Chapter 18

Lirika was deeply engrossed in the garden, spreading out a large book and identifying various plants, managing to recognize quite a few.

"But it seems there are more weeds than anything else."

"Maybe you should just uproot everything and remake it according to your taste?"

"No. Even though I don't know much, Attil kept the key to this garden very precious. There must be something here. I want to restore it as much as possible and return it. Of course, I can't make it exactly like it used to be…."

Lirika, who was buried in her book, looked up at Brin.

"Then it might be faster to get help from a gardener. This place is too big for you to handle alone."

"Yes… But can I really call a gardener for a secret garden?"

"You just need to find a gardener who can keep a secret. You can't do this just by reading a book."

"Right."

Lirika sighed. The book she had was merely a plant guide and didn't provide detailed instructions on how to care for the plants.

"Then, Brin, could you help me? I need to find a good gardener."

"Yes, I'll select some candidates, and you can use your intuition to see if any of them are bad."

"Yes!"

Lirika nodded vigorously. That settled, she returned to the White Dragon Room to change her clothes, only then remembering the book in her pocket.

"Oh, wait!"

Before Brin could touch her clothes, Lirika hurriedly went into her bedroom and slipped the book under her pillow.

If Brin had questioned her, she would have been in trouble, but Brin said nothing and didn't pry.

It was a typical action for a close attendant who had noticed her mistress was hiding something.

After dinner, as she lay in bed, Lirika asked Brin not to turn off the light. Once Brin left the room, Lirika pretended to be asleep and quickly got up to retrieve the book from under her pillow.

'Gathering magic for a love-struck girl—'

She skipped the preface and flipped through the table of contents to the spell she had seen earlier.

'How to make a charm for your loved one—Rescue your loved one from danger!'

This is it!

Lirika read the book enthusiastically, determined to make a charm for Attil.

'Ingredients: gold coin, gold coin? How do I get a gold coin?'

She hit a roadblock right from the start. A gold coin? Where am I supposed to get one?

Lirika had never seen a gold coin before.

'Well, let's put the gold coin aside for now…'

She needed to wash the gold coin and place it in a glass bottle, then add clear well water and fresh herbs (types listed below) and expose it to moonlight.

'Fairy, fairy, please protect OOO (the name of the person you love)'—wrap it in a white handkerchief, and that's it!

It was a simple method, and the effects seemed quite good. There were anonymous reviews at the bottom that sounded very positive. This was definitely something Attil needed!

She could probably find the herbs in the secret garden, and the well water, glass bottle, and white handkerchief were all manageable, but the gold coin was the problem.

'Gold coin, maybe I can get my allowance from the Emperor's office… No, that's not right. I don't want that.'

I'm doing this because I want to, not for money.

'How can I earn a gold coin?'

As she pondered, Lirika suddenly thought of Uba. He must be diligently patrolling the flood area right now.

Lirika clasped her hands together.

'Please let Uba return safely. Protect him from danger and keep him from harm. Let him come back with a healthy body and lots of good things.'

After praying, Lirika added:

'And please let me get a gold coin.'

* * *

Lirika carefully wiped the ink bottle and placed it on the desk. She neatly organized the documents.

She also properly arranged the blanket that had been thrown over the sofa. Was His Majesty, Lat, or Tan sleeping here?

"You're working hard today, Princess."

Tan, holding documents, entered the room with a light step and smiled at her.

"You managed to persuade the Crown Prince, didn't you?"

"It was a request."

Lirika corrected him, and Tan laughed again. Lat asked,

"What persuasion are you talking about?"

"He said he would select a bodyguard."

"That's impressive, Princess. You did well."

Lat smiled and praised her. Refusing a bodyguard was a problem for both the Royal Guard and the royal family.

Altears stared at her intently and gestured for her to come closer. When Lirika ran over, he roughly brushed her forehead.

"Why do you look so listless?"

"Me? I don't look listless. I ate two sausages this morning."

"You're not eating enough."

"I am."

Lirika shook her head, and Altears opened a drawer. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

'Why are there piles of gold and silver treasures in the drawer?'

Lirika's mouth dropped open in surprise, and Altears casually scooped up a handful of the treasure and handed it to her.

"Buy something tasty."

"Excuse me?"

"Wait, Your Majesty. If you give it to her like that…"

Lat, flustered, stood up, but Lirika quickly pulled out her coin purse from her pocket. It was a gift from her mother.

A precious purse she always carried with her. Lat, seeing the purse, sat back down.

Altears took the purse and started stuffing it with gold coins. Lirika, alarmed, said,

"Your Majesty, it's going to burst!"

She was worried the gift purse would tear. Altears, failing to close the purse, handed it to her open.

"Here. Buy something tasty."

"Thank you."

Receiving an unexpected allowance, Lirika bowed her head.

Altears gently stroked her head a couple more times. It was a touch that reminded her of someone who had been scolded for petting a puppy or kitten too roughly.

Feeling the affection, Lirika giggled. Attil, too, liked having his head petted, though perhaps a bit more roughly.

It was a clumsy way for someone who didn't know how, but Lirika appreciated it.

Altears' eyes softened at her laughter. He removed his hand and said,

"Go now."

"Yes!"

With the unexpected gold coins, Lirika's steps felt lighter.

She would make one for His Majesty, one for her mother, and one for Brin—

With plenty of gold coins, her list of people to make charms for grew.

As she left the office, Brin, who had been waiting, greeted her warmly.

