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Chapter: 18
“Hmm.”
Honestly, when I thought about what he’d done to me on the first day, or the cold attitude he’d shown toward Silvia before, I wanted to just pretend I hadn’t seen anything.
But…
Watching someone suffer from poison made me uncomfortable.
It reminded me of my past life, when I’d died from illness—and of Silvia’s final memory, crying after drinking poison.
Poison is poison, even if it’s on a butterfly’s wings.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I spoke.
“Don’t touch that butterfly. It’s poisonous.”
“…Poison?”
Kedric’s eyes widened. I nodded and added a brief explanation.
“It’s not serious, but you’ll be tormented by itching all over your body for a while.”
If he believes me, he’ll be fine. If not, he’ll suffer for a bit.
I quietly watched to see what Kedric would do.
Given how he’d ignored and disliked Silvia before, I thought he’d probably brush off my words as nonsense.
He might even think I’m lying on purpose to keep him from getting something Eirin likes.
After all, I’d done something similar when I was younger.
A fleeting moment passed, and Kedric made his decision.
“……”
He lowered the hand he’d been reaching toward the butterfly with.
Did he… believe me?
That was unexpected.
As I looked at him with new eyes, Eirin, standing beside us, let out a sigh of relief and clutched her chest.
“Thank goodness you knew that, Sister!”
After that, our walk ended earlier than planned.
Kedric had matters to attend to, and Eirin said she had a tea party to go to in the afternoon.
“I’m the only one with no plans.”
A familiar negative feeling from my past life crept in—like I was someone unnecessary in this world.
“No.”
I shook my head, trying to push the emotion away.
“I have things to do too.”
As I walked back to the west wing, I thought about what I’d planned to do today.
I’ve already met Teb, so I should process the sugram grass.
My mana was already accumulating quickly, and if I added processed sugram grass—which doubled the speed…
I’ll probably awaken before long.
Smiling to myself, I rubbed the area near my solar plexus where my mana gathered.
When I entered my room, Bell was waiting for me for some reason.
“Miss! The butler came by earlier!”
“The butler?”
Is she talking about the one who came to escort me to the duke’s office this morning?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Bell continued with a bright smile.
“He said your room in the main building has been kept clean, so you can move back right away!”
“…The main building?”
“Yes! Since your confinement is over, he said there’s no reason for you to stay in the west wing anymore.”
That made sense.
I’d moved to the west wing for confinement, so if it was over, returning to my original room was only natural.
The main building…
I recalled the room where I’d first opened my eyes in Silvia’s body—larger and more ornate than this one, with several adjoining rooms.
But…
I shook my head.
“Tell the butler I’ll keep staying here.”
“…Here?”
“Yeah. I’m used to it, and it’s comfortable.”
Bell hesitated, clearly unable to understand my firm decision.
Staying in the west wing—which was practically proof of having fallen out of the duke’s favor—rather than the main building where the duke’s direct family lived must have seemed strange to her.
“I’ve grown attached to this place over the past month. The west wing suits me.”
That place is inconvenient in so many ways.
Too many eyes watching, fewer chances to move freely, and too many people I’d rather not run into.
As I shrugged and added that, Bell nodded and said she’d pass the message along.
“I understand, Miss…”
Seeing Bell look a little downcast, I asked casually.
“Bell, are the herbs we bought yesterday in the storage room?”
“Yes. I’ve stored them carefully so they won’t spoil.”
“Can you bring them here? The sugram grass, and…”
I listed the materials needed to make processed sugram grass.
Bell nodded eagerly, then left the room saying she’d be right back.
“Whew…”
Even though the sun hadn’t reached its peak yet, I felt strangely tired. I closed my eyes and waited quietly.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, I’ve brought everything you asked for!”
“Good.”
Together, Bell and I neatly laid the ingredients out on the table. As soon as everything was ready, I began mixing the herbs according to the processing method stored in my memory.
Bell watched for a while before asking carefully,
“May I help?”
“Hm?”
“I want to be of help to you, Miss.”
She wants to help…
I stopped my busy hands and turned to her.
Bell was looking at me nervously.
“I won’t get in the way! I just… I really want to help you somehow.”
She truly seemed sincere—not out of fear, nor with any hidden motive.
Just a month ago, she’d trembled whenever she saw me, but now she was completely different.
For some reason, my chest felt faintly ticklish.
“Of course I’d appreciate it.”
