Grace cooperated with Nicole due to the urgent situation.

She knew only that it belonged to the YvesChapel family, but she didn’t realize how important it was.

But later, when she realized the value of the seeds she had brought with her, she shuddered.

“The YvesChapel family is known for their healing powers, but now that I’ve met you, I realize that’s not their most important ability. That’s not what matters most.”

“……I didn’t know the meaning of my ability either, I just thought I was good at growing plants.”

“Would you like to show me?”

Nicole gave a small nod to Grace’s words. She walked over to one of the pots of herbs and stroked it.

A faint glow erupted, almost too faint to see unless you looked very closely, and the plant grew even more vibrant and poked its head up.

“My mother called it the Healing Hand, the ability to grow ancient herbs, specialty plants that no one else in my family could grow.”

In this life, before Freya’s death, Nicole pushed Isabel away and nursed Freya herself.

?Nicole, I’ll tell you everything I know about the people of my clan.?

Freya told Nicole as much as she could. Even the family’s secret plants that her brothers and sisters were never allowed access to, and how to grow them.

‘It was Isabelle who cared for my mother almost to her death in her last life, so she must have passed on this knowledge to her.’

Nicole was sure. But not in this life.

Even if she didn’t mean to, Nicole had gained more information than Isabelle.

“What are the effects of these plants?”

“They vary widely. Some are narcotic, others induce mania that drives a person insane, some stop the heart for a day or so, and some reduce the function of certain organs.”

“Your healing powers alone brought the boundaries of the Imperial family, but if these abilities were known, you would have been purged long ago.”

Grace laughed bitterly.

“And you’re the only one who can grow these plants?”

“Just me and Isabel, to be precise. Jay doesn’t have the Healing Hands ability.”

“Is that because Jay is a boy?”

“Perhaps, but the YvesChapel family has an unusual maternal inheritance of the ability.”

Even if Jay marries and has children, none of them will have powers.

On the other hand, even a daughter doesn’t always produce a child with these abilities.

Even if they do, they don’t know how much power they’ll have or how they’ll manifest it.

This was common to all seven families.

In any case, thanks to the peculiarities of maternal inheritance, House YvesChapel had always been a matriarchal system, with the most powerful offspring among the daughters carrying on the family name.

“You said you had no healing powers?”

“No. I’m not manifested.”

Instead, Nicole had the most powerful ability of all. The ability to bring someone back from the dead, just once.

But Nicole considered it a secret to be kept until death, and she hoped she would never have to use it in this lifetime.

“What about Isabel? How far can she go?”

“Isabel could grow plants, but her healing powers were only marginal. She could staunch and heal minor wounds, but not enough to save someone dying from an injury.”

“Hmm, I don’t understand. The abilities that are usually strong in girls manifested in Jay.”

“That’s what my mom said right before she died.”

A quick glance at the YvesChapel family recipes would have you believe that any apothecary could have mimicked them.

But they’re wrong. They might be able to make medicine from ingredients they already have on hand, but they can’t…….

‘But only the YvesChapels  are capable of growing the herbs needed to make them.’

Healing Hands like Nicole’s and Isabel’s.

Jay has only healing powers, and Isabel’s life is still uncertain.

Nicole was the only one who could germinate and nurture these seeds.

Grace had been looking at the pots of herbs for a while.

Nicole picked some of the healing herbs to make Grace’s headache medicine.

***

That night, Nicole was informed that she would start work tomorrow. She would find out her first assignment in the morning.

“They probably won’t put you on a dangerous mission right off the bat. You don’t even have a name yet.”

It was a long wait, but Nicole was surprisingly calm.

If anything, she was more concerned about Grace. She still seemed suspicious of Raul.

“I wonder if Raul hates you for being my student…….”

“He’s not like that.”

Nicole said in a small voice.

“You sometimes speak as if you know Raul.”

The words made Nicole twinge. She changed the subject.

“I’ve been at Grace’s house for over two months now, and if I wait any longer, he’ll forget I ever existed.”

“Well, since it’s come to this, you’d better get a name, because the Sith will give you a fortune and a house.”

“Will they?”

Nicole paused.

“Then…… we won’t be able to stay here much longer.”

On second thought, she couldn’t be a guest forever. Nicole couldn’t help but feel disappointed, and Grace seemed to feel the same way.

