008. The Herb Garden Is Mine
After a deep, refreshing sleep, Father had fully regained his strength and, as promised, handed over the neglected backyard to me.
The servants set up a low fence around the patch of weeds, placing a small sign with my name on it. They were also strictly instructed not to pull weeds, water, or perform any other tasks there without my permission.
“Nadia, are you planning to farm? What if your delicate little hands get rough?”
Seeing the garden with my name on it, my sister gently touched my hands as if they were already chapped and even had tears in her eyes.
“I want to do it too! Put my name up as well!”
In contrast, Liam, true to form, acted jealous and tried to rummage through the garden. I worried that his reckless behavior might ruin the herbs, but fearing that scolding him would only make him more defiant, I left him be. Fortunately, he quickly lost interest and wandered off.
‘Good. Sister dislikes outdoor activities, and Liam has been completely absorbed in his martial arts training lately. That works in my favor.’
A few days passed, and I was able to spend my free time in the herb garden under complete solitude. Except for one maid who had come to attend to me, no one lingered nearby.
‘Hmm, this is perfect. I should take a look around the herb garden alone.’
I pretended to sit across from the maid at the tea table, sipping for a while, then suddenly jumped up from the chair.
The maid started to rise in alarm, but froze mid-motion at my shout.
“Wait! I’m going to my garden now.”
“But Miss, if you go alone…”
“Hush! Father told everyone not to touch my garden. Do you get it?”
“I-I understand. Then I’ll wait here. If you need help, you must call me, okay?”
“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
After watching the maid settle back into her seat, I turned and headed toward the herb garden.
“Wow… amazing.”
Though I was notorious for killing plants professionally, it looked as though every herb I knew was growing together, regardless of climate.
Looking closer, I realized it wasn’t just herbs—there were also minerals like gypsum and talc, as well as mushrooms.
“How can this even be?”
I tilted my head, examining every corner of the garden carefully.
Naturally, animal-derived ingredients such as donkey-hide gelatin or musk were absent, and sea-derived ingredients like oyster shells were missing too. A few rare herbs came to mind that I wished were here, but for now, I had enough on my hands just learning to manage these.
“Well, let’s start by picking some common herbs first.”
I stepped carefully through the garden, scanning the plants. Fortunately, the herbs I wanted were flowering, making them easy to spot.
[Peony (Paeonia)]
A familiar pink, round blossom often seen in bridal bouquets caught my eye, marked with a friendly label. Since the root was the part used, I hesitated before digging.
“If I pull this out, will it grow back…?”
The limited space meant only a few roots of each herb were available. Having multiple herbs grow together in one spot was not normal, and there was no guarantee that the same herb would grow again after harvesting.
After fiddling with the soil for a while, I closed my eyes and made a decision.
‘I won’t know until I try. Let’s just take one. Peonies are common, so even if it doesn’t grow back here, I can find them elsewhere.’
I carefully dug up one peony root, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it in the basket. I stared at the hole for a long moment, but nothing seemed to grow back magically.
I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
‘Well… discovering a garden like this is already a cheat code. Infinite growth would be asking too much.’
Perhaps this herb garden was like a tutorial in a game, a tool to help me adjust to this world.
That was actually better.
I didn’t want the unease that comes with unearned advantages. It’s safer to learn how to collect herbs the normal way from the start rather than worry about this garden disappearing someday. If I recorded the herbs I harvested here carefully, I could find them in the wild later.
Shaking off my disappointment, I stood up to search for the next herb.
[Licorice (Glycyrrhiza)]
“Humming a tune about licorice, licorice for the apothecary,” I sang while digging up the roots.
“Ugh… next time I’ll need to bring a proper trowel,” I muttered, seeing the soil caked under my nails and imagining the maid scolding me.
Speaking of which, hadn’t she mentioned her knees hurt?
At that moment, a dry, hook-shaped plant caught my eye.
[Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum)]
“Ah! Devil’s Claw!”
Also called “Devil’s Claw,” this plant is supposed to grow in deserts, yet here it was. This garden really did feel like a tutorial.
I nodded to myself, recalling the Devil’s Claw ointment a friend brought back from Europe during college. It was famous as a gift for relieving joint and muscle pain. Some studies claimed it had no effect, but it worked for me when I hurt my back—perhaps a placebo, but effective nonetheless.
‘Topical applications are relatively safe. Even without knowing the exact method, I can give it a try.’
Thinking I could try boiling it in water or grinding it into powder, I dug up the Devil’s Claw and added it to my basket.
Then, from afar, the maid ran over calling out to me.
“Miss! Are you spending the whole day in the backyard?”
“Yes! It’s fun.”
“You really enjoy playing in the dirt, don’t you? It’ll be dinner soon, so come inside and wash up.”
“Alright, nanny.”
The maid carried the basket in one hand and held my hand with the other. Her large, warm hands felt comforting.
Warm bathwater had already been prepared.
The maid carefully washed away all the dirt from my body, occasionally frowning slightly as she struggled with my small frame.
“Nanny, do your knees hurt a lot?”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious, Miss. At my age, little aches and pains are normal.”
“Does it hurt all the time?”
“Sometimes. I overdid it organizing, so it’s worse than usual. But it comes and goes, so don’t worry too much.”
As she muttered, she suddenly seemed to remember I was a child and gave an embarrassed smile.
Soaking in the warm water, I thought about the ointments I had made and sold in my past life.
‘How can I make it feel hot like that Devil’s Claw ointment?’
Staring at the baby angel fountain in the corner of the tub, an idea struck me.
“Nanny! I want to try something!”
The source of inspiration? The urinating baby angel fountain.
‘Capsaicin from chili peppers! That’s what makes hot patches sting. Am I a genius for thinking of this?’
I hummed while waiting for the nanny to fetch chili peppers and ice from the kitchen. Soon, she returned, handing me a handful of spicy peppers and a container of ice.
“Miss, the peppers are too spicy to eat…”
“I’m not eating them, so don’t worry.”
“Then… what do you need them for?”
“I’ll use them for the knee compress.”
“You mean… you asked for this precious ice just for that?”
“Yes. Nanny, your knees hurt, right? Ice will help.”
The maid bowed repeatedly in gratitude before finally leaving the room.
“Now, let’s see… I should take a closer look at the herbs I harvested. Some might sprout again.”
I spread out the herbs on the table and pulled out paper and a pen that Father had provided. My drawing skills weren’t great, but I tried to depict them as accurately as possible.
Next to each drawing, I wrote the herb’s name, usable part, effects, and side effects in Korean. Suddenly, I paused.
‘I’ll write in Korean for now, but I need to learn this world’s script soon to transcribe it properly.’
To be safe, I decided to redraw the herbs on another sheet, focusing only on their appearance.
By the time I finished drawing and documenting all the herbs I’d collected today, quite a bit of candle had burned down.
“Records are done. Now… what’s next?”
