"Poor servants!" exclaimed Wolff as he finished hearing my tale about my unsuccessful attempt with alchemy.
Francis watched me talking about it with intense curiosity, which ended in laughter after he found out the end result of my adventure. Jenni looked mortified, even though she had seen first hand my tale before, and Fridh, who joined sometimes our group, arched a brow in disbelief and was the only sign of personality I ever got from him till then.
Cedric, however, didn't seem happy at all. He said nothing during my talk, letting me ending it before he opened his mouth to pronounce himself.
"That was very idiotic of you Lulu." He reprimanded, surprising everyone at the table."You could have hurt yourself and others by attempting something you were not ready to do yet." His harsh tone took me back and I almost responded harshly to it.
I choose not to because he was right and I was wrong. That I knew, even if it pained me to some degree.
"I know it was not correct of me to do so, but I was exasperated and itching to move forward..." I started, avoiding Cedric's piercing eyes.
"Alchemy is about precision and attention to the details, and even then it can fail, if you have very little experience. Alchemists have been known to hide clues in their recipes to increase the success factor of those. One thing in common in most of them, is that they are never upfront about their magic. Understanding what is written in the recipe is just the first step." Continued Cedric in his relentless scolding.
I looked up to find that his eyes were not as austere as his voice and seemed to carry a genuine concern over.
"Cedric, I understand what you mean. But I can also agree with Miss Lulu, one needs to practise to improve its craft." Replied Francis with his political voice, while giving me a shy encouraging smile.
At that Cedric let out a bit of a sigh and told us, in a more subdued way, the only advice he knew could help. "My uncle says one should only attempt practising alchemy with another alchemist around. But when none can be found near, the best way to practise is by improving one's precision and attention skill."
"That is boring..." said Francis with a dejected face.
"My uncle thinks the same.... but there is no other way to advance safely. One has to be able to follow the recipe and understand its essence. Something Lulu did not get it, hence the disastrous result." Cedric was now more his usual self, less angry and more candid.
In my head, though, an idea was forming... a way to practice an alchemy recipe, without destroying my room. Yes, it was possible. A safe way to advance and to avoid anymore cleaning room duties! However, before I could share it with the group, we got interrupted by a scribe who came bearing a silver book in his hand.
"Oh, my lady. I found a book you have not viewed yet, with some of the oldest families in the empire. Maybe you would like to check it, for your research." the scribe, a young man with heavy glasses on his face handed the book to me with a hint of a smile.
The moment I took it, he left in a hurry to fulfil his many other tasks. Organizing a library of this size was not an easy feat, even for people with so much passion for books, like the scribes employed here.
I passed my small fingers through the intricated cover, the silver brushes on the black canvas making a pretty grand tree as the main design. And while I heard the strong and rushed steps of the scribe fade away, I opened it in the middle, on a page that was filled with old names. Yet, all with the same surname.
Benedicto
I whispered the familiar name, that sounded so unfamiliar in my voice.
Bang
In a rapid movement, Jenni closed the book, almost clasping my fingers within it. I turned to her and I saw in her eyes a look of panic that I had never seen before, it was so shocking I was unable to say anything in response.
"Is there a problem, lady Jennifer?" Asked Francis with an arched eyebrow and a worried face.
He was not the only one curious about Jenni's strange behaviour, everyone else at the table looked at her wondering why such a calm and respectful lady like Jenni would behave like that.
But when she looked back at everyone, she was back to her usual self, smiling meekly and with no longer panic in her eyes. Just a sweet and apologetic look.
"Nothing, your highness. It was just that I remembered to have looked through this book before and in excitement, I acted quite harshly. My apologies for my unsightly behaviour." She said with regret in her voice and stance, hanging her head low. Yet, never once did Jenni let go of the book in question, her nails piercing the cover.
Before anyone could say anything more, she ran off to return the book back to the scribe. By then Cedric and Wolff got distracted by discussing the best approach to my alchemy failure, while Fridh continued reading his economic's journal, building a wall between himself and the rest of the party. Francis, though, looked on as Jenni left, and only when she was out of his view, did he glance at me. He hadn't believed in her excuse.
And neither did I.
But I knew in part the reason for her strange behaviour.
Florence Benedicto.
That was the name of Lucreatia's mother.
We now know more about the Lucreatia's true family! Even if only a little...
And what was Lulu's idea? Can you guess it?
I hope you like this smaller chapter, but be free to comment your thoughts about it :)
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Some suggestions while you wait for the next chapter:
My blog: http://andreasousa.com
My podcast (has the blog chapters): A writer's journey (on Spotify)
Do you like that I give suggestions? I always feel this space is to connect with my readers and let them know about other things that they may enjoy... I hope is not too much XD
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