Bell’s face lit up.
“I’ll show you how. First, stretch the sugram grass out long like this…”
She listened intently.
“…Got it?”
“Yes! Can I try?”
I stepped aside for her. Bell handled the herbs exactly as I’d instructed.
“You’re good at this.”
“Hehe.”
She smiled shyly but kept working.
Before long, a piece of processed sugram grass took shape in her hands.
“Is this right?”
“Yeah. You’re quick to understand and really dexterous. You might even be better than me.”
“Oh—no, I’m not.”
Despite her words, she clearly enjoyed the praise and immediately started working on another batch.
Thanks to Bell’s help, we finished much faster than expected.
Of course, there’s still plenty of sugram grass left in storage…
It was far more than could be done in a single day.
Deciding to work on it little by little, I set the herbs by the window to dry properly.
“But Miss, what are you going to use that herb for? Are you feeling unwell?”
I shook my head at her worried question.
“No, but I need it right now.”
“I’m glad you’re not sick.”
“Bell, will you promise not to tell anyone else how to make this?”
Even though I was asking her to keep it secret without explaining much, Bell nodded without hesitation.
“Of course, Miss. I never talk about anything that happens while serving you. I was taught that the most important thing for a personal maid is a tight-lipped mouth.”
“Thank you. I actually learned this method from someone else—and they asked me to keep it secret.”
It was a convenient lie.
Processed sugram grass isn’t supposed to be discovered for another four years.
Using it quietly by myself and letting it spread to others were completely different matters.
If it became public, the person who originally discovered this method would lose their achievement.
I intended to use my knowledge of the future carefully—but I didn’t want to steal someone else’s glory.
That’s why I don’t plan on selling it either.
If I did sell processed sugram grass, my independence fund would be solved instantly.
Even in the future, it was an item powerful enough to turn the world upside down.
If I monopolized it now… I’d become rich overnight.
But I’d set my own rules for using future knowledge, and profiting from this crossed that line.
So I’ll have to make money another way.
It was about time I seriously started thinking about my independence funds.
Once Teb’s situation is settled, I’ll figure something out.
***
A week had passed since our trip to Potrum Street.
During that time, I’d been focused on two things.
One was processing the large quantity of sugram grass I’d bought from the herb shop.
And the other…
“Is it good? Want some more?”
“No! …I mean, no. If I eat any more, my stomach will burst… sir.”
“More? Got it. Bell! Bring another whole cake!”
It was fattening up the stray cat I’d picked up off the street—no, Teb.
“Eat lots. You need to grow big and strong.”
Teb, who had once been so skinny his bones showed, had gained a noticeable amount of weight over the past week.
The combination of balanced meals prepared by the chef and Teb’s monstrous appetite worked wonders.
He cleared more than five plates per meal, enjoyed high-calorie snacks with me during afternoon tea, and even ate spicy meat dishes as late-night snacks.
At this point, it would’ve been strange if he hadn’t gained weight.
As I looked at Teb—now similar in build to boys his age—he frowned and asked,
“Why aren’t you eating… sir?”
His awkward honorifics were the result of Bell’s etiquette training since the day he entered the mansion.
With five younger siblings, Bell was practically a professional when it came to teaching children. After a week of relentless correction, Teb’s rude way of speaking had been halfway polished.
He still blurted things out casually and awkwardly tacked on “sir” afterward, but compared to before, it was like night and day.
“I got distracted watching you eat.”
“Why—why are you watching someone eat?!”
Flustered, Teb’s face turned red, and he forgot the honorific entirely as he shouted.
I smiled lazily.
“Because you eat so happily. You’d probably be famous if you did mukbang.”
“Mukbang?”
“Yeah. It’s when people watch you eat deliciously.”
“Why would anyone want to watch me eat?”
I couldn’t exactly say That’s a thing in another world and it’s insanely popular, so I just smiled without answering.
I ignored the strange look Teb gave me.
“Here you go, Miss.”
Bell set the large cake on the table and shot Teb a sharp look.
She’d definitely heard our conversation.
Her eyes screamed, Use honorifics with the Miss!
Teb’s awkward politeness immediately returned.
“Stop watching other people eat and eat this too… sir.”
He cut the cake Bell had brought, placed a slice on a plate, and slid it toward me.
Teb’s words and actions rarely matched.
He snaps with his mouth, but his expressions and actions say the opposite.
Did he think I wouldn’t notice?
