Drop!!　～A Tale of the Fragrance Princess～ Volume 01; Act 07

“The prototype glass container was completed,” ――― Cordelia received that message from Ronnie five days after she’d gone out to the city.

That was the first thing that Ronnie reported to Cordelia when he’d appeared in front of her, and then he made a suggestion.

“So, I’d like to invite Master to the mansion soon; would that be alright?”

“Can’t I go to the city?”

“You can’t. The master will kill me, so please give me a break. If is it not fine to invite him here, then please consider that you wouldn’t be able to receive the glass.”

Recently, after her morning lecturers were over, Cordelia received basic training in analysis magic from Ronnie; not in the greenhouse…… but rather, in the new laboratory she’d received from Elvis.

The new laboratory she’d received was originally one of the detached buildings, with a structure consisting of two floors and a basement.

It must have been renovated since all the floors now only had one room. It was a useful laboratory, equipped with chairs and desks; there was even a washroom on the first floor.

Cordelia used the whole first floor for experiments and a portion of the second floor was made into a storage room. She hadn’t used the basement yet, but she planned on making it into a storage warehouse.

(But Otou-sama, just when did you prepare all this? Your daughter is impressed.)

This gift, just like the greenhouse, which was arranged unnoticed, even though she was always at home, astonished her.

But she couldn’t stay surprised. Her sense of purpose swelled up inside of her when she received this, “With this, I can quickly make the poultice for Otou-sama!” She felt delighted at the excellent news that Ronnie had brought to her; after all, if there were no tools, then she wouldn’t be able to make any progress.

However, she felt a little disappointed that Master was going to deliver the glass. She wanted to use going to get the tools as a chance to go into the city so that she could see the townscape that she couldn’t take her time seeing last time.  

On her previous trip, she had a moment’s free time before going into the workshop and inside of the workshop, but it wasn’t enough for her to walk around the city. The merchants, who visited the mansion told her about popular goods, but there were many things she couldn’t understand unless she saw them with her own eyes…… was her cover story, but most of it was just because she was purely interested in the goods.

But it was difficult for her to do so when she saw how hard Ronnie was shaking his head, and how pale he got from her words. So, Cordelia stopped asking for the impossible.

It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t understand the reason why Ronnie refused.

A lady’s incognito escorts had to make sure that nothing happened 『by chance』and on top of that, Elvis was home, unlike last time. To prevent Elvis from noticing, she also couldn’t meet any of the other servants in the city by chance. In short, the risk of him finding out that she snuck out was very high. It wasn’t unreasonable for Ronnie to be so unwilling.

To begin with, she felt like Ronnie looked at her as if she was a troublemaker. ‘She definitely won’t behave herself, now will she?’ he looked at her like that.

She wouldn’t say anything selfish that would be dislikeable.

Yes, that was why she maintained self-control for that matter.

Being able to read between the lines and understand TPO ^[1]Time, place, occasion – draw attention to a situation or experience that is inappropriate or worth noting was also an indispensable skill for a lady. That was why, no matter how many times Ronnie rudely said, “Ojou-sama is unexpectedly untalented with analysis magic, aren’t you?” as if he was impressed, Cordelia eluded it with a wry smile. ‘There’s no need to say it like that; you could have said it a bit more indirectly’…… She definitely wouldn’t say something like that. He was the teacher who Cordelia had requested, and she believed that what he said was probably correct. Cordelia couldn’t really understand the magic that Ronnie talked about.

When Cordelia used magic, she mostly perceived and imagined the 『colour of magic power』. To make it into a pretty colour with an atmosphere, as if her senses were mixed with the colours; that was also what her tutor taught her.

But the analysis magic that Ronnie was teaching her was logical. It seemed that the magic power that Cordelia perceived as colours each had their own name, similar to chemical elements, and the combinations were used in the same way as chemical formulas.

As Cordelia was also a person of science, in her previous life, it wasn’t like she was bad with chemical formulas. However, she couldn’t adapt to the sudden change in how she used magic. However, magic components were often separated during analysis and, in Cordelia’s case, the results were disastrous if it was done in Cordelia’s magic since that relied on her intuition. Even if she understood that they were connected together like chemical formulas, she still couldn’t section and analyse them with magic. Still, she tried to practise it several times…… Just how many times did I cut leaves perfectly into two equal parts with analysis magic, aiming for only the magic power?

