Chapter 21

I wont let you go. How dare you.

Isabel mused over her anger at Nicole for daring to talk recklessly all the way home.

Grace, if she notices something, nothing will change. All the milk is probably already in town, and she will inevitably be hunted as a witch. Ill tell Jen to go to town and spread the word.

Apparently Grace said.

Nicole looked into cows and found out that they were sick.

Nicole and I learned from Mother when we were young how to check the health of livestocks. But that idiot is dull. Besides, who told Grace about Karen and Jen? Is it Nicole, the idiot? No way.

Isabel had the absolute prejudice that Nicole was stupid.

So she didnt imagine that Nicole had her all figured out.

Rather, she gained strength by thinking, If Grace notices anything, Ill point her at Nicole.

Grace is mine. Nicole, who almost ruined my plans, should know her place and be punished.

Isabel thought.

Should she just kill her? It was too easy to kill her stupid family.

Shell just have to poison their breakfast. Thats all she has to do.

Isabel knew how to manufacture drugs. It was all thanks to her studying the familys forbidden books secretly.

Theyre a family whom Ill throw away eventually anyway. And its been a long time since Ive started feeding Mother poison.

Well, theyre people whom she can kill whenever they want. At that thought Isabel felt a little better.

So when she arrived at home, she could enter calmly.

Are you here now, Isabel?

Nicole opened the front door and greeted Isabel. She whispered quickly.

Why are you so late? Mother woke up from her nap, so I had a hard time hiding your absence. Come on to the kitchen. I baked some corn bread and cookies during the day. I left your share.

Really? It looks delicious.

Isabel answered cheerfully but thought something else.

She happened to stop by Karen and Jens cabin today. Thanks to this, Isabel now had poisonous powder in her arms.

If you eat this, youll get gastritis. Im angry. Should I punish her enough to feed her this?

Isabel smiled, thinking to herself.

Sister, Im starving. Please give me some tea.

All right.

Nicole prepared the tea. And she put two warm cups of tea on the table.

I want to drink honey in my tea.

Yeah. Theres almost no honey left, so I think youre the only one who should have it now.

Nicole got up to take out the honey. Isabel poured powdered medicine into Nicoles teacup in the meantime.

A clueless Nicole sat across from Isabel.

Isabel rolled her eyes while pretending to tilt the teacup.

Hey, do you have anything to say to me?

There is.

what is it?

Its a little.

Nicole fiddled with the old teacup several times.

Isabels mouth almost rotted because she was acting frustrating.

Sister, these nights Are you walking around outside? Do you happen to know anyone new?

Are you talking about Grace?

Nicole looked around and whispered.

You know her too, dont you?

You, too?

Isabel, why didnt you tell me such a secret? I was so disappointed. If you have met such a good person, introduce them to me.

did you think of that?

Of course. Its not easy to stay with our family all the time. I hope to meet a lot of people, too. And you know, she said shed give me an allowance if I got her some herbs. Ill save every penny.

Isabel was surprised. Isabel listened to Nicole with her ears pricked up.

Does this mammoth also dream of getting outside of this hellhole?

Isabel was in a good mood.

Mother is sick, too Wont we leave here one day? Its good to save even a little money for that time. Father always goes outside to make money.

But what is that story about the cows? I heard sister said that the cows in the barn were sick.

Oh, I happened to go to the barn and the cows eyes were red. I read in the book that cows eyes become bloodshot when they get sick. Thats why Im just saying its a little weird.

.

Isabel was dispirited. Come to think of it, shes thirsty. She sipped her tea. Also feeling hungry, she ate the bread as Nicole recommended.

I was surprised that you thought of that. You always listened to our parents.

Were sisters. I feel the same way as you do. And loving our parents is one thing but thinking about the future is another.

Nicole put her hands together and smiled tenderly. Isabel felt it was a waste of time being with this idiot.

At the same time Isabel became playful. She thought it would still be fun to mess with Nicole.

Hey, hurry up and have a cup of tea.

I will.

However, Nicole looked lost in thought, only fiddling with her cup.

You dont want to drink it? Isabel drinks that, too.

Isabel jokingly said. Nicole nodded her head a little and sipped the tea a bit. No, she thought so.

But Isabel. Did you happen to put something in the tea?

Huh?

I thought you were staring at me drinking tea too hard. Anyone will be suspicious because of that.

Nicole said calmly.

Her expression that seemed to be in agony disappeared, and only the expression that was so calm, enough to be expressionless, was revealed.

Why are you saying that all of a sudden?

Isabel frowned for a moment.

Why are you so surprised?

Nicole smiled.

Didnt you get any nutritional supplements that are good for your body?

Nutritional? What are you talking about all of a sudden?

You know what youre good at. Mixing secret ingredients with medicine. I wonder if you did it again.

Nicoles words seriously offended Isabel.

Youre really weird today.

Your secret laboratory.

Stop. Isabels hand flinched.

The secret lab that was in the basement of your room. The drugs that were there. Thats the medicine you made for Mother, right?

Isabel was appalled.

As expected, I was right that someone came into the lab, right? When the hell did she find it?

But Isabel replied calmly.

Oh, youve been in my secret lab? Actually, Im working on improving my medicine for Mother these days. I was making it in a secret place to surprise you.

As expected, Isabel is very thoughtful.

Nicole rose from her seat.

And she took a small bowl out of the cupboard. Isabels eyes turned when she saw the bowl.

It was full of poisonous insects. It looked like twenty at a rough estimate.

Isabel found out at once where the poisonous insects came from.

Isabel put a stack of poisonous insects in a small trash can that stores the ingredients to throw away on one side of the lab. All of them were leftover ingredients used to make Mothers medicine.

This bug is a nutritional supplement, right?

Nicole spoke mildly.

Isabels mind hardened at a moment when she said something beyond imagination.

What?

This bug, I saw a picture in the book Bug Pharmacology from the East. I heard that if you refine it well, it becomes a very powerful tonic or nutritional supplement. Where did you get this precious thing?

.

Isabel was speechless.

Is she too stupid to even recognize a poisonous insect? Did she mistake it for another bug? Or is she making fun of me by pretending to be a fool?

In fact, some bugs are not harmful to the body and have become medicine.

But its very rare and never seen in this part of the country.

Isabel began to get confused whether Nicoles question was sincere or just bullshit.

But either way, she couldnt admit it was a poisonous insect.

In the end, Isabel affirmed with an exaggerated expression.

Youre amazing, sister. I cant believe you recognized you at once! Its an insect I worked hard to get for Mother. Man, Ive been hunting all day. And I secretly raised it and put it in Mothers medicine. Ill surprise you when my mom gets well!

Thats what I thought.

Anyway, its very good for your body if you refine the body fluid of this bug.

Im glad youre in good shape. Isabel, I already filled the tea you just had with this bug.

Isabels face turned white in an instant.

what?

Isabel, you said youve been having a hard time lately. Seeing that you were so weak that you couldnt work in the kitchen, I thought you needed some. This insect called Cordyceps is so effective that it is okay to boil it several times more. Its precious, so Ill save some of it.

She drank this damn poisonous insect? At that moment, Isabels heart was beating fast, it felt suffocating.

Oh, how long? How many did you boil? Dont tell me its all of this?

Of course. Besides this, I added a couple more new ones and boiled them. There are some in your room that you havent used yet. Im sorry I used it without permission. But.

.

I was going to surprise you, too.

Nicoles mouth continued to have a calm smile.

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