TGPFC 08

The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Church — Chapter 8

Only after seeing that expression did Bianna finally run away, leaving Prim collapsed on the floor.

Prim stayed frozen for a moment. Then she let out a quiet sigh and pushed herself up with trembling arms, barely climbing onto the chair.

The empty candy box had fallen to the floor, but she didn’t have the strength left to pick it up.

The arm she had used to support herself trembled uncontrollably.

* * *

The children returned with armfuls of wild raspberries.

Those who had eaten the still-unripe sour ones scrunched their faces and flailed their arms, while the ones who had gotten sweet berries laughed brightly.

“Prim? Did you drop this?”

“Ah? Oh… yeah. I accidentally did.”

Rojien, who had brought the raspberries in a wooden bowl, picked up the violet candy box from the floor and glanced around.

“What happened to your hand?”

The spot where she had been pricked by a splinter had turned red.

“Oh… I’m not sure. I guess I scratched it somehow.”

Rojien’s expression vanished for a moment before returning to normal. Then he smiled brightly.

“Here, raspberries. We picked a lot, so we can probably eat them until tomorrow.”

The freshly picked raspberries sparkled like tiny red rubies.

Prim thought to herself how nice it would be if they could make jam and preserve them.

But sugar was a rare luxury in a poor place like this, so making jam wasn’t something they could afford right now.

Sitting side by side on the bed, they popped the sweet-and-sour berries into their mouths one after another.

Then Rojien suddenly said, as if something had just occurred to him,

“When we went to pick raspberries… Bianna didn’t come.”

“…Ah, really?”

“Where did Bianna go?”

Feeling awkward for no reason, Prim stuffed another raspberry into her mouth and mumbled something like I don’t know.

Rojien simply swung his legs and continued enjoying the raspberries with Prim without asking any more questions.

* * *

“Every time I come here, it feels more and more desolate. Priestess, if you don’t have the means, wouldn’t it be better not to run an orphanage at all? I’m saying this for your own good. The children suffer, you suffer too—goodness.”

After greeting the children, the Baroness spoke in a tone dripping with sympathy the moment they returned to the office and the door closed.

“I am doing my best with the strength I have.”

Priestess Marseiria forced a smile.

“And I didn’t even realize there was still a temple of Barin here until I came. I even said, ‘Barin? Who was that again?’”

The Baroness covered her mouth with her fan as she spoke with exaggerated pity.

Marseiria merely maintained her strained smile.

If it hadn’t been for the money from selling a perfumer certification recommendation letter and the donation the baron couple had generously provided, they would never have survived the winter.

Barin, forgive me for remaining silent…

As Marseiria murmured a brief prayer inwardly, the Baron, who had been quietly watching the children gathered outside the window, finally spoke.

“Speaking of which, Priestess. We would like to adopt a child now.”

Marseiria brightened instantly. The couple had been visiting for several years already.

“Oh, Barin be praised! Truly? Your kindness will surely be praised by Barin as well. Then Bianna—”

The Baron smiled lazily and interrupted her.

“Prim would be good.”

“…Pardon?”

Marseiria asked in confusion.

The Baron tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand why she was surprised.

“Is something wrong, Priestess?”

“Ah, no… I mean… what about Bianna? I believed the two of you were fond of her.”

Marseiria knew well how much Bianna had waited for the baron couple’s visits.

Hadn’t they subtly hinted before that they might take Bianna as their daughter?

Of course, ever since Prim arrived at the orphanage, the couple had only shown interest in her—but still…

“That girl isn’t bad,” the Baroness said. “But she’s a little too cunning, don’t you think? Honestly, every time I see her trying so hard to impress us, it gives me goosebumps.”

At that moment, a sharp pain tore through Marseiria’s chest.

Why do you think the child tried so hard to please you?

“That’s because—”

“Priestess,” the Baron said, lecturing her. “Just because we do charity doesn’t mean we’re fools. Children’s tricks are easy to see through.”