However, even if she couldn’t analysis anything, as Ronnie said before, there wouldn’t be any problems if she just left it to the magicians who were employed by the Pameradia House, so she didn’t have anything to worry about.

But, she also had the disposition of wanting to be able to do something, unless she knew that she wasn’t able. There was no need for weaknesses, as a beautiful lady. Regardless of whether she could do technical things or not, she wanted to at least be able to do the basics. So even if she couldn’t do it now, she wanted to reach a point where she could do it in the future; ――― Cordelia smiled at Ronnie while that little passion burnt within her.

Just you wait, I’ll be able to perform a magnificent analysis someday.

“Say Ojou-sama, your smile is giving me the chills; it’s exactly the same as when the master gets angry……”

“I’m sure it’s just your imagination. More importantly, you’re calling Master here, aren’t you? The sooner you call him, the better. If he can come today, then I want him to come today. If he can’t come, then make it on an afternoon that’s convenient for Master.”

“I understand. Well then, I’ll send a message out, but he’ll most likely come straight away if you tell him to. He said he wanted to enter an Earl House’s grounds, after all.”

“Sorry if he comes smelling like alcohol,” Ronnie added mischievously.

A reserved knock was heard at the door while she was talking to Ronnie.

“Emina? Come in.”

“Excuse me, Cordelia-sama.”

Emina informed Cordelia with a light, but elegant bow, “Vernoux-sama is here.”

“Looks like you’re having a lot of fun, Dilly.”

At the same time, Vernoux’s face peeped out from behind Emina.

“Oh my, Vernoux-sama? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Even if she’d said it had been a long time, it’d only been around five days. However, he would come over unannounced once every three days ever since they’d met, so she thought that the interval between his visits had been longer this time.

Furthermore, he came alone. Only he came here and he seemed quite accustomed to going incognito…… Is that fine, Marquis House?

“I really wanted to come a bit earlier; I had to express and write reflections down quite a lot of times.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Did you reflect properly?”

“Next time, I’ll sneak out without causing trouble.”

Vernoux said while shrugging; he hadn’t reflected at all.

Cordelia thought that the child’s potential was frightening because that was a genuine eight-year-old. He would probably become a cunning person who could put adults to shame with his scheming. She noted to herself that she should be careful not to dance on the palm of his hand.

“Ojou-sama, I’ll excuse myself.”

Ronnie spoke while Cordelia was being appealed to by Vernoux. He bowed and left the room.

It seemed that only withdrawing when there were visitors, was perfectly present within Ronnie’s head.

Cordelia said, “Yes, please rest in your room.” ――― In short, ‘We will be continuing after Vernoux-sama leaves.’

It seemed that it was more or less conveyed to Ronnie, and he smiled wryly as he left that place. He was probably going to take the time to talk with Master.

“Emina, the sweets…… and the new tea that’s arrived. Please bring those out.”

“As you wish, Ojou-sama.”

“Well then Vernoux-sama, the chair might be a little uncomfortable, but please have a seat.”

Cordelia suggested that Vernoux sit on the chair. The wooden chair that Cordelia liked had been made sophisticatedly, but it wasn’t like it was upholstered with velvet, so it was hard. It was not the type of chair that nobles usually used.

However, as could be said of the heir of a Marquis, he sat down elegantly without complaining.

“Is this hue from the Juglis tree? This is the first time I’ve seen a chair like this, but it feels good to the touch. It’s a speciality of the Pameradia fief, isn’t it?” He declared.

It looked like he knew a good product, even though he was a child. Moreover, he seemed to hold considerable knowledge, since he understood the specialities of other fiefs and could even guess them correctly just by seeing them.

Cordelia thought that the saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ probably referred to that. No, in Vernoux’s case it is more his actions than appearance, but it probably meant something like that.

“『The new tea leaves』, was it? To have them directly delivered to Ojou-sama’s mansion means…… That you negotiated with the merchants yourself?”

“Yes. I can guarantee the taste.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“So…… What kind of business did you come for today?”

Vernoux always came over for confectionary and to kill time. Cordelia thought that today would be the same as well, and requested for the tea and confectionaries, but she asked just to make sure.

However, Vernoux had a different purpose than usual for coming.

“I came to deliver something today. If possible, I want to take the reply back with me, so I’d like you to write one. Of course, I’ll be having the tea and sweets.”