“You’re on active duty, I’m retired, so it’s not a good look for us to be living together, plus I’m a bit of a celebrity in the capital.”

Over the years, Nicole had grown close to Grace. Feeling genuine sadness, Nicole gave a small nod.

“I’ll try to visit you as often as I can, though I’ll have to stay out of prying eyes…….”

Fortunately, visiting Grace’s house wasn’t forbidden. Nicole had to stop by every few days to tend to her herb pots.

Once the herbs had sprouted, basic care could be handled by someone else. Nicole gave Grace a list of plants that needed to be watered regularly.

“I’ll water them like it’s a chore.”

Over the years, Grace grew to like Nicole.

All of Grace’s hired help was part of her entourage, and the house was off-limits to even Raul.

This made it easy for Grace to feel comfortable with Nicole in the house. Just like when Sienna was alive……. Grace stopped herself from getting sentimental.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t get to congratulate you on becoming a Shadow Agent of the Sith.”

Grace sent a maid to fetch a jewelry box.

It was filled with jewelry that had been passed down through Grace’s family, nothing like what she had in her country home.

“I have no one who could inherit these things, so if you like them, take them.”

“Grace……. You’ve already done me more favors than I can ever repay in this life, so I can’t accept anything like this.”

“Then you shouldn’t turn down a gift from a benefactor. Don’t you know that people like me aren’t used to being turned down?”

The words were blunt, but Nicole knew that Grace had been as fiercely protective of her as her own mother during their time together.

She said it deliberately to hide her disappointment.

“I don’t care what it is, just pick one.”

“……Grace. These are too precious. They come down through your family.”

“I won’t be able to wear it anyway, so just pick the one that looks the most valuable. Agents like you have to keep your identity hidden, so you can’t just accessorize.”

“Then I don’t need it.”

“So pick something that will serve as proof, and you’ll have to keep it in the house anyway.”

As Nicole listened, she had a point. Even if she did accept the jewelry from Grace, she would have to leave it back at the house. It was like taking it yet not receiving it.

‘If I were to die in the line of duty, Grace would have the jewelry as a memento. It will remind her of me, and that’s not a bad thing.’

Nicole examined the jewelry carefully.

Then she spotted a familiar ring. It was the ring that symbolized Grace’s family crest.

‘I see. I knew that Grace’s family was one of the seven noble families of the Empire, just like YvesChapel…….’

Nicole felt a strange sensation when she saw the ring. Nicole had a strong connection to this ring.

‘In my last life, before he died, Raul gave me his family ring, with the truth about Raul written on it.’

The ring was silver, sturdy and thickly rimmed.

The inside of the ring was engraved with an intricate pattern of diamonds. If you didn’t look inside, you’d think it was just a plain ring.

It was identical to Raul’s ring in every way, but the difference was in the center of the ring’s outer surface.

It bore Grace’s family emblem, a raven and a small cog.

“House of Sotia. That’s what it says, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Sotia, one of the seven great families. That’s my family.”

“……I hear you’re from a famous family.”

“Famous, yes. My family, like yours, has been down on its luck since my grandfather.”

Grace was wealthy and well-connected, but Count Sotia had long since fallen from grace.

“You told me about your family once before. There was an accident decades ago…….”

In Grace’s grandfather’s reign, the Sotia family made fine horsemanship tools. However, a young prince was killed with one of their tools.

It was a simple accident, and fortunately, the family itself was not harmed. However, the grandfather of the Sotia family was banned from the capital for life. As a result, the family’s reputation plummeted.

The patriarch of Sotia spent the rest of his life in a distant temple. It was a de facto banishment.

Grace’s parents, the Head of Sotia, lived in scandal for the rest of their lives, even dying young.

The Imperial family took her in and raised her themselves, claiming she was innocent.

Grace was raised to be precious, but she was also burdened. The pressure was on to rebuild the family name.

With the exception of YvesChapel, all seven of the great families were descended from a male heir. However, if there were no sons, only an only daughter was allowed to succeed to the title of Countess.

If Sienna had lived, she would have been the next Countess of Sotia.

‘So that’s why someone of Grace’s status was working for a specialized agency of the imperial family.’

It all makes sense now. If the Sotia family had remained intact, Grace would not have had to do such menial work.