"Did something good happen?"

"Yes, look at this."

Lirika showed her the purse.

"He said I looked listless and gave me money to buy something tasty."

"Oh my."

If this was a gift from the Emperor, what should she call it?

Brin said,

"Shall we see what's inside when we get back?"

"Yes!"

Back in the White Dragon Room, Lirika quickly laid out the contents of her purse on the desk.

Several shiny gold coins came out, along with some white, round objects.

"What are these?"

"These are pearls, Princess."

"Oh!"

It was the first time she had seen real pearls. They were so beautiful. So exquisite.

She finally understood what it meant to describe someone's skin as pearl-like.

It was hard to believe these came from shells.

"Beautiful…"

As she marveled, Brin pointed out the jewels. A transparent diamond that sparkled in five colors, a sapphire like Attil's eyes, a ruby like a rose, and an emerald like a summer garden.

All of them were top-quality.

"You could call a craftsman to make some jewelry."

"Yes, but they are already so, so beautiful."

The jewels, sparkling in the sunlight, were breathtakingly beautiful. Lirika said,

"Why would he keep these in a drawer?"

"Dragons like to hoard gold and silver treasures."

"Oh."

Lirika nodded in understanding. She carefully pressed the slightly bulging purse to flatten it.

"Where should I put them?"

"Wait a moment."

Brin soon brought a velvet pouch and a jewelry box. She arranged the jewels in the box and put the gold coins in the velvet pouch. She slipped two gold coins into the strawberry coin purse.

'Now I have the gold coins.'

All she needed now were the herbs and well water. She had a glass bottle.

'I should thank Tan.'

Even though she had saved the candy to eat later, she had finished it all, but the beautiful glass bottle remained. She had washed it and kept it as a decoration, so she could use it.

'What herbs do I need?'

She thought about checking the book again, but a cold sweat trickled down her back.

Had she left the book under her pillow and fallen asleep without moving it?

The bed sheets were always tidied by the maids. What if they found the spell book?

Feeling anxious, Lirika got up.

"Brin, wait a moment."

Entering her bedroom, she saw the neatly made bed. With a worried face, Lirika reached under the fluffed-up pillow.

'It's not here!'

She searched under the pillow like a maid ironing the bed, but the book was nowhere to be found.

Her vision went dark.

'What should I do?'

"Princess, are you looking for this?"

Brin, closing the bedroom door, carefully extended the book. Lirika, who had covered the book with a white cloth, quickly took it and opened it.

It was the right book.

Seeing Lirika's flustered look, Brin smiled and put her index finger to her lips.

"Your secret is safe with me, Princess. I covered the book with a new cover because the title was too obvious…"

"Brin…!"

Lirika's voice trembled with gratitude. She hugged Brin tightly, and Brin laughed.

It was a book that had been popular among young noble ladies a few years ago. There had been other trends like flower divination and name divination, but she didn't know where the Princess had gotten this one.

'Already having someone she likes?'

She was too young for that, but the Princess was different. Brin nodded inwardly.

Since the Princess was mature, perhaps the person she liked was also an adult.

'The Captain of the Guard, or maybe the Chancellor?'

The thought of witnessing a fleeting affection made her excited.

The title was too obvious, 'I have someone I like,' so she had discreetly covered the book.

Wasn't this the virtue of a good close attendant?

"It might be difficult for you to complete the spell alone. I'll help you. What spell are you thinking of?"

Brin whispered, and Lirika quickly flipped to the page.

"I want to make a charm. I was worried about the gold coin, but His Majesty gave me plenty. I'll make one for Attil, one for His Majesty, and one for you, Brin!"

"Oh."

Brin let out a low exclamation and looked at the serious expression on the Princess's face. The Princess seemed to genuinely believe this book contained real magic.

'Well, our Princess is still too young for matters of love. She's at an age where being loved is enough.'

Putting aside her earlier thoughts, Brin smiled.

"I'll help you as much as I can, Princess."

"Thank you, Brin."

Lirika was genuinely grateful to Brin. She no longer had to worry about how to secretly bring in herbs or well water.

Sitting together in the bedroom, they whispered about the contents of the spell book when a maid announced that a letter had arrived.

"A letter?"

"Perhaps from the Barat family?"

At Brin's words, Lirika jumped up. Leaving the bedroom, she saw a palace messenger waiting at the entrance to deliver the letter.

The messenger bowed politely and handed her the letter as Lirika approached. After the messenger left, Lirika tore open the letter with a paper knife. The Barat family's seal was a flower, and a faint floral scent wafted from the paper.

The elegant handwriting asked about her planned visit and suggested that tomorrow would be fine.

The sender was Fjord Barat. Lirika immediately wrote a reply. Despite her efforts, her handwriting was still far from elegant. She only managed to avoid splattering ink on the paper.

The content was concise, agreeing to the next day and suggesting teatime. She knew that if the letter was too long, it would inevitably have ink splatters.

After sprinkling powder to dry the excess ink, she sealed the letter in an envelope with a wax seal and sent it with the messenger.

Although it was unlikely that Barat would cause trouble inside the palace, Brin was still worried.

Isn't that Fjord Barat?

Brin gently suggested,

"Would it be a good idea to go to the Royal Guard with the Crown Prince to find a bodyguard? The sooner, the better."

Lirika nodded, thinking Brin was right. The Black Dragon Room wasn't far, so she decided to go there immediately.