Chapter Sixty-eight: Surge of Potions
A few days later, Karen visited Waltride’s bedroom after obtaining permission from the princess’s attendants.
“Let’s start with a foot bath.”
Only Karen and two of Waltride’s personal maids were present in the room. Even though it was just feet, it was still bathing, so Julius was absent.
“A foot bath?”
“Soaking just your feet in hot water. It improves blood circulation and is good for your body.”
“Oh. I often find my hands and feet getting cold. This might be good.”
Since becoming like this, the princess hadn’t used a bath. Her body didn’t fit in a bathtub. Commoner homes don’t have baths, and Karen didn’t mean to call her dirty, but for the skin, bathing was absolutely essential. During her stay at the Ehlertt estate, Karen had also gratefully made use of their bath.
One of the maids stepped forward, preparing a bucket at Waltride’s feet and pouring hot water into it. Karen added salt, floated herbs, and stirred while infusing magical power.
“Soaking in this potion will have a relaxing effect. Please check the appraisal result.”
“A relaxing foot bath, is it?”
With another maid’s help, Waltride appraised the water at her feet.
“What does relaxing have to do with skin?”
“When the body relaxes and loosens up, its functions become more active.”
When exposed to stress and anxiety, the body doesn’t function well. One couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and the skin became rough. Relaxation helped boost metabolism. This was the foundation of beauty and health.
“We’ve used it, and it was quite pleasant.”
One of the maids smiled warmly, touching her cheek. Not taste-testing—more like bath-testing.
The maids, daughters of noble families, had kept a polite but distant attitude toward Karen—until they started trying her beauty potions, and suddenly became very friendly.
People were such materialistic creatures.
“If you say there is no problem, then I suppose there truly isn’t.”
Waltride nodded at the maid’s words.
“Not a bad fragrance.”
The princess, assisted by the maid, dipped her feet in the basin.
“Ah, this feels good. It’s like I’m relaxing from the toes up.”
“When your feet warm up, blood circulation improves. It’s good for the body, even without any potion.”
“In that case, perhaps I’ll keep doing this.”
“You’ll sweat a bit, so be sure to stay hydrated.”
“Will my skin become beautiful by continuing these foot baths? I’m not quite convinced.”
“This is far from the end.”
Waltride, already starting to sweat, looked puzzled. The two maids nodded with broad smiles at Karen’s words.
“Next, we’ll use a facial steam with antibacterial herbs to treat acne. Then there’s a whitening lotion made from mulberry leaf tea. After that, you’ll receive a full-body massage with a cream that promotes cell regeneration. Finally, you’ll drink a detox tea. That one makes you need the restroom frequently, so please be ready for that before drinking—”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”
Stopped by Waltride, Karen promptly closed her mouth.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Are you saying all of these are new types of potions? That you found all these recipes?”
“I’ve been taught them, but the source is a secret.”
Since the source was her past life, keeping it secret was the only way to avoid being thought insane.
“…How has the Ehlertt family been hiding you all this time?”
Waltride’s words, as if unable to believe Karen wasn’t known to the world, made Karen feel proud.
“It’s more accurate to say I was pulled out of the cellar by the Ehlertt family.”
“Using Julius as bait?”
“Isn’t ‘bait’ a bit too direct an expression?”
“But you initially wanted to marry Julius, didn’t you?”
“You know about that, Your Highness…”
Karen’s face tensed, and Waltride stared at her intently.
“But I heard you finished your work, wanted something else, and Julius pursued you. I wondered what hidden agenda was behind this farce, but perhaps what’s visible is all there is?”
“Who knows?”
It sounded like a question, but also a bit like she was asking herself. If everything visible was indeed all there was, what would Waltride think? As Karen closely watched her reaction, Waltride eventually spoke:
“…As I see you as a capable alchemist, I have something I want to discuss personally.”
Karen swallowed hard. Until now, she hadn’t been worth noticing, but now that her skills as an alchemist were recognized, would Waltride command her to stay away from Julius? If so, what should she do? Just the fact that she was worried about it made her feel like something was already going wrong—and Karen felt the urge to hold her head in her hands.
“Everyone, leave us.”
The guard knights and ordinary maids had already withdrawn when Karen arrived. And now, even the princess’ two personal maids left. Only Karen and Princess Waltride remained in the room.
Was being alone with her a sign of trust? Or was it to deliver a strong message?
Eventually, Waltride spoke with a serious expression:
“I… do not want to lose weight.”
Karen’s eyes widened at her words.
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