Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 107: A Magic-Potion Companion
After completing the facial toner, Fabienne and I took a break in a small salon near the compounding room. It was quieter than the grand salon used for formal gatherings and one of my favourite places to read.
“How was the process?” I asked. “Not too difficult?”
“Not while you were beside me explaining every step. Alone, I doubt I could have completed it so smoothly.”
Fabienne assessed herself calmly. Rosalia had been swept away by excitement when she first began making magic tools, whereas Fabienne remained aware of every uncertainty. Their temperaments were simply different.
“How were the toner and hand cream received at home?”
Fabienne lowered her gaze.
“It was difficult.”
“Difficult?”
“They were so popular that they disappeared almost immediately.”
I had assumed she would keep them for herself. Instead, she had shared them with her family and household.
“My mother was especially pleased,” Fabienne continued. “She had worried that her skin was losing firmness. After using the toner, she said it felt restored.”
Even Baroness Ambert struggled against the effects of time. Mother probably did as well. I should make gifts for her, though giving only one bottle might create more demands than it satisfied.
“Then let us make several more. We should produce extra hand cream too. Whenever your supply runs low, you may come here and use the equipment.”
“Would that not inconvenience you?”
“Not at all. I would be delighted.”
My smile made Fabienne blush again. Apparently, the charming expression I sometimes imagined myself possessing was not entirely imaginary.
More importantly, I now had a companion who might visit regularly to make potion-related products. My long-held wish was being fulfilled.
After the break, we compounded a larger batch of hand cream. While Fabienne worked, I made small metal tins and embossed a different flower onto each lid.
“You are extraordinarily skilled,” she said, watching my hands.
“It is simply an aptitude I developed while making magic tools.”
My attempt to dismiss it did not fully convince her.
We filled five tins, then began another batch of facial toner. Fabienne already remembered much of the procedure and needed less guidance.
I started shaping more glass bottles beside her, each with a unique floral pattern. However, she repeatedly glanced towards my work and lost concentration. An accident in the compounding room would be unacceptable, so I stopped and focused entirely on assisting her.
“Are regulated magic potions made in the same way?” she asked.
“The principles are similar. Cosmetics are outside the kingdom’s legal classification, but the techniques you are practising—purifying water, preparing ingredients, controlling heat, observing changes, and maintaining cleanliness—are all foundations of magic pharmacology.”
“So I am already learning to make magic potions.”
“In a sense, yes.”
Fabienne looked down.
“I thought there was nothing I could do.”
Her words revealed a deeper concern. Noble girls were trained primarily to manage households and form advantageous marriages. Some found meaning in that life, while others feared they would never possess work or achievements of their own.
“You can do far more than you realise,” I said. “Grandmother became one of the world’s leading magic pharmacists. There is no reason you cannot also discover a path that belongs to you.”
“I do not know whether I could become someone like Lady Margaret.”
“You do not need to become Grandmother. Become the best version of Fabienne Ambert. You may one day be a high-ranking magic pharmacist, or you may choose another calling entirely.”
She slowly raised her eyes.
“I am certain you will find something worth doing,” I continued. “And until then, you are welcome to learn here.”
Warmth returned to her expression, like early spring sunlight melting snow.
“Yes,” she said. “I will keep searching.”
Her answer sounded more hopeful than before. I smiled, confident that today’s lesson had given her more than a few bottles of cosmetic lotion.
How sweet.