Chapter 62
Eli,
Sorry for the late reply. To make an excuse, I really didn’t have time.
These days, I sleep and eat while riding. At first, when I ate on horseback, I bit the inside of my mouth a lot, but now I’ve gotten a bit of skill, so it happens less.
My horsemanship has improved a lot. If we race, I’d win 100 out of 100 times. Next time, let’s have a wagered race with something expensive on the line.
Oh, and have I gotten taller? My joints have been aching lately, and I thought my body was already falling apart, but apparently, I’m still growing. Be jealous.
I told you before that during my breaks, I rest among the regular soldiers. Remember? You asked why I’d put myself in that uncomfortable situation.
The other day, I was lying down in the field to rest, and I noticed a ton of plants that are supposedly good for the skin. A soldier told me that they can be dried and used, so I pulled them all up and have been drying them inside my barracks.
But the smell is intense. It’s like you have to sacrifice your sense of smell to get perfect skin.
Every time other officers come into my barracks, they make faces like they’re about to die. They didn’t even look that faint during training…
While drying them, I suddenly thought, “How am I going to deliver this to you?” If I’m not careful, I’ll have to carry all of this with me until I go home.
Luckily, a messenger is going to Quinter today, so I think I can send at least one bundle.
Now that I think about it, I could have just sent the raw plants directly. I didn’t even think of that and instead suffered drying them in my cramped barracks, while letting the smell spread.
You’re supposed to grind the dried plants into powder, mix it thickly with honey, and apply it to your face.
Even so, after drying, the smell is a bit less. Just know that the original smell is three times worse.
—Roy
Roy,
Ah, my love-hate Roy.
You have no idea how miserable I was making a pack with the plants you sent. I thought you were trying to kill me. Or maybe the letter wasn’t from you, but an assassin.
How can something smell worse than the mouth of someone who’s just had coffee and smoked a cigarette after a meal?
Well, it did improve my skin. But after using that pack, I couldn’t sleep in my room for three days because the smell wouldn’t go away.
You are amazing. How did you even dry all that in the barracks? And how did you even sleep there?
Once the war is over, just burn that barracks down.
I asked Neshuh to send a bundle of the plants to Serel and Erika as well.
I couldn’t make them apply it to their faces, so I just told them to soak their hair in a water solution made from the powder. It should improve the scalp. I did tell them they could try it on their face if they dared.
The rest I’ve been using to punish the servants at my house—smear it on their philtrum, wash pillows with water infused with it, or carry it in pouches around their necks.
Thank you. Thanks to you, the servants seem to be working hard these days. If you want, I can send some to the Karzel household too.
Oh, have you heard about the rebellion?
My uncle—no, His Highness the Prince—started a rebellion. So the atmosphere at our house is chaotic these days. Grandpa is worried, my uncle (the Crown Prince) is worried, and my cousin too.
All teleportation offices in the empire have been closed. Transporting supplies has become harder, and prices have risen a lot.
I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
As always, take care of yourself.
—Eli
P.S.
I’ve grown taller too.
I’ll start intensive horsemanship practice today as well.
We’ll have our wagered race, and maybe even a wagered paperwork contest. What do you want to bet on?
✿ ✿ ✿
Until yesterday, the Norman forces had been camped right in front of them, but after last night’s battle, they retreated far away. The situation became a bit more relaxed, so aside from scouts and guards, everyone was told to have a light training session, then eat and rest to conserve energy.
Meetings, battles, meetings, meetings, battles—there had been no time to breathe. Roy, who had attended a morning meeting, quickly ate lunch and lay down in the shade of a tree to enjoy the rare rest.
He planned to go on a personal reconnaissance tonight, so the rest period wasn’t very long. Still, he needed to rest while he could.
It was just past noon, so the shadows were short. Roy lay pressed against the tree trunk, wriggling to get into the most comfortable position. The sun was scorching, so he didn’t want a single strand of hair exposed. The soldiers also gathered in small groups under trees and shades.
Looking up at the cloudless sky, he thought that even Neshuh wouldn’t be able to fly in this weather.
“Well, seriously. That’s the plant our sister has been looking for… something good for the skin. I saw my sister get a little from a friend before, and the effect was amazing,” one soldier said to another nearby.
