Following the Sound of Your Heart.Back in Clarines, Shirayuki treats Zen with herbs, and the following day she looks for a job as a herbalist in the city. Instead, she gets a suggestion to prepare for the exam for court herbalist apprentice. Feeling that this is her path, she travels to an island accompanied by Zen, to study and gather rare herbs. While in the island's forest she is captured by a man named Mihaya who has his eye on her red hair. In her cell Shirayuki takes advantage of the night to rub the ropes that tie her wrists against the rough wall, so that when her captor comes to leave food she can free herself, trapping Mihaya in his own cell. However, he manages to escape and corners her. She then places paralysing herbs in her oil lantern and smashes it against the wall to release their paralyzing fumes. She jumps out of a window onto a branch and falls to the ground. During her captivity Zen starts worrying about Shirayuki when he visits her place and is told by her landlady that she has not come back yet. Unfortunately, the paralysing gas only has a temporary effect on Mihaya so he is able to catches up with Shirayuki. Zen rescues her at the last minute, and hands Mihaya over to the royal guards. Mihaya claims that the reason for capturing Shirayuka is to parade her to elevate his status, since his family used to be wealthy but he is now penniless and in hiding.