The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods: Volume 2, page 6
The enormous bed made the perfect playground for them to romp around. Misha used feather pillows to try and catch and squish Ren, who would nimbly dodge around them and jump on her back, pushing her down into the bed.
The commotion brought Tia into the room to investigate, but once she saw the two happily laughing with each other, she immediately turned to fetch a fresh set of linens with a smile. The pillows that Misha had weaponized had burst, throwing feathers everywhere, and the sheets were now in total disarray, making them entirely unfit for sleeping on.
I can’t be too surprised when she’s got a puppy like that, Tia thought.
Miranda returned to the room soon after Tia left, sighing at the state she found the room in, but she waited for the two to tire themselves out before doing the responsible thing and sitting them down for a lecture.
It was quite a struggle to keep from gushing over how cute the two looked covered in feathers.
Chapter 5: The King’s Sister Lalaya
Which one next? Misha wondered, craning her neck to search a bookshelf that towered high above her.
It was her third day in Redford. She hadn’t made it to the royal library yet, but she was more than satisfied with how she’d spent her time so far. The library within the castle itself was far larger than she had anticipated and housed literature collected by the kings of Redford over the generations, so there were books of all genres. Some of the older ones were even written in the old language.
Tightly packed bookshelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling, lining much of the room. Apparently, many of Redford’s kings had been very fond of books, so several of the ones present were actually gifts sent by other nations’ leaders from over the years. The books weren’t all fancy either—there was a vast range of qualities on display.
They were organized roughly by genre, but with no one tasked with keeping the room in order, quite a few books hadn’t been returned to their rightful places. Misha couldn’t help but laugh when she was perusing the fiction section and happened upon a recipe book. The books on either side of it were stories of a girl who loved to cook. Someone must have taken an interest in the food described in those stories and decided to learn how to make the dishes for themselves.
As she walked slowly past the rows of books, Misha’s eyes glided over the spines of the books, searching for anything that might catch her interest.
I read a lot of folklore yesterday, so maybe today I’ll go for history?
She had no other plans. The other day, Kino had taken her for a tour around the castle before she went for a walk with Miranda through the gardens and sat down to have tea with her. Today, however, Miranda had left, saying she had some business to take care of, and Misha felt bad for monopolizing Kino’s time when he looked so busy. Thus, she was spending the day in the library, finding her own entertainment.
Even Ren was absent, Tia insisting that he needed some exercise. The maid informed Misha that the castle kept dogs for hunting and security, so she had recommended he join them for some training. Miranda agreed, deciding it would only be an advantage if he learned how to fight people if he was staying with Misha, and so off he went. Misha worried he might get hurt, but Tia assured her he’d be fine. Since he was still just a puppy, they would mostly focus on communication with other dogs and people, she explained. Even after all that, Misha still hadn’t successfully explained that Ren was actually a wolf, but she decided the difference couldn’t be that big of a deal at this point. She shook off her concerns.
Meanwhile, Misha hadn’t seen Geord lately due to the past two days having kept him busy writing reports. Ryan and Tris went out of their way to spend some time with her each day, them taking turns eating a meal together or sitting down for some tea, but it was strange to her that the one she knew best wasn’t around.
With a collection of promising books in her arms, she found a sofa nestled between some bookshelves and sat down. There were plenty of sofas and chairs in the library so that one could enjoy the books without having to take them far away. Each had been placed expertly in the blind spots of bookcases so that even if someone else entered the room, the bookshelves would block a passerby’s view of someone reading.
The sofas came in all different shapes and sizes too. There was even a corner of the room in which rugs and cushions were piled on top of one another, forming a mountain. After trying a few seating spots, she found one she particularly liked: a sofa with space for two people directly in front of a window through which sunlight filled the room.
The gentle early summer sun was quite pleasant, creating Misha’s ideal mood for reading. Never mind that of her own country, Misha’s knowledge of Redford was superficial at best, so she’d found a collection on its history since its founding. She had found ten books in all, thick and heavy as dictionaries, but she had picked up three of them for now. At her size, carrying three of those at once was the best she could manage.
It turned out the stories of Redford’s founding were written very much like myths, so she found them quite engrossing. Before she knew it, she had lost herself in them.
“Are those books really that interesting?”
Misha almost jumped at the sudden voice from above her. Looking up, she saw a girl about her own age standing in front of her. She was extremely thin—to the point it was a wonder her legs could even support her weight—and her skin was so white that Misha couldn’t be sure whether the girl had ever been outside. Her face was gaunt and pale, none of the characteristic plumpness one would expect in the features of a girl her age. Even so, she wore a dress with a great deal of volume and decorative lace, making it seem like she was drowning in fabric.
The girl frowned as Misha stared dumbstruck back at her. “Hello? Are you deaf?”
Misha quickly shook her head. “No, I heard you fine—you just surprised me is all. Yeah, of course these books are interesting.” After clapping the book shut, Misha showed the cover to the girl.
Her frown didn’t budge. “You’re kind of weird. I haven’t seen anyone in this room for a long time. You’re the girl from Bluheitz, right?”
