The Queen painstakingly took twenty minutes to prepare herself before she made her way down to the Royal Courtyard. Her ten Royal guards were already assembled, standing at attention as she joined them. She intentionally decided not to tell anyone on the estate about her departure, wanting to ensure that her husband, King Cyndre, wouldn't discover her absence when he eventually arrived at the estate. The incident with Rya was something she wished to keep from him, and her intended destination, the Crown Pharmacy, was to be a closely guarded secret. She feared that any disclosure of this information would undoubtedly lead to unwanted attention and potential leaks.

"Let's go. I want to get there before my husband arrives in Lomar," the Queen said as she got into a servant's carriage. She wanted to go incognito and not have her status known to everyone.

"As you wish, my ladyship. It's about a 30-minute ride from the estate to the Crown Pharmacy. Is there anything else you wish of us, my lady?" Lady Nelumbo asked.

"No, just hurry and take me to the pharmacy. I need to speak with Raiden, and I want you all to stay in the carriage while I speak with him privately," the Queen ordered, and the guards all nodded.

"Very well, my Queen. Hopefully, he doesn't have a fit, so we interrupt him," the Lady guard said.

"I can deal with him if he does," the Queen replied, and she crossed her arms.

"Hahaha, indeed you can, my Queen. We are ready; let's go," Nelumbo said before closing the door to the carriage, which had seven of her guards sitting inside with her.

"Yah!" Lady Nelumbo pulled on the reins of the horse, and the carriage started to roll through the front gate.

'Now, I need to ask Raiden if any poison came out of me. Let's hope this doesn't backfire. The last thing I need is a rumor spreading that I shit myself,' the Queen thought, and she looked at her wrapped panties with worry. They were in her purse, and she hoped that Raiden would give her an answer.

The servant's carriage rumbled through the bustling streets of the city, weaving past people engrossed in their daily activities. Vigilant guards in the carriage kept a watchful eye on the passing buildings while Lady Nelumbo skillfully navigated through the throngs of people, ensuring a smooth journey to their destination.

Arriving at the Crown Pharmacy didn't take too long. The building, a modest two-story brick structure, defied the grandeur implied by its name. However, it was renowned as the go-to destination for the Kingdom's most potent potions and effective remedies. The catch? Affording their goods was no small feat. The pharmacy was exclusive, catering only to those with deep pockets. Walk-ins were a rarity; reservations were the norm. It was a place that demanded wealth and stature, leaving the average noble out in the cold.

The Crown Pharmacy is infamous for offering the most luxurious and exclusive products in the entire kingdom.

"We have arrived, my Queen," Lady Nelumbo stated, and Rianna looked out the window to see they had indeed arrived.

"Pull around to the back of the building," the Queen ordered.

"Are you certain, my ladyship? They will not welcome us if we try to enter that way," Lady Nelumbo said.

"Absolutely! That's an order. I refuse to be disturbed. Plus, we have no idea who from the nobility is present. Just do it," the Queen insisted, leaving Lady Nelumbo with no recourse but to comply.

"Yes, my Queen," Nelumbo agreed. She took the carriage around the back and pulled up to the loading area, where four security guards approached and stopped it.

"For the love of... Halt, what is your business here? We have no deliveries scheduled for today," the guard said.

"We don't have any deliveries, and we need to speak with Raiden. It's an urgent matter," Lady Nelumbo told him.

"Really... You and everyone else, lady. Now, I suggest you leave here before we do something drastic," the guard threatened, and the other guards drew their swords.

Lady Nelumbo was about to say something when she heard the Queen's special knock coming from inside the carriage.

"We'll leave if you speak to my boss," Nelumbo stated.

The guard's voice boomed, "Who the hell are you, and why should we listen to you?" Nelumbo confidently knocked on the carriage door, and it opened slightly.

The guard glanced at Nelumbo, who was seated in the driver's seat, and she gestured to him to take a look inside. Despite his skepticism, he peered into the carriage and was astonished to find the Queen herself sitting within.

"Q-Queen Rian—"

Rianna cut him off with a commanding voice, "Don't speak! And listen..."

"Y-Yes, of course," the guard responded while waiting to hear what the Queen had to say.

"I urgently need to speak with Raiden," the Queen declared.

The guard's eyes widened in panic, "But he's in the middle of brewing an important potion right now."

"I'm calling in a favor, and I will accommodate him... so command your men to stand down and let me see him," the Queen ordered, and the guard had no choice but to obey.

