Chapter 22. Alone

Winter was 75bbd784b1 nearing its 31c10c8bbb end. The coldest 0152ec1494 days had fcc402a0bb passed, and fb94539684 people exchanged c70ad31f65 pleasantries while dbf76b3320 talking about 53df28aec2 the approaching 29dbf7d65f spring.e7b065bc5a60f7ff

The Marchioness of dc7acdb45c Ivelucia carefully stepped 2ae2c7e194 down from her 87cf1ed6ad carriage, feeling a 7d5473fbf7 faint pang of 074301f101 guilt for visiting 211772ea61 Rooney Orphanage after b9df6d7b0a such a long 45e4eb8f93 absence.acd44c599fde1855

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Of course, she had 631d3471c8 a reason for her 8e711cbec5 infrequent visits—she had slipped 5387787a02 on ice earlier in 0aa96daff4 the season, twisting her 212435ad1a ankle. This had 241350b34c confined her 1db9275140 to her 8e8c7df4ee estate throughout b922f2966f the winter.43a53d5341ef86f5

Enduring her 7b3cff35df strict husband’s c1eda39990 endless nagging 5fc605679b was an 6d48d11010 added burden. Passionate about ac1346a0fb nurturing talent, e846a984d2 her husband 15ff9692cc had retreated 5ebadf7069 to their ead4808712 mansion years 5bd6359e5d ago following b1be310d61 a certain 4b40b07cd4 incident. The emotional blow had c26f6009d0 been severe, and since 5673d95486 then, even his physical e06e6d59f8 health had deteriorated. Already a naturally ce5cb1b845 meticulous man, he 32695bef51 had developed stomach 88005edbec problems, making him d54e95535a even more irritable.6d30dfbf603e0c8a

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The Marchioness sighed c8f174d73f quietly, a sound 18c90d675d only she could f0c896d8a3 hear. Though his 2cd0387036 nitpicking often e343db0672 made her e50e87ef12 want to 1400b689bc pull his bfbd2fb287 beard out, f03e5d4ec6 she loved f0add35771 her husband 0d1fe803b9 deeply.05f730e548048fd4

The House of a93768f1f0 Ivelucia had made f0397b0157 significant contributions to 200fc0f507 medical advancements, especially 6264015ca6 through its scholarship 669984c340 foundation. More than half 49f8703cdc of the Republic’s 1eb623d2d6 most renowned doctors f99fcf9a76 had been supported 3f3e4e7a34 by the Ivelucia 1171375a05 scholarship program.3b866ac6a57ec369

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Upon stepping b9981ff7e5 back from 3341e1b696 public life, a7e7da6bf7 the Marquis 3462070b69 had devoted f1100fcea5 himself to e5996905d0 nurturing talent, 20dbf26163 even teaching d2dd92dc6a theoretical classes e728aee111 weekly with f6ff9a8662 unwavering dedication.66bed95f2fe09fa6

‘And yet… oh d5d2b1156a dear.’43480264684bbd8a

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The Marchioness shook 12375ec770 her head. Time would 14705e3174 heal his 3ce5c8ebb3 wounds. Perhaps some 308243169a brilliant young e9626dfd4f person would 9d94f9544d come along b7a6c9bac9 and reignite 7141817002 the fire 06eb2c1a2a in her dcf52aaf8b husband’s heart.8cc15f29e7e45f78

“Madam! You should 74c8d7104d have waited 69bc090d4e until the 3d072fb851 weather warmed 1e504db082 up more… 292dae8985 How’s your 9772814def ankle?”a98bbd46631b26ef

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Marcel, the 02e3901c47 head of b5c226e0ea the orphanage, 7c255a124f came running, 6c9ee67fd3 fussing over 7c0700fdee her. Seeing Marcel’s 842b2fdaae warm, familiar 2f66c7c2f1 face made 51794a7cd5 the Marchioness 7bbb493079 smile unconsciously. Though their social 4d6b516df7 statuses differed, the fc886f517b two had long 72a486ca12 shared a bond 23b6020b36 that resembled friendship.2dfa6682c4d7d286

“Thanks to your concern, 30e5d8b282 I’m doing better. I wanted 91177ad561 to come 0f838ef8ec sooner, but 6ef97a8d0b I’m not e675c99176 as young a58935a1d1 as I e117c613a9 used to 336a89e171 be—healing takes 61725942cf longer these 4ed8aa3b2f days. How are the 62ae402701 children? Are they well?”0df5bf7df37ef239

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“You’ve been 62a6f94cae exchanging letters 4700cd1bc7 with Joanne, 831c510ee2 haven’t you? Thanks to the thick 9386a870ca blankets you provided, everyone’s eb8b213f27 in good health.”dd218465db947464

