I Awoke as an Imprisoned Villainess-Chapter 20 - Its a wonderful herb
It’s a wonderful herb!
“Did Violet sama really switch places with me because she didn’t want to be imprisoned….?”
“You mean she switched with you for some other reasons?”
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When I nodded my head at Claude sama’s interjection, he seemed to think about something and said, “Can you tell me why you think so?”.
“It’s indeed strange that Violet switched with you, whom she didn’t know, instead of His Highness or Lady Redgrave. Above all, she seems like she wouldn’t choose to escape with the means of swapping bodies, but would prefer to transform the prison into a place where she can spend her time as she pleases. …Well, that’s also why I was asked to keep an eye on her”
Isn’t a prisoner who is able to change the prison into a place they can spend their time as they pleases, like a demon king or something?
Such a person and me switched bodies? …Like that, While I became somber thinking about the swap, I fixed my mood and raised the right hand which had the bracelet on.
“There was a message, perhaps from Violet sama, in this bracelet”
Saying that, I took the letter that had been tucked inside the bracelet and handed it to Claude sama. When he received it, his eyebrows furrowed at first glance.
” ^I will do you an honor. Protect that body without a single scratch^ …it’s Violet’s handwriting. What an arrogant sentence…..”
I nodded a little to Claude sama as he said this and hesitantly opened my mouth.
“I wouldn’t go so far to call it unnatural wording….but the word ^Protect^ bothered me a bit…”
I think ^Protect^ is more of a word that means to watch out for attacks from the outside.
“Certainly, if I was Violet, I might’ve use a phrase like, ^Treat that body with respect^ ”
“I was thinking there might be a likelihood to get hurt as she ordered to protect the body without a single scratch. But…it is Claude sama who is in charge of this place, and me myself, have never gotten into a dangerous situation here… I could be mistaken”
I lost confidence as I spoke, and looked away from Claude sama. Since there is a chance of getting hurt, I don’t think she would choose a hikikomori who would be less capable of detecting danger.
For a moment, the bouquet of peonies in a vase suddenly came into view. But these flowers aren’t harmful although they aren’t Violet sama’s favorite.
“I just don’t understand why she choose me. If she chose me, a hikikomori, because it would be harder to be found out, then she wouldn’t attend a tea party when it hasn’t even been a month….A social debut is perhaps necessary as a way to meet me to switch back bodies though…”
When I said that, Claude sama who had been staring off somewhere with a complicated face as if he was thinking of something, opened his mouth quietly.
“…I’m a little distant from the society. However, I knew that the eldest daughter of Count Alcott House is blood related to the prestigious apothecary family, Marquis Arbuthnot House. Violet should know about this even more”
“Marquis Arbuthnot House?”
“You didn’t know that either?”
Claude sama’s eyes widened as he explained to me about Marquis Arbuthnot House, my maternal family.
“It’s a prestigious family that has produced the chief apothecary of the royal palace for generations. The current head of the family, …your grandfather was one too. He retired about twenty years ago when he was still in his early thirties….but I hear that he is still using his skills and releasing new medicines”
“Well…”
When I looked at him in amazement at the fact that my grandfather was such an amazing man, Claude sama said, “Arbuthnots put all their passion in medicine. —Except the marquis, only you should have that blood now”.
“Any medicine made by a person with Arbuthnot’s blood, regardless of it’s efficiency or potency, will be under the jurisdiction of the royal family, without exception…It’s a family of apothecary geniuses that it’s decided to be like that. That’s what I’ve heard”
“I-is that so…!? Wait, did you say *they are under the jurisdiction of the royal family?” (*They=medicine, not Arbuthnot)
“That’s right”
“…T-that means, the medicines I’ve made too…?”
“Of course”
If it’s like that, it would become that I’ve been secretly asking a servant to sell the medicines under the jurisdiction of the royal family….?
As I was sweating cold sweat thinking about that, Claude sama said, “Violet probably switched bodies with you intentionally because of your linage”.
“—If she’s going to be aimed, it would be with poison. Did she think like that? No, but…”
Like that, Claude sama was thinking about something again, and turned his attention to the flower vase.
“….by the way, I wonder if that flower have any kind of toxicity. Maybe the poison will come out if the flowers are stepped on or burned…”
“Stepped on…!? No, there isn’t such a thing at all. Each of them can be wonderful ingredients for medicine…Ah, of course, since medicine can become poison if taken too much, so I can’t say they aren’t poisonous in that aspect…”
There are side effects to any herb, no, any kind of food. I searched the information about any kind of bad side effects of those flowers in my head…then I muttered, “Ah”.
“I think the thistle have a little scary flower language. Words like ‘Retaliation’ and ‘Don’t touch’ can be associated with it”
“Retaliation?”
Claude sama’s eyes turned into a bit dangerous color. I rushed to thistle’s defense, thinking it might become a harmful rumor for thistle.
“It comes to mind that although thistle has such a flower language, thistle is a good herb! The shoots and roots are delicious, and it’s an indispensable ingredient in medicine making…! If Claude sama needs hair growth agent one day, I’ll make it and give it-”
“Wait a minute”
With a look of slight displeasure on his face, Claude sama said, “There’s something I want to know”.
“Is there any poison that doesn’t show as abnormal when tested by a poison tester, and doesn’t produce any toxicity when the person is examined?”
“A poison that shows no abnormalities and produces no toxicity?”
I blinked my eyes and asked back, and Claude sama nodded his head with a serious face.
“There are symptoms of nightmares and loss of appetite. Body pains plus headaches and vomiting. It might be because of their bad physical condition, but a person who had never behaved emotionally in public, has been showing their irritation a lot. I want to know if there’s any poison like that”
“That….”
Claude sama nodded.
“His Highness, the crown prince’s poor health. Isn’t it possible that it’s caused by some kind of poison?
