TBCIAGP C10

010. Madame Dasita

After breakfast, all the children gathered in the drawing room for lessons.

Normally, young Nadia didn’t participate in lessons yet, but she had begged her father to let her join. She wanted to learn to read and write as soon as possible.

The tutor was a slender woman, appearing to be about the age I would have been in my previous life before passing away.

“This is Madame Dasita Grey, the wife of the Viscount, who will be your tutor. You may call her Madame Dasita. We have no time to waste, so we shall begin immediately.”

Though her introduction was expressionless, her sharp, irritable tone was unmistakable.

“Miss Mila, you may copy the text as your pace is fast. Master Liam and Miss Nadia will practice the alphabet together.”

Since Liam was just beginning to study the alphabet, their progress matched, and they sat side by side.

Time flew as we followed the tutor, reading and writing letters.

Being an adult on the inside, this level of study is easy. At this pace, I’ll be reading and writing in no time.

I hummed quietly to myself and glanced at Liam sitting in front of me.

Unlike me, Liam was struggling, repeatedly writing letters incorrectly. I couldn’t help but comment.

“That’s not right.”
“Huh?”
“You write it like this. Didn’t you just learn it?”
“I know! Don’t interfere!”

Seeing me draw the strokes effortlessly, Liam snapped in frustration.

It seems he’s embarrassed to be corrected by his younger sister. Sorry, but I can’t wait for your pace—I need to learn quickly.

Madame Dasita, who had been supervising our practice, noticed the commotion and approached.

“Who is causing a disturbance during the lesson?”

Neither Liam nor I answered, avoiding her gaze.

She swept her sharp eyes over the desk and, glancing at my practice sheet, crossed her arms.

The tension made me swallow hard.

“Remarkable for someone so young, Miss Nadia. You’re learning letters very quickly. As for…”

Her gaze shifted to Liam.

“Master Liam still has much to work on.”

Wow… harsh. Very harsh.

Under Madame Dasita’s dry tone and piercing stare, I found myself instinctively checking on Liam. Sure enough, he trembled as he tried to hold back tears and bolted the moment our eyes met.

The commotion swept through the drawing room, but Madame Dasita remained completely unfazed.

Does she dislike children? Come to think of it, she isn’t really wrong… I guess I’m just used to adults who coddle me, so she feels very strict.

“Madame Dasita, I’ve finished copying up to the section you mentioned.”

A calm, pleasant voice spoke beside me.

My older sister raised her hand slightly, her face noticeably pale.

Madame Dasita, seemingly unaware of her wan complexion, continued reviewing the writing with an expressionless face.

“Miss Mila, you’ve written quickly and accurately.”
“Madame Dasita, if it’s not too much trouble, may I return to my room first? I have a bit of a headache.”
“Oh, I see. In that case, we’ll end today’s lesson here. You may all return to your rooms.”
“Thank you, Madame Dasita.”

Carefully avoiding any noise from the chair, my sister stood and gave Madame Dasita a slight bow.

I gathered my writing tools and went over to Mila.

“Onni, are you okay?”

She gave a weak smile as I clutched her sleeve. On her smooth forehead, a letter only I could see glowed faintly:

[Tension Headache]

“Nadia, I’m fine. Sometimes it just passes like this.”
“Don’t be in pain.”

I said this in a playful voice and reached out with my short arms to hug her tightly.

She seemed to feel better, chuckling softly as she patted my back before leaving the room.

I followed her out, glancing back at Madame Dasita, who ignored us completely as she packed her bag.

I wonder if she’s strict because she’s a tutor, or if she just dislikes children.

Thinking of Liam, I closed the door behind us.

Back in my room, I hugged my elephant doll tightly and lay on the bed when someone knocked on the door.

“Little Miss, it’s time for lunch.”

The maid bustled in, fussing that I should eat well after such a tiring lesson. She seemed more energetic than in the morning.

“Yumo, did you put the ointment on?”

As if waiting for this question, she clapped her hands eagerly and brought her face closer.

“Oh, Miss! This is incredible. My knees feel so light now!”
“Really?”
“Yes! And the housekeeper sprained her ankle yesterday, so she’s having trouble walking. It’s not serious enough to take leave, but still. I tried applying this, and now she moves like she’s flying!”

I laughed at her exaggerated words, though she seemed utterly serious.

“It’s true! I haven’t exaggerated at all. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the housekeeper yourself!”
“No, it’s fine. The medicine you gave is just right, so it works.”
“Miss, I really can’t thank you enough. Thinking about how much trouble my knees gave me, I feel like I could carry you around for days!”
“Then your knees won’t get better again.”
“Hohoho, clever little Miss. Anyway, this is a full portion; the whole family can use it. Is it sold at your friend’s clinic? Please tell me—I’ll spread the word.”

Startled by her enthusiasm, I waved her off.

“Oh, it’s not for sale… I only gave it to Nadia.”
“Oh, I see? What a pity. It would sell like wildfire. Who doesn’t have joint pain from physical labor?”

She genuinely looked disappointed. I even briefly considered mass-producing the ointment for sale.

But as the four-year-old youngest daughter of the Viscount family, that wasn’t feasible right now.

A little disappointing, but that’s fine. At least I now know there’s demand. I’ll prepare carefully and try again when the opportunity arises.

Feeling pleased that the medicine was effective, I glanced at the buttered bread and realized I needed a certain ingredient.

“Yumo, bring me some parchment paper.”
“Yes, just tell me what you need.”
“I need a lot of parchment.”
“Parchment?”
“You know, the kind used when baking bread that doesn’t get eaten.”
“Ah! That… sure, I’ll get it for you, no questions asked.”
“Thank you, Yumo.”

With Yumo firmly on my side, I felt reassured.

After lunch, during nap time, I was alone in the room and spread out the peony and licorice I had collected yesterday on the table.

I waited for the status window to appear, but unlike yesterday, nothing happened.

Strange… why isn’t it showing up?

Growing anxious, I rearranged the herbs: peony to the left, licorice to the right, stacked them, spread them out… nothing.

Then an idea struck me.

Ah! Both of these are root herbs!

I separated the stems from the roots with a firm grip. Placing only the roots on the cloth, the familiar status window appeared.

[Formulable Prescription: Peony-Licorice Decoction]
[Select desired form]
[1. Granule 2. Liquid 3. Pill]

Granules are convenient for storage and fairly easy to take.

[Compounding started. Estimated yield: 150g]
[■□□□□□□□□□]

The yield is too small. If taken 5g three times a day, that’s only a ten-day supply. To make more, I need to find a place with more herbs quickly.

I placed a previously boiled and cooled glass jar from the kitchen, and the compounding completed.

[Peony-Licorice Granules Compounded]
[Effects: Relieves skeletal muscle inflammation and pain, reduces cramps and tension]
[Dosage: 3–5g, three times a day, before or between meals]
[Side Effects: Overdose may cause swelling, increased blood pressure]

Pleased, I closed the jar tightly, took out a fresh sheet of paper, wrote the number 2, and recorded the medicine’s name and details.

Each bottle and record felt like a personal asset. I felt confident.

I would make as many medicines as possible, as long as I could gather the ingredients.

By the way, what was that warning last time? This morning, my body didn’t seem to have changed.

I rushed to the mirror and examined myself, but no transformation could be found.

Strange, but as long as the auto-compounding system works, it’s fine, I guess.

After nap time, feeling sleepy, I scratched my head and headed to bed.