Chapter 20
“Uh…”
“No way!”
Bianna gasped under her breath, then startled herself and hurriedly looked behind her. Of course, no one ever came all the way up to this attic at the very top.
“Are you crazy? What do you think will happen if you get caught?!”
“I’ll just go and come back without getting caught.”
“Why would you secretly make perfume like that? Anyway… anyway the Baron already lets you do all the perfuming!”
“That’s not the important part.”
“Then what is important!”
“Bianna.”
“W-what… what.”
When Prim suddenly called her name, Bianna flinched. Prim spoke seriously.
“I know you like the Baron and his wife.”
“You—you know that and still—!”
Bianna burst out in anger before biting her lip hard again. Prim spoke calmly.
“Bianna. I know you like them, but those people are heretics.”
“What… what?”
“Heretics. You know they’re strange people too, don’t you? The way they tried to beat and abuse you…”
“No! No!”
Bianna cried out desperately in a thin voice, like a dying bird. Her face looked like she might burst into tears.
“H-how can you slander them like that! Even if they locked you up! Fine! Do whatever you want! Play princess and prince games or perfumer games—if you get caught and punished, don’t expect me to care!”
With that, Bianna grabbed the empty plates and hurried downstairs.
As Prim watched her leave, Rosien turned his stiff neck.
“Those people… what?”
“Hm?”
“You said… the Baron and his wife… what?”
“They’re heretics.”
Rosien’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
Seeing that surprised expression almost made Prim laugh.
The young Rosien in her memories always listened to her, but he had always been somewhat cynical while still calm and composed.
Had she been the one who shaped that cynical side of him?
“Heretics? What kind of… what kind of heretics?”
“Is there another kind?”
“How bad are they?”
In a land ruled by as many as thirteen gods, simply believing in an unknown god was not enough to be called a true heretic.
Usually, heresy meant claiming only you knew the will of the gods and deceiving people, insisting nonsense you wrote was sacred scripture, or forcing people to sacrifice their lives as offerings.
“Murderers.”
“…!”
“Then we shouldn’t be making perfume right now—we should run away immediately!”
Rosien’s mind began spinning rapidly.
At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to return to any temple.
No one would believe the report of an adopted orphan. Rosien believed Prim, but there was no evidence.
Where should they go?
No—there was nowhere they couldn’t go.
“Bianna won’t come.”
“Bianna…”
Rosien stopped speaking.
Bianna’s reaction hadn’t come from disbelief in Prim’s words. It came from having her own doubts struck directly.
But even so, she wouldn’t be able to let go of them first.
Everyone in the orphanage knew how desperately she had longed to be adopted.
“And Bianna isn’t the only problem. I can’t even walk by myself. Where would I run?”
“I’ll carry you.”
Prim paused, then asked quietly.
“…Forever?”
“Why are you suddenly talking about forever? We might break the curse later. And if we can’t… well, not forever… I’ll just keep carrying you.”
He spoke awkwardly, trying to brush it off.
Prim knew why.
It wasn’t that the word forever burdened him.
He was worried it might burden her.
“…Then carry me to the perfume lab.”
“The problem isn’t going there—we should be escaping from here.”
“Even if we escape, we won’t get far. If they locked me up, they’ll definitely come looking for us.”
If nobles decided to chase orphan boys and girls, no commoner would dare hide them.
Prim and Rosien, both raised in the back alleys, understood that better than anyone.
“….”
“As long as I keep making good perfume, it’s fine. We just need to call an inquisitor.”
“Wouldn’t you have to make an incredible fragrance for that?”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Prim answered calmly.
Rosien remembered the servants whispering that the Baron suddenly began making beautiful perfumes and receiving blessings as if struck by lightning.
“…Were those perfumes you made?”
“Yeah.”
Rosien stared into Prim’s clear light-green eyes, then let out a deep sigh.
“Alright… but if things get dangerous, we run. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Only after Prim nodded did Rosien turn his back.
Prim climbed onto his back, and Rosien supported her firmly as he quietly descended the attic stairs.
Late at night, the path to the perfume lab was pitch dark.
Since the master and mistress were away, no one dared light lamps carelessly.
Rosien, whose night vision was sharp, carefully avoided any presence as he moved, though he swallowed worried sighs.
Prim felt it but said nothing.
The large black wooden door was locked with a heavy padlock.
But while still on Rosien’s back, Prim slipped a small pin out of his front pocket.
“How did you know that was there?”
“I heard the sound when you picked the attic door.”
Remembering their difficult past, the two of them chuckled quietly.
Rosien lowered his body slightly.
Prim naturally reached her hand over his shoulder and fiddled with the lock.
Click.
The lock opened easily.
Rosien instinctively checked the surroundings before stepping inside.
“Wow…”
There was no light inside, and even the large window on the wall was covered by curtains.
But moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtain and illuminated the perfume organ.
The faint light cast huge shadows, and the sound of fierce wind through the aspen forest made the organ look even more majestic.
But Rosien’s admiration was brief.
He quickly found a chair, placed Prim on it, and looked around.
“This is where you make perfume?”
“Yeah.”
“How long does it take?”
“Making it is quick. Just help me a little.”
Prim took out an empty beaker, a glass rod, and two glass bottles.
Rosien blinked, watching her skillful movements as if hypnotized.
Prim spoke.
“Almond and cardamom.”
“Labdanum resin.”
“Next is patchouli.”
“Then sandalwood.”
The fragrance oils were mostly clear with a faint orange hue.
Prim carefully opened each bottle, checked the scent, and poured them into another bottle while mixing.
Only moonlight illuminated the small girl.
As Rosien checked the labels and handed them to her one by one, he found himself staring at her as if entranced.
Through strands of her short cream-colored hair that had fallen loose, he could see her focused green eyes.
Prim said she wanted to become a perfumer…
Back then, he had simply thought it suited her.
She looked gentle and a bit absent-minded, but she had a surprisingly sensitive and delicate sense.
He had thought she would be good at something like that.
But that wasn’t all.
Prim truly loved perfumery.
He had never seen that expression before.
Her concentrated gaze shone brightly even in the moonlight.
As the fragrance layered and transformed, Prim’s expression changed along with it.
Rosien felt as if that face was being carved into his soul.
So that’s the expression she makes when she does what she loves.
What do I need to do so she can keep making that face?
But the thought quickly disappeared.
“Luna Ether… and finally, rose.”
“Ah… here it is.”
The bottle labeled Rose contained only a tiny amount of fragrance oil.
Prim carefully added it, then looked around.
“Rosien, do you see any boxes nearby?”
“A box?”
“Yeah, a fairly big one.”
Rosien tilted his head before bringing a wooden box so large it required both arms to carry.
It was a crate left over from when the Baron had bought an entire box of bergamot, insisting on making perfume himself.
A bitter, sour scent still lingered in the wood.
Prim hesitated for a moment before looking at Rosien.
“This is really necessary, so don’t get mad.”