"Alright, my Que—"

"Ahem!" Lady Nelumbo cleared her throat loudly, causing the guard to turn towards her. After a moment, he grasped the significance of her gesture and realized that the information was meant to be kept secret.

"Right, my Lady... They're clear to pass!" the guard said, and the rest of the guards stood at attention and backed off.

"Excellent," Rianna said confidently as she firmly shut the carriage door. With a swift tug on the reins, Nelumbo urged the horses forward, quickly veiling them from the prying eyes of the bustling crowd.

"We'll wait out here," Nelumbo said, and the carriage stopped right outside the building's rear entrance.

"Very good," the guard said, opening the door for the cloaked Queen. "Please come inside, Milady."

"I will. Let's hurry and get this over with. I need to return before nightfall," the Queen said, and she followed the guard inside the building.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

***

Raiden, the renowned figure in the alchemist world, was widely respected for his unparalleled knowledge and expertise. His reputation, however, faced a formidable challenge from Lucas, a mysterious alchemist who emerged two decades prior and had since established himself in the kingdom's capital. Fueled by a relentless drive to outshine his rival, Raiden became somewhat aloof, showing minimal patience for those who dared to disturb him while engrossed in his work.

His reputation for rudeness preceded him, and the Queen dreaded their upcoming meeting. However, she knew it was her only opportunity to uncover the truth about the mysterious mucus.

"This is Master Raiden's work area, my Lady," the guard informed the Queen.

"Alright, thank you. You may go," the Queen said dismissively. The guard hesitated for a moment, torn between duty and the fear of displeasing the Queen, before reluctantly exiting the room.

"Yes, my Lady. I pray to the Goddess that Raiden is in a good mood today," the guard said before leaving the Queen alone.

"I hope so as well," the Queen whispered to herself as she fixed her gaze on the door, mustering up the courage to open it.

In a chaotic room filled with scattered papers and books, Raiden stood, the mastermind behind Crown Pharmacy's success. As he carefully poured a mysterious liquid into a bubbling cauldron, his intense focus and precision revealed the dedicated craftsmanship that made his business one of the most prosperous in the entire kingdom.

As the door swung open, he almost let the instrument slip from his grasp.

"What the hell?! I'm not finished yet. Come back later," Raiden said without even bothering to turn around.

"I can't. I need your assistance," the Queen said with a firm voice.

Raiden's body tensed, and time seemed to stand still as the sound of that voice reached his ears. He recognized it immediately, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips as he carefully set an eyedropper back on his desk.

"Great... Of all the times you decide to show up, it's the worst possible moment. Your timing is terrible, as always," Raiden muttered as he looked at the Queen standing by the entrance to his laboratory.

"Oh shut up, you old bastard. You'll be compensated," the Queen said with a glare.

"Compensation can't hold back that bastard in the capital from overtaking me," Raiden complained.

"So I should go to Lucas' Emporium instead?" the Queen suggested, and she removed her cloak and hung it up.

"N-no... That asshole doesn't know anything about potions," Raiden stated, and he looked back at her.

"Then do me this favor, and I'll consider us even," the Queen demanded.

"Tch... Making a deal with royalty was a mistake," Raiden grumbled as he paced around the lab, clearing a spot for the Queen to settle in.

"Excuse me?" the Queen questioned.

"I'm joking. Please take a seat," Raiden said.

The Queen gracefully made her way over and settled into a rustic wooden chair.

"You know I'm busy. So why are you here? Does the King have a new recipe he wants me to brew?" Raiden asked impatiently.

"No, King Cyndre is still in the capital... This visit is personal, and it shouldn't leave this room," the Queen answered.

Raiden squinted and furrowed his brow, his gaze intense as he processed and absorbed the information.

"Looking for something personal, are you? A secret potion that not even the King can know about?" Raiden inquired with a smile.

"No, and I will have your head if you mention this to anyone. I don't need this information leaving this place for my enemies to use against me, understand," the Queen told him.

Raiden's curiosity was piqued. It was unusual for the Queen to visit this place, and she was known for her directness. Whatever the reason for her visit, it had to be of great significance.

"Fine... My lips are sealed," Raiden said as he locked the door to the laboratory.

"Thank you. I need you to tell me if this substance is harmful to the human body. It appeared in my tea this morning, and I wiped it out with this cloth," Rianna lied.

