The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 9 (Light Novel)

“Are you sure?” A smile flitted across Maomao’s face, and she slowly pulled her hands away. Except they didn’t leave his cheeks. Jinshi held them there. “Please let me go, sir,” she said.
“Don’t want to.”

She discovered, though, that there was something else behind her boiling anger. Her hands went to Jinshi’s cheek. “You’re only human, Master Jinshi. You’re not some mythical immortal who can save everyone.” She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. “You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human.”

“Pain, pain, go away,” Maomao said, recalling a rhyme her older sister Pairin had often used on her. She kissed the reddened cheek ever so gently. Her lips were colder than her fingertips, and made the cheek feel that much hotter.

She was alone with Jinshi. That wasn’t so strange; she was going to have to look at his burn later, but she wanted to do it before her mood changed.

Chapter 2: The Villa

The messenger didn’t take her to Jinshi’s usual palace, but to a villa outside the court proper.
How many villas does the Emperor have?
Admittedly, it was probably easier to get Maomao into a place like this, given all the stuff she was bringing. Just here in the capital, the Emperor had another villa, the one where Ah-Duo lived. Nobility like him could probably construct a new building or two just to kill some time.
The guard was lighter than usual, and Maomao was brought to a room where Jinshi, Suiren, and Gaoshun all waited.
Not Basen? she wondered, but then she realized this was His Majesty’s doing. Basen was smart enough, but he was stubborn. Gaoshun was much more likely to keep his thoughts to himself if she and Jinshi ended up alone together. He might guess something he wasn’t supposed to know, but he wouldn’t pursue it.
And what’s the old lady think of this?
Suiren was smiling like she always did, but her smile could be frightening—precisely because Maomao didn’t always know what was behind it.
There seemed to be someone else there too. Maomao could hear the clattering of dishes from within. Had they found someone who could endure Jinshi’s beauty and Suiren’s severity?
“Is there anything you need, Xiaomao?” Gaoshun asked.
“No, thank you.” She’d prepared all her tools herself, along with most of the medical components she might need. She thought it would be best not to give Gaoshun too many clues as to what she would be using. Then

“I can’t say I enjoy being used. However—” Here she lowered her voice so that only Jinshi could hear. “Half-assed attempts at being nice are a far greater nuisance. I’d much rather be a useful tool than a meaningless burden. Your hesitation is the country’s hesitation, and a moment’s indecision on your part could mean the deaths of tens of thousands of your subjects. I know you’ll only regret that. So you might as well pick a path and throw yourself headlong down it.”

“Just see that you’re more accommodating than that to the Moon Prince,” Lahan said,

“Pain, pain, go away,” Maomao said, recalling a rhyme her older sister Pairin had often used on her. She kissed the reddened cheek ever so gently. Her lips were colder than her fingertips, and made the cheek feel that much hotter.

“Not even then. My mother-in-law is giving me the hurry-up about the second one, so I have to use my most transcendent techniques.”

Maybe if I could pick a part of Jinshi’s body where it wouldn’t stand out...

The buttocks, perhaps. She tugged idly at Jinshi’s trousers.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”

Guess I can’t tell him I was trying to get a look at his rump.