One afternoon. I was working outside by myself to dry medicinal herbs in the sun.
Achoo! Ah-achoo! Atishoo!
Extravagant sneezes that reached all the way to the herb garden echoed continuously. Right after that, the familiar voice of the Crown Prince followed. It seemed to come from the direction of the office. The windows must have been wide open. Even the content of the conversation could be heard surprisingly clearly.
“Liliana! I am busy. Won’t you please just go home?”
“But my sister never comes back to the Duke of Valentia’s house, does she? That is why I came to give my opinion to the Crown Prince. Please do not make my precious sister work too much.”
The moment I heard that voice, my hands stopped on their own.
(…What did she just say? Heh, “precious sister”? I am hearing those words for the first time.)
I put down the herb basket and headed toward the voice. When I reached the office, its door and windows were wide open, and the Crown Prince was looking down at Liliana with a clearly annoyed face. Lord Lucien was standing right beside her. However, no matter how I looked at it, he did not look like he was doing his job as a close guard. Normally, his duty would be to keep such people out of the office, yet here he was.
“Liliana! The Crown Prince is not forcing me to work. The reason I am not returning to the Duke of Valentia’s house is because I enjoy my work here. If you truly care about me, please leave me alone.”
Right after I finished saying that.
I pinched my nose by reflex.
(…What? This intense smell… It is coming off Liliana in huge waves.)
The air changed in an instant. Piercing through that gap, an overly breezy voice cut in.
“Hiihi! I am an alluring fragrance from a country in the East. Ooh-la-la. I am made of sandalwood and musk grass.”
(…Ah, I see. It is the perfume Liliana is wearing. No wonder the Crown Prince cannot stop sneezing. This is definitely way too much scent.)
“Ah, that is because that girl named Liliana has a weak brain. Because, even though one drop is enough, she splashes on many times more than that. The cause is definitely the musk grass.”
(As I thought… The Crown Prince’s sneeze is caused by the musk grass. I wonder if there is any way to stop it.)
It was at the very moment I thought that.
The familiar, usual voice came flying from the direction of the compounding room.
“Lady Setsurin. It is me, it is me. I will protect you from the musk grass sneeze attack.”
“Me too! You will be freed from that itchy nose. Try using us!”
I rushed into the compounding room without hesitation and opened the bottle where the voice was coming from. I quickly mixed the medicinal herb powder and returned straight to the Crown Prince’s office. Then, I had him drink the finished mixture right there.
“Haa… That saved me. Thank you, Cecilia. Ever since Liliana came here, my sneezes would not stop. It was truly, terribly painful.”
“It is because of the perfume Liliana has splashed on. As you can see, it is this terrible smell. My sister has… I am truly sorry.”
Then, from deep down the hallway, elegant and leisurely footsteps echoed. The moment I heard that sound, everyone realized. It was the Queen.
The Queen, who appeared, pinched her nose and glared sharply at Liliana right off the bat.
“Liliana. You smell awful! Where do you think this is? Even though it is not an evening party, you are letting out a suspicious smell in the middle of the day. My runny nose will not stop, and even my head has started to hurt. No matter how you think about it, this must be because of that smell.”
The atmosphere in the place grew cold all at once.
I hurriedly walked over to the Queen’s side.
“Your Majesty, are you alright? Oh… Your eyes are also completely red. I suppose the perfume Liliana is wearing did not suit your constitution. I believe it is a scent combining sandalwood and musk grass…”
At those words, the Queen’s eyebrows twitched.
“Musk grass, you say? That is a medicinal herb that stirs up passion. Wearing something like that into the royal palace, what do you mean by this!”
A voice filled with anger echoed through the office.
The Queen was completely furious, and Liliana stood frozen, completely at a loss for words.
So as not to make the situation any worse, I hurried toward the compounding room to soothe the Queen’s symptoms. Listening closely to the voices of the medicinal herbs, I chose the blend that best fit the current condition and quickly finished mixing it.
When I had the Queen drink it as soon as I returned, her tears and runny nose subsided smoothly shortly after. The Queen expressed her words of gratitude to me, but her gaze was already directed at both Liliana and Lucien.
Everyone presents understood. As for today’s events, neither of them would get off safely.