Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
Birds outside my window announced the morning with their usual enthusiasm, completely unaware that I'd only managed maybe three hours of actual sleep.
I cracked one eye open.
Sunlight streamed through the small window, painting golden rectangles across the rough floorboards. Dust motes drifted lazily through the beams, and for a brief, disorienting moment, I forgot where I was.
"Urgh!"
Then the familiar ache in my bones reminded me.
The medieval fantasy world. Poisoned body. Evil stepmother. The usual Tuesday bullshit.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, expecting the same bone-deep exhaustion that had been my constant companion since transmigrating.
But...
Huh?
I actually felt... a bit less terrible?
Don't get me wrong, I still felt like hot garbage. But maybe hot garbage that had been sitting out for two days instead of two weeks.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, bracing myself for the inevitable collapse.
Thud!
My feet hit the floor. Legs wobbled, shook like newborn deer learning to walk, but they held.
I stood up slowly, keeping one hand on the bedpost just in case. The room stayed stable. No spinning, no immediate blackout, no feeling like gravity had suddenly tripled.
I took a few steps toward the washbasin in the corner. My muscles protested, everything ached, but I made it without face-planting.
I smiled.
Small victories.
Then splashed cold water on my face, the shock of it helping clear the fog from my brain. Droplets ran down my chin and neck, soaking into the collar of my nightshirt.
"Okay," I muttered to my reflection in the mirror above the basin. "Today we find activated charcoal and moonflower tea."
The pale, gaunt face staring back at me looked skeptical.
Yeah, I don't believe me either.
But I didn't have time to wallow in self-doubt.
I needed information. And information meant books.
Did the Raith family even have a library?
I sifted through Jin's fragmented memories, searching for anything relevant. Images flickered past, hallways, rooms, faces, but nothing concrete about a library.
Wait!
There was something. A door on the second floor, near the east wing. Father's study. And connected to it...
A small reading room.
Not exactly a grand library, the Raiths were a minor noble family. We weren't swimming in money or prestige. A modest collection of books was probably all we had.
"Better than nothing."
I pulled on a simple tunic and trousers that Agnes had left folded on the chair, my fingers fumbling with the laces. Everything was slightly too big on this malnourished frame, hanging loose around my shoulders and waist.
I open my door and peered into the hallway.
Empty.
The morning light filtered through tall windows at intervals, casting long shadows across the floor. Somewhere distant, I could hear the clatter of kitchen work and muffled voices, probably servants preparing breakfast.
I slipped out of my room and headed toward the main staircase, keeping close to the wall, reached the main staircase and then paused there, listening as voices drifted up from below, deep, and irritated.
"Absolutely unacceptable! The harvest yields were supposed to increase this year, not decrease!"
That was Father. Aldric Raith.
Even through Jin's memories, I could feel the instinctive tension that voice triggered. Fear mixed with desperate desire for approval, a toxic combination that had defined Jin's childhood.
I then shook my head and climbed the stairs as quietly as possible, gripping the banister for support.
The second floor was quieter, more refined than the lower levels. Tapestries hung on the walls here.
I moved down the corridor toward the east wing.
Third door on the left. Father's study.
I stopped in front of a heavy oak door with iron fittings.
My hand closed around the cold iron handle. For a moment, I hesitated.
If Father caught me in his study without permission...
Jin's memories showed me the answer, a beating, probably. Or locked in my room for days. Or both.
But I needed those books. Needed information about activated charcoal and moonflower tea before the poison buildup hit critical.
Risk versus reward.
The reward won.
I turned the handle slowly.
Click!
The door opened.
I slipped inside and eased it shut behind me, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Father's study was exactly what I expected, dark, imposing, and meticulously organized.
A large desk dominated the center, covered in neat stacks of papers and ledgers. Behind it, a high-backed chair that looked more like a throne than furniture.
But more importantly...
Along the far wall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the room, packed with leather-bound volumes.
I moved toward the shelves, scanning titles. Most were about estate management, tax records, noble genealogies, boring administrative stuff that made my brain want to die of tedium.
Come on, there has to be something useful here.
My fingers traced along the spines, searching.
"Heraldry of the Northern Provinces." No.
