I clearly saw something called green lavender in Ice. Black. Hand.

How on earth did this happen?

“Hilda.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Do you know about green lavender?”

“What is that?”

She didn’t know either.

‘Did Dahlia find it first and name it green lavender?’

But from the novel’s description, that didn’t feel right at all.

I groaned softly.

The maids who had been staring at me cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Miss.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve been reading books nonstop for days. How about going outside and playing?”

Hilda’s words were echoed by Greta.

“If you only read books, mold will grow in your head.”

Their eyes were watery.

They looked very sorry for me, stuck in my room with no friends.

Come to think of it, I’d been inside for four whole days already.

Unless it was time to read ancient language, I even ate in my room.

‘It’s a bit stifling.’

Maybe I should go get some fresh air.

“I want to go outside.”

“Of course. Greta, please bring Miss’s coat.”

“Yes.”

Dressed, I went out with Hilda and Greta.

Our destination was the walking path.

This huge Astra castle had several walking paths besides the gardens, and even a greenhouse.

I hopped across the stones laid along the path.

“Does your head feel clearer now that you’re outside?”

“Yes!”

The walking path they recommended was peaceful.

It was a quiet spot, less artificially decorated than other places.

Wildflowers grew naturally here.

“There are flowers even in winter.”

“That’s because of the magic tools. They have a mysterious effect that lets many flowers bloom even in winter.”

“They’re pretty.”

“Shall we make a flower crown? Wildflowers often have soft stems, perfect for making crowns.”

I squatted down beside the maids on the path.

I carefully picked flowers one by one to weave a crown.

My hands were small and muscles not fully developed, so weaving even one flower took a long time.

The maids looked at me fondly, impressed by my focus.

“Who are you going to give it to, working so hard?”

“I’m going to give it to Conrad.”

“You really like Conrad, don’t you?”

Of course. He’s my precious information source.

So far, Conrad was the only one I could trust in this castle.

The maids were nice, but they had to obey the butler’s orders.

Marquis Debussy, whom I saw often, was Grandfather’s man.

“If we weave cherry blossoms together, it will look pretty too.”

Greta picked flowers from a tree. Then Hilda said,

“That’s not cherry blossom, it’s an apricot blossom. This is an apricot tree.”

“Oh...”

Greta rubbed her hands on her apron, embarrassed.

I took the flowers from Greta’s hand.

“Apricot blossoms and cherry blossoms look very similar. It’s confusing.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

There was really nothing to be embarrassed about.

‘They look so similar... huh?’

I opened my eyes wide and stood up suddenly.

Hilda and Greta, who were squatting, looked at me.

“Miss?”

“I’m going back to my room.”

“Aren’t you going to give the crown to Conrad?”

“Hilda will give it to him!”

Then I quickly returned to my room.

‘It wasn’t lavender.’

Some flowers are hard to distinguish, like apricot and cherry blossoms.

Lavender and lilyturf are like that too.

To Dahlia, lilyturf must have looked like lavender. They really look very similar.

‘Actually, it’s not green lavender, it’s green lilyturf!’

I opened the plant encyclopedia.

Quickly flipping pages, I found the part about lilyturf.

‘Exactly!’

I memorized the habitat characteristics of lilyturf described in the book.

I was happy to find a big clue, but the castle was so huge that I had no idea where to start searching.

I wandered all day under the shade but didn’t even catch a glimpse.

It was almost like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But on the afternoon of the fifth day—

‘I found it! No, I found lilyturf!’

I raised my dust-covered hands triumphantly.

Amid the purple flowers, a tiny flower that at a glance looked like a leaf.

This was the main ingredient for the Physical Regression Potion.

Getting the other ingredients was easy.

Because the castle had everything.

I went around with both hands cupped and said,

“Please give me flour.”

I could get almost anything like that.

I got flour from the kitchen, evening primrose from the medicine warehouse, and didn’t forget the colostrum from the stable’s horses.

And so...

‘Great!’

A day before Grandfather’s birthday, I finished the potion.

Since there was only one green lavender flower, I only made two bottles, but that was enough.

I grinned excitedly.

At that moment, maids who came in spoke to me.

“You’re staying in your room today.”

