A man named 'Perso' sat down across from Karina and Mikhail.
"However..."
Perso tilted his head at Karina and asked.
"Have you ever done business with me before?"
"Does that matter?"
"In some cases."
"..."
Instead of answering Perso's question, Karina got straight to the point.
"I just want to know about the wishing potion."
"... A wishing potion?"
"Yes. They said that if you drink it, your wish will come true."
"Hmm..."
After hearing Karina's words, Perso tapped his fingers on the table a few times as if he was thinking about something. At that moment, the rough ring on his finger caught Karina's eye. It was a plain silver ring with a black gem-like thing set into it.
'Is it Onyx...?'
That small, not-so-big jewel was emitting a mysterious light, and she couldn't help but look at it.
"Well, I don't know if what I'm thinking is right, but I've heard something similar."
At the man's answer, Karina quickly looked away from the ring and looked at him.
"That's probably right."
Karina responded as if the man's thoughts were absolutely correct. The man smiled faintly at Karina's response as if he found it amusing.
"Unfortunately, we do not currently carry that item."
The man spoke in a regretful tone.
"I don't want you to save me that. I just need to know about it."
"What information do you need?"
Karina swallowed dryly at Perso's question.
"Are there cases where your wish doesn't come true even after drinking that potion?"
"Well, I haven't actually seen it either."
The man shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"What if you actually found a wish-granting potion and drank it, but your wish didn't come true?"
The man paused for a moment and then continued speaking.
"I guess the price of the wish may not have been enough."
"What's the price?"
Karina was surprised to hear the word price.
"This is the first time I've heard that?"
At Karina's words, the man smirked, raising one corner of his mouth.
"They're selling the potion without giving you this important information. I don't know where you got the potion, but you must have a grudge against me or you must have looked down on me."
"..."
Karina kept her mouth shut. She had thought that she might have incurred resentment since she had been called a villainess in the past. However, hearing such words from the person who gave her the potion made her feel bad at the thought that it was the latter.
"It's a pretty lie to say that you can grant a wish without asking for anything in return. There's no way such a thing could exist in this world."
The man asked naturally in a flat tone.
"So. What did you wish for?"
"That..."
Karina was about to answer when she suddenly realized that she had never said anything about drinking the potion. But still, she was asking like that.
'You noticed that I drank the potion.'
She felt like she needed to be more careful and prudent.
"I can't say that."
Karina cut that part off firmly. The man just smiled in an inscrutable way.
"I've heard that the more impossible the wish, the greater the price."
"What's the price?"
"The life of the subject."
"...!?"
Karina's eyes widened.
'If it's life... Are you saying that my lifespan has been shortened right now...?'
Karina wanted to jump up and shout.
"I don't know what you were wishing for, but maybe it was a good thing it didn't come true."
Although the shock had not subsided, Karina barely came to her senses and asked.
"Then... are there any other cases where wishes did not come true?"
"As I said before, I have only heard of such cases, so I have never heard of such cases. I clearly stated that this is also my guess."
Karina took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Please find out the relevant Information as soon as possible. This is my request."
"Yes, then come back in two weeks."
"Great."
Since the request was given, all that was left to do was wait. Karina stood up from her seat.
"But how did you know my name?"
Perso asked her from behind as she was leaving. Karina didn't answer. Instead, she smiled and left the room, suggesting that if he was curious, he should find out for himself.
***
"Karina, that guy is clearly a fraud. Don't come back here again."
As soon as they left the bar, Mikhail said with a grumpy expression.
"The wishing potion, as far as I know, is just a joke with a fancy name like a love potion."
"Did you know about the wishing potion?"
Karina looked at Mikhail with a slightly.
Surprised expression.
"I just pick it up while wandering around here and there... Anyway, I heard that it doesn't work at all. Asking for it is just a waste of money and time."
Karina glanced at Mikhail, doubtful that he really knew what he was talking about.
"Oh, it's true."
Judging from his expression, it didn't seem like Mikhail was lying. But Karina had turned back time with the wishing potion. She already knew it would work.
"Once I've submitted the request, I need to see the results."
Karina's will was firm. Mikhail's attitude was that he didn't like it at all, but that didn't change Karina's mind.
"But what was the wish you wanted to make come true by obtaining the wishing potion?"
Mikhail expressed his curiosity about Karina's wish.
"That..."
Karina trailed off. If she wanted to talk about the wishing potion, she had to explain the whole story of how she came back to the past.
'Who would believe me if I said something like this?'
Karina tried to avoid answering and just move on.
"Just. There is something like that."
But Mikhail was more persistent than usual.
"You can talk to me freely."
"It's okay."
Mikhail asked cautiously as Karina continued to avoid answering.
"Surely, you wanted to win the Grand Duke's love... Was it something like that?"
"What...?"
Karina's expression crumpled at those words.
'Jeremiah's love.'
For a moment, a hollow laugh escaped her lips.
'At that time, I actually wanted everything to end.'
Arsenic appeared on Karina's face and then disappeared.
"Not at all."
Karina said with a serious face. Mikhail's face brightened at her firm denial.
"Then what was it? Oh! Was it that you asked him to get a divorce?"
"Yeah. That's right."
Karina nodded and walked away. Mikhail followed her, smiling broadly. As they walked down the street, Mikhail glanced back.
"...?"
Karina followed his gaze and looked back, but there was nothing. Then, Mikhail suddenly asked.
"Lady Karina. What will the Grand Duke do if he finds out that we are here now?"
"Yes?"
Karina wondered why he suddenly asked such a thing but answered faithfully.
"It's okay. We're going to get divorced soon anyway, so what does it matter whether I come out or not?"
Karina snorted.
"But why do you ask that?"
"No. Then I think there will be no problem."
Mikhail answered with a big smile.
'Problem?'
Karina was about to ask what the problem was, but Mikhail opened his mouth faster.
"Karina. While we're out here, should we play a little longer before heading back in?"
Karina was swayed by his suggestion. She remembered what Mikhail had said before coming up to the capital when he wanted to go to the city and eat delicious food and see many interesting things.
"I wonder?"
"Would you like to go eat some jam hard? You didn't end up eating it last time."
"Oh, by the way."
She remembered the regret she had for not being able to eat because she encountered a monster. Anyway, she would only be able to freely roam around the capital city like this, before the New Year's Festival.
"Let's go."
Karina smiled brightly and agreed
***
Jeremiah arrived in front of the inn that Karina had rented entirely.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duchess has rented the entire inn... If we go inside, the Grand Duchess will definitely know that we have been here."
Ron tried to persuade Jeremiah carefully. watching his expression. However, Jeremiah was in no position to care about that at all. It was his limit to suppress his desire to burn everything around him right now. Jeremiah went into the inn and looked for Karina. However, the only answer he got was that Karina and the escort had already left the inn. Jeremiah's spirits softened a little when he heard that they had only stayed at the inn for a very short time and left right away.
"Find it now."
But even so, Jeremiah's voice giving orders to Ron was cold, without a trace of warmth.
"Yes, I understand!"
Ron quickly released his soldiers and began searching for Karina. Soon after, reports came in that Karina and her escort had been found in the city center.
"Take me there immediately."
Jeremiah quickened his pace.
***
Karina and Mikhail went into a store selling jam hard. The display case was lined with colorful ice cubes on sticks, arranged by type. Colorful flower petals were frozen together in the translucent ice cubes, showing the inside. At first glance, they looked like gorgeous jewels on display.
"Karina, please choose what you want to eat."
Karina was troubled by the question of what she wanted to eat. She had no idea what would taste good. As a look of worry appeared on Karina's face, Mikhail asked.
"Are you wondering what to eat?"
"Yeah. I've never had it before, so I don't know what to eat."
Karina told the truth. Then Mikhail smiled and went to the store owner and said.
"Please pack each type of jam hard here one by one."
Mikhail scanned the display case with his fingers. Karina, who was listening to him from the side, was startled.
"Are you going to buy each and every one of these?"
"If you're having trouble deciding what to eat because you haven't tried it yet, then just buy everything and try it"
Mikhail made absurd arguments.
"Yes, I understand. I will prepare it right away, so please wait a moment."
The store owner, who had been watching Mikhail's willingness to buy and Karina's bewildered appearance from the beginning, quickly began packing the items as if Mikhail would change his mind. While the store owner was packing the items one by one, Karina looked at Mikhail and asked.
"Can you eat all that?"
"Of course!"
Mikhail answered as if there was no problem at all. Karina's lips curled into a smile. She thought.
'Well, it doesn't matter if Mikhail likes it.'
***
"Eat it quickly before it melts."
"Yes."
Karina and Mikhail walked down the street again, each holding a Jam hard the size of their palms.
Crunch.
As they took a bite, the cold ice cubes filled their mouths and made their heads throbbing. Karina opened her eyes wide at first, but then she winced and frowned.
"Ha ha ha."
Mikhail saw Karina's expression and smiled cheerfully, raising the corners of his eyes.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Karina nodded at Mikhail's question. It was hard but sweet, cool, and delicious. When she rolled the ice cubes in her mouth, she could feel the faint scent of flowers as they melted. Karina started eating the jam hards very eagerly. However, after eating three or four jam hards, her teeth started to feel cold and her mouth started to feel numb. It was getting harder and harder to eat.
However, since she had bought all the different types of jam hard, there were still more than five left. When she looked to the side, Mikhail was already biting into his fifth jam hard as if it wasn't cold at all.
Crunch, crunch.
She could clearly hear Mikhail chewing the ice.
"Michael. Isn't this cold?"
Karina opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
"Are you okay?"
Mikhail quickly devoured a whole jam hard with a look of ignorance on his face.
"There's still a lot. Eat more."
Mikhail put another piece of jam hard in Karina's other hand, which was still holding the half-eaten jam hard. Then he took out another one himself and took a big bite. Karina, who suddenly had jam hard in both hands, gathered her courage again, followed Mikhail, and took a big bite of jam hard.
"Crush!"
As expected. When she bit into the jam hard, her head started to throb and now even her teeth started to tingle.
"Why are you like that?"
Mikhail asked, looking at Karina's expression even though he knew everything.
"It's so cold."
Karina answered, diligently melting the ice cubes in her mouth. His face, looking at Karina, was filled with a mischievous smile.
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