Chapter 16
“Ginseng?!”
“Do you recognize this herb?”
Luigi asked in surprise.
“Of course I do. Where did you get something this precious?”
Ginseng was not a known herb in this world.
Even after possessing Leia’s body, she had consumed all kinds of medicinal herbs from the Pierrot family, but she had never seen ginseng before.
And yet, to think there was a hidden field of wild ginseng in a remote mountain village like this!
“I’ve struck gold!”
“Huh?”
Leia, who had shouted like a ginseng digger, quickly came back to her senses.
“How did you come by this herb? It’s truly rare and valuable!”
Luigi explained.
It had originally been an unfamiliar herb to him as well, but his younger sibling had once released a weak goat into the mountains. Seeing that the goat regained its health, he followed it, traced what it was eating, and dug up the same plants.
After testing them, they found that eating the herb improved energy and cleared the mind, so they decided to cultivate it.
“You’ve really been taking good care of it…”
Leia examined the ginseng field with trembling eyes.
Although it was still small and not fully grown, this was already remarkable. Even in Korea, growing ginseng required specialized knowledge.
“So this is why you said you couldn’t leave the village—you were hiding and cultivating this.”
Luigi lowered his head.
“Yes. I was foolish. I wanted to grow this and raise my child well…”
He had initially cultivated it in hopes it might become a source of income, but after his husband suddenly passed away, it had become his lifeline.
It was completely understandable.
‘How could you abandon a ginseng field? A ginseng field!’
To grow something like this to this extent would have required years of careful nurturing.
Leia fell into thought.
‘As long as that priest is around, this village is in danger. I planned to leave here with the sisters and the baby… what should I do?’
Transplanting the ginseng might be possible, but it carried too much risk.
It could all wither and die.
‘We finally found wild ginseng—I absolutely cannot let it die.’
While Leia was deep in thought, Helix carefully plucked a leaf and chewed it.
“…This herb’s efficacy lies in its root.”
“Exactly. You can tell?”
Leia, who had been pondering, perked up and began explaining enthusiastically.
Eating it improves health, strengthens the body, benefits the brain, supports the lungs, and boosts immunity.
“Isn’t that basically a panacea?”
“It is a panacea.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Helix shook his head firmly.
“It has a fire-like nature that induces heat. It’s incompatible with you, since you practice flame magic.”
“Gasp.”
So even though she had found ginseng here, she couldn’t use it as a tonic.
Leia visibly deflated.
“Ahem. Still, it is a good herb.”
Helix added in a soothing tone.
“Once you become a more skilled mage, it may produce synergistic effects. For now, it places a burden on your body—so refrain from using it.”
“Ugh… it’s ginseng. If I boil it with chicken, the broth would be incredibly refreshing…”
“…Were you planning to eat it as food rather than medicine?”
“Even if it’s food, it’s still medicinal.”
Still grumbling in disappointment, Leia turned her attention back to the sisters.
“I’ll buy this herb.”
“It’s not ready to be sold yet… and we were actually hoping to give it as thanks for visiting.”
“I think I wasn’t clear.”
Leia continued,
“I mean I’ll buy everything—the herb field, the house surrounding it, and the owner who manages the herbs.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Become my employee.”
“I’ll purchase the house and the ginseng field, and I’ll contact the Pierrot Trading Company’s research division to dispatch a herb specialist.”
“Work together with the specialist, cultivate it well, and when the time comes, sell it exclusively to the company.”
“…P-pardon? You mean not just the herbs, but the field, the house, and even me?”
“Yes.”
The sisters’ minds went blank at the scale of the offer.
“I’ll pay a fair price.”
“Your Highness!”
The younger sister shook her head.
“This is… t-too much.”
She trembled all over.
“If we receive so much favor from the ducal house, what if others target us again?”
Leia looked at her quietly.
It was a valid concern.
After the priest’s witch-hunt incident, the villagers had learned that the helpless sisters could be easily pressured.
If Leia’s protection were seen as an opportunity for profit, and if they believed it was lax, things could turn again at any time.
Historically, witch hunts often targeted wealthy widows as well.
‘She’s sharp.’
Leia smiled faintly.
“By the way, I never caught your name. What is it?”
“My name is Janet.”
“Janet.”
Leia said,
“I’ll hire you as well.”
“Pardon?”
“Become my maid.”
Janet’s face flushed red.
“Me… the princess’s maid?”
A position in a ducal household was a dream job for commoners.
Even a maid doing laundry and chores was considered prestigious—how much more so, the princess’s personal maid?
“S-someone like me… can really do something like that?”
“I’m the employer. Why would it matter?”
Leia’s casual tone carried the effortless confidence of privilege.
“You’ll have plenty of work. I’m a bit high-maintenance.”
Leia smiled.
“Still, I’ll take responsibility for your welfare. If you go to the ducal house as my maid, the villagers will also see your sister differently.”
“…!”
“Of course, since we must protect our researcher and the herbs, I’ll also assign guards to stay on-site at all times.”
Janet’s eyes wavered.
“Why are you going this far for us…?”