“Delivery? A reply…… is it?”

Cordelia tilted her head in confusion, and Vernoux handed her a white envelope.

It was a simple envelope with neither the addressee’s name nor the sender’s signature.

“This is?”

“It’s from Gille addressed to Dilly. If possible, please read it now.”

Vernoux said that and Cordelia thought about searching for a letter opener, but then she suddenly thought of another method she wanted to try; she aimed for the tip of the envelope and cast analysis magic.

Thereupon, the upper part of the letter was cut by her surplus magic, just like the time with the leaves, and the envelope was opened beautifully.

It was used for something other than its original purpose, but this might also be useful.

“That’s quite an interesting way to use magic. Is it elementary disassembling magic?”

“It’s a secret.”

Cordelia lied; she didn’t want to say that it was a failure. Then she took out the writing paper that was inside.

The writing paper, unlike the white envelope on the outside, was slightly light pink in colour. The next thing she looked at wasn’t the writing on the paper, but the petals that were embedded in the lower right corner.

They were from a rose.

The petals looked as if they were see-through on the thin, yet high-quality, paper. Cordelia couldn’t imagine what kind of processing the paper went through for it to become like that. Without thinking about it too deeply, her voice unintentionally spilt, “Pretty.”

“Well, I don’t mind that you’re fascinated with the writing paper, but read the contents as well.”

“…… You’re being a little impatient, Vernoux-sama.”

Just when people are finally feeling impressed, Cordelia thought and turned her attention to the writing.

The handwriting in the letter was as neat as a copybook, and it didn’t look like the handwriting of a child at all. However, she could tell that he had written it in a bit of a hurry. That was also evident in the content of the letter.

『First of all, please excuse me for writing in a way that deviates away from formality. I had just heard that Vernoux will be visiting you, Dilly-sama; so I immediately rushed to pick up my pen.』

Cordelia smiled a little wryly at how the letter started.

Vernoux always visited unannounced.

This time, too, he had probably made up his mind and was in the mood to visit. She had no doubt that Gille had probably rushed to finish the letter so that he could entrust it to Vernoux.

With that in mind, she continued to read on.

『Thank you very much for the other day. When I recall it now, it was an impulsive and embarrassing action, and I’m reflecting upon what actions I, who was ignorant about the city, should have taken.

I had intended to keep myself composed up until now. However, I would like to dedicate myself to being able to make sound judgements, just like you and Vernoux.

I can’t do enough to thank you, but I enclosed a bookmark with this letter. It was the first time I’ve made something like this under the guidance of my mother.

Since I heard that you like flowers, I pray that it is to your liking.』

“……”

The letter was well-written considering his haste. Cordelia looked inside the envelope once more and saw a beautiful pressed pink rose bookmark, even though there were only a few petals on there.

“It’s beautiful.”

Cordelia spoke in a small voice once more, and Vernoux laughed.

“Gille, that guy, he was really worried about it. He actually said he wanted to write a more proper letter. Well, I didn’t tell you that, though.”

“I don’t dislike letters such as this, you know?”

She actually liked them more than letters that dragged on, but as expected, she didn’t go as far as to say that out loud.

“If you don’t mind, please write him a reply. If you do so, then I think it’ll give him some peace of mind. He was really nervous before.”

“Let’s leave aside the matter of him being nervous…… I understand.”

“Dilly, you’re really strange, aren’t you? This kind of writing style, I probably can’t write it even if I tried. Can you do it?”

“I plan to live according to the circumstances, you see.”

Cordelia asked Emina to bring her some stationery.

The stationery Cordelia had wasn’t as unusual as Gille’s, but she had several in pale colours. Cordelia chose a sky blue one from amongst the collection she had. It had a slight cloud watermark, but it was a favourite of hers.

It was the same colour as the sky on the day she went to the city. She chose a dark blue for the colour of the ink.

(…… I’m not really good at writing, so I’m a bit nervous.)

She had put in great effort to write beautifully, but she was also bad at writing in her previous life. However, writing would become necessary for her future. It wouldn’t do for her to not be able to write them.

It seemed that even Vernoux took her privacy into consideration and didn’t look like he would peek at what she was writing.

Cordelia confirmed that and puffed out a breath, then began to write vigorously with her pen.

First of all…… Who was the one who ought to reflect?

