Chapter 264 A Woman Named Sylvia
Paracelsus's wife lives in a separate house of Alicia's family home.
'It's like a university campus.'
Theofrastos is the most famous alchemist in Grandchester, and the estate is quite large. It's not as big as Grandchester Castle, but it's still big enough to remind Sarasa of the campus of the university she attended in Japan.
Inside the gate, carriages can enter, so today Sara and Alicia are riding in a 2-person carriage. This is the carriage Alicia brought from her family home, so she is the one driving it. Sara's knight guards are also mounted and staying close by.
"Alicia, your family home is really big."
"It was given to Paracelsus by the previous Marquis Grandchester. At first, there was just a wide forest, and the building where Sylvia lives was just standing alone. Well, that was over 60 years ago, so many buildings have been added since then."
"How many people live on the estate?"
"My great-grandparents and grandfather have passed away, but Sylvia, my grandmother, my parents, 4 pairs of uncles and aunts, and plenty of cousins. There are about 25 family members, and if I include live-in apprentices and servants, I have no idea how many there are."
"That's quite a big family."
Alicia is the only daughter of Theofrastos, but Theofrastos has 4 famous alchemist brothers, each living in separate buildings that also serve as their laboratories. Since they are all married, it seems Alicia has a lot of relatives.
"Also, there's an alchemist guild and a dormitory for single members right next door. So if you throw a stone around here, there's a high chance you'll hit an alchemist."
"Does that mean your uncles are alchemists too?"
"Everyone is an alchemist. Even my male cousins, who seem like they're cursed with being all boys, are either alchemists or alchemist apprentices."
"Wait a minute, so Alicia's grandparents have 5 boys, and in the next generation, everyone except Alicia is a boy?"
"That's right."
"I see. No wonder Mr. Theofrastos is so overprotective."
"To be exact, my grandfather, father, uncles, and cousins are all annoying."
"That makes sense."
Alicia says this casually, but she is the first girl born into the Paracelsus family in several generations. It's likely that all her relatives cherish her like a princess.
"I used to think it was a curse to be the only girl. I couldn't go to the academy, and I'd be stuck as a 'self-proclaimed' alchemist for life."
"I think you're better than the professors at the academy, though."
"That's thanks to my great-grandfather's influence."
"Sure, Mr. Paracelsus is amazing, but developing that into your own unique perspective isn't easy."
"Thanks! And you know, once I started working at Maiden's Tower, I stopped caring about that stuff. I can do research as much as I want!"
There's no need for anyone to recognize her. Without a doubt, Alicia was an alchemist.
The carriage stopped in front of a small white building. One of the skilled knight guards quickly got off his horse and helped Alicia down from the carriage. However, since the steps of the carriage were quite low, he easily picked up Sara and gently set her down.
'Knights are so smart in places like this, huh?'
Alicia released the horse that was pulling the carriage and led it to the stable behind the building. There was even a small pasture for the horses beyond the stable. Sara had been told to wait, but she felt curious and followed Alicia.
"Knights, please bring your horses here. You can tie them in the stable, but it's okay to let them into the pasture too."
Looking closely, Sara noticed that there were only 2 old horses in the stable, and the pasture was empty.
"Sylvia lives in the old main house. A new main house has been built, so this place is hardly used now. But don't worry, there's plenty of hay."
The knights thanked Alicia and let their horses into the pasture. The horses, unexpectedly free, began to run around happily and graze.
Alicia stood in front of the door, raised her hand to the knocker, and infused a little magic into it. Then, the door unlocked by itself and opened silently.
"Sara, go inside. Knights, you too."
"Is it okay to just go in?"
"If the door is open, it means Sylvia has invited us. She rarely walks all the way to the entrance herself."
"I see."
Sara accepted that it was understandable since she was elderly.
After walking down the hallway for a while, they opened the door to find a surprisingly bright and spacious conservatory. Many plants decorated the room, and in the center, there was a large rattan sofa and table, with another rattan couch placed a little further away.
"Welcome."
A voice that was so charming it sent a shiver down Sara's spine came from behind me. When she turned around, she saw a beautiful lady whose age was hard to tell.
'Is that Mine Fujiko (Lupin III)!?'
"Sylvia, it's been a while."
"You look well too, Alicia."
Even though she was wearing a loose white shirt and a beige long tight skirt, Sylvia's stunning body line was impossible to hide. With her softly wavy white hair and husky voice, there was no doubt she was an extraordinary beauty. Sara could never bring herself to call her "grandma."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sara Grandchester."
"Nice to meet you. I am Sylvia, the wife of Paracelsus."
"Since I am still a commoner, please don't be too formal with me."
"But you are the granddaughter of the lord..."
"If we're talking about status, you are the wife of the great alchemist Paracelsus, right?"
Sylvia looked at Alicia with a troubled expression, but when Alicia nodded, Sylvia relaxed.
"I understand. By the way, may I ask why you came to see me?"
"Are you aware that I inherited the tower that was Paracelsus's laboratory?"
"Of course. It's where Alicia works."
"I found this in Paracelsus's documents."
Sara quietly handed over the materials about Paracelsus that she had found recently.
"So, you found this material, huh?"
"Did you perhaps know that Master Paracelsus is sleeping?"
"Of course I know. I even know where he is sleeping."
"Why is Paracelsus sleeping?"
"It seems he got tired of waiting. He lived for over 300 years, searching for his kind. I was the one who suggested he take a little rest, but I never thought he would sleep for nearly 40 years. I thought he would wake up in about 10 years or so."
'Um, the time scale seems a bit strange...'
"Ms. Sylvia, was that okay with you? It feels like you were left behind by your husband."
"Ah, I see you're worried about that."
Sylvia smiled seductively and took a bite of the fruit on the table. Her gesture was so s*xy that the knights behind her could be heard gulping.
"I'm not sure how to explain this to someone as small as you, but I am Paracelsus's wife, but not in the true sense. Before I married Paracelsus, I worked in a shop in the royal capital. I was quite popular and made a decent amount of money."
'I see, explaining this to an 8-year-old girl seems tough. No wonder.'
Sara turned to the guards and told them to be on the lookout for any suspicious intruders outside since there were only women in the room. As the knights left the room, Sara cast a soundproofing magic over the entire conservatory.
"I'm hoping this isn't a rude comment, but is it correct to understand that Ms. Sylvia was the Flower Princess?"
"Eh!? Yes, that's right."
Seeing Sylvia's surprised expression, Alicia warned her with a wry smile.
"Sylvia, it's dangerous to judge Miss Sara by her appearance."
"Yes, I understand that from our conversation just now."
Sylvia nodded and poured herself some herbal tea from the pot to calm her nerves.
"This is Amelia's herbal tea, right?"
"Yes. It's the blend Alicia brought last time. I really like it."
"I'll let Amelia know when I get back."
After regaining her composure through conversation with Alicia, Sylvia turned back to Sara.
"As you pointed out, Miss Sara, I worked in a brōtḥel in the royal capital. That was over 60 years ago."
"Was Master Paracelsus a customer?"
"Not a customer, he came to the shop as a pharmacist."
"A pharmacist?"
Sylvia let out a small laugh and gazed into the distance, likely recalling old memories.
"By the way, did you know that his real name isn't Paracelsus?"
"Yes, I know. His real name is Mr. Theofrastos, right? I heard Alicia's father took that name."
"Actually, that's not his real name either."
""Eh!?""
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