Leia smiled.
“Because I gain something too.”
She couldn’t give up the ginseng, and she needed a trustworthy personal maid.
Leia had never had a personal maid before.
When she first possessed this body, she had felt uncomfortable being served, so she had none. After adapting, she had repeatedly fallen ill and missed the timing to appoint someone her age.
Up until now, rotating maids had been sufficient.
However, after receiving a report that someone within the household had brought poisoned cookies, her thoughts changed.
‘I need someone I can trust.’
Leia said,
“I’m buying the herbs, the herb cultivator, and the maid because I need them.”
“….”
Janet looked up at her.
She was a strange noblewoman.
She had never met many nobles, but she could tell.
A noble who saved lives over a bowl of potato stew, and who said “I’m buying you because I need you” instead of demanding repayment of kindness—such a person was not common.
“Since you’ve paid so much…”
Janet wiped her teary eyes.
“I’ll devote my life to serving you, Your Highness.”
Leia panicked.
“Hey, don’t devote your life!”
“Then I’ll devote my life and do a good job!”
Th-this is overwhelming.
Leia avoided her gaze.
“…Y-yeah. Do your best.”
“Yes!”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Then, village chief, please take care of my herbalist. I’ll be sending someone soon.”
“Yes. Do not worry, Your Highness. I will care for her as if she were my own daughter.”
The village chief bowed respectfully.
The villagers looked on with envious eyes at Luigi and Janet.
“So Luigi’s herbs pleased the princess so much that she’s sending a trading company here?”
“Wow! I thought trading companies only came to places like Helkan.”
“No kidding. Luigi’s lucky—selling goods to the Pierrot Trading Company… he’s really made it.”
“But Janet has it even better—she’s becoming the princess’s personal maid!”
Listening to the villagers whisper, Helix thought,
‘My contractor’s methods… truly exceed my expectations.’
Solving things with money and status—wasn’t it usually the opposite?
“….”
That wasn’t all.
The villagers’ admiration and respect toward Leia.
Janet, standing right beside her, gazed at Leia as if she were a goddess.
“….”
As they left the village amid continuous farewells and send-offs, Helix muttered unconsciously,
“…Why is she so popular?”
“What’s there to be surprised about?”
Leia flicked her long platinum-blonde hair.
Back in the capital, she had been called the “Lily of Feyren,” a woman who attracted followers and fan clubs everywhere she went.
“I’ve always been popular.”
Her casual reply made Helix’s chest feel tight.
She then lifted her chin proudly toward him.
“Consider it an honor. You’re receiving praise from someone this popular.”
Just as a faint smile almost formed on his face, his expression sharpened as he scanned their surroundings.
Something about the way people were looking at Leia felt… different.
“Helix, what is it?”
“…Nothing.”
❀ ❀ ❀
Helix’s intuition was not wrong.
Someone was secretly following Leia’s group as they departed.
It was the priest who had tried to accuse Luigi of witchcraft, only to be thoroughly humiliated by Helix.
Now, with his hair in a condition resembling advanced baldness after a single night, he gritted his teeth as he watched them.
‘Those damn women.’
He had lost his dignity and his hair, and now had to endure the villagers’ cold stares for the foreseeable future.
Everything that had gone wrong was because of Luigi and those people.
‘Do they think this ends here?’
He would have preferred to deal with Luigi first, but the village chief was constantly by her side, protecting her.
They were practically coddling her, hoping she would become their financial lifeline.
‘Greedy fools blinded by money.’
The priest cursed the villagers and redirected his revenge toward Janet and Leia.
Janet, who always looked irritated whenever he approached.
And the princess who had suddenly appeared and ruined everything.
‘Once they leave the village… those women will be easy prey.’
The tall man who had beaten him earlier was intimidating, but in the end, there were two women and only one man.
The priest gripped the weapon hidden in his robes.
He would wait for the moment the man let his guard down.
❀ ❀ ❀
“It feels like a picnic.”
Leia bit into a sandwich Janet had packed, in high spirits.
The journey back to the Pierrot estate was more enjoyable than expected.
The early autumn weather was pleasantly cool, and the clear northern air carried the scent of dried grass and fallen leaves.
“It’s delicious. Janet, you’re a good cook.”
“It was my sister Luigi who made it. I’m not very good at cooking…”
Janet trailed off, then quickly added, as if remembering herself:
“But I have good judgment, nimble hands, and I’m quick. I work carefully!”
“That’s enough for a personal maid.”
She seemed intelligent, perceptive, and resolute, and she followed Leia well.
Once trained in the ducal household and properly instructed in discretion, she would make an excellent aide.
Feeling pleased with her choice, Leia happily continued eating her sandwich.
“Would you like another?”
“No, I’m full. I can’t move anymore.”
“Just one sandwich and you’re already like this? How will you build strength?”
At Helix’s concerned remark, Janet smiled and suggested,
“I’ll clean up here and keep watch over the luggage. Why don’t the two of you take a walk to help digest? It’s especially beautiful around here in autumn.”
“Shall we?”
