Kays Translations

Chapter 198: Pen and Notebook

Naturally, I hadn't brought the icehouse blueprints with me, so I would have to submit the same plans to Brother Alex later. Naturally, the designer's identity would remain a secret.

It appeared that His Majesty had also given Lady Daniela instructions regarding the matter, because she looked relieved when I promised to submit them.

If that was the case, she could simply have told me. Being treated with such reserve by the princess made me uncomfortable. Besides, before long we would truly be brother- and sister-in-law. There was no need for her to be so considerate.

"In that case, Axel, Ijidol, please take care of Julius for me."

"If anything happens, let me know at once."

"Yes."

The three of us answered in unison, and Brother Alex and Lady Daniela left. The moment the door closed, all three of us sagged.

I was fairly accustomed to dealing with them, but the meeting must have placed an enormous strain on Axel and Ijidol.

"Sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologise."

"That's right. No one could have predicted this. I never imagined I'd come so close to the princess."

"Oh? Ijidol, do you perhaps like Princess Daniela?"

Now that the tension had broken, Axel began teasing him. Ijidol's face turned red, but he didn't deny it.

I understood how he felt. She was beautiful, and her breasts were large. She also smelled lovely, which must have been irresistible to Ijidol and his excellent nose. He really was like a dog.

"Leaving that aside, are we really allowed to stay in a place like this?"

"It's already been decided. We may as well consider it a valuable experience."

I helped them up from the sofa, and we looked around the suite. It had four bedrooms, and we appeared free to use whichever ones we liked. Each room contained a magnificent canopied bed.

The two of them stared for a while with their mouths hanging open.

"Julius, what are you writing?"

After we had finally sat at the table and taken a short rest, I began composing a letter. Axel watched me with a slightly troubled expression.

"I'm writing to your parents. I asked you both to stay in the castle for my own convenience, after all."

"You don't have to do that. A short message would be enough."

"Yes. I'm sure they won't mind."

"As a noble, I can't agree. Wouldn't it be better if both of you wrote letters too?"

Axel looked thoroughly reluctant. Ijidol, on the other hand, seemed to have intended to write from the beginning, so I asked a servant to prepare writing materials for him.

When we finished, I handed all three letters to the servant. I didn't know where Axel's and Ijidol's homes were, but the royal castle's capable servants would surely deliver them.

"We still have some time before dinner. What would you like to do?"

"Should we look around the castle gardens? No, I don't want to run into anyone I know, so perhaps not. What should we do?"

"You said you were going to build an icehouse. Is it truly so easy to make one?"

Apparently, Ijidol was interested in icehouses. Perhaps he was interested in magic tools as well. What should I do? We had time to spare, so perhaps I could teach him a thing or two.

"I wouldn't call it easy, but you can make one by using a magic circle to lower the temperature."

"Really? Then wouldn't an icehouse like that already exist somewhere?"

Axel joined the conversation, apparently interested too. At once, the servant picked up a pen and notebook. What was I supposed to do now? One careless remark, and I would give Brother Alex another headache.

"Now that you mention it, you're right. I wonder why there aren't any?"

Painfully aware of the servant's movements, I tried to end the conversation immediately. If I ignored the subject, perhaps it would go away.

"Hmm. Isn't there a limit to how far a magic circle can lower the temperature? You know, perhaps it can't make things cold enough to freeze water."

Oh, Ijidol was sharp. Magic circles which lowered temperature already existed. They were commonly used in magic tools such as the hot-and-cold air blower. However, I had never seen one capable of lowering the temperature enough to create ice. This could be bad.

"I see. Then your icehouse plans must use a magic circle capable of lowering the temperature below water's freezing point. But that doesn't make sense. Why doesn't anyone else use that circle?"

"Who knows? Perhaps no one noticed it."

"Julius?"

"Are you hiding something?"

Their stares hurt. Somehow, I had to pretend that I had discovered a magic circle which could lower the temperature below freezing. But I couldn't admit to that here. What should I do…? That's it!

"Axel, Ijidol, this must remain between us. The Heine family archives contain an old book on magic tools, and no one knows when it was written. I adapted what I found in that book when I drew the icehouse plans."

"That's amazing. As expected of a family with such a long history."

Ijidol accepted the story with innocent admiration, but Axel regarded me suspiciously. He still doubted me. Meanwhile, the servant's pen was flying across the page at tremendous speed. I had to do something about that notebook. It was going to expose my lie.

After that, I told them about the many magic tools I had created, hoping to distract Axel from his suspicions. Thanks to my efforts, both of them became deeply interested in the subject.

I didn't know whether I had deceived them completely, but at least they seemed to understand that I could build an icehouse.

The Royal Magic Pharmacists were probably waiting for it too, so I had to complete the icehouse as soon as possible. Once it existed, valuable ingredients could be preserved for long periods without sacrificing their quality. That would undoubtedly make them much easier to use.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter