Wicked Husband-Chapter 174 - 173

Eileen had not expected Ornella’s presence at all. Shocked, she froze for a moment before finally calling out to her.

"...Lady Ornella."

Upon hearing her name, Ornella narrowed her eyes and let out a soft laugh. Unlike her usual composed demeanor, she seemed unconcerned by the presence of others, behaving as though it were just the two of them.

Eileen’s gaze slowly drifted over Ornella’s shoulder. The temple priests stood there, watching them with kindly smiles. Though they were all different individuals, their identical expressions gave off an oddly unsettling vibe.

Each of them regarded Ornella with unmistakable favor. It was no surprise, given the Farbellini family’s regular generous donations to the temple.

In that moment, Eileen understood why Ornella had not accompanied Leon to the Grand Duke’s residence. While the exact orchestrator of this situation remained unclear, one thing was certain:

Just like Ornella, Leon harbored disdain for Eileen. Otherwise, he would never have allowed such a situation to unfold.

Eileen tightened her grip on the pocket watch in her hand. She was well aware that she was not a natural fit for her position as Grand Duchess, that she had no rightful claim to it.

She had expected some to view her unfavorably, but the realization that Leon—of all people—was one of them stung. She had quietly admired his warmth and kindness, and this hurt more than she cared to admit.

To Leon, Eileen must have seemed like an impurity clinging to his perfect younger brother.

’It can’t be helped. It’s all because I’m lacking.’

While she might never win Leon’s approval, Eileen resolved to at least try to ease his displeasure.

And if possible, she hoped to foster a cordial relationship with Ornella. After all, their paths would inevitably continue to cross.

’Though it’s likely to be very difficult...’

With those thoughts, Eileen tucked the now lukewarm pocket watch back into her pocket and met Ornella’s gaze.

Standing with the priests behind her, Ornella leaned closer to Eileen and whispered, "Since you’re here, I might as well teach you a few things, don’t you think? I assume this is your first time inside the temple." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Without waiting for a response, Ornella seized Eileen’s wrist. Startled by the sudden touch, Eileen flinched but refrained from pulling away, allowing herself to be led.

Ornella guided Eileen toward the altar. The marble surface was adorned with fresh flowers, much like what Eileen had seen at the hunting festival. However, instead of stacking cedarwood directly on the altar, censers were arranged around it.

A priest standing by the altar greeted them with a courteous bow. As if on cue, other priests approached, eager to address Eileen.

"We never expected the Grand Duchess of Erzet to grace our temple."

"The Grand Duke will surely recover soon, so please don’t worry too much. The gods will hear your prayers."

Ornella, smiling brightly as she listened, seized the moment to interject.

"The Grand Duchess hadn’t visited the temple before because she didn’t understand the will of the gods, but that will no longer be the case."

With a playful shake of Eileen’s still-captured wrist, Ornella emphasized her words.

Though Eileen said nothing, the priests responded as if she had agreed, offering their thanks to Ornella.

"Lady Farbellini always guides the lost back to the right path. We are forever grateful."

"What great deeds have I done? It’s all thanks to the prayers of you priests," Ornella replied humbly.

She had clearly implied to the priests that she was the reason Eileen, an atheist, had come to the temple. It wasn’t entirely untrue; without Ornella’s interference, Eileen would not have been here.

Ornella handed Eileen a flower. As Eileen stared at it, she noticed it was a bisexual flower, containing both male and female parts.

"You place it here, kneel, and then pray..." Ornella said, tilting her head toward the altar as if remembering something.

"You mentioned before that you were giving away ’Aspiria’ for free."

Eileen froze, still holding the flower, as Ornella brought up a topic she thought had long been settled.

"I was thinking—why not donate it through the temple? If you’re only giving it to nobles, it doesn’t look good, does it? You could distribute it to the general populace too."

Ornella shrugged, as if making a lighthearted suggestion.

"You didn’t make the medicine to make money, did you? Especially since it’s the Grand Duke’s household we’re talking about."

The priests lit up with enthusiasm at Ornella’s idea, praising it as a wonderful opportunity to strengthen ties between the temple and the Grand Duke’s household. The atmosphere grew heavy with expectation, making it difficult for Eileen to refuse, but she answered firmly.

"I’d like to, but it’s simply not feasible."

The priests looked surprised at Eileen’s resolute response, as she had been quietly acquiescing until now.

Eileen lowered her trembling hands to hide their shaking, maintaining a steady expression despite the fierce pounding of her heart.

But the truth was the truth.

"We’ve already reached the production limit. If we try to increase it any further, the quality will drop. And distributing it through the temple for free would be unfair to those who have already purchased it."

Contrary to Eileen’s expectations, Ornella didn’t mock her or respond with sarcasm. Instead, she nodded as though she had been waiting for that answer.

"Exactly," Ornella agreed, lifting Eileen’s hand to emphasize her next words. The trembling flower in Eileen’s hand was now fully visible.

"That’s why I’m planning to distribute a medicine similar to ’Aspiria’ through the temple, to the people of the empire."

With that, Ornella guided Eileen’s hand to place the flower on the altar.

"Here, place it there," she instructed.

Eileen complied, and after offering the flower, she asked cautiously, "A similar medicine...?"

"Yes, as I mentioned before. It’s derived from willow tree extracts."

"..."

"I gathered the finest pharmacists in the empire to develop it. They’re all graduates of prestigious pharmaceutical schools and have years of experience in medicine. Honestly, it might even be better than ’Aspiria.’"

Eileen stared at Ornella in silence. She had expected similar medicines to emerge eventually, given ’Aspiria’’s immense popularity, but she hadn’t anticipated Ornella to be the one behind it.

Her concern deepened.

The timing didn’t add up. A month ago, during the hunting festival, Eileen had only shared that Aspiria was derived from willow trees—not the full formula.

Yet Ornella claimed to have developed a competing medicine in such a short time. It seemed more likely that pharmacists, under pressure from the Farbellini family, had hastily created a medicine by adding salicylic acid to existing painkillers.

The thought of an untested drug being distributed to the general populace was alarming.

"Were proper clinical trials conducted?" Eileen asked, focusing on the most critical issue.

Ornella waved dismissively, as if the question were absurd.

"That’s not my job. I’m just the one giving the orders—from the top down."

Her cavalier attitude left no room for further questioning.

What should I do?

Eileen thought desperately. If the untested medicine caused harm, it would not only endanger people but also tarnish Aspiria’s reputation.

’I can’t let this happen.’

After a moment of rapid thinking, she opened her mouth and asked, "Lady Ornella, last time you mentioned that Aspiria didn’t work for you. Have you found a painkiller that does?"

Ornella raised her eyebrows at the unexpected question.

***

Thank you