10 — 3

Today was the day to submit the completed plant for appraisal.

When Beth nervously knocked on the door of Naranda’s laboratory, the graceful man with beautiful long purple hair greeted her with his usual lovely smile.

“Come in.”

He applied magic to the plant placed on Naranda’s heavy desk.

With a soft glow, Naranda’s hand shone pale blue. As always, it was beautiful appraisal magic.

Apparently, when appraisal magic was activated, the essence or something of the object rose up around it. The information that rose up was supposedly read with magic power, but naturally, Beth, who had no magic power, could not see anything.

She had heard that this elegant man before her was one of the highest-class users of appraisal magic, but since Beth did not have even a single bit of magic power, the greatness of it did not really click for her.

(But appraisal magic is pretty.)

Even though she did not really understand it, Beth found it very enjoyable to watch Naranda’s appraisal magic.

It was very enjoyable to see this gentle, elegant man suddenly take on an intense expression, to see beautiful light emitted, and to watch some object react.

“It really seems as though you can talk to plants, Beth.”

Saying that, Naranda looked up and smiled.

It was the appraisal of the “mold” Beth had to submit today.

After finishing the appraisal, Naranda smoothly wrote something on the paper at hand. On the paper in his hand, a red signature indicating “S-rank” was shown.

“Thank goodness!”

Beth felt relieved and sank into the sofa.

“Hey, country girl!”

Three days earlier. As Beth was taking care of plants as usual, Noel, who had suddenly marched into the greenhouse, called out to her. He was as rude as ever.

“What is it, Noel-sama? If you stand there, the sunlight won’t come in, so you’re in the way.”

Without saying anything, Noel handed her a mushroom with mold on it.

“Increase this mold tenfold. Within three days!”

Noel said only that to Beth arrogantly and walked away.

(That guy really makes me so mad～～～!!)

On that day, Beth had been brought from her home to the Royal Capital almost like a kidnapping, tossed into the greenhouse by Noel with the words that she was to work here from now on, and then left alone for a month without seeing his face.

It was truly fortunate that Naranda’s maid Meg was a kind girl, because without Meg, not only would Beth not have known where to eat, Noel had not even told her where to go to do laundry.

As for work, he had only told her to “take care of the plants,” and had taught her nothing specific.

With no other choice, she somehow asked the people around her where the tools and other things were and managed to begin something resembling work, but just when she finally saw Noel’s face after a month, this was what happened.

(He could at least say thank you, or ask how things are going, or at the very least say good morning.)

But no matter how angry she was, and no matter how rude he was, it would be unbearable if he found fault with her and threw her in jail again, and she had just received her first paycheck the other day.

Beth, who had nearly fallen over at the paycheck statement lined with a number of digits she had never seen before, had only just sworn that, for the time being until the Autumn Festival, no matter what happened, she would not quarrel with this extremely rude and inconsiderate man.

Even with Beth’s poor calculating ability, she understood at least that it would take an outrageous amount of flour to earn this sum by milling flour in the village.

From the day she received Noel’s order, Beth hurriedly cared for the “mold” without sleeping, and today, the deadline, she finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving notice from Naranda that it had “passed.”

“Noel-sama always makes unreasonable demands. You must be tired. I’ll make you some tea.”

“I’m happy! Naranda-sama’s tea is very delicious.”

Seeing Beth rejoice innocently, Naranda smiled a little and stood up, then began preparing tea for two.

Naranda’s laboratory was a little different from the laboratories of the other magicians, which were full of experimental tools and glass implements. Its walls were filled with books, making it a very comfortable space for Beth, who loved books.

From the large south-facing window, she could see a lush green garden. Plenty of light entered, and it was beautiful.

Naranda’s room seemed to express the calm and composed personality of its owner.

“To think you would grow mold of such wonderful quality in such a short period of time. This time, even Noel-sama probably won’t be able to hold his head high before you.”

Naranda brewed the tea with genuine enjoyment and placed it before Beth.

The rich aroma of black tea tickled her nose. It was high-quality tea leaves that she would never have encountered in the village.

“He told me to multiply it tenfold in three days, and when I finally saw Noel-sama for the first time in a month, he said something that was unreasonable. It was truly difficult.”

Beth grumbled complaints.

However, when she saw macarons on the plate as tea sweets, she seemed to forget everything.

“Ah! Naranda-sama, these are macarons, aren’t they? Eloise-sama told me about them! She said they are as pretty as jewels, and that if you eat one, you can become happy for one bite!”

“Yes, that’s right. Eloise has a weakness for sweets. Is this your first time seeing them?”

“She said she would bring some for me when she goes back home next time! When I said there aren’t any macarons in the countryside, she looked at me with terribly pitying eyes.”

Although her first impression on the first day had been the worst, Eloise, while hot-tempered, was actually very good at taking care of others.

The ones who took care of Beth in various ways after she had been suddenly brought from home to this greenhouse and abandoned without even clothes to wear were the maid Meg and, surprisingly, Eloise.

After learning that Eloise was the same age as Beth, whenever she heard about Beth’s life in the countryside, she was shocked by its simplicity and began giving Beth various hand-me-downs. After all, to Eloise, who was like a mass of feminine refinement even among high-ranking nobles, it seemed she had never known until now that someone like Beth, who had never once owned a ribbon in her life, existed in this world.

Incidentally, the cloth shoes Beth was wearing now were also hand-me-downs from Eloise.

It was now nostalgic to think of how Eloise had gotten dizzy after seeing the wooden clogs Beth had worn on the first day.

Naranda drank his black tea elegantly, then said,

“You don’t ask for whom, or for what purpose, that mold was requested.”

He asked that unexpectedly.

Beth said while cooling and enjoying her black tea.

“Yes. My job is only to deliver the product requested.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“It was the same when I was a miller. Grandpa always told me not to ask customers more than necessary. He said who the flour we milled was used for was not something we needed to know. If I had time to think about that, I should listen to the voice of the flour and mill good flour. Well, I would like them to tell me a little about what it’s needed for, but I only graduated from the village school, so even if I asked Noel-sama, I’m sure I wouldn’t understand.”

“Ah, but when milling flour, I do need to be told whether it’s for cake or for bread, though,” she added with an innocent laugh.

“I see. That part of you that does not pry is likely one of the things Noel-sama likes about you.”

“Huh? There’s no way that man would like me. I’m sure he treats me as no more than a gnome ornament in the greenhouse. To begin with, he has not even called me by my name once.”

After saying that, Beth popped the jewel-like macaron into her mouth in one go.