Carefully, with the utmost caution, that would do. Philip handed Radilt the sub-key. A gold-painted key was placed on her palm.

“I’ll give you a week. Do what you can, and give me a detailed report. Based on that, I’ll decide whether to recognize your experience, and if so, how many years to count it as.”

“Yes. Thank you for the opportunity, Master Philip.”

Radilt expressed her gratitude with a trembling voice. Her heart pounded greatly at the thought of being one step closer to her dream.

* * *

Radilt headed to the workshop even earlier than usual. Despite sleeping less, she didn’t feel tired. It must have been thanks to the small shining key at her waistband inside her dress.

A week wasn’t very long. Considering the holiday in the middle, it was about five days. She had to show some results within that time.

‘Master Philip probably doesn’t expect much……’

Philip would accept her even if she was just slightly better than a beginner apprentice, saying she did well. That’s because the initial expectations were so low. She was a rolling stone that had come in with Count Duston as her background.

But she didn’t want to end this test so easily. Above all, Radilt’s teacher was her departed husband, Lushen. If Radilt couldn’t shine, Lushen’s abilities as a teacher would also fade.

‘Even if it’s very basic, let’s make a perfume.’

Something that would make one think, this apprentice has definitely mastered the basic perfume composition, even if simple without technique.

The most common flowers and herbs of this season would be sufficient. Her weekly pay from the workshop would also come today. Then tomorrow, she would go to the fragrance market at dawn.

‘A modest perfume with the refreshing scent of summer herbs.’

As soon as Radilt arrived at Langfiel’s workshop, she started cleaning. Although she wanted to open the composition room door as soon as possible, she restrained herself. She would finish all her duties first, and then examine the instruments.

She shouldn’t neglect or be careless with her work due to excitement. Radilt meticulously completed all the organizing, watered the greenhouse, and then headed to the composition room.

Click.

The heavy lock opens helplessly before the small key. Radilt pushed open the heavy door with all her might. For security and to prevent unnecessary light from entering, there was only one small window, so it was dim inside. Flasks gleamed dully in the faint light.

“……Phew.”

Radilt lit the lamp and slowly examined the interior. There were several instruments whose purpose she could barely guess, seeing them for the first time in her life. Someday she would learn about all of those.

“I’ll just use a few of these.”

She decided not to be too greedy. Instead of taking risks, Radilt selected only a few tools she had handled several times under Lushen’s guidance. How to extract and mix fragrances naturally came to mind.

So in the morning, she just looked around the composition room and then came out.

Not long after, Philip and the two apprentices arrived. Saldat didn’t show up today either.

“Goodbye, Master Philip. Seniors.”

Late afternoon. Radilt saw off the three people and remained alone.

‘Since I’ll buy materials at dawn tomorrow……’

First, let’s prepare distilled water. And let’s clean more thoroughly so that almost no morning cleaning is needed.

Radilt first fetched water and carried out the basic preparations in the scent room. Since the stored supply of distilled water had already run out, she began boiling a new batch.

After filling it with water and lighting the fire, steam soon traveled through the tube into a bottle placed on one side. Once the distilled water had filled to some extent, she turned off the fire completely and headed to the composition room.

In the composition room, the scents used today were mingling and wafting around.

He used the winter flowers that had been steeping.

Radilt murmured. This faint scent reminiscent of winter was especially popular in summer. It must be because people wanted to recall cool winds, if only through smell.

The small window of the composition room was open to release some of the accumulated scent. Since it had thick bars and was too small even for a child to escape through, there wasn’t much danger in leaving it open.

‘Three small flasks for the fragrances. He said I could continue to use the empty containers.’

Tomorrow she would only do extraction. Radilt was carefully checking the tools she would use when she suddenly thought of Pendlore.

‘……When I focus on work, I really don’t think about him much.’

From yesterday until today, Radilt had been able to almost forget about Pendlore for a while. A somewhat bitter but relieved smile settled on her face.

‘At this rate, I’ll be fine even after two months.’

