Chapter 11

The royal capital I returned to after a long time was as bustling as ever.

Except for the fact that a month had passed, not much had changed, but I began to notice things I hadn’t seen before.

For example, the hands of the clock tower in the square were recast 6 years ago.

Among the five roads branching off from Gold Street, the second one is the oldest road.

Such common knowledge and experiences gained through Belinda’s third memory fragment added new information.

Of course, there were things that had really changed regardless of my perception.

“Hey, no cutting in line!”

“Don’t fight, please form a line!”

“I’ve never heard of this magician, but the items should be safe, right?”

“It’s certified by the magic tower, surely there won’t be any problems?”

At the end of Celit Street, lined with high-end clothing shops.

The workshop across from Bluebird was crowded with people.

Pulled out to the street by Terry before I could even unpack my travel bags, I gaped at Vivian’s thriving shop.

Currently, the only product Vivian’s workshop could sell was ‘Cecil’s Potion’.

Yet so many people were gathered.

Moreover, wasn’t the recipe for ‘Cecil’s Lullaby’ already spread in the slums?

“There’s nothing as reliable as the original. Besides, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t touch a recipe rolling around in the slums, right? Even if it’s made with the same recipe, it looks suspicious somehow.”

Ah, I see. So that’s why Vivian’s workshop is so crowded.

Is this how it feels when a stock you invested in from the start hits it big?

Nodding with a pleased feeling, I looked around for the subject of all this buzz.

“Where’s Vivian?”

“She’s on the second floor of the workshop.”

Following Terry’s pointing finger, I could see a green head peeking out from the second-floor window, observing the situation outside as if it were an exhibition.

As I went up to the second floor to meet her, Vivian, who noticed me a beat late, came running towards me with a breathless scream.

“Be, Be, Be, Be, Belinda! I heard you were back! But I couldn’t leave the shop right away…”

Vivian’s hairstyle was a bit different from usual as she said this.

They say you can tell her confidence level by looking at her hair, and today it was tied up high in two ponytails.

“Be, Belinda, would you like to look around the shop?”

Vivian explained everything in detail, moving with light steps like a hopping rabbit.

Unlike when this shop was first purchased, Vivian’s touch could be seen everywhere in the shop.

It was clear how much she had tended to and cleaned this place.

Finally finishing the shop introduction, Vivian added, seeming embarrassed.

“Oh, o, of course, it’s all thanks to what you gave me, Belinda.”

“Did I give you charity? We made a deal and exchanged compensation.”

I asked casually, riding on this momentum.

“So, how’s my potion coming along?”

There were roughly two months left until the start of <Hirome>.

It wouldn’t be strange to hear news that the ‘Elixir of Life’ was completed soon.

But for some reason, there was no answer from Vivian.

I glanced at her to see that her high twin ponytails had slightly drooped, dangling beside her ears.

“…?”

 Vivian answered with a more deflated expression than before.

“Well… I’ve almost completed it… but there’s one problem.”

“Problem?”

“…Would you like to see for yourself?”

Vivian guided me to the research lab on the second floor.

And pointed to a small cauldron hanging over the fireplace.

“This is the prototype of the healing potion.”

Inside the black cauldron, a shimmering liquid that looked like melted silver was simmering.

Looking as if one sip would kill you from mercury poisoning, it was identical to the ‘Elixir of Life’ I saw in <Hirome>.

“What’s the problem?”

“The potion itself is complete. But…”

Vivian poured some of the potion into a palm-sized bowl.

After a short while, as the surface of the potion cooled, it became sticky, then hardened completely, not falling out even when the bowl was turned upside down.

“When it cools, it hardens like this, and no matter how much heat is applied, it doesn’t return to liquid form.”

Vivian sighed and discarded the bowl along with the solidified contents to one side.

Clang.

The mountain of bowls piled up on one side showed how many trials and errors Vivian had gone through.

If it solidifies when taken off the fire, it would be impossible to carry the potion like this.

‘What could be the problem?’

I compared what was bubbling in the iron pot with the ‘Elixir of Life’ in my memory.

The only difference was that the prototype in front of me was bubbling in an iron pot, while the finished product was contained in an extremely luxurious and ornate crystal bottle.

Yes, if there was a difference, it was only the crystal bottle…

I voiced the thought that suddenly occurred to me without hesitation.

“How about adjusting the storage method?”

“The storage method… you say?”

Vivian, who had been stirring the pot dejectedly with her twin tails now tied low, turned her head towards me.

“For instance, storing it in a bottle that can maintain the appropriate temperature.”

I was thinking of something like a thermos and mentioned it casually, but at that moment, sparks flew from Vivian’s eyes.

