After a short break, basking in the victory and joy of our accomplishment, I focused my energy on adding in the fireflies to the illusion, extending the duration of the perfume, and mixing in the citrus rose scent I had perfected.
The first was much easier than I had realised as it was only a matter of carefully taking the threads of magic from the perfume Corvin had made — making sure not a single wisp or drop was left behind — and weaving it into the other. Extending the duration took a lot of attempts, some patient waiting, and some wasted perfume, but I managed to hit the desired length. The fragrance was simple enough as that didn't require any magic. A few drops of the scent mixed in with the liquid was the ideal amount.
Now, there were only some tests to run before we sent off a sample to get it approved.
Corvin was insistent that we couldn't be the ones to trial the perfume. We needed other people, fresh eyes to catch flaws we couldn't notice. Luckily for us, I had the perfect people.
I walked to the Client Gardens with Nalyn and Salris in tow with the plan to meet the Head Perfumer there, winding through the emporium to reach our destination. Corvin had picked the gardens because it was outside and the closest setting we had to the Miracles Festival — our closest hope to the real thing before it was too late to turn back.
Both of my workshop-mates were excited to discover what we had been working on, Nalyn even more so since Corvin was going to be there. She had been dying for a chance to see him up close again and she couldn't quite believe she was getting one.
"I'm a little surprised that you're working with him, Elvira," Salris began. "From your first meeting and the way you stormed into the workshop afterwards, I thought you were plotting a way to secretly kill him." Her eyes narrowed as she watched me.
"I thought I might have ended up killing him too, but things have changed now." Over the course of only a few days, I had learnt so much about him. From his royal blood to the way his hands could never keep still, every part of him made Corvin both insufferable and a joy to be around.
"Does it matter?" Nalyn turned around and placed her hands on Salris' shoulders, shaking them mercilessly. "We're about to see and talk to a tall body of hotness for a possible hour or two. I don't know how I'm going to focus on the perfume while he's there!"
I shook my head with a laugh. "If you can't focus then you can go back to the workshop. There won't be any Corvin there."
Her mouth hung open for a split second before she closed it again and returned to walking. "Yes, ma'am."
With a few bursts of electrified chatter, we made our way to the centre of the Client Gardens and found the Head Perfumer there with a small, round table and a pair of matching perfume bottles. While it had been my turn to focus on the magic that went into it, Corvin had pushed his remaining focus into designing a bottle shape for the festival. The glass was shaped like a detailed firefly — the wings and legs angled precisely so that not a single drop of perfume would get trapped. The top struck true to the real illusion with a sparkling, blue atomiser. He knew it might not have been possible to get it made ready in time for the night, but he still wanted to try. If not, he had a fun idea for a keepsake bottle once everything was over.
All around us, hedges were neatly trimmed into giant rectangles, giving us the privacy we needed from any passers-by. Flowerbeds were dug just in front of them which held breath-taking ivory and azure buds. Some were about to bloom, their petals about to stretch open at any moment, and others had already blossomed into painting-worthy flora. Underneath us was a carpet of luscious, green grass that had been tended to by the gardeners. Even with the droughts the Kingdom of Yuris received in the middle of the year, it was still thick and vibrant.
"Ah, you found me. I was worried I had chosen a spot too far into the gardens," Corvin greeted. "Thank you for coming out and taking the time out of your busy schedules to test this for us."
"No problem," Nalyn replied as soon as the last word left his mouth. She appeared both scared of him and like she wanted to pounce on him at the same time. "It's our honour, really."
Salris elbowed me. "See, you could learn some manners or two from him."
I jabbed her back, making sure to aim for the ribs. "My manners are perfectly fine."
"Even I have a difficult time believing that one," Corvin stated with a teasing smile.
"Let's focus on the perfume." I changed the topic as I rolled my eyes and made my way to the table to pick up a perfume bottle. "All we need you to do is wear the perfume and see if you notice anything strange or something that doesn't look natural."
Salris crossed her arms. "What is the perfume meant to do?" she questioned, hints of hesitancy lingering in her voice.
Corvin picked up the other bottle. "That's a surprise for now. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Nalyn rushed up to the Head Perfumer and squinted at the liquid inside, trying to guess what ingredients it held.
