Chue

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This article contains heavy spoilers from the Light Novel. Scroll & Read at your own risk!

Chue

Light Novel

Japanese

雀 (チュエ)

Rōmaji

Chue

Pinyin

Què

Alias

Beghura

Original Name

Beghura (ベグラ, Begura^?) (Birth name)
Maachue (麻雀 (マーチュエ) , Māchue^?) (Linese)

Physical Characteristics

Gender

Female

Age

~22 years old (Debut)

Personal Information

Status

Alive

Affiliation

Country of Li

Occupation

Lady-in-waiting (Jinshi)

Clan

Mi Clan

Relationships

Familial

Baryou (Husband)
Unnamed son
Unnamed mother
Unnamed father^†
Shikyou (Older half-brother)
Feilong (Older half-brother)
Yinxing (Older half-sister)
Hulan (Younger half-brother)
Gaoshun (Father-in-law)
Taomei (Mother-in-law)
Maamei (Sister-in-law)
Bakin (Brother-in-Law)
Basen (Brother-in-law)

Debut

Web Novel

Chapter ??

Light Novel

Volume 9: Chapter 2

“	Maomao-san, Chue-san will lend you the sheer nightgown that seduced her husband, so please succeed at your next attempt.	”
–Chue, Web Novel

Chue (雀 (チュエ) , Chue^?) is a member of the Mi clan and a lady-in-waiting of Jinshi. She is a secondary character in The Apothecary Diaries.

Appearance[]

Chue is a short young woman with tanned skin, a low nose, long lighter brown hair and small purple eyes, resembling a sparrow.^[1] She has ears which are described as lovely by Rikuson.^[2]

In her usual appearance, her eyes are bordered by a small amount of red eyeliner, her hair is tied back with a red piece of fabric, and her messy bangs frame her face. She wears an orange robe and earrings.

In her disguise as a lady-in-waiting within the Western Capital administrative office, Chue changed her hair color and size of her eyes.^[3]

In her disguise as a lady biaoshi, Chue resembled a woman in her thirties with perfect posture, suntanned skin, a sharp gaze, and a low clear voice.^[4]

Personality[]

As a spy, Chue's personality changes based on the persona she uses. Normally, she is quite cheerful and energetic, almost hyperactive, and speaks quite casually. Her strong but friendly nature lets her easily get on good terms with people she meets almost immediately.

Due to being abandoned at a young age by her mother, Chue sought to know what value she had. After Vice Minister Lu explained that her use was simply as part of a cover, she decided to prove that she was more valuable than her mother, who thought her valueless. To that end, she tries her utmost best to complete her missions and be helpful to others, including in fulfilling her marriage to Baryou and doing everything she could to prioritize Maomao's safety in the Western Province.^[5]

Abilities[]

Intelligence: Chue lears fast and can devise long-term plans. For example, she drew out bandits and uncovered the guide that colluded with them by arranging for Maomao to wear a specific cloak so bandits would target their group instead of Lahan's Older Brother's.^[6]

Languages: Chue is fluent in Linese, Shaohnese, her native language, and several others.

Magic: Chue learned how to perform magic tricks as a child. Her sleight of hand allows flags and doves to appear out of nowhere.

Disguise: Chue can change her appearance via makeup and behavior to be as unrecognizable as possible.

Diligence: Chue works hard, first to earn enough money to feed herself, and later to prove she had greater value what her mother thought she had.

Background[]

The daughter of a prosperous merchant and a Shaohnese widow, Chue was born as Beghura, in a nation further west of Shaoh. She had a happy childhood until the age of three, when her mother suddenly disappeared. Her father frantically searched for her to no avail, until he found a lead to the Country of Li. He set off, never to come back. Now effectively orphaned and destitute, after her father's assets were stolen by relatives, Beghura sought asylum at the church. She convinced a missionary who planned on traveling east to let her join him, enduring all sorts of hardship on the way.^[7]

One year later, the missionary's group reached Li. Beghura changed her name to a Linese-sounding Maachue and left the missionary to travel to the Western Capital alone. After living on the streets for a while, she gained a lead on her mother, who was seen at the biggest house of the capital. She found her outside the house, accompanied by four children. When one of the children noticed the dirty-looking Chue, her mother simply glanced at her, with no sign of recognition.

Later that night, Chue sneaked into the house to find her mother, only to be caught by another man. On hearing Chue explain that she was truly her mother's daughter, the man revealed that her mother was in fact a Linese spy undercover in a foreign country, so she married and had a child for her cover. When her mission was over, she abandoned her temporary family and returned to Li. To show she was more valuable than part of a cover, Chue demonstrated her fluency in languages, as well as skills she had learned while traveling. Recognizing the child's potential, the man then decided to raise her as his successor within the Mi Clan.^[7]

Chue's master, Vice Minister Lu,^[5] took her to the Royal Capital and arranged her marriage with Baryou of the Ma clan. Though Chue scared Baryou at first, their relationship improved in time. She also gave birth to a son, who would be raised by her sister-in-law and mother-in-law.^[8]

At some point, Chue began serving the Moon Prince as a lady-in-waiting, joining his expedition to the Western Capital. She later accompanied Maomao as poison tasters at the banquet in Anan and the next day while searching for the quack doctor.

Trivia[]

Her name means "sparrow."
She usually refers to herself in third person, as Miss Chue (雀さん, Chue-san^?).
Her rapport with Maomao often goes like this:
- Chue: "Miss Maomao, Miss Maomao."
- Maomao: "Miss Chue, Miss Chue" or "What is it, Miss Chue?"