Chapter 1

"Your magical artifacts are wonderful,"

said the blond, blue-eyed prince.

He was a picture of a handsome man, his cheeks flushed with a mixture of excitement as he gazed intently at the haughty beauty before him.

"If you become my queen, our country will take a significant lead in the field of magical artifacts."

***

"Rize! How long are you going to sleep?"

In the early morning, my sister Artemisia's shrill voice woke me up.

"Did you make the magical artifact I asked for?"

My sister, with her beautifully arched eyebrows, approached me aggressively.

I raised my hands and nervously replied,

"...I did it as you asked... but I made a small mistake, and a little bit of my magic pattern showed up..."

Before I could finish, my sister's hand flew at me.

She slapped my cheeks several times, pulled my hair, and finally kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying.

"Rize, do you understand? If I can't marry into the royal family, we'll be back to living in extreme poverty on bread and water every day."

"I'm really, really sorry..."

No, I can't cry. If I cry, she'll get even angrier.

I tried hard to suppress the sobs rising in my throat.

After testing the magical artifact, my sister snorted.

"...It's not obvious at first glance, so this will do for now. Before I return, practice until you can perfectly mimic my magic pattern."

"Yes..."

Fortunately, my sister seemed to be in a hurry and didn't pursue it further.

***

"The queen? How could I be such a thing?"

Artemisia lowered her head, blushing slightly.

She was haughty, but in front of the prince, she couldn't hide her love and became meek.

"I am just the daughter of a magical artifact maker."

"But your grandmother was a former princess. That means you have royal blood."

Her grandmother, a former royal, was a talented and eccentric magical artifact maker.

She ran away against the strong opposition of those around her and started a magical artifact shop.

She ran the shop while hiding her royal status, but the magical artifacts she made were of the highest quality, and her shop became known as a hidden gem in the kingdom.

"Oh, you even investigated that much?"

"Of course. I am serious about making you my wife, Artemisia... my moon."

Artemisia possessed everything the prince desired.

An impeccable lineage and exceptional skill in making magical artifacts.

"The era of relying on individual magicians' abilities will surely end. From now on, easily usable magical artifacts will determine the fate of nations."

He wanted the technology of magical artifacts more than anything.

"...However, it seems not all of these magical artifacts were made by you. There are traces of another person's magic pattern."

Albert, holding a simple measuring device, spoke.

The readings showed about 92%, indicating that some parts were made by someone else.

Artemisia flinched guiltily.

"I understand. Your shop is a family business, right? It makes sense to divide the work. I can see that you were the main maker, but to convince everyone around us, I want everything to be made by you from scratch."

"Of course, Prince Albert."

Artemisia forced a smile.

"I will bring it to you as soon as possible. What would you like me to make next?"

"Hmm... The next thing I need is—"

***

As soon as my sister returned, she came to my room, which doubles as a workshop, and threw a memo at me.

"It's a new request from the prince. This time, make it without leaving any trace of your magic pattern. It should look 100% like I made it. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Stay in this room until it's finished."

My response to my sister is always "Yes," even if I think it's impossible in my heart.

A magic pattern is a unique pattern of a person's magic. By looking at the magic pattern left on a magical artifact, you can tell who made it.

My sister and I have different magic patterns.

However, I have a special skill I learned from my grandmother, a master magical artifact maker, which allows me to create magical artifacts while mimicking someone else's magic pattern.

I can mimic it, but not perfectly.

Even my grandmother couldn't create a perfect forgery that would show 100% consistency when measured by a machine.

So, I always tried to convince my sister by aiming for over 90%.

But my sister this morning was a bit scary.

After being beaten up, I didn't have the courage to say it was impossible, so I ended up agreeing reluctantly.

What should I do?

I was almost in tears as I confirmed the memo for the item I had to make.

"...Wow... This is too difficult...! What should I do..."

The magical artifact my sister assigned me was of the highest grade.

If I were to make it properly, it would take at least three months.

If I'm not allowed out of this room for three months...

I might die.

I started shaking, remembering all the beatings I've received from my sister.

"...What should I do? I still have so much other work to do..."

The unprocessed materials piled up like a mountain.

It's also my job to prepare them for use.

If I can't, I'll be scolded by my parents.

Even if I cover my ears, I can still hear their angry voices clearly.

—You're completely useless!

—You can't even do simple chores! Who do you take after, huh!?

My sister is scary, but being scolded by my parents is also terrifying.

Even if I complete my sister's assignment, if I don't do the chores, I'll be deprived of meals by my parents.

"First, I'll do my usual job..."

I put aside my sister's request and started with the magic thread spinning.

Magic thread spinning is considered the easiest job for someone with magic.

I've been doing it since I was four.

After checking the instructions, I started the magic thread spinning spell.

I wound the thread around the spool a few times and accelerated the spell.

—Twenty times, high-speed activation.

I layered the spell multiple times.

—Twenty spells, multi-activation.

Many spools floated in the air, spinning rapidly and winding the thread.

...At this pace, the magic threads will be ready in about an hour.

I hurried to dye them... How many meters of each color are needed? Weaving? Embroidery?

I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't notice my mother had come in.

"...Z, Rize!"

I was startled by a strong slap on my cheek.

"M... Mother..."

"You ignored me when I called you, you brat!"

"I... I'm sorry, I was just concentrating..."

I often become so focused on making magical artifacts that I don't hear anything around me.

"Is the item I asked for ready?"

I pointed to the box full of completed items.

"You always make a mess... I always tell you to tidy up before bringing it. Really..."

My mother quickly arranged them and put on a scary face.

"They're all there. Next time, bring them before I ask."

"Yes."

"Really, you can only do chores. When I was your age, I was already doing half of my grandmother's work."

"I'm sorry, Mother..."

My mother suddenly noticed the memo on my desk.

"Oh! Another request from the prince?"

"Yes."

"That's great, you must work hard, okay?"

"B... But this is a bit difficult..."

"You can't cry and expect to eat. If you succeed, you'll have a life of luxury. You must work hard. Understand?"

My responses to my parents are mostly "Yes."

I thought they should at least help with the chores, but if I said that, I would be beaten.

My mother seemed annoyed by my gloomy face.

She put on a scary face again.

"You don't seem to have a sense of crisis. I'll forbid you from eating anything but bread and water until it's finished."

"S... Such..."

"If you want to eat well, you must work hard."

My mother said this firmly and disappeared somewhere.

"Ugh... The chores are done, so I'll start on the prince's request..."

I almost cried but tried to think about the structure of the magical artifact and wrote it down on paper.

Crying won't make it end.

If I keep moving my hands, it will eventually be done.

That's what my parents taught me.

I quickly decided on the design of the accessory, which is something I'm good at.

All I have to do now is follow this design.

...While perfectly synchronizing the magic wavelength with my sister's.

"It's impossible..."

I almost cried again.

This was something only my grandmother, who was called a genius magical artifact maker, could do.

I can't always succeed either.

"Practicing takes too much time, and I can't make any progress on other tasks... Ugh, Ugh, I shouldn't have learned this skill..."

I sobbed and found a mold, then lit the high-temperature furnace.

"Ugh... Ugh... Crying won't help, I have to keep moving my hands... Ugh..."

I repeated this like a mantra to myself and started working.

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