I took the privilege of spraying Salris and myself, eager to see their reactions to the enchanted world we had crafted.
As soon as the orange tang filled my nose, slivers of crushed rose petals lingering at the back of the scent, the forest enveloped us. Now that the fireflies had been added to the illusion, everything had a beautiful blue glow cast onto it. Most floated in the air, hovering to provide light in the darkness, and others rested on trees. It really felt like I had been swept up into a storm and carried into a fantasy, adventure novel of some kind. No matter how much I had looked at the forest scene over the past few days, I could never grow tired of it.
My two workshop-mates were star-struck in awe, their eyes widening as they took in the illusion around them. Nalyn reached out to touch one of the fireflies, but her thin fingers passed through it.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"I wasn't expecting this," Salris spun around in a slow circle, as if the forest would change behind her if she wasn't keeping a constant eye on it.
"How does everything look?" I pressed, nerves biting at my thoughts. "Does it look realistic?"
"It feels like I'm in a fairytale!" Nalyn answered with a smile.
Corvin could only chuckle. "I believe that means it passes the initial test."
"Initial?" Salris questioned. "So there's more to it than this insane magic?"
I grinned. "There is. How about we take a walk through the garden?"
"But we can't see where we're going." Nalyn frowned, tearing her attention away from the fireflies.
"The illusion should keep you from walking into any hedges or bushes with the trees, so there's no need to fear. Just be careful of your surroundings," the Head Perfumer explained.
This was the true test to see if the illusion would follow people around in a large area. If it didn't work for four people in an enclosed garden, there was no way it would work for the entire Miracles Festival. We would need to rush back to the workshop and figure something out if that was the case. The perfume needed to be sent off by the end of the day or there was no chance it would be approved in time.
While Nalyn and Salris walked ahead, admiring every blue, glowing orb and tree they passed, I triple-checked every detail. I made sure the trees weren't too tall — both up close and in the distance. The fireflies needed to be consistent with how often they appeared, not pushing the boundaries of being crowded but also not too sparse. I watched the forest floor to ensure it was all fallen leaves and mud instead of the grass of the Client Gardens.
A hand squeezed my shoulder, interrupting the routine checks I had fallen into. "Relax," Corvin began with a murmur so we couldn't be heard above the crunch of leaves under our feet. "I really think we've completed this perfume. Everything looks perfect, even with my standards."
"I know." His hand remained a constant, comforting weight, making it difficult to focus on anything else. "I just can't help but feel like there's an aspect I've missed or something is going to go wrong. We've only worked on this for three days. That's not much compared to the other schedules I've had." I was used to weeks or even months to perfect a perfume for a client.
"This is also the shortest time frame I've had because I decided to leave the castle halfway through, but it's still been a lot of fun. Even more so since you've been by my side." Corvin's hand left my shoulder, dropping to his side so his fingers could brush against mine — asking to be invited to touch me further. I accepted, interlacing them together. "We did amazing and everyone is going to remember this Miracles Festival for the rest of their lives."
When my two workshop-mates turned around, we quickly pulled our hands apart.
"Is that meant to happen?" Salris pointed towards the edge of the forest where pieces of the illusion were fading away. The shadows melted, revealing parts of the Client Gardens hiding behind them.
"Yes." I breathed a sigh of relief. My heart leapt into my throat when she suggested something might have been wrong. "We only gave you a short version of the perfume since we didn't want you to be trapped in the forest for hours on end."
"Aw, I would have loved to walk around for ages." Nalyn frowned, watching the trees nearest to her fade into a hedge.
"We've got work to get back to, Lyn," Salris reminded.
"Did you notice anything at all that could break the enchanting feeling you experienced?" Corvin queried, making sure the perfume's magic was dwindling the way it should.
"Not at all," Nalyn replied with a shake of her head. "I had a wonderful time. Thank you for letting us help you out."
"That was all Elvira. You should be thanking her instead."
Heat crept up the back of my neck. "Will you be attending the Miracles Festival?"
"We will now that we know we'll get to experience this perfume again," Salris confessed. "I've never seen such a powerful fragrance."
Now that the illusion had faded, I noticed a pair of royal guards leisurely walking behind us, keeping pace with our steps.
"I can't wait to see you there."
Chapter Word Count: 1,837
Total Word Count: 18,848