Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 1.13

Three days later.

As the setting sun sank below the mountain ridge, the white steeple roof of Begg Church finally came into view.

Mariadoll opened the window, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned her elbow on the windowsill, gazing absently at the scene.

(What a beautiful view. Against the sky shifting from indigo to pink and orange, the white church roof stands out.)

I want to paint this.

Come to think of it, I’ve only been painting portraits of my clients.

Occasionally, I want to paint whatever I like freely, but unfortunately, I don’t have time for that.

“Don’t you paint scenes like this?”

As if he had read her mind, she turned toward the voice and met his crimson eyes.

Jerf, sitting diagonally across from her, crossed his long legs leisurely and snapped shut the book he had on his lap. Had the page he’d been on remained unchanged since Mariadoll started looking outside? She couldn’t be sure.

“I’d like to paint it if I had the time. Sometimes, I feel like just letting the brush run freely—without worrying about how others might see it or whether I’m painting well.”

Jerf placed the book on the seat and moved to the seat in front of Mariadoll, similarly leaning his elbow on the windowsill.

Across from him, Mariadoll was bathed in the red glow of the sunset. Her usually cold-looking silver hair was faintly tinged with vermilion, softly outlining her profile.

“You’re beautiful.”

The words slipped out as if unintentionally. Mariadoll looked at Jerf. Caught off guard, Jerf widened his eyes, then awkwardly shifted his gaze.

“W-well… I didn’t mean anything deep by it. Just…”

“Yes, I think the sunset is very beautiful too.”

“…R-right. That wasn’t exactly what I meant, but never mind.”

Jerf let out a sigh as if exasperated, and Mariadoll watched him curiously when Clemence’s voice came from the driver’s seat.

“Mariadoll, we’ll be arriving soon. I bet you’ve left all sorts of things lying around, haven’t you? Tidy up.”

“Alright, alright, I understand.”

As a commoner, Clemence couldn’t ride inside the duke’s carriage, so he sat in the driver’s seat. Mariadoll thought it must be uncomfortable and hard on him, but he seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit. He’d already become friendly with the coachman.

She stuffed a few half-read books and the embroidery she’d been doing to pass the time tightly into her Boston bag. Why was it that once things were taken out, they never seemed to fit back in?

Just as she finished packing with a bit of force, the carriage stopped and the door opened.

When she stepped down, Bishop Mantel was already waiting there. It seemed he had come out of the church upon hearing the carriage.

“Well, well, thank you for coming all this way.”

“I’m Mariadoll Zealand. And this is… I assume no introduction is needed.”

“Yes, Lord Jerf, it’s been a long time.”

Mantel bowed deeply to Jerf. He appeared to be in his forties, and though his loose priest’s robe made it hard to tell his build, he was only slightly taller than Mariadoll. When he narrowed his eyes, wrinkles formed at the corners.

The lands owned by the Stanley ducal family were vast, with various thriving industries.

Among them was a mine that had been abandoned four years ago.

Mantel had once been the lord entrusted with managing that mine, its miners, and the lands at the foot of the mountain.

(To lose his wife and child in a fire at his mansion almost simultaneously with the mine’s closure, and then enter the church. It must have been terribly hard for him.)

Why does misfortune pile up like that? Mariadoll knew the feeling all too well.

When she read the letter, Mantel hadn’t mentioned his name, but when she told Jerf about it in the carriage, he was surprised and explained everything.

Fortunately, she had informed Bishop Mantel in her letter that Jerf would be coming along. As for why he was accompanying her, she had reluctantly written that they were engaged. Perhaps because of that, Bishop Mantel looked pleased.

“I was surprised when I received your letter. I never imagined we would meet under such circumstances. And congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you. It’s been a while, but you seem well.”

“Thank you. I had no idea you two knew each other. What a coincidence.”

“It must be God’s will. Now, you must be tired. Let me show you to your rooms. Will dinner in an hour be acceptable?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Jerf answered, and Mariadoll nodded.

Behind them, Clemence cleared his throat and tugged at her skirt, as if wanting an introduction.

“Ah, Bishop Mantel. My apologies for the late introduction. This is Clemence, my assistant.”

“Ah, you’re the one mentioned in the letter. Pleased to meet you, Clemence.”

“Yes! Thank you for having me!”

Clemence bowed politely, just as Mariadoll had instructed him earlier.

