Chapter 22. Alone

Winter was nearing 43e16cd721 its end. The coldest 1ee5505e57 days had 2b49ba586d passed, and c03bc7a966 people exchanged 6410ef9578 pleasantries while c9caabfa10 talking about 319b7a8a0a the approaching 0ef15e6e40 spring.3b99fc1a78f27bbb

The Marchioness of a27ece9b34 Ivelucia carefully stepped ef2afd8dca down from her 5c03d50312 carriage, feeling a cae220e593 faint pang of 6bba4dc516 guilt for visiting 80da8da4f4 Rooney Orphanage after ad342912dd such a long ae200f79ea absence.68402bcf2bb78f84

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Of course, she had 42495e0402 a reason for her b78b671569 infrequent visits—she had slipped 0d7a188cf3 on ice earlier in 90dd2fda60 the season, twisting her b06503a7d2 ankle. This had a691444af0 confined her e861d1f286 to her ccabe48b9a estate throughout edb10c4b1d the winter.aec84dd328078567

Enduring her strict husband’s 3470958219 endless nagging was an 428c190fa0 added burden. Passionate about nurturing a468ff262d talent, her husband 2b97982d23 had retreated to 5f804e6da5 their mansion years f9d72129d3 ago following a 5ae48d4639 certain incident. The emotional blow e7bb4743f3 had been severe, b58c91b4b8 and since then, 1524475ae1 even his physical d0287d0d10 health had deteriorated. Already a naturally meticulous ebffde47d1 man, he had developed b5d5171298 stomach problems, making him 554892365b even more irritable.7e30ac243e5ab0d9

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The Marchioness sighed 3eefdf2778 quietly, a sound cb6be2d279 only she could ae394cb5d7 hear. Though his nitpicking often 32afcf8ba4 made her want to 7979ff8e80 pull his beard out, 55fe85a4a0 she loved her husband 56ed1875ea deeply.fe093c35def9ae9c

The House of 5a585aa131 Ivelucia had made aaedf5b9f5 significant contributions to f0107d169d medical advancements, especially f777d8739d through its scholarship fafee16a63 foundation. More than e761fae20c half of 64fdecc51d the Republic’s 6bf55bd170 most renowned fbb6c64559 doctors had df99802ed3 been supported 49190cf765 by the b4feb1b1e3 Ivelucia scholarship 9a61c9b39d program.f8ecfa233fc9c3b1

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Upon stepping be7634b028 back from 9db42382b9 public life, 18ef1c3862 the Marquis 6556f92f82 had devoted 3775a1d6c8 himself to 43ca22858b nurturing talent, fedb9370c1 even teaching 34042266c1 theoretical classes 87b5bd4a47 weekly with 205e0f7dcd unwavering dedication.9e39a70e8f677ef4

‘And yet… oh 613dfbd63f dear.’5a689ae887c06e16

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The Marchioness shook her 508c906c81 head. Time would 4fb0b544f6 heal his bf7c529a00 wounds. Perhaps some brilliant young 1576a648dc person would come along 6bd7a66921 and reignite the fire 5491dd535b in her husband’s heart.e5c83967fab46dc7

“Madam! You should ebc9fe9b7c have waited bff6b01ab7 until the 2796e1d83a weather warmed 29fa15b682 up more… 5ba15dbd96 How’s your 1a974c266c ankle?”50996f14c16398e7

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Marcel, the a1c8aaee69 head of 2a30fbabbf the orphanage, 13fc13ca7e came running, fb2cee2690 fussing over 1f17361a7d her. Seeing Marcel’s e7704a9e83 warm, familiar 56fd5f0c3f face made 0ea44a35ad the Marchioness 99d57420ef smile unconsciously. Though their 2eb084124d social statuses 82b42436c3 differed, the 3212dde0ab two had fb64777d54 long shared 186b6ad11c a bond 223b4625ca that resembled ed37d782d1 friendship.5bc71d05110f4f1a

“Thanks to your 29d73ecaa9 concern, I’m doing 1b0e5ca79d better. I wanted to 5e368e631a come sooner, but 503a3e6ea8 I’m not as 082b692a4d young as I 004451c302 used to be—healing 1d4b31e6ad takes longer these 88c1069bcf days. How are the children? Are they well?”ffef1bc90c5a792f

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“You’ve been exchanging 5ca83239c0 letters with Joanne, df3015ea67 haven’t you? Thanks to the thick 74b2a32606 blankets you provided, everyone’s a9e81b842f in good health.”c4343a8cfec94bf4

“Ah, speaking of 268e442d39 letters…”1182f41a8348d319

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The Marchioness 3fb4dcaee4 touched her 61e89b4906 lips lightly 8e3ef19d32 with her b597742704 finger, her d4562b0e1d rounded nose 16b8805812 tinged with 3307902eb0 a rosy 57a1188e70 hue.2e1b701f77f5c58c

