I Became The Sole Perfumer of A Tyrant - Chapter 15

“Woah, this place is filled with flowers.”

The owner grinned as she observed me admiring the scenery.

“Thank you for noticing. This is the place I care for the most.”

“Oh my God, even Hibiscus … wasn’t it a flower that didn’t bloom this time of year?”

“This place was designed to look like a garden but is more like a small greenhouse. So, besides the hibiscus, you will be able to see many other flowers that aren’t in season.”

“The scent is … very fragrant.”

I placed the tip of my nose near the hibiscus. The fragrant smell quickly permeated.

“Most of the flowers grown in the greenhouse have weak scents, but this is very skilled floriculture.”

“Oh, thank you, my lady. You seem to have a deep knowledge of flowers.”

“It’s not that I’m well versed … I only find myself into them.”

I had always loved flowers since before I regressed. Perhaps the reason why I fell in love with perfume was simply because I favored their scent.

After I was no longer able to smell, I removed all the bouquets I received from the hospital.

The fact that I could no longer smell the scent that I grew familiar with every time I witnessed a flower was extremely heartbreaking.

As my old memories came to mind, I wore a bitter smile.

I quickly hid my expression and spoke a few more words with the owner. The whole conversation involved flowers.

‘Oh, wait a minute. Did we talk too much?’

I thought so while turning my head slightly to face Cedric.

Unexpectedly, he didn’t seem bored. He only watched us with his jaw perked up. To be precise, he was gazing at me.

‘… Ah.’

When our eyes met, I quickly glanced towards the owner.

“It was nice speaking to you, Roselia.”

“Hoho, it was an honor for me to be able to converse with someone as skilled as my lady.”

Roselia pleasantly smiled as she praised me. It felt embarrassing to receive this compliment in front of Cedric.

After Roselia excused herself, Cedric remained in the small garden.

I’d been chatting with Roselia nonstop, so I became more conscious and awkward of this silence.

However, the silence only lasted for a short time before Cedric opened his mouth.

“Is this the first time you’ve been through such a think?“

Such a thing? … Oh, that paparazzi. I nodded my head.

“Yes, it was my first time.“

Come to think of it, it was strange.

Ariel Winston was famous for being Cedric’s lover, but not enough to earn a place in the daily newspapers. As far as I knew, Ariel had never been in the newspaper.

… Perhaps?

I narrowed my eyes after I came up with a brief hypothesis.

Are they going to make fun of Cedric’s ex-lover, Ariel Winston, who was ‘heartbroken’ from having to break up with him, because he was ‘untouchable’ despite their status as a couple at that time?

Oh, you suckers!

I crumpled my forehead as I thought of the paparazzi who was forced to the station earlier.

“It may happen a few more times in the future.”

Cedric replied. He lowered his eyes as if he wasn’t in a pleasant mood.

“Because I’m your Grace’s ex-lover? If that’s the case, wouldn’t my topic soon be buried under more important issues?“

“Well, there’s that. However, there are people who are interested in the fact that Lady is my perfumer.“

“Wasn’t that an internal secret?”

I tilted my head. The fact that Cedric suffered from madness was a secret known to only his closest associates.

Therefore, it was also a secret that Ariel provided the Anixia scent that soothed his madness.

“Of course it is.”

Cedric laughed bitterly.

“You didn’t keep it that way.”

Who?

… No way, me?

Facing Cedric’s bitter smile, I was soon enlightened by a drastic thought.

In the original, Ariel and Cedric’s contracted relationship clearly contained a clause that made their companionship strictly confidential.

However, Ariel didn’t keep her intended part. She wished to appeal to others with the title of a romantic perfumer who manufactured her man’s scent. She wouldn’t have uttered anything about the Anixia scent, yet the fact that she was making perfume for Cedric was likely to have spilled everywhere.

“Well, I don’t mean to blame you.“

Cedric spoke in an insignificant tone as he witnessed my impression. I shook my head.

“I apologize.”

“It’s all right.”

“No, I’m very sorry.“

It would have been very unpleasant for me too, if someone had spilled my personal information to other people.

When I apologized again, Cedric laughed bitterly.

“The lady is very strange.”

“What?”

“I’ve been thinking that you’ve gotten strange lately, but today, you are exceptionally abnormal compared to the past.”

What do you mean? I became anxious.

There’s no way you would have noticed that I’m different. How would this man know when even I, the person in charge, couldn’t believe this?

Cedric smiled leisurely as he erased his bitter expression.

“Well, anyhow. I didn’t mean for you to apologize. If you feel uncomfortable, could you do me a favor?”