Raiden's gaze bore into her, and he sensed her deception. Yet, he dared not defy royalty with further inquiry.

"Hand it over, and I will look it over," Raiden requested, and Rianna took the cloth out of her purse and handed it to him.

He arched his eyebrow in a mixture of intrigue and skepticism as his gaze lingered on the peculiar yellowish-brown substances. His eyes then shifted back to meet the steady, unwavering gaze of the Queen.

"Where did this come from?" Raiden asked, and the Queen kept up her royal facade. There was no way in hell she would disclose the events that led her here.

"Like I said, I found it in a teacup. I was about to drink a cup of tea, and this substance was in the tea leaf," the Queen answered.

"I see..." Raiden said as he strode purposefully to another part of his laboratory. The room was filled with glass tubes, each one emptied into a small container.

He carefully placed the piece of fabric, which held a yellowish-brown substance, into the empty container that looked like an Erlenmeyer flask. Then, he picked up a glass beaker filled with a transparent liquid. Slowly and steadily, he poured the liquid into the Erlenmeyer flask until it reached the halfway mark. After ensuring that the amount was just right, Raiden sealed the flask with a snug-fitting rubber stopper.

"Brace yourself," Raiden uttered with a hint of anticipation. The fabric with the yellowish-brown substance was submerged into the clear liquid, causing the once transparent flask to become hazy as the solution reacted to the foreign material.

"What are you doing?" Rianna asked as she witnessed the reaction.

"Testing your sample, my Lady... See here?... The clear liquid has a special attribute that can isolate harmful materials. And once I start boiling it, the liquid will go through these glass tubes, and depending on how quickly the materials cool off will determine what type of chemicals are in this substance. One of those five empty vials over there will separate out the chemical composition, and I can analyze it," Raiden carefully explains the process as he attaches a glass tube to the rubber stopper already in place on the container. He then focuses his mana into a magical instrument resembling a hotplate, causing it to glow with vibrant energy.

Rianna observed that the single tube connected to the flask started to branch out into several smaller tubes, leading into the five vials that Raiden had mentioned earlier.

"Wait, I'm a little confused about how the substances are going to move through the glass tubes. It's hard to imagine how this setup will actually separate out the different chemicals into separate vials," the Queen inquired, watching as the hot plate began to glow and heat up the glass.

"It's simple, my Lady. Poisons tend to retain heat for a little longer than other materials. This is because poisons are more volatile. In this case, I've set the heat source to 100 degrees centigrade, a temperature that is ideal for heating up the poison. Once it reaches a boil, the vapor will rise up and be sucked into the tubes, where it will cool off. And depending on the speed at which it cools off will depend on the separation into the vials," Raiden explained as he carefully adjusted the heat source. "So if there is anything that is poisonous within that substance, then it will be collected in that fourth vial," he added, and he pointed to the vial in question.

"I see. That makes a lot of sense. Well done, Raiden," the Queen praised.

"It's my job, after all," Raiden replied as he watched the vapor rise up from the flask. The Queen was intrigued as she saw the vapor moving from the flask through the tubes until it began to turn into liquid droplets, which were slowly dripping down into the vials.

Rianna nodded and waited patiently as the liquid moved through the tubes.

"What gets collected in the fifth vial?" Rianna asked, and Raiden continued to stare at the flask.

"That will collect sediment..." Raiden answered, but the Queen had a confused expression.

"Sediment?" Rianna asked.

Raiden smiled at the Queen, "It's the leftover solid remains of whatever we place into this device. Solids retain heat for a much longer period than liquids, and it will go in the last vial," he explained.

"Ah... I understand," the Queen remarked, her gaze fixed on the mesmerizing sight of the amber-hued mixture coursing through the glass tubes. The liquid embarked on a captivating transformation, gradually splitting into an array of vibrant hues, each fluid stream flowing at its own unique pace.

"This is truly an exceptional device," the Queen commented, which made Raiden beamed with pride.

"My old mentor taught me how to build it... It needs to be just precise enough for the liquids and gases to separate from each other. If not, you'll have a mess on your hands," Raiden stated.

He was on the verge of boasting about his extraordinary potion-making abilities when the fourth vial began to fill with a strange substance, leaving both of them utterly astonished. This confirmation solidified the presence of poison in the substance. The liquid had taken on a vivid neon yellowish-green hue. If Rya or Quinus had been present, they might have mistaken it for antifreeze.