Chapter 73……………………………………….
During my visit to the Empire, I stayed for a few days at Theodore’s mansion thanks to Cassius’s consideration.
At that time, Lancelot and I had shared a long conversation about perfumes that we hadn’t finished before, and it seemed he had even come up with some new product ideas.
I looked inside the box and discovered a perfume rolled up in a soft cloth.
“Is this it?”
The perfume Lancelot sent was so little that it could only be used about three times.
“So he diluted it… Is the scent really that strong?”
I wondered what kind of fragrance had kept the alphas away. For testing, I sprayed a little.
Hissss─ The scent resembled a flower with many white buds. After inhaling deeply several times, I could clearly identify it.
It was like the faint scent of pheromones that I sometimes emitted when overly excited.
“This… it’s the scent of lily of the valley!”
Lily of the valley was rare.
When I stayed at the Count’s residence, I had spent all my saved allowance to buy some, but at that time, I couldn’t properly extract the fragrance, and everything had failed.
However, the perfume Lancelot sent had the genuine scent of lily of the valley.
Moreover, the scent alone wasn’t enough to provoke a reaction in alphas.
If Shane and Schwarz reacted, it was clear that the perfume had effects similar to pheromones.
“It really seems like he made a pheromone perfume!”
My younger sibling, Avansu, who couldn’t do anything in the original story, apparently was a natural genius at making perfumes.
With a little more research, it might even be possible to influence the curse of a supernatural alpha.
I immediately wrote back.
“Since the alphas reacted, perhaps it has similar effects to Omega pheromones.
It might be good to research it further.”
Even if I couldn’t achieve final awakening, I felt relieved knowing I had pheromone perfume as insurance.
Around the same time, Sertina, who was undergoing priestly training, was also reading a letter. The letter sent to the princess was from the Tower Master, the owner of the Mage Tower.
“The medicine to heal Your Highness’s leg is nearly complete.
However, to finish it, I need a small amount of your blood drawn using a special method.
It is a difficult technique, so I cannot send anyone else; I must do the drawing myself.
As you know, I am bound by shackles created with earth-attribute divine power, so I cannot leave the tower.
If Your Highness could provide just a little assistance, I could use my ability to send a human puppet to the Holy Empire.”
Sertina, reading the letter, fell into thought.
The royal family knew that the Tower Master possessed mental supernatural abilities, specializing in invading and controlling others’ minds.
He had even directly occupied other people’s minds to visit them on occasion.
Meeting him a few times was not a problem.
“This is the Holy Empire.”
If anyone found out that someone from the Mage Tower had entered, it could cause serious trouble that the princess herself might not be able to handle.
Her deliberation didn’t last long.
“If I’m not caught, it’s fine.”
Muttering this, Sertina replied to help, driven by her desire to heal her leg.
Several days had passed since Cassius had left.
I had gained another ward besides Michael.
While eating in the dining hall, Sertina, in her wheelchair, came to find me.
“Sonia, you take care of me!”
She confidently entrusted herself to me.
Normally, newcomers were subjected to teasing, but since Sertina was royalty, everyone tried not to draw attention. Moreover, nobody wanted to deal with a princess with a disabled leg.
“Your Highness, we belong to different departments, though.”
If I refused, Sertina would have to move around alone in her wheelchair.
I didn’t want to see that, so I agreed to take care of her.
In retrospect, it seemed like the right choice.
“I need to get close to Sertina.”
I had to be close enough to warn her about the Tower Master, so I decided to make the most of this opportunity.
The times I would help her were during morning prayers, three meals a day, and when returning to her room to sleep.
Other than that, Sertina studied theology alone in her room.
Occasionally, priests teaching theology would visit her room, giving assignments and quizzing her.
Several days had passed since I started taking care of Sertina.
During the time spent pushing her wheelchair, we talked a lot.
Her somewhat cold attitude gradually softened, and she even began to joke lightly.
I could feel her opening up to me.
