The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods: Volume 2, page 9
Misha’s detailed breakdown brought a frown to Ryan’s face. He wasn’t familiar with much of the medical terminology.
“In short?”
“Her life isn’t in danger. The main causes of her current condition are her failure to take her medicine and her disordered lifestyle.”
Lalaya’s eyes went wide, her pale face turning slightly red. “How rude!”
“Of course, I understand the suffering you are going through. But refusing to take medicine or accept treatment means your symptoms won’t improve. Many types of medicine will not dramatically and immediately improve your condition because they are designed to work slowly over time,” Misha patiently explained to the angry princess.
Bemused, Conan watched the conversation. He had to struggle not to laugh thinking of the thoroughly opposite demeanors of the two girls who were otherwise so similar.
In truth, he had come to much the same conclusion Misha had. Though she’d been born prematurely, Lalaya had made it out of the stage of childhood in which her life was in danger. Since she had been so small and so weak for so long, others around her had ended up being overprotective and spoiling her. In the past, Conan himself had found the scolding she needed to hear dying in his throat in the face of her tears.
Now learning that his sister’s life wasn’t in danger, and feeling guilty at the realization he had been one of the main culprits responsible for spoiling her, Ryan had to avert his gaze from both girls.
“So, if she takes her medicine and improves her daily habits, she’ll get better?” he muttered, getting an instant nod from Misha.
“Yes. I can’t say much about her underlying constitution, but it should at least significantly decrease the frequency of her fainting, and she shouldn’t end up bedridden from simple colds.”
Ryan glanced at the doctor. “Conan?”
“I concur. The issue for us was that Lady Lalaya had refused both my treatment and the other doctors’ treatment,” he replied with a polite bow.
The king closed his eyes as he sank into thought. A frown slowly crept upon his face.
“Ryan...?” Lalaya called out hesitantly, unsettled by her brother’s reaction.
But without responding to her, the king opened his eyes and turned to Misha. “Would you be able to get her healthy again?”
Misha’s surprised blink quickly gave way to a bright smile. Of course, she understood from her discussion with the maids earlier that working on Lalaya’s day-to-day lifestyle would be backbreaking work. At the very least, the princess would doubtless resist vehemently through the first few days. That was why Misha had decided to wait until the end of the exam to ask for this permission.
“If you can promise me that I won’t be punished for any disrespect I show her.”
Now it was Ryan’s turn to blink in surprise, but a mischievous grin quickly overtook his shock. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Ryan?!” Lalaya all but screamed at her brother’s quick assent.
As if Misha hadn’t heard her, the little apothecary gave a polite, elegant bow. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Thus, Misha was appointed as Lalaya’s attending physician. Although it was a prestigious position, it wouldn’t be an easy one. The princess’s constant screaming and shouting that began the next day were clear evidence of that. However, just as often as the princess’s cries were heard echoing through the halls of the castle, so too were the apothecary’s commands.
“Please get up.”
“Stop being so picky and eat.”
“Take your medicine.”
Not to mention the constant sight of Misha chasing the princess through the halls with a bright smile on her face. And so now, everyone around the castle watched the princess’s new life unfold with bemusement.
Lalaya drank the juice provided to her with breakfast without the slightest effort to hide her displeasure at being forced out of bed. The drink was a beautiful green color, a mixture of various fruit, vegetables, and herbs.
At first, the color had made Lalaya wary of the beverage, but after trying it once, she found the sweetness of the fruit and the soft aroma of the herbs were actually delicious. Of course, having been forced to drink it the first time, that was never something she’d admit, but her expressions and demeanor while drinking were all the evidence those watching needed.
Lalaya had also taken a liking to the medicine Misha gave her. Misha had arranged it to be powdered with a sweet taste added to it or small pills that could easily be swallowed. All of it was done with consideration that the patient was a young girl. Misha had even prepared candy for Lalaya to wash the taste of medicine from her mouth. Well, those candies also had medicine in them to help with her anemia, but there was no need for the princess to know that.
“You’re pretty good,” Lalaya murmured, jabbing her fork into the array of breakfast food laid out in front of her. It was a good mixture of vegetables and proteins that were easy for her to enjoy despite her historically unbalanced diet. Lalaya herself knew that Misha had cooked up the arrangement personally with the head chef of the castle.
With the ongoing efforts to rebuild after the war, her brother had insisted on a serious and simplistic lifestyle for themselves, robbing her of many of these kinds of fun, happy experiences. She had grown to dislike eating after having been told to eat awful tasting food for so long, hearing things like “It’s good for you” and “You need the nutrients.”
But even though the base ingredients were the same, even something as simple as arranging the food aesthetically was a big help in overcoming Lalaya’s trepidations, which were normal for a girl her age.
On that first morning, when Lalaya had been driven out of bed and dragged to the breakfast table, she was stunned to see an assortment of apples cut into the shape of little bunnies and salad decorated with paprika flowers.
Lalaya gingerly picked up one of the apple bunnies. One time when she was young, she had been bedridden with a cold, so her mother had cut some apples for her. With no experience using knives herself, it had been quite the trial for her.