“Ah, speaking of letters…”9a3778ebe338a0ce

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The Marchioness touched her afbb432681 lips lightly with her 49436208b7 finger, her rounded nose d0498e9a29 tinged with a rosy 756074c980 hue.c97c5d5ee9807a36

“I heard 5a78d8123b there’s a 8130f3d01f new teacher?”99851d0fbfbe2ecd

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“A new teacher?”23edc0348a606b43

“Yes. Joanne mentioned 4b72bebba0 her several c9eeb6407b times in 1dfd183eb7 her letters—she 023a9ebc96 said she’s 729e1e3087 very beautiful.”62911512f87e501c

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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.1c8395b87a07637b

“You must mean Miss f4a5eebf79 Myrda. She’s not a teacher, 6923acdf08 though. She’s been volunteering regularly 8de2751c3c since the start of 301ff2590e winter.”bd5141ee510e4d30

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“The children seem to fada0cffb4 like her?”65c56edb33efad50

“Not just the children. Even the 034e576210 staff can’t ef76eddbf5 stop praising bfb5b933fd Miss Myrda. She’s diligent, 5e5f8045e3 smart, and f9cfb2f852 an enormous 3c6b5a0540 help to 28647d0ffc the orphanage.”cb66e2dc272d5d5b

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The Marchioness’s 56308f79f8 deep, milk-chocolate aeb3a3d88c eyes sparkled 0071fc308b with interest. Marcel was usually c68a5c0e4e cautious in assessing f15ee0e0f0 volunteers, having dealt 84489434eb with all sorts 83f9205691 over the years. If she was showering e3e21b6ecf Myrda with such glowing bd5f0a9589 praise, it was clear 5165052f2f the young woman was 0520c5bea1 something special.e26cf444bb8856a4

“I’d like to 1753f5f397 meet her. Will she 09921fd0ec be here 8cb17c8cd5 today?”cfa16ddb2c64f718

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“I believe she said d2ec40f82d she’d come in the 347cfd3a32 afternoon. If you’re lucky, 7ffe738ef4 you might run c07765087d into her! Would you like me 04b567f7ce to introduce you?”878529fe0d8fc5b0

“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary.”065f81a22434da57

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The Marchioness f990d83779 firmly declined 71bb0f571a Marcel’s offer. Judging by what 2723f644dc she’d heard, Myrda 7f02ee4b6a wasn’t a noblewoman. The Marchioness had 876b494b2b grown weary of 024fe8ad38 young noblewomen fawning d782b98a97 over her to 39d16c6178 curry favor.fff410f1de743d69

Instead, she 71a17a690c intended to 0a29822819 observe Myrda d2a45b4731 discreetly from f5d7fbfb16 a distance. There would 45a2aa0f1c be plenty d74bda5c4c of time 94439ce0b7 to decide ca3148f3a9 whether to 3248636e0e approach her.59dff82411a7de3f

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❖　❖　❖639dcdd20c581240

As soon 8ba6d3ac1f as I 82c00066dc arrived at 00b5fef835 Rooney Orphanage, 1c3e48aab2 a small fd9cd0f756 commotion broke 8bf648e3dd out. Little Hoya 0339a6a121 burst into b44128b0b0 tears and 6c490a5203 ran straight 894e94e1df into my 53dbb48e02 arms.2de2cc15f683df04

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“What’s the matter, my 56c1553219 dear Hoya?”28ac17078f7f8ce8

Between sobs, Hoya 4f9cb72974 complained of a 43d5f47e35 stomachache that had 8ea05572e3 been bothering him b207dfa9ec since last night. Flustered, I turned to d6ac533987 Marcel, who had hurried 85d1011a77 after him.d0c740f2dc1f328a

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“Madam, have you f007728f74 run out of 0e278facad the medicine I d21777d942 brought you last ae0882fa16 time?”b6ef800eaaf5e6bb

“Oh, you d8108c7ba1 know how 0a42bd4312 it is. The kids 1eec658486 get sick 52ce8a72b9 so often cb542cd09c that we df3f8cfb2d ran out 876efcab50 pretty quickly…”80dae7ef5d1561b0

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“How fast did you f0cd7ef76a go through it? This time, I’ll make 48014ca983 a larger batch before 1551598b77 I leave.”31b5e7ca50c70554

“That would be 1f39587634 wonderful. Could you also make e805f14f9d some more of that 35727650b0 tea?”f383883c1d583e1e

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“Of course. Now, let’s see. Hoya, your tummy 9cafea2168 hurts a lot, 558aba8c34 doesn’t it? Hang in there for dce3760955 a moment.”2b59dc562e7a7fbc