That day, we were heading to the prayer room.
“They say there’s extra credit if you perform morning prayers properly. Let’s go quickly.”
Sertina, motivated by the desire to advance quickly, seemed very eager.
I walked the familiar path.
I never imagined visiting the main prayer hall even after becoming a priest of the Holy Order.
Since we would pray together, I planned to ask the divine to watch over me at my awakening. Behind Sertina and me, Michael followed closely.
Sertina glanced back at Michael, who had his tail stiffly raised.
“What is that cat that follows you? Aren’t priests not supposed to have pets?”
“That cat’s master is His Majesty.”
“Ugh.”
The princess made her displeasure obvious and turned her head sharply.
“You dislike cats?”
“No.”
Ah, so she dislikes His Majesty.
I had a vague idea why she avoided Cassius, so I didn’t press further.
Sertina, glancing at Michael, finally spoke.
“By the way, I’ve heard rumors in the temple. They say His Majesty likes you.”
Surprised, I pushed the wheelchair faster. Sertina clicked her tongue.
“That’s just a rumor.”
“No, it’s not. Anyone who saw His Majesty embrace you during the carriage accident knows.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Of course, you were unconscious, so you wouldn’t know.”
Sertina recounted the carriage accident.
Cassius had broken the carriage door with his bare hands to save me and then hugged me tightly in front of many people.
Moreover, I had heard it directly from Cassius himself: that he liked me.
I planned to ask him directly what he intended to say.
Thinking about it while waiting for Cassius, something occurred to me.
“So what happened when I rode His Majesty’s carriage without you?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Huh… it looked like lovers to me.”
I answered firmly.
“No.”
Even though we had kissed, we were not lovers yet!
“Accept it quickly. It’ll make things easier for everyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are things like that.”
I tilted my head in confusion. Sertina giggled.
“It feels strange. I can talk about this with you.”
Spending more time with Sertina lately had made us noticeably closer. To others, we probably just looked like friends.
“It’s about time to talk about the Mage Tower.”
This was a sensitive and important topic for Sertina, so I had to approach it carefully.
I needed to break down the relationship between Sertina and the Tower Master.
If I brought up the Tower Master improperly, all the trust I had built with Sertina could collapse.
I had one method in mind, but I wasn’t sure if it would work.
I needed the right moment to bring it up, and now was not it.
After praying with Sertina and listening to the concerns of arriving nobles, the day passed quickly.
The last task was to escort Sertina to her room.
Since the evening work ran late, I hurried to meet her after sunset.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry, the consultations took longer than expected.”
Sertina looked at my feet and asked:
“And the cat?”
As soon as it got dark, Michael dashed outside. He was probably on my roof again.
“Michael goes out at night. Cats are nocturnal.”
Sertina didn’t ask further. We quickened our pace to her room.
Then, a question occurred to me.
“How do you move around when I’m not here?”
“Easily.”
Sertina opened a small pouch hanging from her wheelchair and took out a sacred crystal. Its green color indicated it contained wind energy.
She dropped it to the floor, and the wheelchair slightly lifted.
“Like this.”
“Wow.”
Sacred crystals were traded at very high prices. To me, it looked like a gold bar had been destroyed.
The temple produced sacred crystals, so they could be used for official purposes, but ordinary people had to purchase them.
“So the saying ‘god of commerce’ is true.”
Sertina’s management skills, occasionally mentioned in the original story, were remarkable.
Seeing it firsthand, I realized she must be far wealthier than I expected.
“You’re amazing.”
“Hmm, actually, I don’t need your help, but I want to prevent unnecessary waste. The more we save, the more can go to the Empire’s people.”
A fine sentiment, but didn’t she just destroy a sacred crystal to show me?
I decided not to comment.
Since she used the sacred crystal, she could probably reach her room alone. But I wanted to talk a bit more with her, so I walked her to her room.
When we arrived at her room, I was surprised.
A stranger was standing in front of Sertina’s door—someone I had never seen before.
