Shirley, standing beside her, radiated an invisible sense of pressure.
Anise, who had been hoping to enjoy this moment of leisure and the nun’s gentle care, felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of a familiar and beautiful female voice.
“Could you please teach me how to apply the medicine? Since I will be the one taking care of my sister from now on, it would make things easier for her if I learned this early.”
“Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
The nun smiled as she placed the crushed herbal paste into the girl’s hands. Sitting by the bed, she looked at Anise with a sigh of admiration. “Oh, she made the appointment with the healing sister for you and even wants to learn how to apply your medicine. You should cherish such a kind and thoughtful little sister.”
Kind and thoughtful? Taking care of people?
Anise could never forget that in the original plot of the book, this very Shirley was partly responsible for her eventual death!
“Hehe~ Sister~”
The snow-white little girl spoke in a syrupy, high-pitched tone. Hearing her call out “Sister” over and over was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
But Anise merely averted her gaze and curled her body inward, looking completely on guard.
“Don’t be nervous. It will definitely sting a little at first, but you’ll get used to it soon.”
Anise squeezed her right eye shut. The moment the ointment touched the wound, a searing pain made her let out a soft groan. “Ugh, it hurts…”
“Endure it for just a moment,” Shirley said, her voice exceptionally gentle. “Relax, your sister will be very careful.”
Shirley’s fingers slowly stroked the area. Anise’s initial pain gradually faded as she adapted, but because her nerves were so high, a strange sensation—both comfortable and uncomfortable—washed over her mind. It was difficult to describe.
The tingling sensation made her chest feel tight. It even created an illusion in her mind that Shirley was being this slow on purpose, just to have more skin-to-skin contact with her.
‘A manipulative little girl. I can’t see through her at all; she’s terrifying.’
‘No way, I really want to run away.’
Under the nun’s careful guidance, Shirley gently finished applying the herbs to Anise’s skin and wrapped her in a fresh, clean bandage. Afterward, she personally helped her drink a bottle of prescribed healing potion. Everything went smoothly.
Freed from the “torture,” Anise quickly put on her witch hat and distanced herself from Shirley. She turned toward the nun and bowed. “Thank you very much.”
“I am not the one you should be thanking.”
The nun shook her head, still smiling. “Your sister has done so much for you. Shouldn’t you thank her instead?”
What?
Thank Shirley?
Her motives couldn’t possibly be as simple as they appeared on the surface!
*Stare—*
Shirley stood where she was, looking up at Anise with a hint of anticipation in her eyes, looking exactly like a child begging for praise.
Anise didn’t dare meet her gaze, fearing she might explode if she looked for even a second longer. However, in front of an outsider, she couldn’t act too resistant. She could only bow slightly and offer her thanks to Shirley. “Um… thank you…”
“You’re welcome! This is what a sister should do! Hehe!”
As if seizing the opportunity, Shirley threw her arms wide and pulled Anise into a tight hug. “Can I ask for a little reward since I was so good?”
“Y-You say it…”
Anise’s entire attention was focused on the arms wrapped around her. The necklace wasn’t in Shirley’s hand, which was a relief.
“I want Sister to buy me a freshly baked cream bun from the town bakery!”
“Uh… okay, but can you let go of me first?”
It wasn’t an unreasonable request anyway, so she might as well just go along with it for now.
Getting Shirley to let go was the most important thing. This kind of physical intimacy gave her no sense of security whatsoever!
‘Physical contact is a no-go!’
Shirley released Anise, her eyes full of expectation.
But at that moment, a sound caused the room to fall into instant silence.
*Growl—*
The two girls clutched their stomachs and looked at each other before simultaneously locking their gazes onto the third person in the room.
“…”
The nun looked a bit embarrassed. “Why are you all looking at me?”
Before either of them could say anything, she admitted it. “Fine, I confess, it was me. I haven’t eaten a single thing since this morning.”
Anise happened to be her last patient of the morning. The nun pulled open a drawer and took out a lunch box enchanted with heat-preservation magic. She opened the window and prepared to enjoy her lunch nearby.
Before leaving, Shirley struck up a conversation with her. “Speaking of which, you came here from the royal capital, didn’t you, Sister? Have you adjusted to life here?”
“I can only say it meets my expectations.”
The nun opened the lunch box. The only food inside was a single boiled potato sprinkled with a few grains of salt.
“Sister, are you perhaps on a diet?” Shirley’s eyes widened, looking genuinely shocked.
“…”
The nun didn’t reply; she simply started taking small bites.
Looking at that flavorless potato, Anise suddenly remembered the plot of the book.
This year, the crops in the territory had suffered a major failure, causing food prices to skyrocket.
Potatoes were the staple food for the common people living here. In just one winter, the price had more than tripled.
And yet, Shirley was actually dreaming of going to the bakery in town to buy cream buns!
Such an ignorant young lady was actually the next lord of the manor.
The future of this territory looked grim.
With her knowledge of the future plot from the book, Anise had an informational advantage over Shirley when it came to governing the territory!
In that case…
A bold idea surfaced in her mind. If everything went well, she wouldn’t have to live this kind of controlled, cowering life anymore!
Thinking of this, Anise took the initiative to join the conversation. “Excuse me, Sister. For the patients staying at the church for treatment, is their daily nutritional intake guaranteed?”
Hearing this, the nun’s pace with her fork slowed down until she stopped entirely. Only then did she slowly speak.
“To be honest, the supply of vegetables and fruits that the church receives every day is quite limited. Even if we distribute all of it to the patients, there is still a massive shortage.”
“The patients don’t get enough daily nutrition, so they have to rely on potions to supplement it. Because of that, by the time they recover and leave, every single one of them has become much thinner.”
“Then… what about the sisters? Do you all have to live on nothing but potatoes every day?”
“…”
The nun fell into silence once more. She continued eating her boiled potato without a word. After a long while, she spoke faintly. “Since you are the daughters of the Lord, surely you can find a way to solve our problem?”
“Of course. Thank you for being willing to tell us this.”
Anise and Shirley left the church and boarded the carriage heading into town.
Inside the carriage, the previously silent Shirley asked, “Anise, do you really have a way to solve this?”
Anise, wearing her witch hat, slowly raised her head. After looking at Shirley for a moment, she gave her answer.