
I love that for them, for me, and for every other reader blessed with this story. Seriously, I am so impressed that this kind of premise - where one woman is superior than the other and men fall in love with that OR the women become enemies out of petty jealousy - has not only allied the 2 female characters with one another, but also made them both leads, developed them in their own ways, AND made them empathise/learn from each other. I live for these kinds of stories!!
(Btw anyone looking for similar female characters and relationships in similar settings, I would recommend 'Ebony' and, to a lesser extent, 'Surviving as the Hero's Wife' and 'Beware of the Villainess!' - all of them are good though)

Although it has the premise of the typical isekai/reincarnation type story, it is so much better than I could have hoped for! I love how the characters are treated with respect and intelligence (what a rarity!) and that it actually has a well thought out plot outside of romance. Speaking of which, you can feel that there's romance in this but the way it's developed is so wonderfully subtle and realistic (that I was honestly in shock). My favourite aspect is probably how excellent the female characterisation is - the commentary on sexism and misogyny, the women supporting each other, and of course our feminist Duke in shining armour (such a refreshing male lead).
Now I don't know what to read next because Ebony has set the bar quite high...

Oh this would make SUCH a good anime...they can have so much fun with Maomao's eccentricities and expressions, and there's great stuff to work with in terms of creating atmosphere with historical mysteries and poison/herb lore. The art too is so nice, I'd love to see it in animation soooo much!!!
Here's a tiny trailer of the other manga version with Maomao and Jinshi's voiceovers to make it all the more tantalising~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZbIf_JUX50

PSA for anyone interested in the web novel version: you can read it at https://creativenovels.com/novel/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto/
The manga right now is just before volume 3 begins, but I'd honestly recommend reading vol.2 for a smooth transition into the story. (Or just from the start for the fun of it!)
This is NOT what I expected a isekai type romance to be, because that's what it was recommended as and seemed like from the synopsis. As a huge fan of historical fantasy, I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised to find this exactly my cup of tea! So far, I'm really impressed by all aspects of the story, from character backgrounds to world building to dialogue. From the look of it, it will be quite a long and complex story, so I hope I get to read it till the end!
H-huh? This is isekai?
Not at all. It just outwardly looks like the premise of many isekai romance fantasies out there. It's also in similar lists/recommendation sections, so that was my initial assumption.
can u recommend some cs u seem to have read some good ones
Tbh I was mostly referring to books/movies/tv (western) regarding historical fantasy because it's not as common in manga/webtoons so it's hard to find good ones.
For example, here's a few that I've enjoyed as much, but they are more towards the isekai or reincarnation fantasy genre:
Ebony
Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter
A Beauty, Fatal Concubine
Your Throne
If you tell me a bit more about what type of read you're looking for I'd be happy recommend more :)