After giving up the position as Pendlore Duston’s lover, she would just work even harder. She would work enough for two people so that not a single stray thought would cross her mind.

In any case, Philip might lose an apprentice because of her.

“Will Senior Saldat…… really not return?”

Along with regret, she felt a bit of guilt. Still, if he left quietly like this, it would be fortunate for her. If he had continued to be lazy and been driven out by Master Philip…

‘He might have harbored resentment toward me.’

Even if Radilt had done nothing wrong, human hearts don’t work that way. He might have even tried to harm her.

Radilt let out a small sigh and left the composition room. As she was about to finish the cleanup and lock the door—

“You, why are you coming out of there……!”

Saldat’s angry voice was heard. Radilt turned around with a start. Saldat was standing in the middle of the long corridor.

His face was distorted with hostility, and his wide-open eyes were deeply filled with shock. Saldat’s shoulders trembled greatly.

“Why, why from the composition room! That key, did you steal it! You must have stolen it, you thief!”

“No!”

Radilt shouted at Saldat, who was approaching with a frightening momentum.

“Master Philip lent it to me!”

“Why on earth would the master!”

An angry shout struck Radilt’s ears.

Dangerous.

Feeling a chill down her spine, Radilt quickly turned around. She opened the door that led to the backyard beside the corridor. If she ran out now and turned the corner, she would reach the stable. Fortunately, she was wearing work clothes with inner pants, so she could immediately ride Serena and escape.

As Radilt was running away, her arm…

“Where do you think you’re running to!”

Saldat grabbed it. His pupils were stained blood-red with rage and greed.

“That old man must have finally gone senile! Or did you spread your legs for the old man too?”

“……!”

A creepy laugh wrapped around Radilt’s nape and tightened.

“No! Let go!”

“D*mn it, even I haven’t been able to enter the composition room yet. They say there’s a gold press in there.”

Radilt’s heart sank.

Could it be that Saldat had come to steal valuable items from the workshop? Was he planning to give up everything, steal, and run away?

The golden key in her grasp felt like it was burning hot. She absolutely couldn’t let Saldat take this key. Radilt twisted her body as much as she could and…

“Argh!”

She bit Saldat’s hand that was holding her hard. Saldat screamed and released her. Radilt, though staggering, kicked the ground. She noticed a small window in the wall of the workshop building.

“You damned woman!”

She stretched out her hand with all her might and threw the key through the window. Right after that, Saldat caught Radilt again. He roughly grabbed her golden hair.

“Ahh!”

“Yes, let me sell you and improve my fortune a bit!”

Saldat roughly threw her to the ground. The sky spun around. While Radilt was flailing, unable to regain her senses, he bound her arms with rope.

“Let’s see how much money that d*mn Count Duston will spend on a wh*re!”

Thud!

Her head hit something hard. Radilt felt her vision turning black and lost consciousness.

* * *

Time was sluggish.

Pendlore looked out the window where the sun had not yet set. A dim sunset crossed the sky lengthwise. Around this time, Radilt would have returned home.

‘Would she be preparing dinner now.’

Trimming the high-quality ingredients he had sent, filling the dishes even for her in-laws who didn’t need to be embraced.

Pendlore’s brow momentarily created a displeased wrinkle.

‘A woman who buys her own hardship.’

She had a kind nature, yet at times a shining determination, with a fairly clever mind, decent perceptiveness, and a sense of responsibility matched by patience. Since she had even caught the eye of the fastidious Philip, she was clearly a diligent and tireless worker.

Despite having numerous advantages besides those green eyes, one unnecessary stubbornness was ruining everything.

‘It’s useless for me to care.’

Pendlore pushed thoughts of Radilt out of his mind and shifted his gaze back to the letters filling the white paper.

As the seasons changed, new tasks piled up. The most important thing in summer was preparing for typhoons. Although damage to buildings like shops and farmland was significant, the biggest danger was the sinking of trading vessels.

Storms at sea turned even massive ships into helpless leaves. He had to predict the typhoon season as much as possible to schedule and measure the budget for damage prevention.

Only the scratching of his pen nib was heard for a while.

“……”