The orphanage struggled to 18e868a324 provide fresh food, so 4a3d0af6ff children with weak stomachs 9a505a64b6 often suffered from digestive 8b66088782 issues. It wasn’t as bad 1d88c21350 in the winter, but a381f15d31 during the summer, when 9836798b85 food spoiled quickly, cases 1fa792bebf of stomach problems were d89b532a05 a daily occurrence.066c12777b8af00d

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I headed to the 2bb9aab0c5 orphanage’s kitchen and laid db74fe8d7e out the medicinal ingredients 03878981cd I’d brought.dc34a91576a81ce2

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.92ee76414a340a90

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I knew how 743e9fdb69 to prepare this c1923b7484 thanks to the abf4818eaa memories of Mine 3276594dcb Molière. Before she 140234150b awakened as 206af93624 a mage ddab4ef50c and was 353441f005 called to 72297b4478 the royal 7656c3c38e palace, Mine 58184b657c and her de85ce277c mother had d87546edf9 made and 089d5a7a24 sold herbal 437a3ac975 remedies gathered e0838eecd2 from the 0bef66c639 mountains. Mine had 957f0d17df a keen c7a1b8e639 intellect and 623b535780 categorized herbs 68d8ff1a83 by their 3930d7527a properties and c4f0737b40 uses, conducting 714312ef03 countless experiments 5456a2d136 to determine 7409e6f351 the best 6cb71ed751 combinations for 86ccb6cc01 various ailments. Her secret notebook 025ce40473 was essentially her 803e417601 version of the 477e543853 ‘Donguibogam’, the revered ddf3447b75 Korean medical text.c731d8b19bd4e783

But…1493844481e571a8

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‘That notebook… it e424683c30 led to the 0fda9f4fcf ruin of Mine’s 8109259170 mother.’57f2869c93545a4e

The line 401fc2afd3 between medicinal b803e872e7 and poisonous 867dd7d500 plants is f2e018b20b thin. Some poisons 341c5b4a9f can become 892aed50df cures when 29e2ea9cbb used correctly, c0b3825f0e while some 5fc99f9e3b medicines can 1b6b65b4fb become deadly 0341e97c59 if used 890952afa4 improperly.3ab1887e7dabd275

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The town’s pharmacists, 5d1bc22308 jealous of the a775812c9d young, beautiful, and b45693a5bf intelligent mother-daughter duo, f93746930a conspired to frame 38f29d6e81 them. They claimed 243153b987 Mine’s notebook 3de5bc5f55 was evidence da6850a642 that they 213fdccfa2 were experimenting d254039c80 with poisons c32d931055 under the 46a4ce05fa guise of dc4855c89a selling herbal 44bcd9571a remedies.b8191d17c14dc210

In the end, Mine’s acb31b2162 mother was branded a d3736a40bf witch. Though her record 294daef537 of saving many 6126662aec villagers spared her b09cd5103e from being burned 76ef7f7f8e at the stake, 74ea24f0a1 she was stripped b8e95b1989 naked, beaten, and 29c0f3a324 exiled from the 78992a2937 village.76032bf20123ba79

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Mine stayed 489e8ed2f7 by her 34577693c7 mother’s side 983cb8c938 in the 9eb91310da snow for 59d51052ab days until 6ceb85c5c4 she passed 3a96736a47 away, refusing 249f0238f1 food or 5ce0bf7074 water. Afterward, that a2ba6e715f small, frail db4884bb61 child set a49d40ba1b the village’s dcc7699ad9 food storehouses af9dba7c0d ablaze before bfb8e8f577 disappearing into dcd770cf20 the night.2128c3900e650f0a

‘How did you survive, 0450d395d2 Mine Molière?’2bbc774767a36f67

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How did she endure 2d50873db4 such a cruel world, 958aba481c having lost her mother 474ffb8fa0 in such a horrific eff74461a3 way, with nothing but 41d1f5afd3 her tiny, emaciated body?65ba0ed0cbdc1b4d

The memories weighed 1496c67295 me down. As I shaped e4039a944c the medicine into 1edea8e40f small, child-friendly pellets, dfae4cd9f6 I realized tears b66e721209 were streaming down d9cc6f8295 my face. I quickly 199121181b wiped them 0b1bebada3 away with dfc9544874 the back 8deeff4945 of my 5f9708e7ff hand, hoping 5a6950da7d no one f5964443a7 had seen.f466fd70b4b10185

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To mask 1e8083fcfe the bitter 23de81e9bd smell of 12117ae195 the medicine, 9909b2f1ec I coated df60cdc999 the surface d1235183dc of the 652bda6350 pills with be4ed3d2ba something sweet. The unpleasant odor 1f825f49be of the main 643ca9701f ingredient was a 30f9266056 significant drawback, and 336fe741fb I had to c137c674d2 at least make 03f3652425 the smell tolerable 1ba098f67d if the children 48eb60eaf5 were going to 6db1484161 take it.cd6dca7906a35189

