“I’ve got it.”
“You never disappoint us, Philia! After reading all those books, you’ve finally worked out which ingredient we need! Phew, what a relief. I’ve read enough books to last me a lifetime!”
“Have you found something, Philia?” asked Sir Osvalt.
“I believe so. Luke’s research papers gave me a rough idea of the ingredient we need, but this book confirms it.”
“Whoa. And if we find it, we can make a miracle cure?”
“We should be able to—but I’ve also come to an unfortunate realization. I don’t think any of these books will tell me the plant’s whereabouts.”
“What? That’s no good!” Mia puffed out her cheeks, making a show of her indignation.
My needlessly dramatic wording must have confused her. Unfortunately, the books had no clues to offer me—but that realization was still a step forward.
“I see. You know what ingredient you need, but you don’t know where to find it.”
“Exactly. I kept checking my theories against Luke’s research papers. If we assume that my father made a similar degree of progress, he was just one step away from finalizing the cure. He must have been looking for an ingredient that could neutralize the harmful components of a medicine he’d already created, rather than treating the illness itself.”
If what was written in his letter was true, then my father—like Luke—must have already had an idea of what the completed formula would look like. There was only one thing missing from their formula. Unfortunately, they hadn’t found it.
“That’s the ingredient we’re looking for now, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I’m sure my father searched for it here, but I doubt it can be found within Girtonia’s borders.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m proud to have travelled all around this country as part of my saintly duties. I gathered every medicinal plant I came across during my travels for my own research.”
“Come to think of it, we climbed that mountain together so you could gather medicinal plants. Did you do the same in Girtonia?”
“I did,” I said to Sir Osvalt’s query.
Our research at the library had brought me to two conclusions: we were one ingredient away from a cure, and we weren’t going to find that ingredient in Girtonia.
“But if the ingredient isn’t here, why did Kamil put that cryptic message in his letter?”
“That’s what’s bothering me—as well as the fact that Mia was the one to bring me the letter.”
“Lady Hilda entrusted Lady Mia with the letter, rather than giving it to you directly,” said Sir Osvalt, “and a line in that letter implies that he’d found the last ingredient he needed for the miracle cure. Are you trying to say that Lady Hilda is hiding something?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I suspect,” I agreed.
On reflection, Master Hildegard’s insistence that she didn’t know about my father’s research was rather bizarre. I couldn’t imagine that she would risk Luke’s life by concealing information, so I’d assumed she was being honest with us. Yet no matter which way I looked at it, something didn’t ring true.
“I can’t believe Mother might be lying to us,” said Mia.
“She must have a reason. One that we aren’t supposed to know…”
“That’s right. She would never lie to you without good reason, Philia.” Sir Osvalt lowered his voice. “Should we hold her feet to the fire?”
Hildegard was a saint. I couldn’t imagine her telling a potentially life-threatening lie without a significant cause.
“We can’t leave Luke to suffer,” I said. “Besides, now that we’ve learned so much, I don’t want to be defeated by the disease that took the lives of Elizabeth and my father.”
“In that case,” said Mia, “we need to find a way to get Mother to tell us what she’s hiding! She might be stubborn, but I’m sure she’ll open up if Philia asks nicely enough.”
“Mia… I’m not so sure things will go our way, but her stubbornness is no match for mine. I won’t back down.”
I gave Mia an encouraging nod, deciding to return to Master Hildegard’s house one last time.
✦ ✦ ✦
As soon as we got back to her mansion, Master Hildegard brought us into the reception room and served tea. “What’s the matter? Have you found something?”
There wasn’t a shred of uncertainty in her gaze, which was fixed directly on me. She certainly didn’t seem to be hiding anything.
“Er, well…” Now that the moment had arrived, I was too nervous to get my words out.
How ridiculous of me. What was there to be hesitant about now? I swallowed, then slowly began to string my words together.
“Master, is there something you’re not telling us?”
“Where did that come from all of a sudden? I don’t understand what you’re asking, Philia.”
Unsurprisingly, she showed no uneasiness whatsoever. My master’s mental fortitude put Mia’s to shame.
“Master, I’m sure father found the key ingredient for the miracle cure. He knew what he needed to make a safe cure for the illness. He just wasn’t able to obtain it.”
I was almost certain of this theory. As Sir Osvalt said, my father had come to Girtonia in search of that ingredient. And yet, based on my research and my own experience as a saint in the country, there were no medicinal plants in Girtonia that seemed to fit the bill.
An important detail must have been hidden from us.
“Master, Kamil wrote letters to his younger brother to update him on his progress. There’s no way he wouldn’t have told you, his wife, the hidden truth about the missing ingredient. That’s why you were hesitant to give me the letter.”
“…”
“This is mere supposition, but would obtaining the necessary ingredient put us in significant danger?”
At that, my master finally averted her gaze. She slowly rose to her feet and left the room.
Mia and Sir Osvalt turned to me, looking impressed.
“You’re incredible, Philia. I didn’t know you’d deduced all that.”
“Me neither. I couldn’t get a word in.”
It had taken me some time to piece my thoughts together, but I was confident in my conclusion.
On edge, I waited to see how Master Hildegard would respond.