Chapter 22

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nWhile Astelle put down her luggage, Theor ran to an arrowhead-shaped window on one wall.

n“Aunt Astelle, look over there! I can see the village.”

nTheor grabbed the window sill and shouted.

n“Theor, you have to be careful not to fall off.”

nThrough the window, she could see a small country town at a glance.

nAlong with the square vegetable garden, small houses were gathered.

nIt was peaceful scenery.

nThrough the white clouds in the distance, the gray mountain ranges were also seen.

nThe sunset was sitting quietly through the fog on the hillside.

nAstelle looked out the window unintentionally and found an unusual sight.

n‘That…?’

nOn top of the dried branches, she could see the black and dried petals.

nIt was a silver plum blossom.

nIt is a flower that blooms white like a dove’s wings, but somehow, the fluffy petals were all withered.

n‘You’re sick.’

nLooking out the window, Astelle looked at the silver plum tree standing in the garden and thought so vaguely.

nThe death of that white flower was a harbinger of illness.

nAt this time, when silver plum blossoms withered for no reason, a terrible contagious disease occurred in the village each time.

n‘Innes fever.’

nIt was an endemic disease common in the northeast of the continent.

nIn the past six years of living in the East, Astelle has witnessed that flower withers like that several times.

nAnd at that time, new tombs covered with white flowers in the village remained lonely here and there.

n‘If you take medicine within the time limit when you get sick, you’ll be better.’

nInnes fever is a disease that can be easily cured with only medicine.

nHowever, poor farmers were often victims of sickness because they could not take medicine.

nThis is because there was no way to make medicines in the old countryside where there were no pharmacists even though herbs were scattered around them.

n‘Fortunately, there seems to be no big deal yet.’

nIf a contagious disease circulates in the village, there is no way to be decided as an accommodation on the emperor’s journey.

n-Knock knock-

nSomeone knocked on the door.

n“Lady, I brought refreshments.”

nThe old maid brought the teacup and cookies to the tray.

nTheor, hanging from the window sill, quickly ran toward it.

nOn the tray was hot cocoa with a sweet chocolate scent.

n“Can I eat it?”

n“Sure, Young Master.”

nThe maid handed Theor a small cup of cocoa.

n“Thank you.”

nA smile even stood around the maid’s wrinkled eyes as Theor took the cocoa cup, laughed, and said thanks.

nShe also handed a teacup to Astelle.

n“It is the one to warms the body.”

nIt was a fragrant medicine tea with steam.

n“Thank you.”

nThe moment she took the teacup from the maid, the wrinkled fingers grasping the teacup touched Astelle’s hand slightly.

nIt was an instant moment, but Astelle looked closely at the finger.

nThe maid put the tray down and said she was sorry.

n“Well, Lady. Due to the lack of labor in the castle, I will serve Lady myself today.”

n“Yes, please. I’ll take care of the child myself. You just need to do a simple service.”

nThe emperor’s party was enormous, including knights and soldiers.

nIn such a small town, the labor was insufficient.

n“Well, and this floor doesn’t have a bathroom in every room. You have to use the baths downstairs.”

n“I see.”

nThese days mansions have small bathrooms in each bedroom, but there weren’t many private bathrooms in this old-fashioned castle.

nOnly the family and valuable guests could use the bedroom with the bathroom, and others took a bath in the public bath.

n“The manager has asked for your understanding that he was sorry for making you uncomfortable.”

nThe maid was very sorry and bowed her head.

n“I’m fine so don’t mind.”

n“Thank you for your understanding, Lady. Instead, the only people staying on this floor are Lady and the Young Master, so you can use the bath anytime you want.”

n“Is that so? Then I should go to the bath before the water cools down.”

nAstelle opened the luggage bag and took out a change of clothes.

n“Theor, you have to take a bath with aunt today.”

n“Yeah.”

nAstelle pulled out the clothes from the depths of the bag.

nShe turned over the piled clothes to get the clothes at the bottom, and the teddy bear she had put in the bag fell to the floor.

n“Levin!”

nTheor quickly picked up the teddy bear that had fallen from the luggage bag and hugged it.

nAstelle took a change of clothes and headed for the bath with Theor.

nThe maid who guided her to the bath opened a small door and pointed to the inside.

n“There is a bathrobe over there. If you take off the dress, we will wash it cleanly.”

nThe place the maid pointed to was a small room with a basket for clothes and towels.

n‘Is it a changing room attached to the bathroom?’