The bishop narrowed his eyes kindly and touched Clemence’s red hair.

“He’s about the same age as my child who passed away. He looks like a healthy boy.”

“Yes, my grandpa always says I never catch colds.”

“Is that so? My child was sickly, you see. A healthy body is the greatest gift from God. Take good care of it.”

“Yes!”

Clemence replied energetically, and the bishop nodded firmly.

They were led to the building behind the church where the monks and nuns lived and slept.

“This rural church doesn’t have a guest room. I’m sorry to have Lord Jerf stay in such a place.”

“Don’t worry about it. Considering I’ve spent half a year camping, this is plenty comfortable.”

Three rooms were prepared. Mariadoll’s was in the middle, with Clemence’s and Jerf’s rooms on either side.

Just as she was unpacking, it was time for dinner. Afterward, Mariadoll decided to take a bath.

The water was lukewarm, but it felt just right for her body, which had spent the hot summer hours cooped up in the carriage.

After washing off the sticky sweat, she returned to her room and began her preparations.

Then, there was a knock at the door. When she answered, Jerf entered.

“I came to see if you needed any help. You took a bath?”

“Yes. I appreciate your concern, but there’s nothing in particular you need to help with. Also, after I induce the dream, I’ll sleep for three days. I’ve asked Clemence to handle things during that time.”

“I see…”

Jerf seemed oddly restless.

He was usually composed, but now his gaze was unsteady, and he kept looking around the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, are you going to Bishop Mantel’s room dressed like that?”

After her bath, Mariadoll was wearing a soft-fabric dress. Its simple, straight design was so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable while bedridden for the next three days.

Though it had no corset and wasn’t restrictive, the soft fabric clung closely to her body’s contours.

“When I go to the bishop’s room, I’ll wear a gown. It’s hot now, so I took it off, but should I put it back on?”

“No, it’s fine, but…”

Even as he said this, he couldn’t look directly at her.

His averted gaze happened to land on the medicine packets on the desk.

“What are these?”

“I’m about to make a sleep-inducing potion passed down from my mother. Would you like to watch?”

“Sure, what herbs do you use?”

As Mariadoll named the herbs, none were particularly rare.

However, since making someone sleep too deeply would make it impossible to control the dream, the dosage was crucial.

Several packets already contained dried, ground herbs.

She lit the alcohol lamp on the desk and placed a small grate over it.

Setting a ceramic bowl on the grate, she poured water from a pitcher and heated it until small bubbles appeared, then removed it from the heat.

Adding the herbs, she mixed them well before placing it back over the heat, this time heating it until it boiled.

Then, the initially green herbal liquid began to change to purple.

Stirring with a small spoon, she waited until the color changed evenly, then extinguished the alcohol lamp.

“And it’s done. If you get the timing of the color change right, it’s easy to make.”

“Huh, it changes color when heated? Now that you mention it, there was a report recently about rocks that change color with heat being found in the abandoned mine.”

Jerf looked at the potion with interest. What had been a murky green just moments before was now a clear, beautiful amethyst purple.

“There are rocks that change color?”

“I haven’t seen them myself. The mine Mantel used to manage produced iron. Even though it’s abandoned now, the dug-out holes remain and have apparently become a playground for troublemaking kids. They seem to have dug around on their own, hoping to find more iron, and discovered them.”

If they found some, it could mean a windfall. It sounded like something kids would dream up, but since professional miners had given up on the mountain, the chances were extremely low.

“Are those rocks valuable?”

“Not really. I heard the kids use them instead of paint to scribble on wood pieces, since the color changes depending on how long they’re heated.”

Apparently, they started as ordinary stones, but when heated, their colors changed in sequence: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. And once the color changed, it didn’t revert when cooled.

Though the colors were beautiful, the rocks were very brittle and couldn’t be processed into jewelry.

“Lord Jerf, I’d like to see those rocks.”

“I don’t mind, but it’s two days from the royal capital. You have to paint, right? Do you have the time?”

“Lately, my brush has been flowing well, and I’m progressing faster than usual. I’ll make time somehow, so could you take me?”

“Alright, the new knights’ training is mostly finished, so I can manage the time. Let’s go soon, then.”

Just as Mariadoll nodded, Clemence’s voice came from beyond the door. It seemed Mantel was ready.

Originally, Clemence was conceived as the same age as Mariadoll, but it didn’t work out well, so he became a child instead.