“No more going out.”

The potion was finished.

Seeing me happy, the maids chuckled softly.

“That’s good. Today you’ll try on your dress.”

The administration had already ordered a dress for Grandfather’s birthday feast.

It seemed to have been finished today.

I headed to the reception room.

The dressmakers were already there and had laid out several dresses.

Mrs. Rita, the head designer, smiled kindly and said,

“Do you like it?”

Of course!

I approached the people holding the hangers with the dresses.

“Wow, wow─!”

I was speechless from the beauty.

The length was ankle-long so I wouldn’t trip.

Various jewels were embedded in the golden embroidery like flowers growing on vines.

It was truly a dress worthy of a noble child.

“Pretty...”

I held my small hands to my cheeks and softly sighed, “Ooh...”

Laughter bubbled around me.

Hilda smiled widely, finding me adorable in my awe.

“Mrs. Rita is the best designer in the Astra estate!”

“Oh, that’s too kind.”

“Not kind at all. Even the main branch searched for Mrs. Rita but came up empty-handed.”

That reminded me—Mrs. Rita was a popular designer.

She had received the highest praise last party season for her unique, beautiful clothes.

So the main branch must have coveted her, but why did she make dresses for powerless me?

Mrs. Rita covered one cheek with her hand and said,

“Sir Conrad is a bit scary.”

“Sir Conrad?”

“When ordering, he asked us to stamp a contract.”

“A contract?”

“Yes. Since we mostly make clothes for nobles, it was our first time seeing that.”

“Of course. Who would try to scam the nobles while making their clothes?”

“We couldn’t dare offer a contract first.”

“Yes...”

“But after stamping it, we learned that only one dress can be made for the Duke’s birthday feast.”

“Oh!”

“So this time, we only made a dress for Miss Erilot.”

‘Conrad is amazing!’

Of course he puts care into the dress of the higher-ranking person.

So he made sure not to deal with anyone else.

Mrs. Rita would have been distracted making other main branch dresses and might have made mine poorly otherwise.

‘Such a capable person.’

I laughed quietly, proud to have made Conrad my ally.

Then, through the open door of the reception room, a harsh voice was heard.

“You idiots! You can’t even get something like this!”

“It’s a legendary item after all...”

“If the Astra family sets their mind, there’s nothing they can’t get!”

It was Liantin.

Her face was bright red as she huffed at her nurse.

“You’re not putting in enough effort! You think I’m the lowest ranked among the main branch, so you’re ignoring me!”

“Why don’t you try getting something else? The birthday feast is tomorrow...”

“Shut up! The divine dragon’s egg! It has to be the divine dragon’s egg!”

Liantin shouted and turned away.

Then her eyes met mine in the reception room.

Seeing me with Mrs. Rita, her eyes twisted.

The staff quickly showed respect. The maids too.

“Greetings to the noble of the family.”

“I thought you refused my order because of the other cousins...”

“......”

“I’m glad I didn’t order. Would I want a dress made by someone without taste?”

Liantin strode in.

She grabbed an ink bottle from the table and poured it over my dress.

“Oh no!”

“My goodness...”

Hilda and Mrs. Rita turned pale.

Liantin didn’t even look at us and stared at me.

“I made it pretty to suit you. Aren’t you grateful?”

Dropping the ink bottle on the floor, she smiled.

I crouched down and picked it up.

“Miss...”

Thinking I was very disappointed, the soft-hearted Hilda didn’t know what to do.

But I...

Threw the ink bottle at Liantin.

“Kyaa─!”

“......!”

“......!”

“......!”

Everyone in the room was wide-eyed.

Ink hit Liantin’s shoulder, making her shiver.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“You said it was pretty.”

“What, what?”

I smiled brightly.

“Treat your sister nicely too!”

Liantin’s face turned red as if it might burst.

She trembled for a long time, then suddenly raised her hand.

“What is this—!”

“What is it?”

A familiar voice came from the door.

Marquis Debussy and Conrad.

Liantin clenched her hands tightly and shut her mouth.

Then she looked at Marquis Debussy with a desperate expression.

“Erilot─”

“If you spray this, it’ll make her pretty too.”

“That’s not it─”

“I’m making her pretty too!”