"Agricultural Practices and Crop Rotation." Maybe useful for farming, not for not dying.
"A History of the Raith Family." Pass.
Then, on the third shelf from the bottom, tucked between a book on military tactics and what looked like a romance novel which someone had hidden poorly—Damn! I didn't know father was into these kinds of books—Urgh, I'm getting out of topic.
"Compendium of Medicinal Herbs and Alchemical Remedies"
Bingo.
I pulled it out carefully. The leather cover was worn but well-maintained, and the pages were yellowed with age but still legible. Someone had actually used this book.
I flipped it open and started scanning the table of contents.
Moonflower (Lunar Bloom)... page 47
Activated Charcoal... page 89
My pulse quickened.
Both of them. In one book.
I flipped to page 47 first.
Moonflower (Lunar Bloom)Botanical Name: Luna Florens
A rare nocturnal plant found primarily in shaded forest areas with high ambient mana. Blooms only under moonlight, particularly during new moon phases. Flowers are pale white with silver veins.
Properties:
Powerful detoxification agent. Enhances natural healing. Cleanses accumulated toxins from blood and organs.
Preparation:
Petals must be harvested at peak bloom (midnight) and dried in darkness. Steep in hot water for 15 minutes. Consume warm.
Warning:
Moonflower is highly sensitive to sunlight. Exposure will destroy its medicinal properties within minutes.
Common Locations:
Deep forests. Cave entrances. Areas with natural mana springs.
I read it twice, adding every detail to my memory.
So, moonflower grows in forests, only blooms at night, and needs to be harvested under specific conditions. And it's rare.
Great. Just great.
I flipped to page 89.
Activated CharcoalAlso known as: Carbon Medicamentum
Produced by heating wood charcoal to extreme temperatures in a controlled environment. The resulting substance has powerful absorptive properties.
Properties:
Binds to toxins in digestive system. Prevents absorption of poisons. Must be taken regularly for chronic poisoning.
Preparation:
Regular charcoal must be heated in a sealed container with limited oxygen until it becomes extremely porous. Grind into fine powder. Mix with water and consume immediately.
Note:
Common charcoal from cooking fires is NOT sufficient. Activation process requires specialized equipment or strong fire magic.
Alternative Source:
Some alchemist shops sell pre-activated charcoal, though it is expensive.
I stared at the text, my brain already working through the problem.
Activated charcoal required either specialized equipment or fire magic. I had neither. And buying it from an alchemist would require money I didn't have and questions I couldn't answer.
But moonflower... moonflower I could potentially get myself. If I could make it to a forest, find the plant, and harvest it at midnight without dying in the process.
Simple. Totally doable. For someone who wasn't a malnourished, poisoned teen with negative stats.
Sigh!
I was about to close the book when footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Heavy boots. Moving closer.
Shit!
My eyes darted around the study, looking for somewhere to hide. Behind the desk? Too obvious. The curtains? Not enough cover.
The footsteps stopped directly outside the door.
The door handle began to turn.
No no no no!
A boy stepped inside, his boots clicking against the polished floor.
He was dressed in a blue doublet, perfectly tailored to his frame. His brown hair was neatly combed, and even at eleven years old, he carried himself with the entitled posture of someone who'd never been denied anything.
His grey eyes—the same color as Victor's—landed on me immediately.
For a heartbeat, we just stared at each other.
Then his expression soured like milk left in the sun.
"What are you doing here?"
He crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his chin in that way that made him look like a miniature version of Father.
All superiority and disdain packed into a child's body.
My heart was still hammering from the near-discovery, but a strange mix of emotions washed over me.
Relief... because it was just Cedric, not Father.
Irritation, because of course it was Cedric, the little shit who'd made Jin's life miserable at every opportunity.
And underneath both, a thread of fear, because even an eleven-year-old boy could destroy me right now if he decided to run to Father.
I kept my face carefully neutral, closing the book in my hands with deliberate slowness.
"Reading."
"Reading?" Cedric's voice dripped with mockery. He took a step further into the room.
"You? Reading Father's books?"
He looked me up and down, his lip curling in disgust at my too-large tunic and pale, sickly appearance.