“Yes, I am...” Misha nodded as a thought suddenly occurred to her. The library in the castle belonged personally to the royalty. It was a private space for them, so people couldn’t just come in without the king’s permission. That’s what Kino had told her the other day. For this girl to so casually be standing here, did that mean she was royalty? At the very least, she was probably close to someone really important.
Misha jumped to her feet, realizing she had better introduce herself promptly. “Umm, my name is Misha Do Lindburg. I made sure to get permission before coming here!”
But the girl simply stared back at her with a blank expression.
“I know. They told me. I’m Lalaya,” she replied shortly before turning around and disappearing among the bookshelves.
“Lady Lalaya... Wait, does that mean you’re the king’s sister?”
The girl had vanished just as suddenly as she had arrived.
Misha recognized the name from her conversations with Ryan over dinner. He had a sister who was quite a bit younger than him, but she had been frail and sickly since birth. She spent most of her time in bed. For the last month, she’d been confined to bed with a cold, but he’d promised to introduce Misha to her once she was feeling better.
Yeah, she didn’t look like she was feeling well. She’s also really thin. What’s her nutrition like here?
Now it was Misha’s turn to frown as she recalled the pallidness of Lalaya’s skin. As a member of the royalty, she naturally had the best doctors. There was no room for an apothecary from the boonies like Misha to get involved, she told herself as she returned her attention to her books.
However, as she did so, she heard the sound of something falling and hitting the ground, causing her to instinctively jump back to her feet.
“Lady Lalaya!”
Misha saw the young girl sprawled on the floor between the bookshelves and hurried over. Turning Lalaya onto her side, Misha looked over her complexion as she took her pulse. Her face was already paler than a few minutes ago, and she felt cold. Her pulse was weak.
Once she’d checked the color around Lalaya’s eyes, Misha quickly rolled her onto her back, grabbing some books from a nearby bookshelf to elevate her legs. She then dashed to the door, poking her head outside to look for someone to help. With perfect timing, she spotted Kino coming down the hall, pushing a cart with a tea set on it toward her.
“Mr. Kino! Lady Lalaya has collapsed. It looks like anemia. Can you carry her to her room for me?”
Eyes widening only slightly, Kino pushed the cart to the side of the hallway and quickly made his way into the library.
“She’s over here.” Misha guided him to the fallen princess. “Try not to shake her head too much. It would be best to use a stretcher to carry her if we can get one.”
“I will go have one prepared immediately. May I trouble you to stay with the lady until I return?”
“Of course.” Misha nodded, swapping out the books under Lalaya’s feet for some cushions as Kino quickly made his exit. He might have moved quickly, but Kino’s seeming lack of urgency had taken Misha aback.
She laid a blanket over the fallen girl and then checked Lalaya’s pulse again. The girl was terribly cold to the touch, and her face was scrunched into a frown, as if she was having trouble breathing. Misha loosened her collar.
Thinner than average. Low body temperature. Her heart rate is high, and she has a bad case of anemia. It’s hard to say for sure, but this might be a case of malnutrition.
Misha had already unconsciously lapsed into a professional examination. She loosened the ribbons and buttons on Lalaya’s dress as she waited.
Eventually, Kino returned with two maids in tow. They gently moved Lalaya onto a simple stretcher, really no more than some cloth fastened to a couple poles. Limp as ever, Lalaya lay still as her complexion failed to improve.
“Have you called for her doctor?” Misha asked as she watched the maids carry her off, wishing she could go with them.
Kino shook his head. “Lady Lalaya has been frail ever since she was born. Collapsing like this is a daily occurrence for her. Forgive my rudeness, but I doubt they will call a doctor for something this minor.”
Misha’s face clouded over. “Someone losing consciousness is a big deal. It sounds like people aren’t taking that seriously. And for this to be a daily occurrence, her body must be under a lot of stress,” Misha murmured, staring down the hall where Lalaya and the maids had already disappeared.
Meanwhile, Kino turned to look at her with a curious expression. Misha was inarguably a bit eccentric, and she had her background with the People of the Forest. There were a number of incidents she had been involved in during her trip to Redford. All of that together was more than enough to catch Kino’s interest. Ryan’s request for him to stick close to Misha hadn’t bothered him. He was determined to find out whether she would be a boon or a curse on his liege, but beyond that, he found her interesting.
Unaware of his scrutiny, Misha continued to stare down the empty hallway, biting her lip.
Why?
Her head was full of questions.
Kino’s dismissive attitude. The way the maids had taken away the unconscious Lalaya without being bothered in the least. Lalaya’s pale complexion and dark eyes.
With a sigh, Misha spun around and returned to the library. If she was curious, she just had to investigate. Although, for starters, she needed to put away all the books she’d pulled out earlier.
Misha would never even have considered asking someone else to clean up for her, so she naturally moved to put away the books herself, but Kino, who was used to having servants doing the work, didn’t understand Misha’s behavior at first. Wondering if her sigh had been her way of putting Lalaya out of her mind, he watched in confused silence as she cleaned up the books.