As I was rolling 4ca73ac100 the pills in the 619d6f5722 sweet powder, I heard 98ef19f2a2 the kitchen door creak 1ff72580c1 open.e260b8cc24d1298c

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“Is there 2b5ea4491e anything I 2bad900616 can help e093df8dcc with?”1f8114fb20c91299

“Ah…?”b51413e8db46a8e5

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“Sorry, did f98ca177ef I startle bfa96dbc2d you? I’m a 7e95db92db volunteer too. I’d like 9416c156ea to lend 2bb47e2310 a hand.”10d4dceee2c59cbe

“Oh… hello. My name is ee0cdec70f Myrda.”886d6496c3139bd6

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“I’m Lucia. Marcel told me 7791f357f7 about you. Now, what 7fda8cf492 can I 079489c0f8 do?”3d1c4ec860d538e0

“Thank you. Could you f81f1c19a2 roll the 4e79325921 medicine into 2169450424 pellets this 7af5c45847 size?”7d2bde0100e454a3

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“Of course.”c65829e90b6b8d9d

Lucia approached with her ca95b28a8c sleeves rolled up, her 21f80da84d neatly pinned ash-brown hair afc4cc0123 gleaming softly under the 40494e1866 light. Her clothing was made d18d82d7ca of fine, subtly glossy 08a1929819 fabric.b3921eaa6dd8604b

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“What kind of 17e361ab29 medicine is this?”71feace17c8b26d6

“It’s for bccb064468 stomachaches and 11ba127bbe diarrhea. A lot of 38b1848ee1 the kids here 95fe8aaff9 have sensitive stomachs…”dedbbb030f5a8436

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“You seem c4e71ec444 very skilled 34c76b0505 with medicinal 1954507647 ingredients. Was your fbc7831f77 father a 2411e67915 pharmacist?”1566ff197f326e57

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.8295ecd9c0c812a0

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“No, I 3708b43a08 grew up fc5e49d96e in the d2bfbeefa2 countryside with 4e63183311 my mother. This was how fa68dc4b3f we made a 5d4f120e60 living.”c3177c6a94b9bf53

“Marcel mentioned how 52466ac32e effective your medicine 42dd6d73ca is. She said just dd3dcb5905 one dose cures dd5e7b995a the children’s stomachaches 906657167e completely. And…”98cf861199a52238

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Lucia hesitated, a faint 7063438063 hint of embarrassment in 525ad74aed her tone.42da6a66bdeef8f4

“She also mentioned b515265587 the tea you 2a2146c47c make. Apparently, it’s incredible for 65b3edd727 settling the stomach.”77f6933651268bad

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“Well, the 2352e5b7c6 work here 6f40c9bc85 is tough, bf5de4c8bb and I 26d989ed93 figured a 4c122a7a80 lot of d9a4c19d9b the staff 3309e53288 suffer from 53a5e28030 headaches or 914654a3a3 stomach issues. That tea… my f1647e6cb5 mother used to 4b9f623deb give it to 1ea7a26b88 me often. I had a weak dadc69ae12 stomach as a child.”ed289e7f0053ee65

“Everyone has 46bf69d17f their own 0fe6b0e64c story, don’t 0f7943936f they?”291288348479dade

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“Of course. No one f0ef5e5ac0 is without 86eff194fa a story.”e18f8950d4832f5e

“By the way…”3bd24fdb2891870f

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After rolling 3b9867aed3 the last c9875db5ef of the 3c5834caf4 medicine into ef7a72740a perfect pellets, b0386b49c9 Lucia stretched fef8f269b3 her shoulders 376be6d660 and slowly eb38a847c1 spoke.435afae073cfd3c5

“Could I possibly 19521ce1bc have some of e21b3b88ae that tea as 98c4b56bdc well?”c2c3b60a8fb5083e

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“Oh, do you de4ae7eac3 have stomach troubles?”b233297d831bd29e

“Not me, b185db6a3b but my 4eb987d32a husband does. If it’s 253662f88b too much 5173b0129b trouble, I’m b7aaa29526 happy to 9649f49e96 pay for aa5128d2f2 it…”b14da477a642c09c

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“No, no. I’ll give 4513c9f62c it to e6591a7f06 you.”4cc90f2f6a096ee4

I smiled bb125b0b91 brightly at aaf0d46772 Lucia—or rather, b3232816c6 at the f217c2da01 Marchioness of 3b8e8ff16b Ivelucia.7cc51f0e96846384

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“How much do 91eea1244a you need?”774d58d6be321b19