Kays Translations

Chapter 106: Instruction

“Mira, I told you not to play in the water.”

“Kyu?”

They tilted their head with such calculated innocence that I nearly smiled. I resisted.

I had definitely warned them.

“If you refuse to listen, I may have to keep you away from the Sprinkler.”

“Kyu…”

The miserable sound pierced my conscience. Mira didn’t need any supernatural power to weaken people’s resolve; being adorable was enough.

Rosalia hurried into the room after hearing the commotion.

“Big brother, don’t bully Mira.”

“I’m not bullying them. Mira ignored my warning and became soaked again.”

“You kept throwing the nozzle for Mira yesterday. Of course they thought it was a game.”

That was an inconveniently accurate defence. Rosalia embraced Mira like a protective elder sister. She had always wanted a younger sibling and had clearly assigned Mira that role.

Even so, Mira needed boundaries. Teaching a child—or a newly hatched holy dragon—was remarkably difficult when everyone around them, myself included, was too indulgent.

After the argument, I collapsed onto my bed. Mira pressed their fluffy head against my side. Stroking their fur eased my fatigue far too effectively.

Several days later, a letter arrived from Father. He would decide Mount Claire’s long-term management after returning to the Heine Margraviate. He didn’t mention the trees’ impossible growth, which made me nervous.

The family still had roughly half a month of obligations in the royal capital. The social season was ending, and numerous formal gatherings had to be attended before they could return.

“Big brother, I’m visiting Edward today,” Rosalia announced one morning.

“Be careful, and don’t trouble House Yumel. Mira must stay here. It’s still too soon for them to travel openly through the territorial capital.”

Rumours of the holy dragon were spreading among the nobility as planned. Once ordinary residents were familiar with Mira’s existence, short public outings would attract less chaos.

“All right.”

Rosalia reluctantly released Mira, who flew onto my lap.

I also had preparations to complete. Fabienne was visiting to learn how to make facial toner.

She had requested instruction after the tea party, and I had accepted immediately. At last, I had found someone interested in magic pharmacology.

Once Rosalia departed, I checked the compounding room. Most materials had been prepared the previous day.

“Mira, behave while I’m working.”

“Kyu.”

Mars would watch them. The compounding room contained open flames, glassware, sharp tools, and potentially harmful ingredients, so bringing Mira inside was impossible. I briefly wondered whether ordinary healing potions would work on a holy dragon, but this wasn’t the day to discover the answer.

A servant announced Fabienne’s arrival. I went to the entrance at once.

“Welcome, Fabienne.”

“Kyu.”

“Thank you for receiving me, Lord Julius.”

Fabienne’s graceful greeting briefly captured my attention until Mira nudged me back to awareness.

I led Fabienne to the compounding room. She stopped at the sight of the assembled apparatus.

“I’ve seen individual tools sold by the Magic Pharmacists’ Guild, but never an entire arrangement like this.”

“The pieces can be combined differently depending on the product. Before we begin, please wear this over your dress.”

I handed her a plain white work coat designed to protect clothing from stains and splashes. It had no ribbons or decorative frills; safety mattered more.

“This is very practical,” she said while putting it on. “Thank you.”

The toner and cream had apparently been used at home. Her skin looked unusually bright and carried a faint pleasant fragrance. I forced myself to concentrate on the lesson.

“We’ll begin with distilled water. It’s a basic ingredient in almost every properly made potion and is also useful for cosmetics and hand cream.”

“How do we make it?”

I explained the distillation apparatus, the condenser, and the need to keep receiving containers clean. The procedure was simple, and Fabienne quickly learned to operate the equipment under supervision.

Her delight at producing her first clear distilled water was unmistakable.

Next, we used it to make facial toner. I demonstrated the controlled heating of medicinal herbs and explained when to add the supplementary ingredients. Fabienne followed each step carefully.

When the toner was ready, I produced a bottle prepared especially for her. Instead of the bird motif used previously, its glass bore a pattern of her favourite flowers.

“It’s finished,” I said. “The quality looks excellent.”

“This bottle is beautiful. Where did you find it?”

“I made it. I thought the flowers would please you.”

Fabienne’s eyes widened, and her cheeks coloured.

Her reaction confirmed that the extra effort had been worthwhile. I decided to make another bottle for her before she returned home.

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