~Chapter 32~
“Mother, they said I can get better!”
“…What?”
At Penelope’s words, Isabella looked over at Leah.
Her eyes were clearly asking for an explanation.
“I’m sorry, Duchess. I checked on Miss Penelope’s condition.”
“Why are you sorry? You were trying to help me.”
Penelope defended Leah and explained everything that had happened while Isabella was away.
Even after hearing everything, Isabella still seemed doubtful.
Which made sense — Leah wasn’t a certified expert.
When she treated the village kids before, Johann had been there, but now he didn’t remember any of it.
Leah told the Duchess to wait a moment, then went to get her potion notebook from Raphaella’s room.
“What is this?”
“It’s a notebook where I wrote down all the potions I learned from my grandma and the ones I made myself.”
“So, the cure for Penelope’s illness is in here?”
“Yes.”
Isabella flipped through the notebook slowly.
She didn’t know much about potions, but she could feel the care and effort that went into it.
The level of detail and dedication made her feel guilty for being so harsh before.
“This is a very valuable notebook,” Isabella murmured as she read.
She was starting to trust Leah a little.
“Here’s the part about the cure,” Leah said, flipping to the page.
“…Dewdrop Flower?” Isabella pointed to a marked section.
“That’s the key ingredient for the cure.”
“Where can we get this flower? I’ll send someone right away.”
“Ah, it only grows in the mountains near my village.”
“Only there?”
“Yes. It grows year-round on Mt. Lorem, but only works if it gets soaked in the heavy northern rain.”
Leah showed Isabella a drawing of the flower from her notebook.
“It looks ordinary before the rain, but after, it absorbs water and the petals become plump.”
Her grandma had shown her the flower when she was little.
It was rare, found only in their mountain.
Back then, they didn’t know much about its effects other than hydration.
“Fascinating.”
“You have to pick it right after it rains to keep the plump petals.”
“Then we’ll time it and send people from the duke’s house….”
“Actually, the area’s hard to find and the flower needs to be picked a certain way… so I think I need to go myself.”
—
After finishing the conversation with the Duchess, Leah returned to the room with Raphaella.
Before leaving, Isabella told Raphaella she could visit Penelope anytime on the fourth floor.
Raphaella and Penelope were thrilled and held hands with joy.
Their room now looked bright and cheerful — like a fairy’s spring home.
‘Didn’t notice this earlier since I only grabbed the notebook…’
“Mom, there are flowers on the sofa!”
Raphaella pointed to the pink flowers on the couch fabric.
‘The whole room looks completely different.’
The curtains were now light pink and airy. Decorations had been changed to match spring.
Even the carpet and bedding had been updated.
The heavy canopy on the bed was replaced with lace embroidered with flowers and butterflies.
It was a lovely day filled with good things.
‘From the greenhouse invitation to finding a way to cure Penelope.’
For the first time since coming to the duke’s estate, Leah hummed a little tune.
She hoped her daughter’s future would be just as bright and full of hope.
That night, she looked at Raphaella and opened her mouth to speak.
She had decided it was best to go get the Dewdrop Flowers herself — quickly — and leave Raphaella at the estate.
The Duchess and Johann were paying more attention to her now, and Penelope was here too.
‘I’m a bit worried, but I think I can leave her here with peace of mind.’
Of course, she needed to get Raphaella’s permission first.
“Rafi, how was today?”
“Today was amazing!”
“Really?”
“Yep! The greenhouse, the desserts, meeting Auntie Pepi — everything was awesome!”
Raphaella smiled and hugged Leah.
“Oh! And our room looks like a brand-new one!”
Looking into her daughter’s joyful eyes, Leah hesitated before speaking.
“I have something to tell you, sweetie.”
“What is it?”
The child tilted her head and looked at her.
It wasn’t easy to say they’d have to be apart for a while.
“Mom needs to go to our village for a little bit.”
“Our village? Can I come too?”
“No, I have to go alone to get the medicine ingredients for Auntie Penelope.”
“Why? I want to go too.”