“No, I—”

“Right? It’ll make her pretty, sister.”

“Let me speak too—”

“But why are you angry?”

Cutting off all Liantin’s words, she looked frustrated and helpless.

‘You think you can let me get the upper hand?’

Marquis Debussy frowned.

“I see.”

Then he looked at Mrs. Rita.

“Fix Miss Erilot’s dress properly and bring it back.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

That was the end of it.

But surely Grandfather would hear about this soon.

That’s why Liantin tried so hard to impress Marquis Debussy.

He nodded, saying, “Very well.”

“Marquis! Wait a moment, Marquis!”

Liantin ran after him in a panic.

I watched her retreating back and smiled slyly.

‘I’m better at getting the upper hand.’

That’s my specialty.

Liantin trembled as she left the room.

All afternoon she followed Marquis Debussy, trying to tell the story of the ink bottle incident, but he just laughed.

“You don’t have to make excuses to me. I already heard everything.”

She clenched her fists tightly.

‘Cunning brat. Does she think I’ll just let this go?’

Liantin strode off.

Her nurse waiting outside quickly followed.

“Miss, where are you going?”

“Where is that brat’s room?”

“Yes?”

“The obnoxious half-sister’s room!”

“I heard it’s on the third floor of the annex.”

Liantin bit her lip hard.

‘Living in the annex.’

The education rooms for the third generation (the Duke’s grandchildren) were in the new wing. Their bedrooms were also there.

Since she didn’t have a room in the new wing, she lived in the annex—how dare she...

Liantin entered the third-floor corridor and headed # Nоvеlight # straight to Erilot’s room.

The guard on duty said,

“Miss Erilot—”

“Move!”

Liantin pushed past the guard and entered.

The guard was flustered as Liantin’s nurse slipped a few gold coins to him.

“You know how to behave, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

Liantin frowned inside the room.

No one was there.

Not even one maid, let alone me.

“Tsk,” she clicked her tongue and looked around.

A shabby room with no reception room, study, or even a proper dressing room.

It was nothing compared to her room in the new wing.

There were only a bed, a few wardrobes, and a desk.

‘The desk is all worn out too...’

Liantin roughly opened the desk drawer.

Inside was something strange.

“Medicine bottles?”

Several bottles lay lined up with a clumsily tied ribbon. Next to them was a small card with messy writing.

[Happy birthday. Grandpa, be healthy.]

The messy sentence made it clear that brat wrote it.

“Even prepared a gift?”

“What kind of medicine is this?”

“Let the nurse try it.”

“......?”

The nurse hesitated.

Did she expect her to take unknown medicine?

“Probably nutritional supplements.”

“I said try it!”

“......”

Liantin roughly shoved the medicine into the nurse’s trembling hands.

When Liantin was stubborn like this, no one could stop her.

If she didn’t obey, who knows what would happen.

The nurse closed her eyes tightly and drank the medicine.

“If you feel unwell, tell me. I’ll make a scene at Grandfather’s birthday.”

Saying that, Liantin slammed the drawer shut.

‘I don’t have time to deal with this.’

Other cousins came first.

Because my practical training grades were bad, I’d fallen to last place in the ranking.

I had to impress Grandfather and regain my position.

Then, just then—

“Ah......?”

The nurse grabbed her chin.

“What’s wrong? Why?”

“Your teeth don’t hurt, Miss.”

“What?”

“Recently, your teeth were so painful you couldn’t even eat, but now there’s no pain at all.”

Liantin hurriedly opened the desk drawer again.

And grabbed the last medicine bottle.

“How could something like this have such an effect? How did that brat get this?”

“Probably Conrad Marcial.”

“Conrad? Grandfather’s aide?”

“I heard he monopolized Mrs. Rita to make Miss Erilot’s dress.”

Conrad Marcial was a man known for his outstanding ability.

That’s why he became Duke Astra’s aide at such a young age.

‘How foolish. To hold the hand of that half-sister.’

Liantin stared at the medicine bottle.

“This medicine is wasted on that brat.”

She pocketed the bottle.

“Stop searching for the divine dragon’s egg. We have Grandfather’s gift.”

Liantin smiled arrogantly.