Back then, Lalaya had spent most of her life bedridden, but having her mother, father, and brother around meant she was nonetheless a happy girl. They had all regularly visited her in bed, stroking her hair and encouraging her, telling her she’d be better soon.
By pure chance, she had been at a remote treatment facility at the outbreak of the plague, meaning she had been entirely spared. The irony of it had her crying, laughing, and cursing the gods all at once. Yes, she had been spared, but her parents had been taken from her.
As she took a small bite, her mouth was filled with the gently sweet and sour flavor of the apple, easily gliding down her throat. She struggled to keep the feelings bubbling up inside from spilling out as she quietly made her way through the meal. She didn’t want to admit something so simple would bring her to tears; all she could do was wrestle with it silently. She knew if she tried to say anything, the sobs would escape. She went on to take the medicine offered to her after the meal without resistance, leaving her no space to start refusing it after subsequent meals.
This morning, she was begrudgingly working her way through breakfast again. Of course, she was exaggerating how begrudged she felt.
“Why don’t we take a walk through the rose garden today? The flowers are beautiful this time of year,” Misha said, passing a cup of rose tea to the princess after she had finished eating.
“Now that I think about it...” After taking a sip of tea, Lalaya turned to look at Misha. “I heard your mother was one of the People of the Forest.”
One of the maids all but shouted at the sudden shift in topic. “Lady Lalaya!”
“What? Is it that weird to ask about someone’s mother? And that tribe is renowned for having tons of knowledge. She should be proud of that heritage, shouldn’t she?”
Lalaya’s genuinely confused response sent Misha into a fit of laughter. Then she turned to Carrie and told her it was okay.
Although it barely felt real to her, Misha had heard plenty about her mother’s background as one of the People of the Forest from Miranda. However, her mother hadn’t ever told her about the village, and Misha had never been there. She could say only so much about them.
“As far as I’ve been told, yes, but my mother never mentioned anything about them. It’s true that she taught me about herbs and medicine, but I don’t know how much what she taught me differs from what the doctors and apothecaries of this kingdom know.” Then Misha added with a smile, “But don’t worry! Mr. Conan gave me his seal of approval.”
Lalaya tilted her head. “Oh, really? I heard that the People of the Forest all have golden hair and jade-green eyes. You match the description perfectly. Still, there are lots of people with blond hair and green eyes around. What makes you different from them?”
“Who knows? My mother had the same color hair and eyes, so I never thought it was particularly unique.”
Lalaya held up a lock of Misha’s hair, bringing it closer for inspection. “Oh? It has an odd shine in the sunlight.” Apparently noticing something, she laid Misha’s hair in a beam of light coming in through the window. “Look at this, Carrie.”
At the princess’s instruction, the maid stepped closer. “My, you’re right. It’s almost like her hair is glowing.”
“Not just that. It’s pretty faint, but if you change the angle, it glitters in a rainbow, like topaz.”
Misha picked up a lock of her own hair on the opposite side of her head and placed it under the sunlight.
“Now that you mention it... Yeah, sort of?”
Lalaya frowned, not so impressed with Misha’s reaction. “What, you didn’t know this about your own hair? It’s really pretty.”
“You think so?” Misha shyly smiled, tickled by the straightforward compliment.
“Of course! I’ve never seen hair that changes color like this. Now I see why people say this is a special trait you all have. What about your eyes? Do they change color too?”
As the princess leaned forward to peer into Misha’s eyes, the maid couldn’t bear it any longer, stepping in to hold the girl back. “Milady, you’re being impolite.”
“Fine, fine.” At least temporarily satisfied with inspecting Misha’s hair, Lalaya relented at the maid’s scolding, returning to her chair.
Happily watching the two, Misha remembered her mother’s hair.
Now that I think about it, she always kept the mirror away from the windows. I wonder if this is just a reaction to sunlight? But did it glow like that when we went for walks...? she thought to herself, staring dumbly at a length of her own hair.
“What’s wrong, Misha?” Lalaya called out to her, snapping the apothecary out of her reverie.
“Oh, nothing.” Misha shook her head.
I’ll have to ask Miranda about it.
Unfortunately, the hectic days that followed swallowed up that question, leaving it unanswered for quite some time.
Chapter 8: The Cabin in the Garden and Miranda’s Feelings
Misha was taking a leisurely stroll through a garden still wrapped in morning mist. There was a distinct chill lingering in the air, but being used to living in the deep forest, Misha found that more comfortable than the sweltering heat that had been lying over the capital recently.
The garden’s blooming flowers were carefully cultivated and arranged. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a new, sweet smell.
“Is this...cymbidium?” It was a kind of flower she had only seen in books before. It was supposed to be a bright yellow flower that bloomed in midsummer. “I guess it’s been really warm recently. Maybe the flowers thought it was summer already.”
Having been frolicking around her feet, Ren stopped to look up at her. Obviously, he didn’t respond, but as if he had understood what she said, he turned to one of the flowers, slowly and gently taking a bite.