『Gille-sama, I have been told to quickly write my reply, so I’ll be leaving out formalities as well. Thank you very much for the wonderful bookmark. I will use it with care.

If you ask me to be brazen, then excessive reflection isn’t good either. In the first place, even though I had given you candid advice at that time, it wasn’t like everything that Vernoux-sama and I said was correct.  Rather, I believe I’ve said too much. I don’t have courage like you do. That’s why going out in front of a girl and protecting her like you did is something I cannot do.

And I’m sure that the girl you saved viewed you as very cool, just like a prince from fairy-tale.

If I had been in her shoes, then I believe I would have felt that way.

Please let me imagine that if your current bravery had been mixed in with calm judgement, then you would undoubtedly grow into an even more amazing man.』

Cordelia continued writing…… But as soon as she got this far, she stopped and thought that it was a little bit exaggerated. I’ll rewrite it, after all, she thought that and folded the letter she’d composed so far. She put that aside, picked up a new piece of paper and she tried to ink the fresh piece of paper; ――― but she suddenly saw a hand reaching out to her from the edge of her eyes and stopped it with her left hand.

“Vernoux-sama, please release your hand.”

“It’s not like it’s…… full of mistakes, now is it?”

Cordelia appealed to Vernoux, with what was probably the best smile she could make, but Vernoux also responded with the most dazzling smile he had.

“Because it is full of mistakes, I’ll be troubled if you were to deliver this.”

“No, no. It’s precisely because it’s the first letter you’d written that it holds your true feelings and thus has meaning…… Or so father said.”

“Vernoux-sama, isn’t it you who doesn’t listen to the Marquis’ stories?”

If others saw them, then they both had wonderful smiles on their faces, but it was transparent to them that they looked like a fox and tanuki. Originally, Vernoux wasn’t Cordelia’s natural enemy, but she also thought that he was enough of an enemy in parts that didn’t involve her life.

(In the first place, Vernoux-sama’s cognitive abilities aren’t those of an 8-year-old child. Is this what they call a child prodigy?)

Their hands trembled as both of them refused to take a step back. The difference in power would probably be evident if that had already been 10 years in the future, but as of now, they had no differences in their physique.

However…… There was a difference in physical strength.

As she’d thought, there was a difference in strength between Vernoux, who was a boy, and Cordelia, who was an Ojou-sama.

“Hey, Vernoux-sama!!”

“I won’t look at the contents. I don’t plan on being that tactless.”

“You’re tactless enough!”

Cordelia looked at Vernoux, who had already put the letter into his breast pocket, and sighed.

She probably wouldn’t be able to take it back from the place he’d put it in, and she didn’t want to show the appearance of a flustered Ojou-sama.

Cordelia cleared her throat. First of all, she had to get the letter back.

“Vernoux, at least put it in his envelope.”

“Envelope? Oh, sure.”

“Aah, but before that…… I forgot to write something, so please give me back the letter once more. I’ll write it down.”

“If it’s necessary then add it onto another sheet of paper.”

“…… It’s fine after all.”

Unfortunately, her efforts to recover her letter was easily rejected.

As expected, this guy, he’s sharp.

And he has a bad disposition.

Cordelia gave up and handed Vernoux an envelope that was the same colour as the writing paper. Either way, I was in the middle of writing a paragraph, but let’s blame that on Vernoux-sama too.

Just as she’d thought that Emina appeared from out of nowhere and called out to them.

“Today is chocolate cake.”

A neatly cut up chocolate cake was arranged on a simple plate. The top of the cake was decorated with a small amount of gold leaf and coupled with pure white whipped cream. Cordelia looked at the cake with sparkling eyes, as if it was the only thing in the room.

Vernoux also didn’t hide his excitement and said, “It looks delicious.”

“As always, I’m jealous of the sweets here. Sweet things rarely come out at my house.”

“Does Marquis-sama not like sweet things that much?”

“Mother doesn’t like them, not father. She doesn’t like them because it’ll make her get fat, she would sulk immediately as soon as father and I eat them.”

It appeared that even in this world, diet is an eternal theme for ladies.

Well, it wasn’t that surprising since corsets exist in this world. But, I don’t think that you’d be able to eat to the point where you get fat while wearing a corset… Temptations might be bigger than the pressure of the corset.

However, if that was the case, then a day might come when detoxification herbs will be useful as well….. Cordelia made a note of it in her mind.