“Such… such a groundbreaking method!”

Vivian hurriedly grasped a quill pen and began writing something incessantly.

“Yes, that’s much more efficient than changing the nature of the medicine. Oh, why didn’t I think of this? So, first, a fire magic circle on the magic stone…”

By now, Vivian’s twin tails had risen back to the top of her head.

It seemed that the day when she would have the completed version of the ‘Elixir of Life’ in her hands was not far off.

***

The one who welcomed Belinda’s return more than anyone else was Mary.

Upon hearing that Belinda was looking for her, she ran to her mistress’s room, not even noticing that one of her shoes had come off.

“Oh, My Lady!”

Mary bowed deeply before her, almost on the verge of tears.

The hardships of the past month flashed through her mind as soon as she saw Belinda’s face. Now that was over.

‘Now that the mistress has returned, they surely won’t be able to bother me anymore.’

However, Mary’s heart, which had been swelling with hope, burst and disappeared with one sharp word from Belinda.

“You look unkempt. Moreover, the annex was in a mess. Mary, I’m very disappointed.”

“Oh, no, no, My Lady! I was just, just cleaning the annex by my, myself…”

“By yourself? I’m sure I told you to manage the servants well. Why did you clean the annex alone?”

Ah, this isn’t right.

Cold sweat ran down the nape of her bowed neck.

During the month Belinda was away from the annex, the reason Mary had been able to endure despite being disrespected by her colleagues was the expectation that all this suffering would be compensated once the owner of this mansion returned.

Because of that, she had forgotten.

That her mistress was none other than Belinda Blanche.

“It seems the position of manager was too much for you. Seeing how you couldn’t even properly manage one annex.”

No. It can’t end like this, like this…!

Mary immediately fell to her knees and bowed her head.

Of course, she hadn’t received any valuable information for Sybel while Belinda was away from the mansion.

Moreover, the harassment from her colleagues had gotten worse, and if she were to be dismissed by Belinda now, she would lose everything.

“Oh, My Lady! I, I, I will do anything you command without fail! Please, please give me one more chance!”

“…Mary, you know well that I’m not such a generous mistress. But I’ll give you one last special chance.”

“Ah…!”

“Find out about Sybel.”

“Ye, yes?”

Mary unconsciously raised her head to look at Belinda, only to discover the cold sneer etched on her expression.

She hurriedly bowed her head again, but she had already seen the chilling smile that made her knees weak.

Mary’s clasped hands trembled.

“Anything will do. Just tell me what that mongrel ate that day, how he felt, where he went, whatever you know.”

Click.

Belinda’s bright red shoes approached right in front of Mary.

The neatly trimmed index finger lifted Mary’s chin.

“Can you do that?”

At that moment, Mary’s mind raced quickly.

“Yes, yes! I’ll do it! I can do it!”

She had clearly realized who was holding her lifeline now.

“This is an advance. You’re a quick-witted girl, so you’ll know how to use it.”

Plop. A bracelet made of large pearls was thrown in front of the kneeling Mary.

The sheen flowing on the milky jewels looked very expensive at a glance.

“You should think carefully about who is protecting you now.”

With that heavy warning, Mary was finally able to leave Belinda’s room.

Thus, according to Belinda’s plan, Mary became a double agent.

But Belinda knew well that a child like Mary was not an employee worth keeping around for long.

She would be loyal now because her life was hanging by a thread, but once she became comfortable, she would soon compare which lifeline would be more beneficial to her.

So there was only one thing Mary could do for her.

To relay the information she wanted to Sybel when she wanted it.

That alone made Mary worth keeping around.

‘Well, her skill in styling hair is quite excellent too.’

Belinda, who had been quietly watching Mary approach a fellow maid, suddenly asked Terry who was standing by her side.

“Terry, when will your debt of gratitude end?”

“That depends on how much the Master overworks me. The less you use me, the longer I’ll stay by the Master’s side.”

Belinda let out a small laugh at the cheeky answer and continued.

“Find out more about Sybel Blanche. Not just his weaknesses, but everything he has held in his hands, put in his mouth, and worn from birth until now. I need to know all of it in detail.”

“Have you ever thought, even once, that everything you so naturally hold in your hands, put in your mouth, and wear on your body is what others would sell their souls to possess?”

Sybel probably never imagined.

How his own words would come around to stab him in the back.

“May I ask how you plan to use this information?”

The reason Belinda didn’t readily answer Terry’s question was that she hadn’t made up her mind.

The concern she had harbored constantly after obtaining the third memory fragment.

She would be able to decide whether to execute that plan or not once she obtained the final memory fragment.