"You can barely stand up straight. What makes you think you have permission to be in Father's study?"
There it was. The threat hanging in the air between us like a blade.
I carefully slid the book back onto the shelf, making sure it was exactly where I'd found it.
"I needed to look something up."
"Look something up," Cedric repeated, his voice rising slightly. He uncrossed his arms and pointed at me accusingly. "You're not supposed to be here! Father said his study is off-limits to everyone when he's not present!"
His eyes gleamed with something nasty. The expression of a kid who'd just found ammunition and couldn't wait to use it.
"Should I tell Father about this?"
Damn this fucker!
Before, Cedric used to tattle on Jin and Father had punished Jin severely. Sometimes with beatings. Sometimes by withholding food. Once, Father had locked Jin in the cellar for three days because Cedric claimed Jin had broken one of his toys.
I took a slow breath, forcing my expression to remain calm despite the spike of anxiety in my chest.
"You could tell Father," I said quietly, meeting Cedric's eyes. "But then he'd know you were also in his study without permission."
Cedric's smug expression faltered for just a second. "I'm allowed to be here!"
"Are you?" I tilted my head slightly, keeping my voice even. "Father's orders were that no one enters his study when he's not present. I heard him say it just last week when he was yelling at one of the servants."
That was a complete lie, but Cedric didn't know that.
The boy's face reddened slightly, his jaw clenching. "That's different! I'm his son! His real son!"
I clenched my jaw and took a careful step toward the door.
"You're right," I said, letting my voice sound tired and defeated. "You're his real son. His favorite."
Cedric puffed up slightly at that, some of the suspicion leaving his face.
I continued, each word carefully chosen.
"Which is why Father will believe whatever you tell him. If you say I was stealing from his study, he'll punish me. You could do that."
I paused at the door, one hand resting on the frame for support.
"But Father's already in a bad mood this morning. I heard him yelling when I came upstairs. If you interrupt him now to tattle about something this small..." I let the sentence trail off meaningfully.
Cedric's expression shifted, uncertainty creeping in.
He'd obviously heard Father's tirade too, and even a spoiled eleven-year-old knew better than to approach Aldric Raith when he was already angry.
"Besides," I added, making my voice even quieter, more pathetic, "I wasn't stealing anything. I was just looking at the pictures in one of the books. I can't even read most of the big words."
Playing dumb.
Making myself seem non-threatening.
The weakest, most pathetic version of Jin I could present.
It killed me to do it, but it was effective.
Cedric's posture relaxed slightly. The immediate threat in his expression dulled into something closer to contempt.
"You're pathetic," he said. "Can't even read properly."
"I know," I said quietly, lowering my gaze.
A long moment of silence stretched between us.
Cedric shifted his weight, glancing toward the desk, then back at me.
Finally, he waved his hand dismissively. "Get out. And don't let me catch you in here again, or I will tell Father. I don't care how angry he is."
I didn't need to be told twice.
"Thank you," I mumbled, and shuffled past him toward the door.
"And Jin?"
I paused in the doorway, not turning around.
"You're not fooling anyone. Everyone knows you're just a waste of space. The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be for everyone."
My jaw clenched involuntarily, but I forced myself to nod.
"Yes, I know."
I stepped into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind me with a soft click.
Only then did I let out the breath I'd been holding.
I leaned against the wall for a moment, letting the cool stone steady me.
That was too fucking close.
I pushed off from the wall and started moving in the opposite direction, heading back toward the stairs.
Time to disappear before anyone else decided today was a good day to make my life harder.
I made it back to my room without encountering anyone else, closed the door behind me, and collapsed onto the bed.
My entire body ached from the exertion of climbing stairs and standing for that long. The brief surge of energy from the milk thistle tea had worn off, leaving me feeling hollowed out.
But I had information now. A plan, sort of.
I just needed to figure out how to execute it.
One problem at a time.
First, rest and recover enough strength to actually make it to a forest.
Second, figure out where the nearest forest with "high ambient mana" was.
Third, convince Agnes or someone to help me get there without revealing why.
Fourth, don't die.
Simple four-step plan.
What could possibly go wrong?