“Are they yummy?” Initially surprised by his sudden attack on the flowers, she watched as he munched on them for a few moments before he broke off into another sprint. The gardens were empty this early in the morning, and he relished the opportunity to run without regard for his surroundings.
Misha felt guilty letting him romp around the carefully maintained castle despite having been told not to worry about it, so he ended up spending an awful lot of time in her room. She fretted that he wasn’t getting nearly enough exercise.
Tia had smartly decided to bring him along to accompany the guards and hunting dogs being trained in the castle, but apparently the species barrier was making it difficult for him to settle in with them. To be precise, the other dogs were wary of him, so when they were let go, they all kept a wide distance from him. Ren himself didn’t seem to mind all that much, marching around the playground like he owned the place. The trainers had been impressed, saying it looked like he was going to be a big shot when he grew up.
Misha had yet to confess that Ren was a wolf from the mountains. Naturally, the trainers recognized he wasn’t an ordinary dog, but the most they had concluded was that he must have had a bit of wolf blood somewhere in his family line. Ren himself didn’t mind the training so much, but he was always most relaxed when he was with Misha, so these morning walks were great fun for him.
Watching him dash off with a giggle, Misha bent down and picked one of the yellow flowers, enjoying its aroma before starting off after the wolf pup again. Cymbidiums weren’t particularly suited for cooking, but they were pretty enough that they’d make a good accent as decoration for the dining table. She would need to prepare Lalaya’s breakfast soon anyway.
These early mornings were a precious bit of freedom for her lately. She always woke up Lalaya at the same time for her breakfast. At first, that had been quite the task, but the princess must have grown accustomed to it, considering there were fewer tantrums now. It wouldn’t be long before Misha could leave the task of starting the princess’s day to her maids.
Maybe I’ll mix some inra into her juice today.
Inra was a fruit rich in nutrients, but it had a strong, sour taste. As Misha continued her walk, she thought over how best to mask that flavor. The castle’s chefs prepared most of the princess’s food, but this juice was closer to medicine, which Misha always put together herself.
But still... Misha sighed, spinning the flower in her fingers.
Lalaya was her sole patient these days; she was giving medicine to no one else. She had been getting by with her personal stockpile of herbs, but that was dwindling. She could probably request that more be brought to her, but she had always picked the herbs she used herself. In cases when that was impossible, she had at least picked them out by hand after someone else had collected them. Leaving it entirely to someone else felt wrong to her.
She had faced a similar problem back at her father’s mansion, leaving her in quite the bind.
Really, the fact that medicine for royals was coming from herbs that Misha had picked who-knows-where was the actual exception being made, and Misha was the only one who didn’t seem to realize that.
“What do I do...?”
“Is something the matter?”
The unexpected reply sent Misha spinning around in surprise.
“Good morning, Misha. You’re up awfully early.”
“Miss Miranda!” After a moment of stunned shock at her sudden appearance, Misha happily jumped into the arms of the older woman. “Where were you?! I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming back!”
Leaving little word except that she was going to “meet a friend,” Miranda had been gone for ten days with no contact, which had troubled Misha.
“Sorry. It took me longer to find my friend than I’d thought, and I ended up having to go a lot farther,” Miranda apologized as she stroked Misha’s hair. Her gentle voice brought Misha back to her senses, making her realize just how childish she was acting.
The young girl quickly stepped away, her face flushed. “A-Anyway, welcome back. Have you eaten yet? We can have breakfast together if you like.”
Miranda nodded, beaming at Misha’s timid invitation. “I’m starving! I got here on the first carriage of the morning.”
“I’ll make sure there’s lots of food!” With her hand in Miranda’s, Misha pulled her along excitedly back to their room.
“Did you change rooms?” Miranda asked, confused about the room she was brought to.
They were in a small cabin in the corner of the garden. Likely built for the family of the gardener, it was quite old but still well maintained. And while it was comfortable, it was clearly a step down from a room in the palace itself.
Miranda’s face took on a dark expression as she sat down at the table in the middle of the mixed living room and kitchen. Misha stared at her confused for a moment before realization struck. She gasped, waving her hands in a panic.
“No, no, that’s not it! I’m the one who asked to move here!”
Miranda could only watch as Misha seemed on the verge of hurting herself from flailing her arms around. Meanwhile, Misha’s explanation poured out in a flurry.
“I’m used to living alone with my mother, so a fancy room like that, surrounded by servants, just isn’t comfortable for me. I found this house wasn’t being used when I was out for a walk one day, so I asked the king to move me in here. I can be alone, and there’s water here, so it’s better for working with herbs.”
Misha all but scowled as she recalled how hard it had been to convince Ryan to let her live in “a place this shabby.” Now that she realized their resistance had likely been at how they predicted Miranda would react, she felt bad for putting them in this situation—and she resented Geord a little bit for how much he had been laughing while he’d observed the whole conversation.
He should have said something! He must have known how Miranda would react if he found it that funny.