“Oh, that’s right!”

“Is something the matter?”

“Dilly, you said the Earl was your type, but are knights also your type?”

What was this all of a sudden?

Cordelia was suspicious, but it was probably a pure question asked by a child. He might have asked it because he wanted to learn the coolness of adult men. In that case, answering with her preferences alone would probably be slightly off from what he expected. Cordelia thought and intended to tell him about a typical lady’s preferences.

“Let’s see…… Say, Emina. I generally think that knights are liked by ladies. What do you think?”

Emina was a little surprised that she’d been dragged into the conversation, but she didn’t make it evident that she was shaken. She just slightly widened her eyes and then slowly answered Cordelia.

“Let me see. I think a lot of knights are idolised by ladies because of their powerful aura, martial prowess and courteous manners.”

“I also agree with Emina…… That’s how it is, Vernoux-sama. Even adult woman like Emina admire men who are knights.”

“…… No, I didn’t want to hear the general opinion.”

Vernoux had heard the two talk and said that, but Cordelia thought that he was probably being shy and didn’t worry about it. He was interested in that, but he probably just wanted to wear a knight’s armour.

“If you’re asking for my personal taste and not the general opinion then…… Let’s see, I think that I prefer people who don’t lie too much.”

Of course, Cordelia didn’t think that all lies were bad.

Cordelia, herself, thought that circumstances may justify a lie. Therefore, she didn’t believe that all lies were bad, but she thought that lies should be kept to a minimum. At least, that was what she expected from people who were involved with her. She wanted to eliminate any possibility of being involved in unnecessary trouble. She was extremely cautious about information since she knew her hell filled future.

But there was way that she would tell him that much, so Cordelia gave a non-committal answer.

In the first place, it shouldn’t be unusual to like an honest person. That’s why I answered him like that…… But, did I imagine it when I saw the corners of his mouth twitch? Cordelia thought that as she was about to drink some tea, but she suddenly turned her gaze to the bookmark Gille had given her. It’s beautiful no matter how many times I look at it.

“…… That, do you like it that much?”

“Yes. Roses are lovely aren’t they?”

She loved roses even in her previous life, but ever since she was reborn as Cordelia, she felt like she liked them even more so. The roses planted at the Pameradia House were very beautiful. However, more than being impressed by their beauty, Cordelia felt calm whenever she looked at the garden. It was a space where she could relax…… She felt that strongly.

That was why she thought so.

(One day, I’ll make rose essential oils too. But, 50 rose petals are needed for a single drop of oil.)

She thought that it would be challenging to look for a suitable breed, and she still had a lot to work on. She thought that it would be worthwhile, but she needed a significant amount. It would certainly be tricky.

“What’s wrong? You look serious.”

“No, I’ll eventually need a large number of roses, so I was thinking about making a rose garden.”

“Roses? If it’s roses, then you can get quite a lot if you ask Gille.”

Cordelia tilted her head in confusion when Vernoux said that.

“Does Gille-sama know a lot about flowers?”

“Ah…… No, rather than say it’s Gille, it’s his mother. She puts a lot of effort into improving her research, so she has flowers that aren’t on the market as well.”

“Flowers that aren’t on the market? That’s amazing, but if that’s the case then it wouldn’t be easy for me to obtain some, now would it?”

It would be different if they belonged to Gille himself, but they were his mother’s, and it would probably be difficult for her to hand over her research materials. She wasn’t that close with Gille either, so she hesitated to ask that of him. In the first place, it was hard for her to think that Gille’s mother was cultivating a lot of roses for research, and she didn’t know if they had been tested or not.

However, Vernoux spoke as if he didn’t mind such things, “I don’t think it would be a problem if you said you wanted them, Dilly.”

Cordelia couldn’t understand what he was saying.  

“What kind of roses and how many do you want?”

“Let’s see, rather than the colour, I want roses with strong fragrances…… About a few hundred to thousand kilos worth of them, I guess.”

“A few hundr-……?! What are you going to use such a quantity for……?”

Vernoux spoke as if he was stiff.

“I also think it’s quite a bit. I also don’t know how much it will cost.”

Cordelia continued.

“I’m researching the components of florae.”

“…… Ah, you seclude yourself in the greenhouse, and you also came to the magic tool shop. Are you going to tear off that many roses?”

