“Pardon me, Your Grace, but I have news to report.”

Silvian halted on his way to his study. In the dark hallway, the lamp in the butler’s hand bobbed toward him like a will-o’-the-wisp.

“What is it?” the duke replied, in the same genteel manner he used to speak to his stepmother.

The butler was not surprised, as Duke Silvian Valentino was equally courteous to all regardless of their station. Yet, somehow, he never struck anyone as a warmhearted soul. He always had an air of looking down at the world from a peak so high that even the air was rare.

“In fact...” The butler began to explain the conflict that had occurred that day between Kanna and Josephine, and that Kanna was currently laid up with fever from her wounds.

Silvian listened to the whole story without so much as a blink. When the butler was done, he asked coolly, “And?”

“What shall we do, sire? The wounds are quite severe. Her life may be at risk if we leave her be,” said the butler.

The duke didn’t give it a second thought. “Countess Elester oversees all matters regarding the house.”

A capital sentence to leave her to her fate, whether that be death or permanent impairment. And that was the end of it. Silvian passed by the butler without another word.

The countess was right to think that no one in the manor would concern themselves over what happened to Kanna, for Silvian Valentino cared not whether his wife lived or died.

* * *

Wow, I think she’s really trying to kill me.

Kanna had finally regained her consciousness around dawn and been immediately overcome by the fear that she might really die. She was not doing well, to say the least. Her entire body was drenched in a cold sweat, and yet she was burning up.

But worst of all was the pain. She couldn’t help but groan at the flaring agony in her calves. Kanna fearfully looked down at her legs and gasped when she saw the wounds.

She’d expected the sight, but it was still a shock. There was no doubt that her legs would be infected if left untreated. Infection would make her vulnerable to bacteria, which could destroy the nerves in her legs, crippling her for life... or worse.

I could die. Unlike Earth with its surplus of vaccines and antibiotics, this world was still in an era when people could die from untreated wounds or infections. And they’re still leaving me like this without doing anything? No medicine, no one to look after me? These people really do want to kill me. Or at least permanently paralyze me.

“What terrible people... But then again, life is cheap here. I forgot how bad it was,” Kanna said to herself, snorting at how ridiculous her situation was. Sorry to disappoint, but this happens to be my area of expertise. I guess they didn’t count on me being a doctor.

“Ugh... It hurts so much.” She felt like she was going to faint, but she still found the strength to get out of bed and crawl across the floor. Lying around in bed never solved anything.

Looking around the room for things that could be of use, she found a clean pillow case, a handkerchief, and a bottle of whiskey. Let’s disinfect the area first. Kanna leaned against the wall and grabbed the bottle. Taking a deep breath, she was preparing herself for pain beyond comprehension when something caught her eye through the windowpane. Wait a minute... What’s that?

Outside the huge window was a tree branch large enough to brush up against the glass. A duchess definitely didn’t deserve to stay in a room with a blocked view, and this represented yet another slight against Kanna. But that wasn’t important right now.

“I think I know that tree.” When Kanna swung open the window, she grew even surer. This scent, these leaves... “This is a camphor tree!”

Camphor was living medicine: The wood, the bark, the stems, and the leaves could all be used to treat wounds and illnesses. This tree was actually used in Korea for herbal medicine. The leaves in particular were excellent for healing wounds and fighting off infections, making them the perfect ingredient for emergency treatment. But for this tree to be reaching out to her window, just when she needed it...

Did camphor trees even grow here? From what Kanna knew, camphor trees belonged to the eastern continent. Why was this tree growing in the garden of a western estate?

So it’s true. Josephine has been collecting plants from the eastern continent. Kanna recalled Joohwa’s memories as she stuck her head out the window. I knew it.

There was a pitch-black magic stone embedded into the tree trunk. She would bet that there were magic stones stuck all over the roots as well. The tree would have already died if not for the magic stones, which allowed it to survive in the wrong climate. Extending the life of a plant with magic stones, what an awful practice! I can’t believe this is a popular activity among noble ladies.

“Lucky for me, though,” she said, plucking the leaves.

Once she was done, she leaned back against the wall and picked up the bottle of whiskey again. Now it really was time to disinfect the wounds. Swallowing nervously, Kanna tilted the bottle over her calves. The liquid slowly trickled over her wounds, cold at first and then...

A scream fought its way past Kanna’s clenched teeth, her eyes flashing with starbursts of pain. It felt like her flesh was being seared with flame. Pull yourself together. You have to stay awake.

She used the bottle to grind the leaves into a paste, which she then carefully spread over her wounds. “Whew,” she exhaled as a cool, prickling sensation spread across her legs, ripping up the clean sheets she’d found into strips to wrap around her legs like bandages.

I’m done. I’ve done everything I can. At last she let herself relax, sighing with relief. I was lucky. The wounds should heal pretty soon if I keep treating them like this.

She laid her head against the wall and closed her eyes. It truly had been a long day. Just last night, she’d been living as Joohwa in Korea. She was going to go to work today, she had a date planned this weekend...

Mom, Dad, Sunhong, Toto... And my amazing boyfriend too. The longing she felt for them dug deep into her heart. She considered letting the tears spill out, just a little, but bit her lip and held them in. She was determined not to cry. Now was not the time. Right now she had to be strong.

“Joohwa. Tears are no good in a crisis. All they do is make you weak.”

Kanna recited the words her mother had told her like a spell as she bottled up her emotions. She would not cry. She would overcome anything. What she needed to do was plan her next move.

And in order to do that, she had to survive.

* * *

Ten days later, Countess Elester was enjoying some tea in the greenhouse. Filled with various plants from the eastern continent, this greenhouse powered by magic stones was one of Josephine’s most prized accomplishments.

“Whatever happened to Kanna, Mary?” asked the countess. She hadn’t heard of any deaths in the house since she beat her daughter-in-law to a pulp. Quite the contrary, Kanna seemed to be alive and well, as she’d reportedly been eating all of the food pushed through her door like dog food.

“She seems to be alive... But she must be counting her days, with untreated wounds like hers,” replied the maid.

“I see. And no one is attending to her either, is that correct?”

“Yes, my lady. I’ve conveyed to all the servants in the manor that no one is to enter her room.”

“Good. You may take your leave,” said Josephine.

Mary dropped a curtsy before leaving the greenhouse, thinking about Kanna. Stupid girl. Why slight me and invite disaster on yourself? Mary could still vividly recall the stinging in her legs as Kanna whipped her. The memory still made her burn with anger. I’ll let this go when I see her dead. How dare she cross the mistress’s favorite maid?

Her fuming was interrupted when another maid suddenly came running toward her. “M-ma’am!”

Mary instantly frowned and scolded her, “Who told you to run about like a headless chicken? What if the mistress saw you?”

“Miss Kanna...” cried the maid, but she was panting so hard that she couldn’t go on.

Mary’s eyes grew large at the mention of the girl. “She’s finally died, has she? Is that right?” she exclaimed in excitement, only to see the blood drain from the maid’s face.

“What is it? What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, then realized that the maid’s gaze was fixed on something behind her. Her neck stiffened as she heard a familiar voice.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but...”

Mary’s heart instantly sank to the ground. That voice...

“I’m not dead yet.”

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer. “But did you want me to die so badly, Mary?”

The question sent chills down her spine. She could see that Kanna looked perfectly fine as she walked toward them. In fact, she looked to be in better health than before, with that rosy glow in her cheeks.

“You,” said Kanna to the maid behind Mary, “Bring me a switch.”