“What?”

“If you listen, I’ll gladly forgive you.“

What do you mean ‘gladly’? What kind of nonsense is this?

I nodded my head and waited for him to speak.

“What is your Grace asking for?”

“Please attach an escort beside you.”

I blinked my eyes. It was something I couldn’t imagine him asking for.

I threw forward my gibberish while flustered.

“… That? Ah, an escort … I apologize, I’m an outsider in that field. To have a high-level skilled man from the Duke’s residence escort me is nice, however my wallet isn’t big enough to …”

“No, of course, I’m handing an escort to the Lady.“

“What? To me? An escort?”

My eyes widened.

I’m neither a Duchess nor a Princess.

“You always seem to be accompanied by one of your servants. Society is a dangerous place. Having one isn’t good enough for your safety.”

Cedric shook his head.

I opened my mouth. His acting skills are brilliant for someone who’s pretending to really care about me.

“So I’ll give you an escort.”

“No matter how dangerous it is …”

“Ern.”

Cedric opened his mouth. Then, the knight that stood behind him like a statue proceeded forward.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Escort lady Winston from now on.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Yes?!”

I opened my mouth wide. The knight walked up to me. I rapidly attempted to reply while backing down.

“I’m fine!”

“He is one of the best men in the Empire. He’ll prevent anyone from touching a hair on the Lady.”

“I’m not doubting his skills, but this is just too much!”

I looked up at the knight. His face was covered with armor, so I couldn’t figure the expression he was currently making.

Cedric tilted his head.

“These days, aristocratic young ladies walk with around one or two escorts.“

“That’s not the problem. This is your Grace’s personal escort! It’s burdensome!“

“You don’t have to pay me.”

‘Of course I won’t pay you! Are you a robber searching for a salary?!’

Cedric smiled as he glanced at Ern.

“Have him work without a single break. If there’s anyone acting suspiciously, he’ll take care of the task.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Ern bent in front of me on one knee.

“I will serve my lady with my utmost respect.”

A fluent voice flowed between the openings.

To be honest, just looking at him made me feel his confidence.

Somehow, I had a feeling that as he was armed from head to toes, he could sleep whenever he wished to.

However, I didn’t at all hide my distrust.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Well.”

Cedric pondered for a while.

He seemed not to know what to say in such a situation.

‘He’s incredibly handsome.’

His red eyes that flashed brilliantly under the light, including his smooth sharp nose and firm jawline.

All of this was in perfect harmony.

Was it really true I hurt this beauty to make the main character look good? It was when I became lost in my misconceptions that Cedric raised his head and smiled.

“Let’s just say it has been a while.”

“What?”

“Even if it was a contractual relationship, I haven’t acted the role perfectly as a couple, have I?”

Cedric said so as he smiled merrily. The content of his words were absurd, but he gave an unjustly attractive smile.

“You cared about that? It can’t be …”

“Anyway.”

Cedric shrugged and blatantly turned the subject.

“I want you to accept my ‘favor’ until others’ attention subsides.”

I paid careful attention to the word ‘favor’. The knight would obey me honorably till then.

… Sigh. All right.

I’ve been protesting till now, but should I just pretend I can’t win?

Well, it won’t hurt me.

Eventually, I nodded.

“Alright, but only for a while.”

Until the paparazzi get tired of going after me.

“Please take good care of me, Sir.”

Ern kissed me politely on the back of my hand, his armor still intact. The chillness of the metal flowed on the back of my hand.

Cedric watched the scene, his chin perked up.

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

Five days later.

I plopped on the rocking chair situated outside in Winston’s garden, pondering.

“What are you thinking so seriously about, Milady?”

“Thinking of a new perfume.”

The Lilac perfume was a big hit, but it would only last for now.

I also already thought of a name. <The Law of First Love>.

The name was important. It would be much more advantageous to have a specific name rather than just calling it ‘the lilac perfume scent’.

Anyway, this was a very important moment. I had to be liked by people before and after this huge hit cooled down.

‘Shall we develop a more functional perfume this time?’

For example, the energy recovering perfume I made last time.

When it was first made, the combination was slightly disproportional, causing Lina to explode with energy, yet after adjusting the combination well, I was able to produce a proper level of energy increase.

‘A refreshing scent that goes well with the function … Yes, the clear scent of a pine tree.’

I began to write down a new batch of ingredients in my notebook. Soon, a plausible recipe was completed. Of course, it was still only a theory, but experimentation was the only thing needed to turn the theory into a reality.