Having started a new life, I needed a new life plan.

After regaining my memories, I spent several days planning my future.

I decided to think about how to become friends with the male lead and how to have a beautiful farewell later.

Anyway, the male lead had left for a beast reconnaissance mission to the northern forest.

He would probably return in about two weeks.

So, for now, let’s plan for life after that.

After a beautiful farewell with the male lead, I’ll need to make a living too.

First of all, I have no intention of returning to the count’s estate, and if the male lead provides some alimony, I’ll take that and leave to settle somewhere.

What should I do after settling down?

……Should I try doing business?

[This is the timeline separator]

“……What do you want me to get?”

“A shovel. A trowel would be fine too. And it would be good if you could get some medicinal herb seeds as well.”

“Medicinal herbs?”

“Yes. You can find the herbs listed here. They grow well in barren soil and can withstand cold well.”

The maid stared at me blankly.

Only after I waved the note a couple of times did she come to her senses and take it.

Even then, she kept glancing at me with a strange expression.

I know. It must be strange.

Always cooped up in my room, then suddenly living a normal daily life, and now asking for medicinal herb seeds.

But what can I do?

I’m going to change now, so you’ll have to adapt.

I smiled brightly, and the maid awkwardly smiled back.

“I’ll speak to the butler and try to get them as soon as possible.”

The maid bowed her head and walked away quickly.

Surely, she’ll talk about me behind my back.

I hope she doesn’t say something like ‘That woman seems to have gone mad.’

Whether her words about getting them as soon as possible were true, within a few days, the trowel and medicinal herb seeds were in my hands.

“Here are the items you requested, my lady.”

The one who brought them was Barhan, the butler.

Seeing that he had taken over the errand usually done by maids, it seemed he too was quite curious about my change.

“May I ask what you plan to do with these?”

“What else? I’m going to plant and grow them.”

“……The medicinal herbs?”

“Yes. The medicinal herbs.”

Seeing his utterly confused expression, I dragged him out to the garden.

This worked out well. I had been wondering where to use as my farming plot.

These kinds of issues are best discussed with the butler.

As I pulled him towards a secluded area I had spotted earlier, I took the opportunity to address his confusion.

“It was a childhood dream of mine.”

“Growing medicinal herbs?”

“More precisely, the dream was to make and sell desserts and tea with medicinal herbs.”

It was an old, forgotten dream that I remembered along with my childhood and past life memories.

I quite liked this belatedly remembered dream.

It was also infused with memories of my mother and grandmother.

My mother and grandmother were from a minority tribe, whose land was forcibly taken by the imperial family under the pretext of protection, and the people were forcibly relocated to the empire.

The tribal people, who loved nature and lived in harmony with plants and animals, had difficulty adapting to the empire.

Even if they somehow managed to adapt and live, they couldn’t erase the deeply ingrained love for nature.

Among the things nature provides, medicinal herbs have the most direct impact on humans.

Grandmother was well-versed in medicinal and poisonous herbs, and mother too learned this knowledge from grandmother.

Having inherited only half of their teachings, I wasn’t as knowledgeable, but I was fairly familiar.

A fair knowledge of medicinal herbs.

My hobby in my past life was baking.

Having all the necessary conditions, what I needed to do now was practice growing medicinal herbs.

If I wanted to make and sell a consistent menu, it would be better to grow the herbs myself.

Ah, here it is.

While continuing my thoughts, we arrived at the spot I had picked out earlier.

“I’d like to use this much, is that okay?”

“……So, you’re going to plant medicinal herbs here?”

“Yes. Is that not allowed?”

“No. The garden originally belongs to you, my lady. You can use it as you wish.”

Originally mine?

Come to think of it, I think I heard that landscaping the garden was mainly the responsibility of the lady of the house.

I looked up and surveyed the surroundings.

To be honest, the vast garden of the Richter mansion was unremarkable.

Just a bare minimum of features?

Thinking about it, that must all be the result of the past ladies’ indifference.

Even if there wasn’t anyone who suffered from depression to the point of seclusion like me, it’s evidence that there was also no one who had enough affection for this mansion to decorate the garden while living here.

“Would it be okay if I turned the entire garden into an herb garden?”

After looking around for a while, I asked, and Barhan flinched.

“……Is that what you wish? R-really?”

“No. Just kidding.”

Barhan let out a deep sigh at my answer.

Isn’t that too obvious a sign of relief?

For a moment, I was tempted to actually turn the entire garden into an herb garden out of spite, but I held back.

“This place will be full of flowers and trees later.”

“Pardon? Is that true?”

Instead of answering Barhan’s sparkling eyes, I just shrugged my shoulders.

‘Later, when the female lead appears, she’ll plant lots of flowers and trees here.’

