LIGHTNOVELWORLD 62: The Wedding Gift
Late May is my birthday.
I have turned nine. I’ve grown a bit taller!
But apparently, I still look about seven years old…
Even though I drink milk every day?
Am I not getting enough nutrients?
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll have a growth spurt soon enough,” Martha said with a cheerful laugh.
How much is a growth spurt?
I’d like to be at least three and a half spirit heights.
Hm? Did you imagine three spirit totems stacked together?
Hehe.
And now, the rose season has arrived!
The rose garden in the front yard of the mansion is in full bloom.
The plants get bigger and more impressive each year, making it a sight to behold!
Billy also nodded in satisfaction.
He’s gotten the hang of taking care of the roses and is now a proper apprentice gardener.
Recently, I’ve even entrusted him with changing the plantings of annuals and perennials.
The small spirits help too, so there’s no worry about pests or diseases.
During the rose blooming period, there’s a lot of deadheading to do every day, so it’s surprisingly busy.
Some flowers last longer than others, and we have to pick them before they wilt. It’s a bit of a waste, but new flowers keep blooming.
Also, since we don’t use pesticides, we can make fresh rose tea.
Of course, we can also dry the petals for storage.
By the way, the pesticide-free Damask roses, which are the raw material for rose otto, are hand-picked when they start blooming. It takes about fifty to sixty flowers to make just one drop of rose otto (various theories exist).
No wonder rose otto is so expensive.
This year, Lady Cecilia sent a letter saying she couldn’t come. She seemed very disappointed but indirectly asked for a gift.
I can’t complain, though, since I received many birthday presents.
This year, Oscar’s wedding will be held at the temple in the royal capital.
Naturally, there will be a reception party, so the Marquisess will be very busy.
I thought it was someone else’s problem, but it wasn’t.
Since we received an invitation, we also have to send an appropriate gift.
If we don’t send something suitable for a noble family, it would be embarrassing.
With that in mind, Father consulted me about the gift.
By the way, when did the invitation arrive?
It shouldn’t have arrived at the last minute, right?
When I asked Father, he looked away!
It seems he thought everything would be fine if he asked me.
Or maybe he just forgot!?
Afterward, Father and Victor got a severe scolding from Burton.
Burton was relentless!
Naturally!
I was fuming.
But this is a problem.
Right now, I’m in the separate living room, having a meeting with Burton and Martha.
The little spirits are playing in the garden.
As usual, Grandfather is not here.
Mee-Mee is sitting on her chair, participating in the meeting.
It’s strange how she got her chair without me noticing.
“The wedding is in July, right? There won’t be any roses then. Radberries are out of season, and it’s too early for melons…”
“Indeed. Considering it’s a gift for the Marquis of Ragnard, the options are limited.”
Even Burton furrowed his brows this time.
It’s not the right season, and the timing is off.
Considering the transport, we need to leave by mid-June.
“We could send a selection of spirit-marked jams, but I don’t want to send those out, and it’s about time we consider something other than food or flowers.”
The only things I can make are plant-related…
There are no gemstones or luxury fabrics in the Radcliffe territory.
It’s a village, after all.
How about taking a rare magical beast and having a dissection show?
No? I guess not. It’s not like we’re dealing with tuna.
Imagining a tuna dissection show at a noble party made me chuckle.
Hehe.
Hmm, hmm.
As I pretended to think, I glanced at Mee-Mee, who was staring at me intently.
Her pupils were fully dilated.
Are you okay?
“How about massage oil?”
What’s massage oil?
Mee-Mee sighed quietly when she saw the question mark over my head.
Her reactions are always so irritating.
“Massage oil is made by adding essential oils to carrier oils.
It’s used for facial and body massages. The raw materials for carrier oils that can be produced in the Radcliffe territory are grapeseed oil from the seeds left after pressing wine and apricot kernel oil from apricot seeds. Cold-pressed over time, these oils become 100% pure. Both oils have a light touch and are good for the skin. Adding a small amount of rose otto makes them essential oils, which would be highly appreciated by ladies interested in beauty.”
Mee-Mee spoke like Benjamin, without taking a breath.
“Wow!”
I exclaimed in genuine admiration!
Mee-Mee is invaluable!
In times of trouble, Mee-Mee is the one to rely on!
This time, we used plants from the botanical garden, but apricots, being part of the Rosaceae family, can be grown even in cold climates, so they can be produced in the Radcliffe territory. The fruit can be eaten, and oil can be extracted, making it quite valuable.
Apricot kernel tofu’s “apricot kernel” is also from apricots, right?
I heard that apricot oil softens the skin.
If we can buy seeds from the winery after pressing wine, we can produce grapeseed oil without any issues.
According to Mee-Mee, essential oils should be added to the carrier oils in a dilution of less than 1%.
Rose otto, chamomile, lavender, and peppermint can be grown even in cold climates. Rosemary might be able to survive winter in the separate garden.
So, we made two types of carrier oils and five types of massage oils based on apricot kernel oil.
We did patch tests on the finished massage oils and then checked the feel with everyone.
“Rose otto has a luxurious and noble scent. Chamomile and lavender have a slightly medicinal smell within their floral scents.”
“Mint and rosemary have a refreshing aroma. After applying it to the skin, it feels smooth and non-sticky. This is excellent!”
Martha also praised it highly.
Burton applied it to his hands, confirmed the scent and feel, and nodded.
“Unscented carrier oils can be used by pregnant women and children.”
Mee-Mee lined up seven bottles with white labels on dark blue opaque bottles.
“The two types of carrier oils are in large bottles (500 milliliters), and the five scented ones are in medium bottles (250 milliliters). Since this is a gift for a noble, how about sending the carrier oil and rose otto scent? The herb scents can be commercialized and sold later.”
When Mee-Mee’s eyes gleamed mysteriously, both Burton and Martha nodded deeply.
It looks like they’re eager to sell them!
“But wait! We need to deliver them to Lady Cecilia and the bride first.”
“Oh, right. How careless of me…”
Burton cleared his throat and tried to cover it up.
“Then, let’s quickly order gift boxes from the village’s woodworkers.”
“Please make sure to include the Radcliffe family crest.”
Burton and Mee-Mee quickly moved forward with the discussion.
Then I’ll relax and have some tea.
After that, I’ll play outside with the spirits.
Should we play tag or hide and seek?
“You’re so clumsy; you’ll definitely be ‘it’ and last. Is that fun?”
Is it fun?
Fun? (Echo)
Waaah.
The black-hearted sheep is bullying me!
A few days later, we received white wooden boxes from the woodworking workshop. We lined the boxes with white cotton padding and arranged the items.
Burton wrote the usage instructions in neat handwriting.
We closed the lid, wrapped it with cotton fabric dyed light pink, and tied a ribbon.
We added a fresh Damask rose to the ribbon.
We made two sets like this.
The gifts are complete.
In this era, these are quite expensive items.
The fresh flowers are just for decoration, so quickly put them in the magic bag to prevent them from wilting.
I had Father test the massage oil’s feel.
Overall, the reaction was positive.
“This massage oil can’t be made in large quantities yet. Please inform them that this rose scent is exclusively for the Ragnard family and should be kept confidential.”
Don’t boast to your friends.
Wouldn’t it be annoying if everyone had the same scent?
I firmly reminded Father to “please, please” keep it private.
Father nodded solemnly.
Oh, by the way, I gave the chamomile massage oil, which we didn’t use this time, to Martha, who liked it.
Martha seemed embarrassed but smiled happily.
Seeing that made me happy too.