Chapter 2

When she woke up, it wasn't to an unfamiliar ceiling, but to one she knew well. In other words, she had woken up on her bed in her own room.

"Miss Sara, have you noticed?"

Peering in with a worried look was Sara's personal maid, Maria. Despite her cute appearance, which made her look younger than her age, she was actually 13 years old, five years older than Sara. She was excellent at her job and highly regarded by the senior maids.

"Good morning, Maria."

As she tried to sit up slowly, a strange sensation ran through her entire body. She felt very heavy.

Then, Sara remembered being pushed into the pond.

"You mustn't overexert yourself. You've had a fever for three days. The guards found you collapsed near the pond and hurriedly brought you back to your room. You had a very high fever and didn't wake up. What exactly happened?"

It seems the bullies were pretending they knew nothing about it.

"I was reading a book by the pond when Adam and the others came and took it. When I tried to get it back, they pushed me, and I collapsed. It seems they don't like the idea of a merchant's daughter reading books."

Sara decided to hide the fact that she had awakened her magical abilities and that her memories from her previous life had returned. She gave an explanation that wasn't a lie but didn't reveal everything. The bullies wouldn't tell the truth anyway, so the chances of her being found out were low.

"How outrageous! I must report this to the master!"

"It's no use. There's no evidence, and if I'm accused, I'll just be blamed by Uncle and Aunt. They won't believe me."

"But, Miss Sara..."

Seeing Maria's frustrated expression, Sara smiled at her.

"But, thanks to this, something good happened."

"Something good?"

"I'll tell you later, Maria."

"Oh, why? I'm very curious."

Maria tilted her head slightly to the side, looking as cute as a doll.

"Hmm. I came up with a way to get back at those bullies. But I'm not sure if it will work, so I need to think about it more."

"I see. That makes sense. I understand. Those undisciplined children do need to be taught a lesson."

Surprisingly aggressive, Maria smiled slyly.

"Right?"

"But, Miss Sara, please take your medicine first. According to your doctor, Baron Marc, you need to rest for a few more days. You'll need your strength for your revenge."

Maria placed the herbal medicine she had brought on the bedside table, helped Sara sit up, and draped a large, soft shawl over her. She neatly arranged the pillows so Sara could lean back comfortably, then brought the bowl of medicine to Sara's mouth.

"Ugh, this smells really strong..."

"It's medicine to build up your strength and fight off the illness. If you finish it, I'll peel an Elma for you, so please try your best."

Elma is a fruit similar to apples from her previous life. It's not particularly sweet due to the lack of advanced breeding techniques, but it's still a precious sweet treat in this world.

With her memories from her previous life, Sara couldn't act like a spoiled child and refuse the medicine. She resigned herself and drank the herbal medicine in one go. She was grateful that Maria had brought it to her in a cooled state, making it easier to drink.

"Ugh, it's so bitter and astringent..."

The combination of the grassy smell, intense astringency, and the gritty texture on her tongue was incredibly unpleasant. She struggled to suppress the rising nausea and managed to drink it all, but the awful taste made her eyes water.

"Maria, I want water more than Elma right now..."

"I have it ready for you."

She gratefully drank the water from the cup Maria handed her in one go. It was a relief to have such an excellent maid.

"Miss Sara, are you hungry?"

"I don't want to eat anything right now."

The herbal medicine was so terrible that it even suppressed her appetite. It was so bad that she wondered if it would make her feel better just to avoid drinking it again.

"I see. If you're not hungry, you don't have to force yourself to eat. Please rest for now. I'll come back when it's time for dinner."

It seemed to be early in the afternoon. Maria gently moved the pillow back to its original position and encouraged Sara to lie down. Once Sara obediently lay down, Maria quietly left the room.

'The taste was so awful, I almost lost consciousness. I really want to kill them.'

Sara's personality, with the memories from her previous life, was quite violent.