Chapter 297 Encounter With The Flower Princess - Side Rihito -
When I returned home after 40 years, the house had become quite large.
The property was surrounded by a big fence and was pretty spacious. The building I thought was my home seemed to be located deep inside the grounds. Plus, there was even a guard at the big gate.
It looks like my descendants are living quite well. However, I can't believe my descendants could be skilled alchemists making a lot of money, so it's probably my wives who are impressive. The house is much bigger than a typical merchant's, and just looking at it, Alicia could be considered quite a lady. Well, she's a research nerd, so she probably doesn't care much about that.
I stopped a little before the gate and thought about what to do.
If I tell the guard my business, a lot of alchemists, led by my great-grandson, will probably rush over. I don't think I'm that popular, but there are many who would want to know about my research materials and findings. Or maybe some would want my opinion on their own research.
I don't mind discussing with researchers, but at least for now, I want to have a quiet talk with Sylvia, just the two of us. Anyway, the alchemists will probably come to visit me at Grandchester Castle eventually.
If I shift my gaze slightly to the right from the gate of my home, I can see a large stone building a little distance away. It takes about 5 minutes to walk there, and that building is the alchemist guild of the Grandchester territory, founded by my son and grandson. Behind it, there's a brick dormitory where young alchemists live. Many of them are so obsessed with their research that they always struggle with money, or they forget to eat and sleep and end up collapsing. It's probably still like that now.
Every ten days, the dorm mother (the Godmother) comes to check all the rooms, and this is a terrifying time for the alchemists. She cleans up the rooms without any mercy. Anything on the floor, even if it's important research material, gets thrown away, and after dusting the room, she spreads wet tea leaves on the floor and sweeps them up.
At this time, if the floor is really dirty, the women assisting the dorm mother start sprinkling ash and scrubbing the floor with something like a brush. The dorm mother is an absolute authority hired by the guild, and there's no way to resist her. If you resist cleaning, you'll be kicked out of the dorm.
All the sheets and pillowcases are replaced with freshly washed ones, and any damaged pen tips are swapped for new ones. Of course, ink and writing paper are also refilled without fail.
Finally, a body check is done on the alchemists, and if they're dirty, they're sent straight to the bathroom without question. If they try to go back to bed while still dirty, they get hit on the butt with a broom.
Also, if the dorm mother points out that an alchemist is "malnourished," they are woken up at 5 AM every morning to have breakfast (and they are watched until they finish eating) and made to do light exercise. Most alchemists are not morning people, so this is pure torture.
Even with such an empress reigning, the alchemist guild's dormitory is surprisingly popular. This is because it offers 2 meals a day, and alchemists who belong to the guild can use it for free. By the way, the food is really delicious.
The one who set up this system was the wife of my late youngest son. She was much younger than my son and even younger than my first grandchild, but when she scolded her husband, she had quite a presence.
When my foolish son got so absorbed in his research that he wouldn't even show up at the dinner table, she was the kind of person who always had soup ready to eat as soon as it was warmed up. She managed to have 4 children with a son who hardly ever left his lab, so her efforts are truly commendable. It's a big mystery when and where she had them, but since all of them looked just like my son, it seems certain they were his.
Once she got a handle on raising her kids, she started taking care of the young alchemists in the guild. She probably couldn't help but worry about them since they were around the same age as her own son.
At that time, many alchemists were struggling because they didn't have enough research funds, so she created a dormitory for single alchemists directly under the guild. If they got married, they would have to leave, but she actively interacted with the young wives of the alchemists, insisting that only the wives could protect their husbands' health.
She passed away before my son did, but I still sometimes think about how he cried over her body, completely heartbroken.
'Why did you leave first? It should have been the other way around. We promised to travel together once my research was done.'
My son said something like that, but I could imagine his wife in the coffin saying, "You're just talking." An alchemist never really has a day when their research is done. Well, it's not that it can't happen, but they quickly jump into other research.
And my foolish son didn't realize how important she was to him until he truly lost her. After burying his wife, he never went to the lab again and faded away 3 months later.
The spirit of such a wonderful wife was passed down to the next generation of women, and the tradition of an alchemist's wife becoming the dorm mother of the single dormitory remained. Even now, there's probably a lively dorm mother taking care of hopeless alchemists.
Remembering those nostalgic memories, I guided my horse along the fence toward the building that used to be the main residence. Since I was disguised, I could use a fake name that Sylvia would recognize, and a small carriage was parked near the guard's hut. Since the grounds are large, they probably send visitors on foot to their destination.
I knew it was a decent distance, but I didn't want to be sent in a carriage by the servants. However, it seemed I would need permission from the guard to bring my horse inside.
So, I reluctantly went along the fence until I got close to where the main residence used to be, and then I decided to climb over the fence and walk the rest of the way. The fence wasn't that high, so I could probably jump over it on a horse, but I didn't feel like trying that on a borrowed horse I was riding for the first time.
Finally, I led the horse closer to the building, tied it to the fence, and took off the saddle, thinking it might be a long conversation. I used magic to create a large bucket and filled it with plenty of water. There was grass around, but I also piled up some feed I had prepared just in case.
Then I jumped over the fence and walked about 10 minutes to the old main house.
In the flower bed in front of the entrance, Sylvia was picking flowers. She was probably going to decorate the room with them. Maybe she heard the sound of me stepping on the dry leaves, as Sylvia looked up.
"Oh, the sleepyhead finally woke up. How does it feel to be woken up by a beautiful girl?"
"It wasn't bad. I feel like I finally found the light."
"That's really great! You met the person you've been searching for all this time. So, are you going to make her your wife?"