Aaàæ“I need to go quickly, and the trip would be too hard for you. So it’s better if I go alone.”
“Alone?”
Raphaella crossed her arms and turned away, pouting.
Seeing her puffed-up cheeks, Leah felt guilty.
“I’ll be back super fast. Just a few nights of sleep, and I’ll be here.”
“Hmph, I don’t care.”
“I really wish I could take you, but the Carriage I’m riding might make you sick.”
The Duchess had arranged a special high-speed Carriage with magic stones.
Those stones were rare and expensive — even nobles didn’t use them often.
But they could cause dizziness and headaches for kids under 15.
“…You’ll really be back soon?”
Raphaella asked, still facing away but clearly softening.
“Of course! I’ll pick the flowers and come straight back.”
“Then you have to come back super fast.”
“Yep! I’ll think about you every day while I’m gone.”
Raphaella turned and hugged Leah tightly.
‘I just want to find people who’ll love and protect you, Rafi.’
She hoped that once Penelope recovered, she could help fill the space Leah would leave behind.
She felt guilty that it wasn’t just kindness pushing her to help Penelope — it was also her own fear of leaving her daughter alone.
‘I just want Rafi surrounded by people who love her.’
Not long after Raphaella fell asleep, Leah heard the sound of a Carriage — Johann had returned.
‘He’s late again.’
He was still busy as Duke of Blumhardt, even if not quite as much as during the winter.
That’s why it was even more important that Raphaella had Penelope and the Duchess around.
Leah was about to sleep when someone knocked on the door.
She put on a light robe and opened it.
“…What brings you here?”
It was Johann.
“Is Raphaella asleep?”
“She just fell asleep. Did you come to say goodnight?”
She asked, not really expecting it.
“But since she’s asleep…”
“You can still go in and pat her head.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Parents always say goodnight to sleeping kids.”
Encouraged by Leah, Johann quietly whispered to Raphaella and gently patted her head.
It was awkward, but a big improvement from when he first met her.
Leah smiled seeing that.
“Um, I have something to tell you.”
She called out to Johann just as he was about to leave the room.
—
“Madam, so nice to see you again!”
On the day of rest, the same tailor who had met them with Johann visited Raphaella’s room.
“Lady Raphaella, an honor to meet you again.”
The tailor, Madam Evelin, bowed to Raphaella and had her assistant lay out various fabrics.
“It’s a bit late for spring clothes, but who cares?”
Isabella had cut ties with Carolina’s tailor and brought back her original one.
Evelin was thrilled to be invited to the Duke’s estate.
She held up different fabrics next to Raphaella’s face and asked Leah which ones looked good.
The assistant set up a mirror for Raphaella.
“I like the light yellow and the light green too.”
“Right? What about this sky blue?”
“That also looks great on her.”
After checking the fabrics, Evelin had her assistant take Raphaella’s measurements.
Meanwhile, she explained to Leah how many outfits she planned to make.
“Ten dresses for going out, and of course, you’ll need more next year.”
Since spring was almost over, she recommended starting with that amount.
“Also about ten comfy dresses for home, eight pajamas, and some cloaks and capes.”
Leah didn’t know much about noble girls’ clothes, so she just nodded.
‘It’ll take time to make, so maybe by the time I get back, I’ll see her in new dresses.’
Compared to her past life, Raphaella was getting dresses much earlier.
The goddess’s mark was still on her neck, but things were clearly starting to change.
“When I saw the young lady at the festival, I dreamed of dressing her in my designs! I never thought it would happen so soon! I’m already fulfilled this year!”
The words sounded a bit dramatic, but Leah could tell she meant them, and she smiled.
Madam Evelin also showed some light jewelry for noble children.
Leah let Raphaella pick a few pieces she liked.
“I’ll try my best so the young lady can wear her new dresses as soon as possible.”
“You don’t need to push yourself too hard…”
“You’re our most special client! I must work hard for her!”
“…Thank you.”
“Oh! By the way, have you worn the custom dress you ordered last time?”
Thanks again for the great translations!