’s a spot called the Soobuyeol. Pressing it calms a racing heart.”

I hope he’s not sick.

Why is his heart beating so fast?

‘Could he have liked me in the future?’

The thought briefly crossed my mind but quickly vanished. He’s the Pope. Just thinking such thoughts feels a bit blasphemous.

I held Sihat’s hand and pressed the spot just below the knuckle of his little finger. I kept my head down to avoid looking at him, feeling my own heart race.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

Having both Cherishe and the adult Yoon Chaeri within me led to strange thoughts. I might start thinking he likes me.

‘Of course, it’s not my fault.’

His earnest gaze, remembering the future me rather than the present me, made me feel fluttery.

“What am I doing as an adult?” I asked cautiously while massaging the pressure point on his hand.

I needed to fill my mind with other thoughts.

“That’s a secret. Do whatever you want. Don’t be tied down. The future can always change.”

“But… what if I’m not as good as the future me you came from?”

“Why think that? Whatever you do, you’re still you.”

His answer made me smile. That’s right. Whatever I do, I’m still me!

“I just missed you so much… Life had no meaning without you. That’s all. Don’t feel any pressure about the future.”

“Were we such close friends? That’s amazing.”

As Yoon Chaeri, I had no friends because I spent all my time studying. I enjoyed playing alone, so it wasn’t a big problem, but the thought of having such a close friend was exciting.

Maybe I went shopping with friends, visited cafes, and had fun like normal people?

“Yes, we were the most precious friends, family, and everything to each other,” Sihat whispered affectionately.

His voice was so gentle and melodic, it almost felt magical, making me want to listen forever.

If there were recitations here, he’d be incredibly popular. People would flock to hear his teachings.

I could easily picture Sihat dressed in ascetic robes. He’d look so delicate and fragile under the sunlight, like a glass flower that could shatter at any moment.

But Sihat wasn’t that weak. He always said what he needed to say.

“Sihat, we’ll be secret friends from now on! Let’s meet again at Dragon Shop Street.”

“Yes, there’s no better place for secret talks than here.”

Sihat agreed, nodding smoothly. His translucent face, close enough to see the veins, reminded me of something.

A rabbit! He looks like a rabbit—innocent on the outside but with a more complex character inside. Rabbit ears would suit him so well.

“Just to check, Sihat, you don’t have a familiar, do you?”

“Of course not. Only special royals have those, as you told me.”

“True…”

There’s no way he sent that jester rabbit.

After chatting a bit more with Sihat, we parted ways.

I had to return before Dad woke up.

‘He’d worry a lot if he knew I was mingling with dragons.’

I don’t want to worry him.

“See you next time, Sihat!”

“The next time might be at the Ammon hunting ground in Skoranta. We’ll only see each other then.”

“Oh, right! That’s coming up. Stay healthy until then.”

“Yes, you too, Shuya.”

Sihat waved at me. I waved back energetically.

“Thanks for blessing me! I’m not tired at all!”

Just before leaving, I turned on my heel and shouted.

Sihat responded with a beautiful smile. One that would be remembered for a long time, so pretty it was.

* * *

“Ugh…”

Back in his room at the Papal residence, Sihat finally let out the suppressed groan.

A sharp pain spread throughout his body.

He panted, taking off his robe to reveal a side bruised black and blue.

“It… hurts.”

Pressing it, he felt a searing pain.

Trying to block the pain with holy power was useless.

As always, he had to endure it.

This was the price.

The price for fusing his future self with his present self.

Breaking the time traveler’s rules was bound to have consequences.

‘But it doesn’t matter. I needed to keep the memories.’

Sihat didn’t want to forget anything.

How she smiled at him, the warmth of her tears when she cried in his arms.

Her face flushed with anger and the way her lips pouted.

He’d rather die than forget those things.

Giving up on using holy power to stave off the decay, Sihat lay down on the creaky bed.

Tomorrow, he wouldn’t move a step.

He planned to resist being taken away by the priests.

Life had become somewhat bearable since he ousted the High Priest during the palace party using evidence of corruption.

Many high priests wanted the position, and Sihat had secretly allied with a few, providing them with incriminating information about the High Priest.

Upon his return to the papal residence, it was the High Priest, not Sihat, who ended up in the dungeon.

However, this didn’t mean Sihat enjoyed all the privileges a true Pope should have.

Not yet.

‘I need to grow older.’

And gradually, cautiously eliminate those who oppose Cherishe.

He would clear the path for her, removing any obstacles in advance.

“Ah, I need to gather them again.”

The Holy Knights, though a grand name, were really a group of misfits.

A man who pretended to be a scoundrel to pass on the title to his more capable sister, only to be expelled by his family.

A man who killed his abusive half-brother and was thrown into the battlefield.

A noble’s daughter, who ran away with a Duke’s son after bankrupting her family, caught trying to escape.

A man caught stealing from the rich to give to the poor, a sort of Robin Hood.

They were all varied, each with their own reasons for being outcasts. But who cares about their backstories?

An outcast is an outcast.

‘I need to gather them before they’re fully grown. It’s easier to instill discipline when they’re young.’

Above all, he wanted to help his comrades be less damaged than they were.

‘Move carefully, discreetly.’

No one would pay much attention to a group of outcasts.

When the Holy Knights were first formed during the Monster War, Sihat, as their leader, had only sighed when he saw who he had to lead.

They had strong personalities, pride, and stubbornness.

It seemed impossible for them to ever become united.

Eventually, camaraderie did form, but it took too long.

‘They’re already living as outcasts now…’

Once he secured his position within the papal residence, Sihat planned to gather them one by one.

“Hu…”

Continuing his thoughts, Sihat covered his forehead with a warm arm.

The ringing in his ears made it hard to sleep.

Hell on earth.

That was the future Sihat had experienced.

And it wasn’t because of monsters.

‘This time, I hope to avoid <…>.’

Sihat tried to push away the ringing in his ears, imagining living with her as an adult.

Pain with hope was easier to endure.