I couldn’t answer like that, of course.

I looked down at my portion of land.

A rectangular plot in a secluded corner that still got some sunlight.

This would be my farming land.

And that place would be the female lead’s garden.

[This is the timeline separator]

“……It’s really amazing.”

Siena, who was vigorously cleaning the window, muttered absentmindedly.

At the end of her gaze was Serpina, busily digging up soil in the garden.

“How can a person change so drastically overnight? Is that even possible?”

“She must have had some kind of change of heart.”

“No, but still……!”

Siena clamped her mouth shut at Mari’s prim glare.

Hmph. Uptight woman.

But she couldn’t help but keep her eyes on Serpina.

No matter how many times she looked, it was strange and fascinating.

The lady who had been withering away, shut in her room like a recluse, suddenly burst out of her room one day and was now digging the ground with a trowel in hand.

Moreover, what’s funny is that in just a few days since the lady started digging, it was starting to look quite like a vegetable garden.

Removing large stones, scraping away the nutrient-poor topsoil.

Sprinkling water, then turning over the soil, adding some fertilizer, and even making furrows.

How could a noble know how to till a field so well?

“Oh, it’s Mr. Markops.”

Jina, who was dusting the window frame next to her, pointed out the window with her fingertip.

Markops was the name of the gardener.

Even if the garden was just for show, he was in charge of maintaining it so it wouldn’t look too desolate.

Since the day Serpina took up the shovel herself, he had been hovering around with a grim face.

As a gardener, he must be uncomfortable seeing the lady’s hands getting dirty.

“Oh, the butler is here too.”

Soon, Barhan the butler slunk towards Serpina and Markops.

He had similar reasons as Markops.

Though he had a bit more curiosity and interest than Markops.

Barhan was very interested in the lady’s sudden change of heart.

Siena kept scrubbing the same spot over and over while looking out the window.

The two men standing awkwardly and the lady diligently digging up the soil.

Siena’s eyes sparkled.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Good. My skills aren’t dead yet.”

I proudly looked at the land I had tilled.

It was worth scraping together all my memories, both existing and non-existing, to do this digging.

Now, the task was to plant the medicinal herb seeds and seedlings that Barhan had procured for me.

In fact, the real battle started from here.

“My lady. Please let me do this. No, please allow me to do it.”

Markops, the gardener, seemed to think so too, as he pleaded with me almost beseechingly.

However, I firmly shook my head.

“I’ll do it myself.”

This is why I turned over the soil myself, made furrows, and spread fertilizer.

Honestly, this is like asking to skip the highlight of a song, an unconscionable consideration.

Even if my voice breaks on the high notes, I’m going to sing the highlight myself.

I steeled my resolve and brought the seeds that had been soaked in water.

“Here’s the shovel.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll put the watering can here.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“It means I’m grateful.”

“Ah!”

……But whose voice is this?

I turned my head towards the unfamiliar cheerful voice and met eyes with a woman bending her waist next to me.

Despite the cheerful voice, she looked familiar.

“You are……”

“I’m Siena. A maid.”

Ah, now I remember.

On the day I regained my childhood and past life memories and declared my second life.

She was one of the maids who looked at me with a shocked face the moment I burst out of my room.

“I’d like to help with your gardening too, my lady.”

“There are already too many helper candidates.”

There’s Markops, and Barhan too.

“I’ll just be in charge of the watering can and bringing you necessary tools. I’ll fill the watering can in advance, and bring you anything you need. If you need any other help, you can tell me anytime.”

“Oh. That does sound appealing.”

“I called dibs first!”

Markops jumped in, startled by my admiration.

“The world doesn’t work on a first-come, first-served basis, but on merit. Can you do exactly what your boss wants?”

Damn, that’s frustrating.

As Markops gritted his teeth, Siena showed an expression like a concubine who had just given birth to a son.

What are you two doing?

Behind them, Barhan was watching with a somewhat pleased expression.

Over the next few days, more and more people started lurking around.

Perhaps Siena’s joining piqued their interest, but the servants began to pass by my field one by one, casually offering greetings.

Despite having ignored everyone and being cooped up in my room until now, suddenly engaging in this eccentric behavior, they showed no signs of hesitation.

Indeed, everyone is so kind.

I felt like I wanted to bang my head on the ground for misunderstanding this place as hell.

So I also made an effort to talk to the servants.

It’s better to get along well if we’re going to be together, right?

Of course, I would leave someday.

But perhaps I was being too casual?

“Ah, that’s not how you do it.”

“Tsk. Don’t you think you’re giving too much water?”

Is it just my imagination that more and more people seem to be giving advice?

Just as I was getting caught up in this strange feeling, the first seeds I planted started to sprout.