Zoey chose not to tell Evelyn or Viola about her plan. The next day, as they set off for their routine visit to Arcane Sanctum, Zoey disguised herself as a peasant woman and quietly followed them.

She trailed them the entire way. From the moment they left to when they returned, no one came close to their donkey cart, and it didn't even make a single stop along the way.

After returning to Skye Embroidery, Viola immediately began preparing medicine. At the workshop, no one had servants. Everyone took turns cooking. When Viola first arrived, she was utterly inexperienced. It took three days of practice for her to even be able to start a fire, and the first meal she cooked was barely edible.

The people at Skye Embroidery were cooperative but also fond of teasing. They joked and said Viola carried herself like a lady of high status but didn't have the luck to actually live that life.

At first, Viola was furious and felt unjustly treated, as though the others were deliberately targeting her. She couldn't understand why she had to endure this. But one day, when Jessica came to visit Skye Embroidery, she personally cooked a meal. Though it wasn't perfect in taste or appearance, it was well- seasoned and balanced.

Seeing that, Viola fell silent. She knew exactly what kind of person Jessica had been a once-arrogant duchess, so proud and untouchable. After being divorced and taken back into the family, she somehow managed to swallow her pride and even cooked meals for this group of abandoned women.

The surprising part? Jessica actually knew how to cook.

But that wasn't what truly shocked Viola. Even Leona, a guest staying at the workshop, could step into the kitchen and whip up an incredible meal. Viola was dumbfounded.

From then on, even if she wasn't the one cooking, she would always help in the kitchen. She picked up the tasks and learned as she went. Now, her skills had surpassed Jessica's.

Camila entered the kitchen just in time to see Viola lost in thought, staring at a boiling pot, completely unaware of the bubbling liquid.

"Viola, the medicine's about to boil over. Didn't you notice? Pull the coals back and let it simmer," Camila cautioned.

Viola hurriedly lifted the lid of the pot, but the scalding steam rose up, burning her hand. She quickly dropped the lid, which crashed to the ground, splitting into two pieces.

Camila quickly fetched a bowl of cold water from the water pot and brought it over. "Put your hand in here to soak, or it'll blister."

Viola dipped both hands into the water, the coolness helping to ease the sting. "Thank you, Ms. Moore." "Are you alright?" Camila asked.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," Viola said, shaking her head. However, her eyes still seemed unfocused.

Camila moved to the stove, pulling out the firewood and leaving just a few pieces of coal burning. "How is your mom? Better?"

"Much better." Viola glanced at the medicine pot, frustrated. "How much medicine is left? We need to simmer it on low heat for another hour... I don't think there's enough of it left now."

Camila looked at the uncovered pot. "There's enough, but you can't simmer it without a lid. All the medicinal vapors will escape. You'll need to quickly buy a new one."

Viola hesitated, her gaze turning pleading. "Ms. Moore, could you go buy one for me? I don't know where to get it."

"I could, but why don't you go

yourself?" Camila gave her a pointed look. "It's just down the street at the general store. Didn't you go there yesterday to buy a stew pot? How could you have forgotten already?"noveldrama

Viola scratched her head awkwardly under Camila's curious gaze. "Oh, right... I forgot for a moment. I'll go buy it now."

Camila moved to the stove to make barley porridge. The weather had warmed up, and everyone had lost their appetite. She decided to make some barley porridge, which helped cook the body and settle the

Ov

stomach. It was a soothing meal that everyone could enjoy,

She had soaked the barley beforehand. After working for a while, Alana entered with the new medicine pot. It needed to soak in water first, so she placed it straight into the water basin.

"Ms. Alana, why are you the one buying it? Wasn't Viola supposed to go?" Camila asked as she looked up from the stove.

"She said she burned her hand and asked me to help her," Alana replied casually. "It's nothing. It's not that far."

"I see." Camila didn't think much of it and added, "The new pot can't be used yet. It'll need to soak overnight. Today's medicine is probably useless anyway."

"Without the lid, the pot is completely useless," Alana said with a tinge of sympathy.

"It's fine. We can use it for salt storage," Camila replied.

The two of them worked together

for a while. Alana then took the

medicine out and delivered it to Evelyn. When she entered the room, she was taken aback. Both mom and daughter had grim expressions.

Surprised by Alana's entrance, Viola immediately exclaimed, "You didn't knock? How rude!" "The door was open," Alana replied, glancing around. "What? Afraid I'd overhear your private conversation? Don't worry. Even if I knew where you hid your secret money, I wouldn't take it." With that, Alana set down the medicine and left.