“I’m not tearing them, but I will separate the petals.”

She said, and Vernoux groaned.

“As I thought, the things Dilly wants are that kind of things. Even though you said you wanted a flower, you don’t care about the colour.”

She felt like his true voice was mixed in with those words, but Cordelia didn’t dare to talk back. He’s just talking to himself after all.

“…… Well, it might be difficult to get them all at once, but if I can find the breed you want, then you could probably cultivate it can’t you?”

“But if it’s still being improved then nothing can be done to increase the breed I want, right?”

To Cordelia, the vital thing about roses was not their appearance, but their fragrance and the number of essential oils they contained.

If they were still being improved, then their colours and shapes would change as well, and Cordelia thought that it would be hard for the roses to be specialised in the aspects she, herself, thought were important.

However, when she pointed that out, Vernoux replied with an answer that she couldn’t understand well, “…… Well, it probably won’t be a problem.”

“…… You have been saying that there won’t be any problems for a while now, but why are you trying to help me this much?”

Moreover, it weighed on Cordelia’s mind that even though Vernoux was commissioning the roses, the person who would be providing them was Gille. She was probably bothering him.

Then Vernoux laughed.

“Can’t you guess?”

Vernoux said provocatively and lightly glanced at the bookmark in question.

The conclusion that Cordelia came up with when she saw that was that it was possibly an 『apology』.

“If he’s feeling sorry then I don’t think it’s something that he should worry about that much.”

“That’s not it…… Well, never mind. I’ll try asking Gille whether they have any breeds with strong fragrances. “

“That would certainly be a great help, but……”

Somehow, she was unsettled and didn’t feel at ease. I wasn’t trying to gain his gratitude, so did I just perhaps acquire a massive debt?

“By the way, when do you want it by Dilly?”

“…… If possible then within 6 or 7 years. The sooner I can get them the happier I’ll be.”

It was decided that if you start researching then the sooner, the better.

However, at least for now, she didn’t have much use for them. Various good effects could be obtained from balm, but it could have an adverse effect if one weren’t careful about how to use it. All the more so for young bodies. Cordelia had that knowledge, even if Ronnie’s analysis wasn’t finished yet. Therefore, there wouldn’t be any problems with leaving the rose essential oils until after she became an adult.

It was just that, if it was possible, Cordelia wanted to unveil it on her 16^th birthday debut.

Because that would be the time when she’d be at the centre of attention, so she wanted to greet them with her favourite scent…… One that would leave a lasting impression of her. Besides, the 『Cordelia』inside of the game had an appearance that looked good with roses.

She wanted to make a rose fragrance for 『her sake』and, not for 『the sake of others』.

However, Vernoux was confused by her answer.

“I thought you’d need it more urgently since you said you wanted it, but you sure are taking it leisurely. Well, if that’s the case, then it’ll work out somehow.”

“However, Vernoux-sama, I’m not asking for the impossible. I also plan to look for them myself, so I’m not asking something unreasonable from Gille-sama.”

“I wasn’t thinking of saying that it’s unreasonable. Ah, you don’t need to refill my tea. I’ve already finished my business today, so I’ll be going back.”

“Oh my, that’s so soon.”

Vernoux’s words were surprising since he usually stayed longer.

Vernoux always asked for seconds of tea before going home. The new tea leaves that she had obtained today also seemed to suit Vernoux’s tastes, but he didn’t command Emina for seconds as she prepared to make the second cup. How rare.

Vernoux noticed that Cordelia was thinking such thoughts from her gaze and said.

“I have to bring this to Gille, who’s eagerly waiting for it while behaving himself.”

“Speaking of which…… What kind of person is Gille-sama?”

“Huh?”

“Because I don’t interact much with people my age. Is he your friend…… or relative, Vernoux-sama?”

Vernoux opened his mouth to speak at Cordelia’s question and then closed it. Then after he let out an idiotic sound, “Uh……” he gave a vague reply, “Well, I’m sure he’s my friend……”

It was very suspicious. Compared to his usual attitude, his attitude seemed more appropriate for his age; she felt like he was acting a bit like a panicking primary school student. That was extremely suspicious.

Seeing Vernoux act like that, Cordelia was suddenly struck with the idea that Vernoux might be hiding something outrageous.

“…… Could it be, that Gille-sama is perhaps, a woman?”

