Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 182: Better Than You!

Chapter 182: Better Than You!

The market smelled of crushed leaves and sun-warmed earth, the air thick with the sharp, comforting scent of dried herbs, resin, and oil. Olivia moved through the narrow aisles, touching them and remembering her past day.

Her fingers brushing over bundles of rosemary, jars of crushed myrrh, and stacks of parchment-thin willow bark. Damon followed closely behind, no longer the cold, calculating duke but simply a man beside her, sleeves rolled up, hair falling a little out of place.

"How do you even tell which leaf is good?" he asked, holding up two nearly identical sprigs of thyme.

Olivia glanced at them and smirked. "The one in your right hand is fresh. The other’s been dried too long—it’s lost its oils."

Damon blinked, then handed over the fresher one like a lost child. His eyes wandered to the silent man behind them. If you would not look at him, you would forget he was here.

He did not speak, did not look at them and did not react to anything they did.

"Cyan... can you sort out the herbs with Damon. He did not have enough knowledge." the man nodded and walked to Damon. His hands moved with such precision that Damon wanted to push him out and lock the door.

She let herself laugh, soft and unguarded, the sound lost in the quiet bustle of the market. He watched her like it was the rarest thing in the world. Perhaps Cyan could stay for a longer period.

They ended up with baskets filled with everything she needed: clove buds, echinacea, dried rosehips, crushed yarrow, and rare roots that the northern nobles likely hadn’t seen in years. The old woman who ran the herb stall gave Olivia a respectful nod as they left, eyes lingering on Damon with curiosity, perhaps noting the way his hand brushed Olivia’s back when they walked while glaring at the other man.

Back at the manor, they laid everything out in a sunlit room that had once been a conservatory. The light filtered through stained glass, painting the floor in jewel tones, and for once, Olivia felt she was not running away. She was accepting who she was!

Damon helped her clean the leaves, kneeling beside the basin, sleeves damp, fingertips stained green. He didn’t complain when the sap stuck to his skin, didn’t flinch when she corrected his technique. He simply smiled, content, as though this moment was more valuable than anything he could gain from politics or war.

Cyan stood in the corner and sorted out the herbs separately as she had told him. While she watched Damon with fascination. As if she was meeting this man for the first time.

"You’re surprisingly good at this," Olivia said, watching him strip the stems with careful precision.

"It is because I have a good teacher." he grinned like a child. "And I want a reward from her." the way his gaze lowered on her breast, her cheeks flushed.

Even while working he was thinking about this? But it still raced her heart! She was too emotional that night. But could she accept it again when their relationship was unnamed. What if she got pregnant?

No, she had to make herself a connotation to make sure she would not.

That disarmed her more than any flirtation ever could. She looked away quickly, focusing on grinding the rosehips in her mortar. Her hands trembled slightly.

Damon didn’t press. Instead, he reached over and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then returned to crushing leaves beside her like he hadn’t just unraveled her with a single sentence.

"Your grace.." a man knocked on the door. He looked at her uneasily before going to Damon.

She recognized Theo. The man followed behind Damon closely. And he was guarded against her. She could not blame him.

She noticed how Damon’s face changed.

"You can leave. You have already helped a lot." she smiled but Damon did not leave. He stared at Cyan.

She frowned and repeated. "You are a duke now and they need you." Theo’s eyes widened. No one had ever commanded Damon and with such distaste. He was sure Damon would teach her a lesson but why did his master look like a lost puppy.

"Alright, do not be mad. I will come back as soon as I can." she nodded and waved her hand in a dismissing manner.

Olivia’s body ached with exhaustion as she watched him leaving. But she shook her head. He was a duke. What was she expecting?

"Cyan! Do you want to learn my formula.." she enticed the man now that they were alone. "If you help me, you can have it."

She looked at the rows of neatly labeled jars, the herbs hanging in bundles to dry, and the man beside her with ink on his fingers and stubborn hope in his eyes. She was sure he would give in. but to her shock, he shook his head.

"I am only here to help you as madam commands. Nothing else, lady Olivia." and then he started working again, confusing her.

"Would not getting the formula help you in the long term? You could not always come to me when you needed a solution. I can teach you more than you need. Or we can share information." she enticed but the way his gaze flickered dark and cold unnerved her. Perhaps Damon was right. She did need a guard.

"Even if I learn what you teach me, I could never replicate what you made, my lady. So, it is best that I do not try. Now, what else do I need to do? "He placed the last jar on the shelf and she paused.

"You are a qualified physician. You should not underestimate yourself; perhaps, you can make better connotations than me." he smiled, but something in that smile unnerved her.

"No one can ever heal better than you, my lady. No one can ever destroy better than you too." Now, what should I do next?"

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