The Fake Wife of the Strongest Husband Wants to Survive - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14
“What is this?”
“An infusion of Icebergflower.”
“Icebergflower? What’s…?”
The Physician’s brow furrowed as he repeated the word.
“Icebergflower. A rare medicinal herb brought from the Northern Region. So put away that man’s tobacco at once and have the patients drink this instead.”
In the Northern Region, it was merely a wildflower scattered everywhere, but calling it rare seemed more likely to inspire confidence.
And as expected, the Physician showed skepticism at the mention of a rare medicinal herb.
“As a physician, I can hardly give patients something unidentified….”
“Then drink it yourself and see.”
“Me? You want me to?”
Pesha opened the Oak Barrel lid and poured a ladle of lukewarm flower tea for him.
When she offered the ladle, the Physician accepted it with an uncertain expression but continued to hesitate.
“Ahem, cough-cough. Does this really cure things?”
“It doesn’t cure—it’s a pain reliever.”
“A pain reliever? This is?”
“No matter how ineffective this might be, it’s better than that harsh tobacco you’ve been smoking. If you keep puffing away like a madman, you’ll end up with holes in your lungs.”
“Cough-cough-cough. Ah, my apologies. I’ve developed a tolerance recently—the pain relief isn’t working well anymore—so I’ve been smoking more….”
The Physician glanced around nervously before bringing the ladle to his lips and taking a small sip of the tea.
“Tsk. Why does it taste so bitter?”
“Anything good for the body tastes terrible.”
Pesha hadn’t even entered the tent, but as the persistent smell of tobacco wafted out, she wrinkled her nose and waved her hand to disperse the smoke.
“Is this entire Oak Barrel filled with that iceflower thing?”
“Yes.”
“I drank it because you told me to, but giving unverified medicine to patients seems difficult. Most importantly, we’d need approval from Namoi Castle first….”
Pesha listened quietly to the Physician’s precise recitation of protocols before asking.
“Can only the Earl grant that approval?”
“Well… I’m not entirely certain. I’d need to ask at Namoi Castle for the details. But who—who exactly is this person?”
When the Physician gestured politely with both hands toward Mini, who stood nearby, she crumpled her brow like paper and answered.
“Would a noblewoman wander freely through such a dangerous territory? Of course she’s the Countess of House Namoi!”
“Who?”
The nurse and patients eavesdropping from inside the tent reacted before the Physician could.
“What? The Lady of the Territory?”
“Little girl, is that true? The lady we heard married recently is this person?”
As the patients murmured among themselves, Pesha found herself standing uncomfortably.
Shifting awkwardly, one of the patients spoke with deep emotion.
“My goodness, such beauty in this world. I always knew a fine lady would come to our Lord someday.”
Others chimed in agreement.
“That’s right. A man as distinguished as our Lord would surely have suitors lining up!”
“My lady! Don’t stand like that—there’s a chair here, please sit and rest!”
The patients showed genuine warmth toward Pesha simply because she was the Lord’s wife.
From their perspective, they had every reason to be grateful to Owen for protecting the Contaminated Territory.
‘They don’t know the details, so they’re just projecting their affection for Owen onto me.’
Though her conscience pricked a little, she didn’t correct them.
Just then, a nurse standing beside the patients pointed to the Supply Wagon and asked.
“By the way, what’s that wagon? Is it fresh tobacco leaf?”
“Ah, this is….”
Pesha was about to explain its purpose.
The Physician exclaimed in surprise, his voice loud with amazement.
“What? It doesn’t hurt at all!”
She turned her head to see the Physician, who had looked pale moments before, now visibly improved as he deliberately wiggled his injured leg.
“Even after smoking three tobacco leaves in a row, the throbbing wouldn’t stop, but now there’s no pain at all!”
The patients began murmuring again at his words.
“It works better than tobacco?”
“Isn’t it terribly expensive?”
Pesha watched the Physician curiously thumping his foot on the ground and spoke to him.
“As I said, it’s merely a pain reliever. It won’t heal an injury or cure an illness, so you shouldn’t use it as a substitute for actual treatment.”
“Understood. I’ll remember that. But if this liquid is medicine provided by my lady, do we not need to report it separately to Namoi Castle?”
At those words, Pesha hesitated.
Icebergflower was a white rose-like bloom that bloomed primarily in the Northern Region.
At first glance one might mistake it for a rose, and it was sometimes classified among rose varieties, but it was certain that as a proper medicinal herb it carried no harmful side effects.
Pesha herself had endured a fractured leg by drinking Icebergflower tea that the Gardener from the Northern Region had brewed for her.
Yet the flower was so obscure that it proved difficult to convince the Physician and ordinary folk alike of its virtues and utility.
Moreover, since the method of producing Icebergflower analgesic came from folk practices in the Northern Region and was not widely known to the public, many people knew of the flower’s existence but had no idea it could be used as medicine.
‘Even if the Physician reports this to Namoi Castle, they won’t easily grant formal approval to a remedy made from an unfamiliar flower. Before that happens, I need to explain it to Owen myself.’
Pesha fell silent for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.
“I’ll explain it to the Lord myself.”
“Ah, thank you so much!”
The Physician’s face brightened at once.
He too had felt at a loss trying to bring news of a medicine he barely understood to the castle.
Pesha offered the Physician and patients her most reassuring smile.
‘Now the problem is how to persuade Owen Namoi…’
She needed to convince a man who already viewed her with disdain to accept an unfamiliar remedy and introduce it throughout his territory—a prospect as daunting for her as it was for the Physician. Yet once she knew of this forest den, she couldn’t simply pretend otherwise and walk past it.
She had to at least try.
* * *
Half a year had passed since the Territorial War with the Clapton Kingdom, which had vexed the Empire for so long, finally came to an end.
Though the tide of battle had indeed turned with the emergence of Owen Namoi, now hailed as a hero for the ages, only those who had witnessed the ferocity of that front line could truly comprehend its devastation.
Jane Penrose, a knight of House of Namoi, was an eyewitness who had seen that carnage firsthand.
Watching Owen Namoi lead one difficult battle after another to victory through overwhelming force and brilliant strategy, she had resolved to serve that man unto death.
That resolve remained unshaken, and had only grown more steadfast after her lord was manipulated by the capital’s political scheming into a marriage he had never sought.
‘What manner of man is our Lord!’
Had he received his Duchy Title as the people wished, as all had expected, she might have humbled the arrogant courtiers of the capital who looked down upon him—but everything had gone awry.
Because of that woman.
Because of Pesha Raidel!
Though considerable time had passed since her lord’s wedding, the mere thought of that woman still made Jane’s teeth clench.
The handmaidens chattered endlessly whenever they gathered about how the Lady had driven out that corrupt steward, yet Jane only seethed with fury.
‘If only she possessed purifying virtue like Lady Clark, or truly loved our Lord deeply. Instead, she humiliated him before the Emperor! I can never accept that woman.’
After morning drills, she had vented her grievances about Pesha Raidel to fellow knight Rebecca, who only laughed and teased her—”You grind your teeth in your sleep too, don’t you?” and “Mind your own life”—which only vexed her further.
Still grinding her teeth, Jane turned a corner past the Inner Courtyard and caught sight of two women boarding a carriage, causing her to start and hide herself away as she watched them depart.
“That’s…”
That silver back of a head, that frame smaller than average, that fine dress draped across her form.
It could be no one but Pesha Raidel.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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