“Huh?”

“Perhaps you two were in the middle of a tryst, and so she dressed as a boy in order not to stand out……”

It was normally an unbelievable story, but it might be believable if Vernoux was the one who planned for Gille to go incognito…… It was only an idea she’d come up with, but it seemed most fitting once she’d voiced it. Indeed, he probably didn’t want to say it if he was with the one he loved. He was probably embarrassed.

In contrast to Cordelia, who thought that and began to form an understanding, Vernoux gradually twisted his face.

“Don’t joke around. Gille is definitely a man!”

“Oh my…… Is that so?”

“But, I admit that he does have an androgynous aura to him.”

Vernoux sighed and said, “Well then, see you again,” before leaving.

“…… He evaded it really well, didn’t he?”

In the end, the only information she got from Vernoux about Gille was his gender, and that they were friends, so, in the end, she didn’t know what his identity was. However, they would probably meet again, since they were around the same age, so she probably didn’t need to place such importance on the matter.

Besides, she estimated that she really needed a large number of roses. She would appreciate it if she got some help in obtaining them.

That was a conversion from her previous life so she couldn’t say that it was the same in this world, but a large number of petals was needed if she wanted to make rose essential oils. For example, even with lavender, whose oil extraction rate was lower than peppermint, about 1kg of essential oil could be obtained per 100kgs. However, if she wanted 1 kg of essential oils from roses, then she’d need 20 times that amount. If it were only for her own personal use, then a lesser amount would be fine, but still, that was like saying she would be fine with just one drop.

Moreover, the problem was the breed.

Roses had two kinds of essential oils in her previous life. One was rose otto, which was obtained by the steam distillation method, and the other was rose absolute, which was extracted with a method known as solvent extraction. Both were expensive essential oils, but absolute was the more expensive essential oil.

Rose otto was extracted from damask roses, which was said to be the most fragrant and valuable amongst the 2000 breeds. For the latter, rose absolute, a flower called cabbage rose was used and, once again, that one also had a flowery fragrance.

Based on that information, Cordelia searched through various books, and even asked her tutors about it…… But, she had yet to find the roses in question. She recently began to think that those same roses didn’t exist in this world.

However, if she were to research other breeds of roses, then there was a high chance that she would need to gather various kinds of roses in quantities of a few hundred kilos to one ton. Furthermore, if she left aside otto, the extraction method for absolute oil changed…… In which case, she couldn’t imagine how many petals would be consumed just from her experiment in extracting the oil. Even if it weren’t exactly the same, if there were flowers that were suitable for strong fragrance essential oil, then there would be nothing better. Therefore, she wanted to find flowers with strong scents as soon as possible.

If it wasn’t a nuisance for Gille, then she wanted to accept his good will.

On the other hand, she was worried about why Vernoux was hiding Gille’s lineage, after all. He probably didn’t have anything to be guilty about, but she was curious.

(By no means did Gille-sama look like a bad person, but I wonder if he’s someone I should be cautious about?)

Cordelia thought while ordering Emina to call for Ronnie.

Then, she sighed in the room when she was left alone.

(Though, it’s not like I want to doubt him.)

Cordelia felt strongly at times like that.

Even though I am who I am today because I have memories of my previous life, I dislike that I can’t face people frankly because of those memories.

However, she couldn’t cast those notions aside.

In the first place, she was thinking about avoiding her own death in the beginning, but if things really went according to the scenario, then it would also lead to the downfall of the Pameradia House too.

(Though it’s a bit excessive to say that I would protect the Pameradia House when I’m the one who will become the trigger―――.)

She didn’t know what would be the trigger for her to go astray. No matter how much she thought of being careful, there was no way she could live without doubting people.

“But then, I can’t deny that I’m enjoying the present.”

Well then, how troublesome, she thought and smiled wryly.

She wasn’t planning on amusing herself with a game of seesaw. However, being in the same space as the people important to her made her feel comfortable. That was precisely why she was living every day to the fullest. So that she could keep living in that space, and then; for her to become a beautiful lady.

“That’s right. That’s why…… First, I have to check Master’s glass containers.”

For the first time in this world, Cordelia put the tableware back onto the cart with her own hands.

She couldn’t say that she wasn’t hesitant; however, she had no intentions of stopping.

Because of that thought, she could only think of Gille as 『someone whom she should be a little careful about』.