Chapter Twenty-one: Treasure of a Lifetime
“Thank you for hiding here, my lady.”
Karen said that, kneeling before the Countess and studying her face.
She covered her mouth with a handkerchief to stay quiet and avoid being discovered by Sieg, as promised.
“You heard it, didn’t you? Master Sieg made a sachet—a fragrance pouch—for you, his mother. Do you understand now how much he has recovered?”
“Yes… yes…”
Alise nodded repeatedly through her tears.
The truth was, Alise hadn’t believed the reports of Sieg’s recovery and had fallen into despair. That’s why they arranged for her to witness him sitting up, getting excited over games, and making sachets as a hobby for his mother—or rather, to hear him doing these things.
This was only possible with the full cooperation of Sophie, the head maid who attended to Alise.
Seeing her mistress crying tears of joy, Sophie too began to weep.
“My lady, I want Sieg to give you that sachet directly. But in your current state, it would only cause him pain.”
It was easy to imagine that this kindhearted mother was the main reason Sieg had been hiding his poor health. He had finally started being honest about reporting his health issues in detail, but seeing Alise in this state might undo all that progress.
“Please accept his request to meet in three days. Let’s work on restoring your health in that time. I’ll help you with everything I can.”
“Ms. Karen… thank you…”
And so, the plan for Alise’s revival began.
Alise recovered her strength with remarkable speed. Whether it was the power of Karen’s potions or Alise’s high magical powers—Karen suspected it was both. This was why people with high magical powers were so valued in this world, where survival depended on constantly defeating monsters. Even if it meant sacrifices like Sieg’s—
“Thank you for inviting me today, Sieg. I’m sorry I couldn’t visit sooner because of how busy I’ve been.”
“Please don’t worry about me, Mother. I’m just happy to see you like this.”
“Ah… your complexion has improved. Have you grown taller too?”
“Yes. I’ve been measuring daily, and I always gain a little height. That’s why my body aches every night.”
“Oh my, it aches?”
“It feels like my bones and muscles are stretching and expanding.”
Alise laughed brightly as Sieg demonstrated with a stretch. Though her cheeks were still thin, she wasn’t gaunt anymore, and her eyes weren’t swollen. Her red hair was glossy, her skin had a healthy flush, and her eyes sparkled with life.
“When I started feeling better, I had too much free time, so I made a sachet with Karen the other day.”
“That sounds fun.”
Sieg mentioned it as if it were no big deal. Alise watched him with gentle blue eyes as she played along.
“I apologize that it’s rather crudely made, but I’d like to give it to you, Mother. Please feel free to discard it if you don’t want it.”
Sieg hadn’t even wrapped it, thinking it wasn’t a significant gift.
The bare sachet he presented—made with red fabric matching her hair color and tied with blue ribbon matching her eyes—was received by Alise as if handling delicate glasswork.
“I would never discard it. What a wonderful gift.”
Alise clutched the sachet to her chest and began to cry. At first, Sieg panicked, but seeing Alise’s smile, his own eyes grew misty.
“I… I never thought you would be so happy with it. Compared to what Sara and Karen make, mine is so wrinkled and—”
As Sieg spoke, large tears began rolling down his cheeks, and Alise embraced him.
“I’m so happy because you made it for me, Sieg. This will be my treasure for life.”
“Mother… I’m so sorry… I couldn’t do anything… couldn’t study… even though I’m the heir… I’ve been nothing but trouble for everyone…!”
“You’ve lived so bravely, Sieg. Don’t say you couldn’t do anything. You’ve shown the strength and patience to endure difficult times without giving up. That’s what an heir needs… Everyone wants to support you because of who you are. No one thinks you’re trouble…”
Karen, Sara, and Sophie quietly left the room. When they reached the end of the hallway where their voices wouldn’t carry, Sara and Sophie burst into tears. Even Karen couldn’t help crying along with them.
“Thank you, Lady Karen. Thank you for accepting our request…!”
“It’s all thanks to you… truly… truly…!”
As Sara and Sophie expressed their tearful gratitude, nearby servants gathered around Karen.
“Thank you, Lady Karen…!”
“Thank you for coming, really, thank you!”
“Thank you, Master Alchemist…!”
Karen bashfully received their flood of grateful words through her tears.
As she shyly, embarrassedly, and proudly responded to the numerous handshakes, she found her eyes growing hot, and before she knew it, Karen too was crying freely.
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