Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 19
Cecilia was walking alone.
Along the main boulevard, around corners, through modest streets, and into narrow alleys.
“Hey Miss, what are you doing here, all alone?”
Dark alleys usually harbored unsavory hoodlums, and a young, pretty girl like Cecilia, wandering without an escort, easily caught attention.
“You shouldn’t stay in such places for long; it’s dangerous.”
Fortunately, the young man who approached her seemed more curious than malicious.
“Hey, you can hear me, right?”
Cecilia glanced at his appearance – worn-out rags, worker’s trousers revealing his ankles, and his skin and brown hair grimy with dirt.
“Hey, Dane.”
“Ehh? You know my name?”
“Of course. We’ve met before.”
After losing everything in her previous life, Cecilia had initially been in denial about her reality. It wasn’t the loss of wealth she couldn’t accept, but the betrayal by her family and the lack of support from her relatives.
There must have been some reason… Maybe the Pierce Duchy threatened them? My sister was kind to me…
But it was Caroline who had insisted on sending Cecilia back to the convent.
Wandering in despair, Cecilia had drifted back to the streets where she once lived with her mother as a child.
This back alley of the capital, once home to gypsies and now a secret black market, was where she reconnected with Dane, looking more mature now than how he looked before.
Seeing her being so distraught, he mistook her condition for grief over the permanent goodbye of bereavement.
“What’s with that look in your eyes? You planning to die too? Snap out of it!”
His eyes were earnest, his tone passionate.
“You can’t hold on to the past. Let it go and live honorably!”
Back then, Cecilia hadn’t taken his words to heart, but now they resonated with her. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“You really don’t remember me?”
Dane looked puzzled.
“It’s strange. I don’t recall meeting someone as pretty as you.”
“Really?”
Cecilia touched her lips with her index and middle fingers.
“Still don’t remember?”
“You know the gypsy greeting…”
His eyes widened.
“…Ceci?”
“Yes.”
“Wait— Is that really you, Cecilia?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Is it really you?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable.”
He slapped his forehead.
“I didn’t recognize you at all.”
Cecilia chuckled.
“That’s disappointing.”
“No, I’m sorry. I meant it as a compliment.”
Dane bombarded her with questions, underlying them all with concern.
“You weren’t driven out of your house, were you?”
“No.”
He sighed in relief, patting his chest. Cecilia patted his dirty shoulder casually and got to the point.
“How’s Grandpa doing?”
“Still too vigorous for his own good.”
“I need to ask him for a favor.”
“A favor?”
Cecilia nodded.
“Yes. I need a special potion.”
***
Gilbert Holt, known in the backstreets as ‘Apothecary Gil,’ was renowned for creating potions that were more effective than any sold in the legitimate market, some even potent with a single drop.
“What brings you here?”
As he busied himself with a green liquid in a round bottle, he glanced at Cecilia.
‘He doesn’t recognize me either.’
Cecilia introduced herself.
“I’m Cecilia, if you remember. The gypsy’s daughter who stayed here ten years ago.”
“Ah, that cheeky girl.”
Unlike Dane, his response was nonchalant, reflecting his experience.
“I thought I’d never see you walking these streets again. What brings you here?”
“I need a potion.”
“Couldn’t you just ask your father for it?”
Cecilia curled her lips without saying anything back. Gilbert chuckled knowingly.
“So it seems. Even those from noble houses eat and s**t the same as anyone else. Sometimes they even fight more viciously.”
Gilbert chuckled as he rubbed his philtrum with his thumb, approaching.
“What do you need?”
“Palmasca and its antidote. Do you have them on hand?”
He set down the bottle he was holding. His drooping eyelids widened slightly.
“The antidote too?”
Palmasca was a poison typically used by the upper class. It was not only mild in scent but also its symptoms resembled scarlet fever, making it particularly popular for harming children.
“Yes. I’m sure you always keep stock of your main products’ antidotes.”
