Cinderella turned the leaves of the herb in her hand over and over for quite a while. Only after confirming that both its age and medicinal properties met her expectations did she carefully place it in the medicine pouch at her side.
She stood, brushed the dirt from her hands, stepped barefoot onto the warm stones by the stream, then bent down to pick up and put on her boots.
Levin's voice came from higher up the slope, carrying a rare note of ease. "There isn't much of value here. Ten miles farther north, there should be a wetland. I heard several good medicinal herbs grow there."
Pinocchio was still busy behind the bushes, his muffled voice carrying over. "I'm almost done here too! There are a few Purple Leaf Vines in these bushes. They aren't very old, but their roots are in good shape. We can take them back to use in medicine."
He poked half his body out from behind the bushes, several scraps of leaves clinging to his short brown hair. A satisfied smile hung at the corner of his mouth, making him look like a cat that had just raided a bird's nest.
Cinderella glanced at him, and the corner of her lips twitched slightly. It could hardly be called a smile, yet the relaxation in it was plain to see.
Since parting outside Notting City, the three of them had traveled together, heading north for many days.
They had no clear destination and no task they absolutely had to complete. They simply followed the mountain range, stopping whenever they saw suitable herbs and detouring into any valley worth exploring.
This aimless journey made Cinderella feel remarkably at ease.
She walked back to Levin, retied her medicine pouch, and asked, "How did you know about that