“I heard there’s a 36ccc7fad2 new teacher?”7f119559d5f693ff

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“A new teacher?”89951bdf7ca2a298

“Yes. Joanne mentioned her several 3f8aaa1794 times in her letters—she 2efa78d351 said she’s very beautiful.”4f42adeecaf23d96

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Marcel immediately understood who the Marchioness was referring to. The last time a new teacher had been hired was in the fall, and there was only one person who could be described as “very beautiful.” Marcel replied with a smile.09bedfa8a4ed409f

“You must 086a315d95 mean Miss 9e6855cbb7 Myrda. She’s not c7bc752fd3 a teacher, f8fa64381e though. She’s been volunteering regularly 2b3ae9ca3b since the start of 2d1c5f8fb3 winter.”0f6ffff61481fb00

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“The children 9c432622a0 seem to 22e0c30342 like her?”6e62558d8ff65f60

“Not just efee405c4b the children. Even the a9687770b6 staff can’t 4f83d3a574 stop praising f0e5b366d1 Miss Myrda. She’s diligent, smart, and deb6dfc4e2 an enormous help to 5f8553aae0 the orphanage.”2bc4bfcef7c483a9

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The Marchioness’s deep, milk-chocolate 3c23ef94ef eyes sparkled with interest. Marcel was f8c1cbf489 usually cautious e105dc664f in assessing 55ea28e11d volunteers, having 02506e3a41 dealt with fbdfa36ff1 all sorts d2e55c7aec over the 6d71f2c4a3 years. If she was 8f2c7ce995 showering Myrda with 3509c74084 such glowing praise, ec341dd180 it was clear 44b8184d1d the young woman a155cf012f was something special.08a9e35390f50e09

“I’d like to 8c5909cd4a meet her. Will she be 994c1c2bb8 here today?”05b8352432651f92

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“I believe 522275d324 she said 4c9b7e8d1f she’d come 62e5aaba2f in the 5a879c69e0 afternoon. If you’re lucky, 08c5429c20 you might run 51126135cd into her! Would you 3548ad75c5 like me ec52ce104e to introduce 4493a8918a you?”b9d8e2848d2e9d1a

“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary.”a5918abd5fafde73

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The Marchioness edd9dd0c76 firmly declined 8c93812cb3 Marcel’s offer. Judging by what she’d 13f78de384 heard, Myrda wasn’t a a6fb309e76 noblewoman. The Marchioness had grown bb5c9339f0 weary of young noblewomen e764e85b58 fawning over her to fad6c49fc3 curry favor.f27ed619b640eb31

Instead, she 21ee2898a0 intended to f22e355df6 observe Myrda 9429850a7e discreetly from 576d73f248 a distance. There would be 653c6f5923 plenty of time 408266956a to decide whether 38fd10435d to approach her.641a452a1f1c4ca6

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❖　❖　❖faa725e6f3a0b708

As soon as 3761fa7e22 I arrived at ddf788bd43 Rooney Orphanage, a d22a26451b small commotion broke 8f65757681 out. Little Hoya e7dadcce95 burst into 13ca6171d4 tears and ba956662fa ran straight 3672279a1b into my 2f462670be arms.89db34afbe675df2

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“What’s the 17b8412469 matter, my 57229c2d7e dear Hoya?”4bff01999f92acf9

Between sobs, dadeff3a24 Hoya complained 650ee3523a of a a6be37a4db stomachache that c492b40edd had been 4e30282955 bothering him 157fc0e7fa since last 58aa1f822a night. Flustered, I turned to 9ea38592f6 Marcel, who had hurried 481a3a9fda after him.8f2b1420e312d95a

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“Madam, have 6173149005 you run 39f9cb3711 out of a5db07054a the medicine 6459475df4 I brought e91ca1bdf0 you last 48717b483f time?”bef7e48923b40312

“Oh, you know c8ac45ed31 how it is. The kids get sick 738889d8b8 so often that we 50680919b7 ran out pretty quickly…”e31432bfe089a04f

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“How fast did you c37d66f6c9 go through it? This time, I’ll 9dbdb57034 make a larger 754c8d29f2 batch before I eb35e74875 leave.”85e83b583c74b64e

“That would be wonderful. Could you also make 7be49f4885 some more of that 44ed4ba15f tea?”c00b6ef451e5e54c

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“Of course. Now, let’s see. Hoya, your tummy fe07524c9b hurts a lot, 8c43f9b3f9 doesn’t it? Hang in 4063b550e1 there for 573a4f0c44 a moment.”b8abdef29ab3577d

