Since that day’s bath, the three-day Carnival had also come to an end.
The kingdom returned to its usual bustle, the city orderly as before, everything just as it had been prior to the holiday.
For Princess Lia, her days were spent handling leftover matters from the festival during daylight, secretly preparing the methods given in the scriptures at night, and finally listening to the stories of the person by her pillow before sleep—that was her daily routine.
Lia might have been so busy she lost her way, but in contrast, Tina was utterly bored.
Her range of activity was limited to within the palace walls; though the first day felt novel, staying long enough in even the freshest environment made it gradually become familiar and dull.
At the same time, she only saw Lia before bedtime, spending the rest of the day completely alone.
Perhaps out of curiosity—to find out what Lia’s so-called solution was—or maybe just to find some fun and relieve her boredom—
Tina decided to carve a puppet using her witchcraft skills and send it to Lia.
This puppet could act as her substitute, transmitting everything it saw, heard, and felt to her without missing a thing.
The downside was that unlike the Memory Stone, which recorded and played back, this was a real-time, firsthand experience.
In other words, if Lia did anything strange to the puppet, Tina might instantly short-circuit from the sudden rush of sensation.
Of course, she trusted Lia to take good care of the puppet; after all, if Lia truly wanted to do anything, she probably wouldn’t have the energy to bother right now.
“Let me see, what do I need to do?”
Tina jotted down the necessary materials and production methods from memory, then set off to find Everett.
Many of the tools were available in the Great Sage’s Magic Tower, and she happened to need an available helper.
knock knock knock—
This time, it wasn’t a man who opened the door, but a maid.
“Huh, do you live here now?”
Lisa responded with a very pitiful look.
“Oh, sorry about last time. I was just curious what happened next.”
“I got beaten up.”
“Only beaten up? That’s pretty good then.” Tina felt relieved for her.
Good thing it was just a beating; if it had been some other punishment, that would have been terrible.
“What are you hoping for?”
“Nothing, just take me to Everett. I have something important to discuss.”
Upstairs, the Great Sage was still immersed in potion-making, unable to pull himself away.
“Don’t you think he looks kind of cool when he’s focused like that?” Tina asked.
“No.”
“Sigh~ so boring.”
“So no progress at all?”
After finishing his work, Everett finally had time to pay attention to the two of them. “Miss, what brings you to me this time?”
“I want you to help me brew some potions.” Tina got straight to the point and handed over her notebook.
Everett read it and seemed thoughtful.
“I can brew all these potions, but… these aren’t meant for drinking, right? They’re more for making a puppet.”
“As expected of the Great Sage, you figured out their use at a glance. Actually, I want to apply these potions to the puppet and then give it to Lia.” Tina didn’t hide her little plan.
“That really makes you sound like a peeping tom.”
“You’re too nosy. I’m just giving her the puppet to make her happy. Besides, whatever the two of us do is our business. You just quietly help me.”
“Is there any reward?”
“Hmm, I’ll put in a good word for you so Lia will have your tower repaired.”
“That sounds acceptable.”
Everett immediately started brewing the potions. Honestly, rewards didn’t matter to him; he only cared about attitude.
In front of the one-way mirror on the second floor, Tina held the special wood she prepared, carefully carving the figure she saw in the mirror stroke by stroke.
Though it was just a small puppet, it still took quite some time.
During these five days, she showed up at the Sage’s Tower punctually every day to continue the carving she hadn’t finished the day before.
Lia had asked several times before bed what she had been doing during the day, but Tina always answered that she was preparing a surprise.
Today was the last day, and the puppet in her hands was almost complete; even placing it next to her own face, it was difficult to spot any difference.
Everett’s potions had been brewed by yesterday, so now all that was left was to color the puppet and add the effects Tina wanted before declaring success.
“Common Sense Potion, in it goes, Reinforcement Potion, in it goes, High-Efficiency Potion, in it goes…”
“Huh, why is there a pink potion here? I don’t remember ordering this one. Oh well, in it goes too.”
Tina dumped all the potions on the table into the vat, then threw in the puppet that had been painted with magical dyes.
After soaking for an hour, the puppet had successfully absorbed all the potion effects.
“As expected of me.”
Tina lifted the puppet, admiring her masterpiece in the sunlight by the window.
Though her craftsmanship still lacked some refinement and a touch of spirit, for a beginner, having fully sculpted the shape was already very good.
Unfortunately, Everett and Lisa had gone out today, or else she could have shown off to them first.
***
That night, the master of the Sage’s Tower returned after procuring materials and found one bottle of potion missing.
“I remember there was a pink Failed Potion, so where did it go?”
“Huh? I thought it was good, so I just left it on the table too.”
“You… it’s broken. I remember that potion’s side effects were quite severe. Whatever, she’s already used it, let’s just eat first.”
Elsewhere, Tina hid the puppet behind her back, quietly waiting for Lia to return to her room.
“Hm? Tina seems really happy today?”
“Is it that obvious?” The girl tried to hide it.
“Of course! With that excited look on your face, no way you can keep it a secret.”
“Hehe, Lia, close your eyes first. When I count to three—three, two, one—you open them.”
“Okay, I’m really curious what you’ve prepared for me.”
Lia closed her eyes, her quickened breaths betraying her own excitement.
Tina watched carefully and, once sure Lia couldn’t see, carefully took out the gift filled with her heartfelt intentions.
It was hard to imagine that a queen as stern with her subjects as Lia could also have such a gentle side that listened to her.
This was a right belonging solely to her—one that only she in the world could enjoy.
clang clang—!!!
Lia opened her eyes at the count and immediately saw a lifelike puppet almost identical to Tina.
“I spent five days carving this for you!”
The girl held the puppet, which was about a size smaller than herself; the size contrast was quite amusing.
“When you miss me, just look at the puppet. If you get bored, talk to it. Maybe it’ll respond?”
Lia took the puppet from her hands like a treasured possession, examining the artwork from all angles.
At the same time, Tina tried using the Common Sense Potion’s empathy function. Through the puppet’s perspective, she could see Lia’s face—proof the experiment had succeeded.
But the next second—
Lia couldn’t help but pinch the puppet’s thigh while admiring it.
Tina instantly felt like she’d melted, her hands trembling as she pressed down on the bed frame.
“Eh? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… nothing…”
Lia continued fondly touching the puppet’s waist, neck, arms, and head, clearly very attached to it.
“Thank you, Tina, I really like it.”
“Ha—hu—r, is, is that so… I’m glad you like it…” The girl’s brain was under intense assault, on the verge of shutting down.
No, she couldn’t hold on much longer.
“Sorry, I’m going to the bathroom.”