Chapter 93: Perfume

“Is something wrong, Sister?”

“These Silver Crescent Flowers… they’re withered.”

After entering the mansion, Aurora stopped in a garden.

This garden was truly strange—other than the Silver Crescent Flowers, almost nothing else was planted here.

And whatever the previous owner’s intentions were, if he disliked the Silver Crescent Flowers, then why wasn’t there a single weed here? But if he liked them, then why were all the flower buds withered?

The silver buds were stained with a decaying yellow. Looking at these flowers, Aurora’s heart grew even heavier.

Why was this? There was a suffocating feeling in her chest, and the image of a young girl seemed to flash through her mind.

It was a blonde girl, her face obscured by a layer of black mist, making it impossible to see her features. But she seemed to be crying, and seemed to be reaching out a hand toward her…

Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed, and Aurora realized she had once again fallen into a daze.

Since entering the mansion’s courtyard, she had lost herself like this more times than she could count.

“Sister, you look so tired… Let’s go to the bedroom and get some sleep first.”

“Mm.”

Aurora nodded, and was then led inside the mansion by Lorabel.

They picked a bedroom on the second floor at random, and Aurora lay down on the bed.

“I still have some things to do, Sister. You rest first.”

“You should rest early too, Sister.”

“Mm.”

The door closed softly, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Tossing and turning, Aurora simply couldn’t fall asleep.

Because the scent here was just too familiar.

It made her feel pain, made her uneasy.

There was a faint fragrance lingering on the white bedsheets, and when her vision was swallowed by darkness, the scent in the room became even more pronounced.

The fragrance filled Aurora’s nose, as if trying to stir up memories deep within her mind.

But even with her eyes tightly shut, trying to block out all sensations and leave only her endlessly churning thoughts, she couldn’t recall anything at all.

She could only let this invasive, suffocating scent envelop her, trying to fall asleep in this ‘crevice.’

*****

After sending her sister to her room, Lorabel waited at the mansion’s front door.

It wasn’t long before the sound of dragon carriage hooves came from afar…

A dragon carriage stopped outside the mansion gate, and two familiar faces stepped out.

“Honestly, the road to this dump is so bumpy. Who would ever want to live here?”

“Well, it’s a school for witches and magi, after all. They all fly on brooms.”

Even before they got out, a string of complaints drifted from inside the dragon carriage.

Once the carriage stopped, Azalea was the first to get out.

She poked her head out, eyes full of curiosity as she looked around the mansion, and after spotting Lorabel, she jumped off the carriage.

“Oh, my dear Holy Knight!”

The crown on her head still shone, and beneath it, her golden hair was tied into two adorable pigtails. She wore a pink dress that set off her fair skin beautifully.

Her emerald eyes seemed to take in everything with curiosity.

“Your Highness, please mind your manners. You’re representing the First Kingdom as a student here.”

“I know, I know. There’s no escaping etiquette anywhere,” she pouted in protest.

“Etiquette? Does Azalea really have such a thing?”

A slightly mocking voice came from inside the carriage.

Misha clambered down, arms full of bags and packages.

She still wore her white lab coat, her gray hair was as messy as ever, and her severe dark circles looked even more pronounced, her eyes full of lazy exhaustion.

“If I have to go through this damned bumpy ride every time I come to this dump, I’d rather be dead.”

She rubbed her waist, twisting a little left and right, making creaking sounds like an old wooden chair.

“My poor back…”

“That’s because you never exercise, Misha,” Azalea said with a light laugh.

“My research doesn’t include exercise,” Misha replied.

She looked at the grand mansion, then at Lorabel, and said, “So, are we really staying in this place that looks like a tomb?”

“That’s so unlucky, Misha. Why do you have to call it a tomb?” Azalea said, a bit annoyed.

“I think it’s actually quite nice here, just make do for now, Misha,” Lorabel said with an awkward laugh.

“Your research lab can be set up in the basement. There’s plenty of space down there.”

“Spare me. I hate big spaces,” Misha sighed.

“Anyway, let’s just bring the stuff in first.”

Lorabel helped Misha carry all those bags and boxes.

As a Holy Knight, she could easily move everything, and soon all the luggage was piled up in the living room.

“Lorabel, where’s your sister? I haven’t seen her,” Azalea suddenly asked.

“My sister is resting.”

“Actually, I wanted to ask Your Highness for a favor,” Lorabel quickly changed the subject.

“A favor for me?”

Lorabel nodded and continued, “Your Highness, you have a unique understanding of perfume.”

“So, I’d like to ask you to make a perfume that can completely cover up someone else’s scent.”

“A perfume that completely covers someone else’s scent? What do you need that for?” Azalea asked in confusion.

“This mansion was once the home of that witch.”

“I hate her scent, but her bedroom is full of it.”

“I see,” Azalea nodded in understanding.

She immediately gave Lorabel a thumbs-up and said confidently, “I actually know a perfume that can do just that.”

“As long as you add a bit of someone’s magic power, the place you spray will be filled with that person’s scent. You might even dream of them at night.”

“I’ve sprayed it in Misha’s lab before.”

“No wonder I kept dreaming about you for a while. Azalea, can’t you spare my poor energy for studying magic instead of messing with me…” Misha, who was slumped lazily on the sofa, complained angrily.

“Sorry to trouble you, Your Highness.”

“I can make it right now.”

With that, Azalea ran over to a spot wrapped in silk cloth and started rummaging through something.

A moment later, she suddenly called out, “Found it!”

A delicate perfume bottle appeared in her hand.

She said to Lorabel, “This bottle is already finished, it just needs that person’s magic power infused into it.”

Handing it to Lorabel, she continued, “Just a bit of magic essence will do.”

As she tried injecting magic, Lorabel saw the clear, water-like perfume in her hand gradually turn golden.

“Once you infuse magic, the perfume changes color to match that person’s magical essence. Isn’t it amazing?” Azalea said proudly.

“Thank you again, Your Highness. I’ll get to work, then.”

With that, Lorabel hurriedly went upstairs.