The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Buys an Enemy General
Vol. 1 - Ch. 16 - Delivering Goods and an Odd Feeling - 1

The day after returning from the northern demon mountain, I secluded myself in the alchemy room to work on the requested item.

Julius had worked hard, so I said that it was fine to sleep in the room, but for some reason, he stuck close to me, sitting in a chair in the alchemy room, occasionally tending to his sword or gazing at the ring containing Helios.

Despite Julius often calling me noisy or an idiot, he seemed to want to be around me.

Perhaps he just feels a bit lonely.

“I did it! Another splendid result! I’m indeed a genius, a beauty!”

After imbuing magic into the alchemical cauldron for half a day, I proudly praised myself as I held the completed Monocle of Truth in my hands.

After finishing his sword maintenance and growing tired of observing Helios floating inside the ring in the form of a small dragon, Julius, who had been sitting alone in the single chair with his arms crossed, seemed to have dozed off. However, he abruptly opened his eyes once he heard my voice.

“...You praise yourself like that despite having an ordinary face. Doesn’t it make you feel empty?”

“You’re so noisy, Julius-san. Praising oneself is a crucial skill for surviving, you know? Don’t you understand?”

Especially for someone like me, who was originally timid and lacked self-confidence, words of encouragement were crucial.

Julius, being strong and confident, probably didn’t understand the importance of self-affirmation.

Lucky for him, being born handsome. Besides, I wasn’t that ordinary-looking either; I was reasonably cute, even if I didn’t put much effort into maintaining myself.

While complaining in my mind, I looked at the Monocle of Truth.

It was an alchemical item that looked like a pair of round glasses with black frames at first glance. The total cost, including material costs, fees, and various expenses, was around 500,000 gold. I have to be careful not to overcharge, as it might drive away customers.

It should be a reasonable price within the means of the shop owner.

“Now, I’ll be delivering this to Coldman-san’s place, so please come along, Julius-san.”

I packed the Monocle of Truth into a small box and placed it in a black paper bag. The bag had ‘Chloe’s Alchemy Shop’ embossed in gold, which I had made at a printing shop.

Such considerations were also crucial for a shop’s prosperity. Simply having cute paper bags can capture the hearts of young ladies, after all.

“You could actually wait here, but there’s a contract tied to the collar, so…”

“I can’t leave your side, and I can’t do anything you dislike, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. You remember it well. Good job.”

I praised Julius. After all, it’s the duty of a good master to give praise when something is done well.

“I insisted you stay by my side because I was afraid you might run away from me and commit some terrible crime. But now that I know you’re just an ordinary person, we can cancel that contract if you want.”

“Stop it. I might run away and try to take the King’s head.”

“...You still haven’t given up on seizing the territory to keep Helios-kun, have you?”

“That too... but I sense something odd in your story. You, being a fool, probably didn’t notice. It’s strange that you’re still alive even though your father was executed.”

Julius stood up from his chair and followed a few steps behind me as I headed towards the shop’s entrance.

Today wasn't a day for monster hunting, so Julius was wearing a loose black robe. It was the outfit I gave him on the first day I purchased him, and for some reason, he seemed to like it.

With a leather belt around his waist, Julius carried a sword at his side, making the simple and loose robe surprisingly fitting.

I was still wearing my usual apron dress, accompanied by a triangular headkerchief on my head. Today, it was red. Since I only had red, blue, and black, people in the town often commented, saying things like, “You’re wearing red today! Maybe it’ll be sunny tomorrow,” as I passed by.

I didn’t think there was any relation between what I was wearing and the weather. However, there seemed to be a strange superstition that my wearing a red apron dress brought good luck.

Even though I was just a woman without any influence within the kingdom, it still seemed so strange.

“...Am I not allowed to live?”

Feeling a bit bothered by Julius’s words, I mumbled a complaint by myself while locking the shop’s entrance.

In the cage hanging at the entrance, Hime-chan, with her eyes floating in chaos, said in a lovely voice, “Take care, Chloe-chan.” She’s cute today too. Hime-chan is so adorable.

“I didn’t say it’s not okay. I just said it’s strange.”

“Even if I’m an ordinary-looking woman who doesn’t belong to any kingdom, at least acknowledge my right to live, please.”

In an unusual fit of temper, I turned away from Julius with a pout and headed towards the eastern district of the town where the Coldman Company was located.

Julius, without showing any concern for my sour mood, walked silently beside me. The silence would continue naturally unless I initiated the conversation. Although the atmosphere wasn’t uncomfortable, I felt guilty for behaving in a somewhat childish manner.

Julius didn’t have any ill intentions, yet I found myself getting upset.

I’ve always been bad at getting angry at someone. That’s why I always lived with a cheerful, smiling facade, whether in the Seigrit family or at the academy. Even until now.

“Um…”

“What is it?”

“Sorry for being immature just now.”

“You’re not particularly mature. Being immature is normal for you.”

“I am an adult. I’m twenty years old, a respectable adult.”

Julius didn’t seem particularly concerned about my attitude and responded as usual.

I feel relieved. Even though we would be together for a long time, I didn’t want to strain our relationship.

“Three years ago, you were still a duke’s daughter. You’ve been living alone for only three years, meaning you have the intellect of a three-year-old child.”

Julius glanced at me while saying this. It didn’t seem like he was making fun of me. It was more like stating facts, in a calm and indifferent tone.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re speaking like a grown-up, Julius-san. Despite being only twenty-five. You’re just five years older than me.”

“...You and I are different.”

“Well, of course, we’re different.”

What is this feeling? My heart was oddly restless.

I almost blurted out something like, “Is being on the battlefield that great?” I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Maybe because I was treated like a child, or perhaps because the clear distance between Julius and me was emphasized.

Let’s not think about it too deeply. I’m always the cheerful and popular Chloe, the beautiful alchemist in town. If Julius and I were seen arguing while walking through the town, rumors like “Chloe-chan had a lover's quarrel” might start to spread.

“Chloe... What I wanted to say is that there might be a reason why you were spared. Even though your sister became the wife of the first prince, the Duke of Seigrit was executed. It’s strange that an innocent person like you got imprisoned. What happened to your stepmother?”

“...She died.”

I didn’t want to talk about the past anymore. I didn’t want to remember it, but since Julius kept speculating about various things, I reluctantly decided to tell him.

“She died?”

“Yes, that’s right. Stepmother... She passed away. On the day I was imprisoned, and my father was executed. The Seigrit household was attacked, and my stepmother couldn’t escape, eventually losing her life. Aliza-chan, who lost her dear mother, was popular with the public as a tragic heroine.”

“What’s tragic about it? Do they not understand what tragic is?”

“Well, because my stepmother, who was innocent, ended up burning to death. Isn’t that tragic enough?”

“...No matter how you look at it, it’s strange.”

Julius furrowed his brow, pressing his fingers to his temples as if experiencing a headache.

Well, it might be considered an odd situation.

But, it was a story that actually happened, so there was no helping it.

It seemed that some of the servants from the ducal household also became victims, but Aliza, being at the academy, was unharmed. And I was also safe as I was imprisoned.

I learned about it relatively recently, through rumors and newspaper articles, and thought to myself, “Oh, is that so?”

But it was no longer relevant to me and there was no point in digging it up now.

However, Julius seemed unusually interested, probably because he wanted to seize the throne.

He seemed determined to go to great lengths for the sake of Helios.