The orphanage struggled to 4d78bd52d0 provide fresh food, so 891bd133c9 children with weak stomachs f358be9102 often suffered from digestive e82c84bc90 issues. It wasn’t a363f3f104 as bad 6f545d36bf in the 534361bfa4 winter, but 44e1f6b44f during the acedb9c256 summer, when 0fb57b0409 food spoiled 081a917cda quickly, cases f0379a8b99 of stomach 3d8b50ae40 problems were 9115732a3b a daily 5170b844b7 occurrence.82d4423bbc68744f

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I headed to 1cd10b84c6 the orphanage’s kitchen eaca117e94 and laid out bc38957e33 the medicinal ingredients 54cba7a71c I’d brought.2a66ca937f0b30a4

The remedy I was making had roasted tree bark powder as its base—something reminiscent of the so-called “goat poop medicine” from back in Korea.5caa2c483554249b

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I knew how 1d4eb0ec72 to prepare this 60cf39c438 thanks to the 63f90ecbe7 memories of Mine 3e2c1df738 Molière. Before she awakened as 79acf18078 a mage and was ae89e22e79 called to the royal c4f6aaae40 palace, Mine and her dab4ffe9aa mother had made and c7a4d6403c sold herbal remedies gathered 51497d07c2 from the mountains. Mine had 3f0bddc8be a keen b69f709da1 intellect and 8bbbccbe72 categorized herbs 54b717d3c7 by their 40b0637a1d properties and 9a7b6a7cea uses, conducting 8d8d763085 countless experiments c25b45eb17 to determine 21b6c6c1ca the best 45204706eb combinations for b202e64f8b various ailments. Her secret notebook d6f458c9e9 was essentially her 5e7c42770d version of the 7330e5e521 ‘Donguibogam’, the revered 02f10514b6 Korean medical text.b1a60d19a08fc8cf

But…aa267e5490d46a9d

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‘That notebook… it 57de23c238 led to the a7f049f224 ruin of Mine’s 5998bf4279 mother.’69b442c5ac1bcec8

The line between medicinal 260bfff020 and poisonous plants is 1ca0b1f8b4 thin. Some poisons 0bc7eed5e6 can become da7779d538 cures when a498f0820d used correctly, 0f994c86c4 while some 74ca6b9954 medicines can 963dd3b316 become deadly 0b941422b2 if used 0c5550fc53 improperly.1a150935159e4623

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The town’s pharmacists, jealous b3bebfcff0 of the young, beautiful, 25d35852da and intelligent mother-daughter duo, 39cec09e9e conspired to frame them. They claimed 8fe0e4e9bc Mine’s notebook 7a261c497d was evidence 0e9a737c1e that they b5a38e0b6a were experimenting 5d0718ef34 with poisons ae31bbec4f under the d26d9cf3c1 guise of 80cf48189a selling herbal b9b8564ad1 remedies.e752bb8e64618792

In the end, Mine’s 85b9930e8d mother was branded a 2e2d3a8410 witch. Though her record of 8ff580b2af saving many villagers spared be8a3a7fb0 her from being burned 2d580e4973 at the stake, she 06a1c28eb6 was stripped naked, beaten, a936ea407c and exiled from the a4bbd21743 village.2a6e7671a836885a

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Mine stayed by c4a4c3b6cb her mother’s side 5a7e80920c in the snow 2dd1eb29ab for days until a6889d8f1f she passed away, ca38be2d66 refusing food or f59dee3100 water. Afterward, that small, frail b89e39d03b child set the village’s bd6be0b5ae food storehouses ablaze before 0e7552a0a4 disappearing into the night.eaad4b4ceff57147

‘How did you survive, ee9aa164df Mine Molière?’cc2476bf5c092dbc

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How did she bc0c4016c6 endure such a c35258ea7f cruel world, having 87f5584651 lost her mother 9f0a8772f1 in such a 7d8456459d horrific way, with f9baeab489 nothing but her c2689c7c9e tiny, emaciated body?303f32ae61f21524

The memories weighed me 61a6a93f93 down. As I shaped the e41a8849ef medicine into small, child-friendly 22ceb105aa pellets, I realized tears 7ba4ab425b were streaming down my a524961539 face. I quickly wiped 419da27af9 them away with 464cfd5896 the back of 2e10637708 my hand, hoping 9140e1ebae no one had 4f23bd9f48 seen.8fd54eb6ecd715b7

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To mask the bitter ae682b0a2f smell of the medicine, d06eec7d49 I coated the surface 0c3822eaf6 of the pills with d0b4eefd60 something sweet. The unpleasant 7a36598486 odor of 1325e31f8d the main ebbf43dfb7 ingredient was 9ea0ddb0e3 a significant 5a58630806 drawback, and 45a698284b I had 88d2f71518 to at a87e978d10 least make d8b4da250b the smell 020e29ab9a tolerable if 244fca7e67 the children f3ca64c12f were going a244ac05c7 to take 5bbd2fdfe9 it.8685277f34119ff3

