“Hmm...”

The chief physician of Cereus Castle, Viscount Arga Ayten Pearlman, was around thirty years of age with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

He shifted his glasses and looked at me sharply.

“You came here straight from an orphanage, and you want to become my assistant?”

“Yes,” I nodded my head firmly.

Lord Pearlman let out a slight chuckle.

“The students who come here are older than you and have years of experience as apprentices,” he said. “None of them have lasted over a week. And you think you’re up to the task?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what it says in this reference letter?” he asked, tapping the piece of paper in his hand.

“Er... Maybe that I’m smart and hardworking?” I spoke calmly and sipped the tea that had been set in front of me earlier by an unfriendly servant.

The servants of Cereus Castle didn’t have the best reputation—they were known to be arrogant and snotty. Not to mention the Cereus family themselves. The duchess, the current head of the family, was well-known for her hot temper and intolerance of even the smallest mistakes.

When the old duke had passed away, she’d agreed to take control until Lord Erwan came of age. From the moment she’d taken over, there had been corpses dangling over the castle walls every day for at least six months. It was brutal, and everyone agreed that the duchess ruled with an iron fist, but the threat of extreme punishment certainly cut down on the crime and corruption that had run rampant after the duke’s unexpected death. The lesser nobles and crooked merchants she targeted had grumbled angrily, but the commoners had been happy enough with the way order had been quickly reestablished.

But one day both she and Lord Erwan, her only child, had suddenly died.

Wait... They both died at the same time, and then Wedrick Isidore took over. Then the rebellion happened right after. Something’s very strange...

I scrunched up my face. Well, it was something for me to investigate eventually.

“Tsk, this letter is either simple and honest... or rather foolish,” said the viscount, and pushed it towards me.

I highly recommend Rita Estelle as your assistant. She likes to praise herself a bit too much, but she is extremely intelligent and a hard worker. She’s kind of cranky like an old man, but isn’t she so cute?

Sincerely, Elburn Kight

Jeha Orphanage

I knew Miss Elburn had done her best, but this was truly a terrible recommendation letter.

“Er... Miss Elburn is wonderful, but she’s not much of a writer,” I said.

Lord Pearlman snorted with laughter.

He practiced as a physician by day, but Lord Pearlman was actually one of the wealthiest nobles on the continent. He was so successful because his business, Pearlman Trade Company, held a virtual monopoly on all medicinal herbs, ointments, and cures sold throughout the land. Of course, he’d been mercilessly killed when he’d opposed Wedrick’s plan to join the rebellion.

What a waste for him to die, I thought.

He continued with a stream of sarcastic comments, which I let in one ear and out the other.

He’s such a grump... but he is quite handsome for his age.

I set my cup down firmly and asked, “Is it a problem that I’m young and have no experience? Those oh-so-mighty apprentices of yours had plenty of both, but they all failed anyway. I’m much better than any of them.”

“What did you say?” he sputtered.

“You can test me. Now, if you’d like,” I said.

“Hmm...”

Lord Pearlman took out a large chest and placed it on the table.

“A dose of reality will go a long way with you,” he muttered. He took out an assortment of plants and laid them out in front of me. “Tell me what each of these are.”

“Daygrass, aram grass, bahi flower, hyrate roots, and baby dandelions,” I said without hesitation.

His brow creased into a tiny frown as if he hadn’t expected that, but he quickly swept the plants away and laid out five more in front of me.

“Salay flower, daylily, daisia grass, jica tree leaves, and light orchid fruit,” I rattled off each plant automatically.

Lord Pearlman looked startled and his eyes grew wide. “How did you know this one? Light orchid fruit is a rare import from the East. Most people on this continent have never seen it.”

“I saw it in a book,” I replied.

“How is this fruit used in treatment?”

“It’s used to treat abdominal pain caused by the misuse of mana, but the practitioner must be careful as it can also cause high blood pressure,” I said. “Also, the fruit can only be collected during springtime from the peaks of the Deraphos Mountains.”

I smirked as I rattled off my reply, even adding in facts that he hadn’t asked for.

“What happens if I mix salay flower with daylily?” he shot out.

“It’s good to cure early symptoms of cold. But it will be useless if the illness is too advanced.”

“Which of the plants you’ve seen here is most effective to stop heavy bleeding?”

“Jica leaves are most helpful. Of course, hyrate roots are also effective, but as they are quite rare and expensive, jica leaves are used much more often.”

Lord Pearlman sat back in his chair and took off his glasses. He cleaned them absently as he stared at me in astonishment.

“You... You’re only thirteen?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve never studied with a doctor? Or worked in an apothecary?”

Actually, I’d even accomplished opening my own practice in my previous life. But I replied as my thirteen-year-old self would have.

“Yes.”

“Then how do you know all this?” he asked, bewildered.

I smirked. “Simple. I’m a genius.”

The viscount’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m serious.”

I knew I sounded arrogant, but I was stating the plain truth.

“If you’re such a little genius, why do you want to bother becoming an assistant?” he asked in a low, smooth voice.

I hesitated, then decided to flatter him a little. “I want to work under a greater genius and learn everything I can from him.”

The viscount cleared his throat, looking pleased.

It was also true, though. Lord Pearlman was the most famous doctor in the region, due in no small part to his vast knowledge of herbs and plant properties. There was certainly no other doctor who could match him for miles around.

Hmm... He looks pretty satisfied with himself. Indeed, he looked much more relaxed after I’d acknowledged that I was in the presence of another genius.

Lord Pearlman suppressed a smile.

“I’ll take you on as my assistant,” he said, trying to sound as if he was doing me a favor. “But if I don’t like your work, I won’t hesitate to fire you right away.”

“I know you won’t,” I replied as I nodded my head. I knew all about his bad temper and how he treated his assistants.

He nodded. “Come with me then. I’ll take you to your room.”

He stood up and motioned for me to follow him, but a servant hastily stepped in.

“My lord, I can take her. There’s no need to trouble yourself—”

“No, I’ll show her the way,” he said abruptly. I stood awkwardly between them. “Go to the kitchen to get her something to eat. Immediately.”

“My lord...?” asked the servant, looking confused.

Lord Pearlman scowled as he looked me up and down. “Are all thirteen-year-olds this short and scrawny? Did they not feed you anything at that orphanage?” he asked distastefully.

While it was true that I’d never really had a proper meal in my life, I was also just naturally small and rather skinny. Even as an adult, I’d always been shorter than everyone else I’d met.

I narrowed my eyes, not liking that he seemed to look down on me because of my background. Someone like him, who’d never had to go hungry, might consider someone like me as low-class and below him.

“What do you like to eat?” he asked.

“Um,” I murmured. “Um... sweets?”

“Then send her up a selection of every sweet we have in the castle,” he ordered the servant.

“Wh-what?” I was flabbergasted.

“You said you came from an orphanage,” he said dryly. “I don’t suppose you’ve been surrounded by feasts and banquets your whole life.”

Now I was sure he was looking down on me. I opened my mouth to protest.

“So you need to try a bit of everything we have in the castle, that way you can know what you prefer,” he said. “While you’re here, you can ask for anything you want to eat. I’ll let the kitchen know.”

Confused, I decided to keep my mouth shut.