nShe was unfamiliar and never used a public bath like this.

nThe Duke’s mansion of the capital where Astelle grew up had a private bathroom in the room of the attendants.

nShe now lives in her grandfather’s old villa, although it turned into ruins, there was no bedroom without a bathroom.

n“Now, let’s take off our clothes and get ready for a bath together.”

nShe removed Theor’s clothes and put on a little bathrobe.

nAstelle herself took off her clothes and wore a thin bathrobe on one side.

nIt was a white gown covering the knees made of thin cotton wool.

nThe curvature of the body was reflected as it is.

nAstel changes her clothes and sat down with her knees bent and asked Theor.

n“Theor, could you lend me Levin for a while?”

n“Huh? Why?”

nAstelle smiled as she looked straight into Theor’s curious eyes.

n“I will do a new play.”

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nAfter a while, she put all her clothes in a basket and went outside.

nWhen the two came out, the maid quickly picked up the basket, as if she had waited.

nThe moment she took the basket, the maid’s gaze quickly glanced over Astelle’s body.

nWearing only a thin gown, Astelle showed her slender body.

nShe had no place to hide something.

nThe maid, who was about to go out with a basket, found a doll in Theor’s hand.

nTheor noticed the maid’s gaze and hugged Levin tightly.

n“I wanna take Levin too, I want to take a bath together.”

n“Theor, you have to leave the doll.“

n“No!”

nTheor wrapped the doll in his arms and stepped back.

nThe maid glanced at the doll held in Theor’s hand.

nIt was an old teddy bear made of brown cloth.

nThere are several decorations on the body like a rag, and a small ribbon was attached to the back of the neck.

nIt was just a children’s doll made of cotton.

nShe didn’t seem to have any place to hide something, but…

nHer gaze instantly turned to the doll’s body filled with cotton.

nThe maid said with a laugh as if to be a kind.

n“If you take the doll in the bath, it will get all wet. As you know, it’s a public place… we apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

n“No.”

nAstelle smiled a little and asked Theor again.

n“Because Levin took a bath before, he wouldn’t want to get into the water. Let’s call Blin and wait here with him. Huh?”

nTheor came forward with the doll in his arms, wriggling.

n“Then will you give me a cookie?”

n“Yes, I’ll go to the room after taking a bath and give it to you.”

nSlowly, Astelle put the teddy bear he was handed over on a small side table in the bath.

nThe maid did not show much interest and picked up only a basket with clothes.

n“I’ll keep the clothes clean while Lady is bathing.”

nAstelle replied with a smile.

n“Yes, please.”

n“Blin, come here.”

nTheor stroked Blin’s head next to him.

nWearing her bathrobe, Astelle grabbed Theor’s hand and pulled him into the bathroom.

nBlin, the dog, wagging its tail, crouched down in front of the bath door.

nAfter a while, the sound of water began to leak from the inside.

nAs soon as the maid heard the sound of water, she put down the basket and picked up the teddy bear on the side table.

nShe pressed the doll’s body here and there and touched its plump limbs without exception.

nHowever, she only touched the fluffy cotton, and there was nothing inside.

nShe put the doll down and she went through Astelle’s dress.

nEven the usual dresses and underwear, and even the child’s clothes were scrutinized, but still, nothing came out.

nThe maid put the basket down and she went to the room Astelle used.

nWhen she entered the room, she opened the luggage bag placed by the bed, and she opened the boxes in it one by one.

nShe checked the medicine box as well as instructed in advance.

nShe carefully touched the herbs in the box, and she opened all the vials to smell and taste.

nThen she walks around the room and she looks here and there.

nWith little furniture, Astelle had no place to hide.

nShe put her hand under the bed and even behind the dressing table and touched it, but it didn’t come out too much.

nThe old maid eventually rearranged the luggage, picked up the basket, and walked out into the hallway.

nThere was a knight guarding the door in the corridor.

nThe maid went to the knight and said quietly.

n“I looked over everything as ordered, but there were no special drugs. There are no medicines for dangerous illnesses or chronic diseases, they are all common cold medicines and headache medicines. There are some herbs, but…”

nThe maid frowned on her wrinkled eye for a moment.

nShe said the medicines in the bottle were nothing special, but the herbs were a little peculiar.

nIt wasn’t a common herb used in ordinary remedies, and it was a medicinal herb that was hard to find.

nBut she couldn’t figure out what Astelle was trying to use just by looking at the herbs.

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