As I 3ecb519914 was rolling 1a0eae68dc the pills 56c20f426a in the bc8f1c8f0d sweet powder, 6313bcb4a8 I heard 5a4ebbba83 the kitchen 954f477037 door creak a640087dfd open.b890f33b50f5ae9c

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“Is there 9d7dad79c7 anything I e302b55a12 can help 4552b0fdc5 with?”c52c6695fb609a43

“Ah…?”945710bf3b91aa0b

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“Sorry, did I startle 6f05827e1c you? I’m a volunteer f967b0ae99 too. I’d like to lend c363544aca a hand.”3026cd74a264f008

“Oh… hello. My name 97a94f2a38 is Myrda.”2c1889f8e43d9729

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“I’m Lucia. Marcel told me about bfdce73c51 you. Now, what can I 8ae3f183f5 do?”4acc3561cde60fef

“Thank you. Could you roll the fba4587f9d medicine into pellets this 63042a052e size?”459aa0e0c094a7b2

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“Of course.”8df35c281d4c4fc7

Lucia approached with her 15067c66bb sleeves rolled up, her 55b841331e neatly pinned ash-brown hair fae52d22c2 gleaming softly under the ff74625b09 light. Her clothing fdd881f796 was made e2847b194d of fine, ba88de33d6 subtly glossy 53b056423c fabric.224f77f4cf57f59d

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“What kind 9fcf16247f of medicine bee5b0f379 is this?”c0b363a3ae4e5d6d

“It’s for stomachaches and e3b47714e7 diarrhea. A lot of the 2a76bbbbdb kids here have sensitive a7e558d60a stomachs…”17c7b38e05701144

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“You seem d73f3e5882 very skilled 82c7d0c775 with medicinal 249bdf87cb ingredients. Was your father a 65dc17dcad pharmacist?”72e08fafa59672fb

I stifled a bitter laugh. “My father? Oh, he was the last king of the kingdom,” I thought to myself, but of course, I couldn’t say that.ce35a1223538c77f

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“No, I f45f9aff7b grew up f1bdbc53d2 in the fd753ffbab countryside with d9aed7bc8c my mother. This was how bda8e6bdf2 we made a 86a630d697 living.”afa31778c0f44fd1

“Marcel mentioned d713295564 how effective 951a7f963d your medicine dc21fb2546 is. She said b369c6233f just one a585d5d3c9 dose cures 0f1c06df5f the children’s cf999784c4 stomachaches completely. And…”a4dd5dd3c9714633

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Lucia hesitated, a4d7c2f402 a faint 113244ff6c hint of 69cd06279c embarrassment in 121080f2fc her tone.6ae75cf77f438ab5

“She also mentioned 8339abb88d the tea you 15ef590e93 make. Apparently, it’s incredible cb3140e3a3 for settling the b92a3efbe8 stomach.”d9f044ec7c0063b0

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“Well, the work here d4b280ec59 is tough, and I 0e7a944b82 figured a lot of ccb86c98bd the staff suffer from 32d7180a35 headaches or stomach issues. That tea… b26d13437a my mother 9cd043bde0 used to c5f0e72187 give it a3a32e26f0 to me c60e5edeb2 often. I had a 0ca93674c6 weak stomach as 60d00d81bd a child.”64af8da2098fb113

“Everyone has their b5ef9c73ed own story, don’t 3ce4a0080b they?”f9750b2ff687db83

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“Of course. No one 97d97ca938 is without 64b5513a55 a story.”6a2032e12951ad6f

“By the way…”6d8c75319f2b8944

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After rolling the last 953a928721 of the medicine into 13023a8102 perfect pellets, Lucia stretched fd0a8b355c her shoulders and slowly 9c26dd678c spoke.c744057647768a4a

“Could I possibly f91ea869fa have some of a55d3bb88e that tea as 264426fdf0 well?”2ab26acc58249808

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“Oh, do you have 299f7382eb stomach troubles?”0087cb1dffcb031a

“Not me, 45429145a4 but my 9f53169e23 husband does. If it’s dacd84a7a2 too much 3eaf249820 trouble, I’m 530f3dfab6 happy to 71b419f4ad pay for a95619603c it…”ede555ecd91f3288

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“No, no. I’ll give it 7aba6e9935 to you.”8f966c5ea17fa5e1

I smiled brightly a472854a00 at Lucia—or rather, d5e1b78219 at the Marchioness 615ca98dc3 of Ivelucia.da58c604d8ebde2f

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“How much 1497b2425a do you d05e63b439 need?”2973e1a1b35d08c1