The Baroness raised one eyebrow and asked in a slightly suspicious tone,

“Don’t tell me, Priestess—you favor Bianna, and you think, Well, Prim only arrived recently, she can be adopted later?”

“What? No, no, of course not! What are you saying?”

“Are you getting angry with us right now?”

“That’s not it…”

Swallowing hard, Marseiria hurried to explain.

“Of course I care about that child as well. And I’m… very happy that such a good opportunity has come for Prim. However, Prim and Rojien are practically like siblings…”

“Oh my, Priestess! Don’t say such improper things. I only tolerate looking at that unpleasant red hair out of respect for you. Isn’t he a half-blood of demon beasts? No matter how neat he looks, it just makes him creepier. Isn’t that appearance meant to bewitch humans?”

“That is a misunderstanding among the public. Red hair has absolutely nothing to do with demon beasts—”

“Anyway,” the Baroness cut her off, “just give us Prim.”

Watching the couple talk about a child as if they were asking to be given an object, Marseiria struggled to maintain her smile.

* * *

Even after the baron couple left, the orphanage remained unsettled until the next day.

Marseiria wandered restlessly the entire day, and only when night fell did she finally sit Prim down in front of her and speak.

“This time… those two said they would like to adopt you.”

Prim recalled how the baron couple had watched only her until the very end before leaving.

And how Bianna, who had secretly watched them, had eventually burst into tears.

So it finally came.

“Priestess.”

“Yes, Prim. What is it?”

If she said she didn’t want to go, Marseiria would not send her away.

Even if it meant refusing the financial support that adoptive families usually gave.

Just like she had done in Prim’s previous life.

“I actually found a dream.”

“A dream? What kind of dream?”

Although it was an unexpected thing to say during a conversation about adoption, Marseiria listened carefully.

Prim spoke slowly and deliberately.

“I want to become a perfumer. I want to become a perfumer and dedicate fragrances to Barin.”

“Oh my goodness! Barin will be delighted! That’s right, Prim—you have talent. You always recognize every scent.”

“So, Priestess… I want to take the perfumer certification exam that will be held soon.”

Marseiria, who had been excited by the dream of the child she had raised, gradually lowered her arms and covered her cheeks in embarrassment after hearing Prim’s calm plan.

“Well… the perfumer exam…”

There was no age restriction, but wasn’t Prim far too young to participate in such an exam?

Even if she took the test next year, she would only be eleven years old.

But before that concern could fully form, Prim spoke first.

“The Corvas Baron family has an amazing perfume laboratory at their villa. They said I could use it if I wanted. So I thought… I could practice there and take the perfumer exam next year.”

Even as she spoke, Prim felt nervous.

She knew her words sounded somewhat absurd.

While living here, the only thing resembling “talent” she had shown was being able to identify spoiled food ingredients.

Apart from her determination right now, she had proven nothing.

But Marseiria simply smiled warmly.

“Yes, that would work perfectly! Then when it’s time to take the exam, I’ll come and escort you.”

The perfumer exam was overseen by Luminoxia Aila, and it required a recommendation letter from each parish along with a recommending priest.

Even a poor and insignificant parish had the authority to write such a letter because it still possessed a temple of the gods.

So until now, Marseiria had secretly been selling those recommendation letters.

Once a year, after selling one, she wouldn’t have to worry for a while about the bread that went into the children’s mouths.

Even though that expected income would now suddenly disappear, Marseiria was still smiling.

“I’m truly happy to think that a great perfumer might come from our parish.”

Prim gave a faint smile.

But the reason Prim had spoken about becoming a perfumer was not only to sincerely share her dream with Priestess Marseiria.

Now Marseiria would go and tell the Corvas Baron couple that Prim planned to take the perfumer exam—and that she would come to bring Prim when the time came.

If that happened, then at least until just before the exam, the Corvas Baron couple would not dare do anything reckless.