She had finished before he’d realized it. Then she requested Kino take her back to her room. The butler quickly turned and led her through the halls. It was an uncomfortable feeling, not being able to tell what this girl was thinking as she followed quietly behind him.
But Misha was oblivious to all of Kino’s overthinking. She was fully absorbed in the problem of how she was going to get the information she was after.
If she was after rumors, it would be best to talk to the women of the castle. That was the easy answer Misha came to. So, as she returned to her room, she sat down for some tea and invited Tia and Isabella to join her. She didn’t really know any other women in Redford, and Miranda was still out on business. The two maids declined the invitation at first, but at Misha’s sad “But drinking tea by myself is so lonely” comment, they finally relented.
While they drank, Misha casually shared her experience in the library with Lalaya.
“Her complexion looked pretty bad. I’m worried about her,” she said, concerned.
“Lady Lalaya has always been somewhat frail...” Tia explained. “The change of seasons is always hard for her. Besides, she spends more than half of the year in bed.”
The implicit declaration that this was all normal only caused Misha’s frown to deepen.
“Does she have some particular illness?”
The two maids shared another look at Misha’s question, then turned to Kino behind them. The butler waved a hand wordlessly, giving them tacit permission.
“I cannot say we know anything specific,” Isabella said, “but she was born quite premature, and she was very small at the time. Perhaps because of that, she has always been susceptible to all kinds of illnesses. It is said that her survival to this day has been remarkable in and of itself.” Her sights fell on the tea in front of her.
Misha tilted her head slightly. “So, she was born weak and easily gets sick. The doctor looked at her but couldn’t find any cause, so the assumption is that she has a weak constitution?”
“We have not been assigned to serve her directly, so we have not been told the precise details, but that is the general understanding around the castle, yes,” Tia replied haltingly.
Isabella nodded beside her. Turning to look at Kino, who had stubbornly refused to join them at the table, Misha received a small nod from him as well.
Holding her teacup in both hands, Misha stared hard into the amber liquid. From her brief examination, she believed Lalaya was suffering from a severe case of anemia. There might have been something more at play, but without a more rigorous examination, she couldn’t be sure.
But above all, it was bizarre that others were unconcerned about her losing consciousness on the daily. She was a princess. She should have been very important to the kingdom. And yet, it seemed like they didn’t treat her with much respect at all.
What was her doctor thinking? What was her doctor doing?
“I’d love to give her a proper medical exam... It would be nice to talk to her doctor too,” Misha murmured to herself, but everyone in the room had heard her loud and clear.
Chapter 6: Begin Treatment!
Misha opened the door of the room with a bright and cheerful smile.
“Good morning, Lady Lalaya. How are you feeling?”
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped inside and threw the curtains wide open.
The sun was a little high for it being morning; it quickly cast out the gloomy darkness of the bedroom. Without another word of warning, Misha continued over to the princess’s last fortress, throwing open the curtains of her canopied bed without a hint of mercy.
“Ngh...”
A small lump started to squirm in the center of a bed wide enough for three adults to lie comfortably side by side. Misha giggled at the soft groan coming from it.
“It’s morning, Lady Lalaya. Let’s get up before someone has to come in and take your blankets from you,” Misha called out playfully as she rapped the foot of the bed, but she only got another wordless groan in reply. “Lady Lalaya, if you get up now, I’ll add some honey to your morning medicine for you.”
Despite the softness of Misha’s tone, there was quite a depth to her words. What would happen if the princess stayed in bed? The maids behind Misha glanced at one another.
“U-Umm... Lady Misha, Lady Lalaya was unable to sleep until quite late last night, so...” a middle-aged maid explained after having watched Misha’s behavior with a good deal of consternation.
Her name was Carrie. On her first day with the princess, Misha learned that this maid had been taking care of Lalaya since the princess was a baby.
“I believe she is simply feeling unwell due to a lack of sleep...” Carrie said.
As much as Carrie tried to stop Misha’s rampage, it only served to play into Misha’s hands, prompting her to open her eyes wide with feigned shock.
“Oh my! In that case, I absolutely must give her a thorough examination! I may have to change up her medicine!” She firmly gripped the edge of the silky down blanket. “Please get up already. I’ll give you three seconds.”
Despite having no way to possibly see from under the covers, Lalaya must have felt some measure of danger in the grin that Misha wore as she delivered her ultimatum.
It had been three days since Misha had started visiting her. Much to the princess’s chagrin, she knew full well what would happen if she were to disobey Misha’s orders. Slowly but surely, a pair of bright blue eyes peeked out from the blanket to glare at the apothecary.
“Good morning, Lady Lalaya. Looks like I can finally see you. I know it is a bit presumptuous of me, but I really don’t recommend you cover your head with your blanket while you sleep. It’ll interfere with your breathing, and it could lead to you overheating and feeling worse.”
Misha continued to act cheerful, heedless of the scowl the princess had turned her way. Lalaya’s surliness knew no end.
“I don’t normally sleep with my head under the blankets. Who do you think made me start doing that?”
She sounded bitter, but Misha’s unfaltering smile soon leached the poison from her demeanor, and she fell quiet again.
