BOPE 38

Chapter 38 …

It was all because her body had become too weak.

That was the conclusion Donghee came to after seeing a vision of the man who looked like a cutlassfish.

The string of “ㅋ”s that appeared on the status window right after that lingered in her mind, but she didn’t dwell on it long—it was an expression she used often anyway.

The status window sometimes acted like it wanted to help her, only to suddenly behave like a mischievous younger sibling interfering with her homework.

Maybe that’s why she kept bickering with it, even though it wasn’t a person.

“Sigh, I don’t even know anymore.”

She had never been one to overthink things.

Perhaps it was a habit she’d developed from always having to deal with problems as they came. Donghee had more than enough pressing issues to deal with at any given moment.

As she watched the sky outside the carriage window gradually turn orange, Donghee began to nod off again.

By the time the carriage arrived at Grace Castle, the sun had almost set and dusk had fallen.

The coachman who had driven all day, the horses, and even the lord who had ridden inside were all equally exhausted.

“Shall I prepare your bathwater?”

Delma, who had come out to greet them, asked quickly as she walked beside Chloe.

She had been alarmed when the coachman told her they had stopped by Enol Village. It wasn’t part of the schedule, and both the horses and the coachman looked worn out.

Given how tired everyone else seemed, Delma assumed the lord would collapse the moment she got inside.

But Chloe’s response was completely different from what Delma had expected.

“No, instead, could you bring me some Tiesek powder and Komo tree sap?”

“Pardon? Right now? Without resting?”

Chloe’s skin, which had been smooth and glowing in the morning, now looked rough with fatigue. Her hair, once neatly styled, was now messy, with loose strands sticking out—probably from dozing against the carriage wall.

This was unthinkable for the Chloe Grace of the past. She had always insisted on looking like a perfectly dressed doll, but now she didn’t seem to care about her hair at all.

Delma was glad her lady had matured, but the sudden change was also a little frightening.

“There’s something I need to check urgently. I’ll bathe afterward.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

Delma couldn’t take her eyes off the disheveled hair as she asked.

“I’m not sure. But it’s late, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“All right. Shall I bring the Tiesek and Komo tree materials to your room, then?”

“No. To the kitchen.”

“Ah… Yes.”

She could almost hear the chef screaming in the distance.

Donghee’s laboratory was the kitchen.

She could freely use fire, water, and various bowls of all sizes, and the marble countertop could withstand any amount of heat without a problem.

“What are you planning to do with these?”

Though she brought the ingredients as ordered, Delma still looked skeptical.

She had heard from Handsome that the lady had mixed Tiesek powder and Komo tree sap in the shaded garden before. And now it wasn’t over?

She couldn’t eat it, nor did it seem like something useful could be made from it. Delma was deeply worried.

“I don’t really know either.”

“…What?”

Donghee had been acting so confidently lately that Delma had trusted her without hesitation. Maybe too much.

Delma stifled a sigh and stood beside Chloe. She might be a mess, but she was still her lord. Helping her when needed was enough.

Donghee picked up a pale gray Tiesek stone, turned it over in her hand, then dropped it into a mortar.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of her grinding the soft rock echoed from the small mortar. Since it was brittle, it didn’t take many strikes before it turned into a fine powder.

Next was the Komo tree. Donghee cut a branch to extract its sap and placed a small bowl beneath it.

As soon as she sliced it, a thick liquid quickly filled the bowl.

She had done this before, so she worked without hesitation.

Delma watched Donghee silently, amazed at how serious she looked—just like an alchemist—grinding powder and extracting sap.

She had known her lady since birth, but this was the first time she’d seen her like this.

She badly wanted to ask if she even knew what she was making but held her tongue. The way Chloe pursed her lips in concentration looked oddly charming.

The lady mixed equal parts Tiesek powder and Komo sap in several identical bowls, stirring them with a wooden spatula like she was kneading dough.

Delma could already picture the chef’s devastated face tomorrow morning when he found the ruined spatula. That poor spatula would probably be thrown into the fireplace before the night was over.

Soon, ten bowls filled with thick gray liquid were lined up on the marble counter.

Delma, who had been watching in a trance, suddenly remembered something and pulled a letter from her pocket to hand it to Donghee.

“What’s that?”

Donghee had been staring at the bowls but gave the envelope a quick glance.