“Ah, so you’re supposed to get that plant for her. I don’t plan to gift my fiancée plants, and I don’t want to hear comments like ‘Did you just come back from the battlefield to pick weeds?’”
“You’re getting married as soon as you return, right? That’s why! The effects are instant and visible; the bride will love it.”
“Then why don’t you go get it yourself? Your sister will like it if you do.”
Listening to their conversation, Roy nodded without realizing it. Why wasn’t he collecting the plants himself?
“Don’t even start. I already told our sister that if we see a lot of that plant nearby, we should pick some…”
“Pick some?”
“Smell it once.”
“I don’t want to go out into the sun, so just describe it.”
“You can’t describe it in words! The smell is so bad that even bugs avoid it. Though we’re siblings, our sister’s concern for her skin won’t overcome this stench. Even without the plant, she’ll be fine, so no need to bring any back.”
Still lying down, Roy asked the soldier, “So what effect does the plant have?”
“Captain!” the soldier straightened, startled.
“I think it just brightens the skin and makes it smooth. According to my sister, it removes dryness, lightens blemishes, clears the complexion, and reduces fine lines.”
“Relax, we’re on break,” Roy waved his hand, recalling the vanity table full of cosmetics he had seen in Hyeseo’s room.
‘This is for exfoliation, this is first essence, this is whitening, anti-aging, hydration, complexion improvement, sunblock…’
Thinking of how Hyeseo would recite the purpose of every cosmetic like a spell, Roy remembered Ellen.
Eli must be at the age to care about beauty too. She always paid attention to it since Hyeseo’s days, so she would probably be happy to get the plant.
“Maybe she’ll live forever too. So how do you use the plant?”
“The dried plant can be infused in water for cleansing, but for faster and better results, grind the dried plant into powder and mix it with honey for a pack. Drying reduces the smell significantly.”
Roy reached out toward the sunlight, realizing his hand would get burned quickly.
A messenger was supposed to go to Quinter in two days, so he could send a sack of the plant then.
He pondered whether to pick the plant now—hot but with time to dry it before sending—or after reconnaissance, so he could avoid the sun but send it raw.
He didn’t want to be a fool suffering under the midday sun.
Since a meeting was about to resume, he needed to decide quickly.
Roy stood abruptly, sniffed the nearest plant, and immediately grimaced.
‘If someone were tortured with this, they’d spill military secrets instantly.’
He decided to consider Ellen’s nose when she opened the sack he sent.
He grabbed a sack nearby, went into the sun, and started picking plants by hand.
The soldiers whispered among themselves:
“The captain is really picking plants?”
“The plant’s effect isn’t a lie, right? If it were, he’d be running 200 laps in the parade ground.”
“It’s true. But who’s using it? Not the captain, I guess.”
“Men can use it too… hmm, the Countess?”
“She’s dead.”
“Oh, right. I heard the captain is close to the lady in Quinter.”
“So it’s a gift for her?”
“Young love.”
“Indeed, young love.”
Roy filled a sack full, and on the way back, met the soldiers’ approving smiles.
Why are they like that? Their expressions were more unsettling than sweaty clothes, but he couldn’t complain.
He hurried back to the barracks and spread the plants on the floor.
Exhausted from reconnaissance, Roy entered the barracks and immediately pinched his nose.
“As I heard, the smell is really awful. If it doesn’t work, Eli will kill me.”
Imagining Ellen chasing him, complaining about the useless stinky plant, made him laugh.
Even if it didn’t work, it didn’t matter.
Arriving at camp and seeing the messenger preparing to go to Quinter, he rushed to his desk without changing clothes.
As he wrote the letter, he paused, feeling awkward writing, “I dried the plant so you’d suffer less.”
…but it was true.
After reconsidering, he decided to slightly adjust the truth: he was drying it before sending it. Either way, the result was the same.
But rereading, he worried Ellen wouldn’t know how much he suffered from the plant’s smell. It was embarrassing to show off, but he wanted her to know a little.
He added a line: “Drying it makes the smell less.”
And thus, “Picked during the war” was complete.
