CH 15

I can hear the chirping of birds.

I feel a peaceful mood.

I woke up at 7:00 a.m., my eyes opened to the brightness of the sunlight shining in through the window.

“Uh, hmm!”

I sit up and stretch my body.

I get out of bed while looking out the window and take the clothes I prepared for work last night.

I change clothes after washing my face and brushing my teeth.

But I still look at them for a confirmation.

New work clothes.

Clothes to work as a Transmutation Master in the Salem Palace.

“Ufufu.”

A smile naturally escapes my lips.

Even this room was specially prepared for me.

Normally, people who work in the palace have their own house in the city and commute from there.

Some of them live in rooms in the royal castle, just like the royal family.

I was one of them.

It was just because I had just arrived and hadn’t found a place to live yet, so Yuren-kun helped me.

Waking up in a room in the palace gives a feeling of luxury that cannot be found elsewhere.

I finish getting ready in the morning, have breakfast, and…

I walked through the hallway, fully prepared, on my way to my workplace.

“Good morning, Aria. You’re up early.”

Yuren-kun called out to me.

When I turned around, Yuren-kun was waving his hand lightly.

“Good morning, Yuren-kun! Oh, I mean, Your Highness Yuren?”

“Hahaha, it’s okay, you don’t have to be formal just because we’re in the castle. Unless it’s someone from the outside, you can talk to me as usual.”

“R-Really? Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

It had been two days since I found out that Yuren-kun was a prince.

I had always thought of him as a regular person and had casually interacted with him, so it felt a little uncomfortable to speak formally.

Ideally, I wanted to interact with him as usual, like a friend.

“Are you working now, Yuren-kun?”

“Yeah, but I came to check on things first.”

“You came all the way here just for me?”

“Is that surprising? You’re someone I brought along, so I have to make sure you can work properly.”

Yuren-kun said with a smile.

He was worried about me.

Just knowing that made me very happy.

“Well, then. Good luck. You’re the Transmutation Master of the Court we’re all expecting great things from.”

“Yes, leave it to me, Your Highness!”

“Haha, that still sounds weird.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

A morning conversation.

After enjoying some trivial chit-chat, we each head to our own places.

He as the prince to carry out his duties.

And I as a Transmutation Master of the Court to start my first job.

It’s just an extension of what I’ve been doing before, but I feel excited about it.

To be able to work in a place I love and do what I want is just ideal.

Feeling the ideal present, I can’t help but be happy.

After walking for a little while outside the castle, I entered the palace on the same premises.

I see people who work just like me.

Our eyes meet, and we exchange greetings as we pass each other.

They probably don’t know who I am, but they still return my greeting.

It used to be normal to be ignored when I did that at the previous palace.

Until the Exiled Duke’s Daughter,...

What I took for granted before is being updated in this new environment.

I feel really good since the morning.

I proceed as it is and head towards the room of Head Department-san.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, come in~”

I hear a light response and enter through the door.

Then, Head Department’s Laura-san had already started working.

There were plant seeds and some materials placed on the Transmutation Circle.

“Good morning, Aria-chan. Can I count on your work from today?”

“Yes!”

“Uh huh, that’s a good answer. You also arrived at the right time this morning, I’m impressed. Can I introduce you to the work I want you to do right away?”

“Please do.”

What kind of request will I be given?

I have some expectations.

Laura-san takes a few documents from the messy table, looks at their contents, and speaks.

“Um, I’m thinking of entrusting you with some of the requests that have come to me. Should I start with just one or should you accept about three?”

“What kind of requests are there?”

“It’s something like this.”

Laura-san showed me the content of the request on the request form.

Each request is different, but half of them seem to be for creating plants.

It is the development of plants that can grow even in harsh environments that was mentioned in the conversation the other day.

It seems to make up the majority of the requests given to Head Department-san.

“There’s no particular deadline for this one?”

“Well, the request is clearly difficult. It’s not like creating an urgent potion, so if you can do it, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.”

“In that case, I’ll take on several requests. That way, it will reduce Laura-san’s workload, right?”

“You don’t have to worry about my workload. Well, can you handle these three, Aria-chan?”

With that, she hands me the request form.

“If there are any new requests, I will introduce them to you. If you complete a few jobs, you may start getting requests specifically for you, Aria-chan.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best.”

“Good, but don’t overdo it, okay? Well then, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes!”

After receiving the request, I leave Laura-san’s room.

Each Court Transmutation Master was provided with a room called a laboratory or workshop.

My room was not inside the palace, but a small cottage in the garden.

I obtained my own workshop in the place where a great Transmutation Master used to reside.

I entered the room and took a deep breath.

“Now, I have to work hard.”

To meet the expectations.

And so my new life as a Transmutation Master has begun.