“A letter from Viscount Patrasche.”

“Patrasche? What, does it have red bean paste inside or something?”

Donghee laughed at her own joke but stopped when she saw Delma’s blank stare. Delma looked at her with an expression that said, There she goes again.

“What’s red bean paste?”

“Nothing. Never mind. What does it say?”

Donghee’s lips jutted out more than usual. Her joke had totally bombed.

“I haven’t read it—it’s addressed to you. But I’m guessing it’s about a visit to Grace Castle. Around this time of year, a letter like this always arrives.”

“Really?”

Donghee shrugged and tore the envelope open. Since she still had paste on her hands, the envelope got ruined.

She pulled out the letter and wiped her messy fingers on the torn envelope.

Delma, shocked, quickly offered her a handkerchief, but Donghee refused, saying she didn’t want to dirty it.

“Wow, look at this handwriting! Anyone would think it was printed.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Just saying the handwriting’s nice. But the sender’s not Mr. Redbeanche.”

“Ah! Then it must’ve been sent by Lady Aileen.”

“Aileen?”

It was a name she had never heard before. But Donghee stayed quiet and pretended she knew, just in case.

The letter said they would be visiting Grace soon, and Aileen would be bringing a gift for Chloe.

“They’re bringing a gift?”

Donghee didn’t have great feelings toward the viscount, but the word gift strangely excited her.

It was probably because she had so few experiences of receiving gifts from anyone.

“My lady, if you get excited like that again, what if he tries to buy one of the remaining villages this time?”

“Then I won’t sell it.”

“Ah!”

Delma suddenly remembered how Grace’s finances weren’t what they used to be and broke into a big smile.

“Then this time, no matter what Lady Aileen says, you mustn’t go along with it! Got it?”

“Why?”

Donghee asked in a dumb-sounding voice, even to her own ears. She had no idea what kind of feelings Chloe Grace had for this Aileen person.

Delma, seeing her unsure expression, naturally began explaining, as if expecting this.

“Well, um… Should I say this?”

Delma opened her mouth, then shut it like a clam and sighed deeply. She repeated this open-shut-headshake routine a few more times.

Donghee, worried that Delma’s lips might wear out, grabbed her arm with still-smudged hands.

“Just tell me.”

Delma looked at the gray smudge on her clothes, raised her brows, sighed again, and finally continued.

“Lady Aileen always gives you presents as if she’s doing you a favor, but they’re all… well…”

“What? Cheap? All junk?”

Delma shut her mouth again but nodded.

“And Chloe used to smile like a fool, totally clueless?”

“…Yes.”

Delma looked at the lord, who spoke of her past self like a stranger, and answered slowly.

“I’m just ashamed of my old self. Let’s pretend that person wasn’t me, all right?”

Donghee tried to cover it up clumsily after realizing she’d said too much.

“Yes!”

Luckily, it seemed to work. Delma looked more relieved than ever.

“But my lady, what are you making with all this?”

The thick gray stuff in those bowls didn’t look edible at all. Just staring at them made Delma anxious that someone like Dural might come by and try to eat it.

“Oh! I’m going to mix something into this.”

“Into that?”

“Yeah. I managed to make something kind of like cement, but I don’t think that’s the final version.”

“Cement?”

“It’s a material that hardens and makes buildings and roads strong and long-lasting.”

“You know about things like that?”

Delma, who had never seen Chloe open a book in her life, found this all very unfamiliar.

“Why isn’t it hardening?”

Donghee frowned as she peered into the bowls of liquid she’d made.

When she had only used Tiesek powder and Komo sap, it hardened in the blink of an eye. But adding a third ingredient seemed to have ruined it.

She had tried every powder available in the kitchen—salt, flour, and more—but anything beyond the original two reduced the thickness. When she added salt, the mixture even separated like oil and water.

“Whoa, that’s wild. I guess I can’t use this method near the seaside.”

She marveled at the new discovery when Delma suddenly spoke up, almost as if tossing a thought.

“But my lady.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you trying to build roads or houses with that stuff?”

“Of course not. You also need dirt, wood… Gasp!”

“What is it?!”

“Dirt!”

“Excuse me?”

Donghee realized she had forgotten the most important ingredient.

“Where can I find dirt?”

“In the garden, I suppose?”