MDRH 42

Chapter 42

[I can hear the voices of plants…!]

‘…What?!’

Lucillea was so shocked that she squirmed in her chair.
She almost screamed and jumped to her feet.

Cookie, clearly satisfied with her reaction, puffed himself up and spoke proudly.

[I’m telling you! Their pitiful cries—like “I’m thirsty! I don’t have enough sunlight! Some nasty bug is chewing on me!”—only I, the great Cookie, can hear them!]

What do you think? Amazing, right? Isn’t it mind-blowing?! Doesn’t it make me even more lovable?! It does, doesn’t it?!

Seeing the boastful parrot, Lucillea kept nodding enthusiastically.

‘Yeah, I admit it. This one I have to admit!’

It was worth boasting about.

If what Cookie said was true, it would be a huge help in cultivating herbs.

Lucillea’s eyes gleamed again with the desire called greed.

Cookie, catching her expression change, lifted his head proudly and demanded:

[So from now on, treat me well. Give me lots of chicken breast, peel my fruit for me, and you’ve got to adore me more than that rude successor!! Got it?!]

“Pfft.” Lucillea laughed in disbelief and pressed the boastful parrot’s head with her fingertips.

‘You’re spoiled enough already, and your greed is shooting for the sky.’

[Hehehe, I was joking!]

You know that, right? Cookie rubbed his cheek against Lucillea’s finger.

‘Of course, I know.’

She hadn’t known he had this kind of ability too.

Even after all this time together, there were still things she didn’t know about Cookie.

Lucillea stroked his head fondly.

‘Perfect. With the Grand Duke’s plentiful support and Cookie’s amazing ability, I don’t have to worry about herb cultivation anymore, right?’

[Of course! Just leave it all to me!]

‘Alright!’

Feeling reassured, Lucillea continued.

‘Let’s see… I’ll leave the herbs to you, Cookie. As for alchemy, I’ll try to learn it myself.’

Once she got used to alchemy, she’d try making potions. If those potions reached a level good enough to sell, she could start earning money that way.

Until then, at least she could sell the herbs Cookie helped her grow.

Lucillea turned to the book on herb cultivation first.

[Yaaawn—. Don’t forget me when you head back.]

Having talked his fill, Cookie perched on the sunny windowsill and gave a long yawn. He was getting sleepy.

‘Right, you’ll need to recharge if you want to chatter again later. Don’t worry, rest well, Cookie.’

[Okaaay…….]

Lucillea glanced at the dozing Cookie, then lowered her eyes back to the book.

How much time passed?

Thwack—. She flipped the final page of the book she was reading and closed it.

Stretching, she tilted her head left and right to loosen her stiff muscles.

‘So there really is such a thing as a stamina recovery potion.’

The book on herb cultivation had been very interesting.

Thanks to Briola, she already knew most of the herbs, so she had little trouble understanding the content.

It also explained in detail which herbs enhanced each other’s effects when combined.

Especially valuable was the information that the herbs required for the most popular and expensive potion—the “Stamina Recovery Potion”—were themselves sold at high prices.

‘I’ve decided. The first herb I’ll plant in my garden!’

Crimson Tear, with petals as red as blood drops, and Lumina!

Lumina eased pain, while Crimson Tear accelerated wound healing—together they were the key ingredients for the stamina recovery potion.

‘That potion is practically essential for knights. It’ll sell well.’

Not just knights—mages also got injured during training and on the battlefield.

‘So basically, it’s a necessity.’

The demand was guaranteed.

‘Now the problem is alchemy…’

Alchemy wasn’t something one could master just by reading a few books.

‘Besides, what the Grand Duke’s family wants from me isn’t an alchemist, but a mage who can unleash powerful magic.’

They had invested in Lucillea’s “ability.”

They expected her to become a well-honed blade, wielding great power for the Grand Duke’s family someday.

So what would they think if she suddenly declared she’d rather grow herbs and brew potions? Would they support her so easily?

Of course, alchemists weren’t a common profession either.

The issue was simply that it wasn’t what the Grand Duke’s family expected of her.

‘Ughhh!’

Lucillea stretched her stiff body.

‘Why do all my joints ache…’

As she stretched, she glanced out the library window—and froze.

‘Oh my gosh! It’s nighttime?!’

Checking the clock, she saw it was nearly midnight.

The last time Mei had come to check on her had been around nine. Had time passed so quickly?

Mei had kept visiting, worried that Lucillea was skipping meals while buried in books.

Each time, Lucillea replied, “Just a little longer.”

When Mei came at nine, she even told her to rest first, promising she’d go to bed soon.

If Mei found out she’d stayed in the library until midnight, the nagging would be endless.

Hurriedly stacking the books she had read, Lucillea woke Cookie.

‘Cookie, Cookie! Wake up!’

Cookie, deep asleep as if nothing could wake him, cracked open his eyes and mumbled:

[Pee… peeled… give me peeled… soft and tender inside, hehe…]

‘…’

Lucillea stared blankly at him, half amused, half exasperated.

So this bird even dreamed about food.

With a blissful look on his face, Cookie opened his beak wide in the air.

The sight was so vivid that Lucillea couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘His appetite really is unmatched.’

Taking Cookie with her, she left the library.

Through the corridor windows, the dark night sky spread out before her eyes.

[Luucyyy… I’m hungry…]

Didn’t you say you wouldn’t starve me anymore…

Cookie mumbled sleepily.

Hearing that he was hungry made Lucillea’s stomach rumble too.

But it was well past the scheduled meal time—nearly midnight already.

‘I can’t wake Mei when she’s probably asleep…’

With that thought, Lucillea trudged down the corridor toward the west annex.

And the moment she entered—

‘Huh?’

What’s that smell?

Sniff, sniff-sniff. Lucillea wrinkled her nose at the air.

Though the household staff should all have gone to bed by now, a mouthwatering scent was wafting from somewhere.

Sniff.

Sniff-sniff.

Drawn in, Lucillea followed the aroma and ended up at the annex dining hall.

The hall itself was, of course, dark. Yet the delicious smell was unmistakable.

Looking around, she noticed a faint light seeping out from the crack of the closed kitchen door.

And voices, whispering softly.

“Is this salt?”

“Maybe it’s sugar? We’ll know if we taste it.”

Someone’s in there? Could it be staff staying late to prepare tomorrow’s meals?

Maybe she could score a snack? Excited by the thought, Lucillea moved toward the kitchen.

The voices inside grew clearer.

“Hope it tastes good. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“She eats everything.”

Huh? They sound young.

The voices were unmistakably those of boys—too young, still before their voices had broken. Definitely not the kitchen staff.

“Ah, don’t put in carrots. She doesn’t like carrots.”

“Just now you said she eats everything.”

“…It just came to me.”

“But even her picky eating is cute. Anything else Lucillea doesn’t eat?”

“For now.”

“‘For now’? You don’t really know, do you?”

At that moment—

‘Wait, what?!’ Lucillea’s eyebrows shot up.

‘They just said my name?!’

Unable to stop herself, Lucillea pushed the kitchen door open wide.