"She's only 8 years old, you know? A grandpa like me wouldn't be her husband. Besides, that girl is the granddaughter of Marquis Grandchester."
"Hmm. With her current appearance, she looks about 12, right? That seems like a good match. And if we're talking about age, I'm over 200 years younger than you! That's just a small difference, isn't it? Plus, with Paracelsus contributing to the Grandchester territory, there shouldn't be any problem with status."
"Maybe you're right. But really, she's not that kind of person for me. I can't explain it well, but it feels like meeting a relative in a faraway foreign land."
"Hmm. I don't really understand, but if that's how you feel, then that's okay, I guess."
Sylvia headed toward the entrance, cradling the freshly picked flowers in both hands. Even from behind, her figure was amazing.
'Hmm. Even though the height of her heels is the same, she walks with a Monroe walk so naturally. That's impressive.'
"Come in for now. If you're hungry, I'll make something."
"Then I want to eat your pancakes again after a long time."
"Hehe, you're still the same."
"I haven't had them in over 40 years, so it's fine, right?"
"That's because you sleep in."
Saying that, Sylvia headed to the kitchen, and after a while, she returned with a plate of 3 fluffy pancakes. There was honey on the side.
"Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Sylvia."
"You're welcome. Rihito is my benefactor. Plus, you're stopping my aging."
"That's not me; it's thanks to the fairies. You're still a sexy beauty after 40 years. Are you still living a life full of love?"
"Yes, I always get inspired by young people. Thanks to that, my heart stays young."
"That's enviable. I was woken up by Sara and met Alicia."
"Theo's daughter, right? She came here with Miss Sara before waking you up."
"That's right. Talking to her made me feel like a grandpa."
"Well, you are a great-great-grandfather, so it's not strange."
"That's true, but it feels different in many ways. Being young is amazing."
"It's a bit odd to hear that from a 12-year-old boy munching on pancakes."
I swallowed a pancake and took a sip of the herbal tea that Sylvia made for me.
"Aren't you going to get married again, Sylvia?"
"Grandpa, you might be forgetting because of your age, but I'm your wife."
"I remember that much. But it's been over 60 years. Don't you want a new partner?"
"That's what makes you, Rihito, not realize it."
"Since we've spent a long time together, I can tell. You act like a child who relies on their father."
"Maybe I like strong men?"
"If you really mean that, I wouldn't mind becoming a real couple. I could even change my age to your preference. Just so you know, I'm serious about this."
At that moment, I looked at Sylvia with a serious gaze.
"...I'm sorry, Rihito. I teased you too much. I do like you, but I've never loved you in that way. I probably won't in the future either."
"Yeah, I get it. We've spent a long time as family, but we both know we aren't romantic partners. I think we understand that on some level. Sorry for saying something that felt like a test."
I had a vague understanding that there was nothing more than familial love between us. However, if Sylvia truly loved me, I thought we should live as a real couple.
I believed that for a while after we got married, Sylvia couldn't forget her late husband. But then, I realized that Sylvia had started to fall in love again.
My grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren knew about Sylvia's situation. They all felt sorry for her, and since they often told me, "You old man shouldn't be marrying a young beauty," they never criticized her for falling in love with someone else; they only supported her.
Well, my boys usually end up falling for Sylvia at least once, so of course, they would support her.
"Don't you want to find someone you can love again, Sylvia?"
Then Sylvia chuckled softly.
"Even after so many years, I still look young and beautiful, and I work hard to keep my figure. I haven't met a man I want to be with even if I give up this privilege."
"I see. But if that's the only reason, you could ask a fairy for help even after breaking up, right?"
"In the end, it has to be someone I truly want to grow old with. I wonder who I'm waiting for."
"Well, you can do whatever you want, Sylvia."
"Yeah. Just let me be a little more free."
Sylvia started arranging the flowers she picked earlier, decorating the room here and there. But even more than those flowers, Sylvia was much more beautiful.
"Even after 40 years, you are beautiful. Until you meet the person you've been waiting for, make sure to hide here so that heartless people don't pick you."
"Thank you, Rihito. But if I keep hiding, I won't be able to meet the person I want to see."
"That's true."
"And you know, worrying about being picked is more like Miss Sara, right? She's still so beautiful."
"She's like me. I've already seen her beauty when she grew up. Plus, she shows up in front of nobles under a fake name."
"Is that okay?"
"I've lived for over 350 years, and I've never seen a stronger person than her."
"Stronger mentally?"
"No, physically. I think she could easily turn Avalon into ashes. The fairies say she's close to a god, surpassing even dragons."
"...I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Yeah, forget it."
Then I promised to stop by for pancakes from time to time and left my old home. When I looked back, Sylvia was sending me off with a beautiful smile.
Sure, she still looks young and beautiful, but Sylvia has become a more attractive woman than I knew 40 years ago. My friend, who was once the princess of Odel, has also aged gracefully, but I wonder if she was as charming as Sylvia is now.
Remembering my friends who passed away in their sleep, I felt a dull pain in my chest, but at the same time, thinking of Blaze made me a little happy.
'Charles, I'm glad you and Blanche understand each other. Blaze seems to be well cared for, so you don't have to worry. He looks just like Blanche, but surprisingly, he's a lot like you on the inside. He seems to have good taste in girls, but it looks like he'll have a lot of rivals to deal with.'
I spoke to my old friend in my heart as I walked toward the fence where the horse was tied. The horse seemed to be waiting patiently.
As I finished putting on the saddle, I remembered that I had eaten 3 of Sylvia's fluffy pancakes. It's not like I would gain weight right away like in my past life, but I decided to pull the horse's reins and slowly head back to Maiden's Tower, where I used to work, to work off some of that food.
I'm sure Sara will be waiting for me.
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