“In order to ensure Her Highness Rubia recovers as soon as possible, I may have to live in the alchemy hut for a while.”
Anis paused briefly after speaking, her eyes fixed on Sherry, not missing a single detail in her expression.
When the hut was built, it hadn’t been furnished with a bedroom. It was clear that Sherry hadn’t intended for her to spend the night there. Therefore, saying this was also a way to test her.
Seeing that Sherry’s eyes remained as calm as still water, she continued, “I might rarely return during this period, but there is no food here, so…”
“Would you be willing to bring me three meals a day?”
As soon as she finished, Sherry’s eyes slowly widened. she pressed her hands against her flat chest, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.
“Sure, no problem!”
Sherry affectionately took her arm, and the two of them walked back to the mansion together.
—
Two days later, Anis moved directly into the alchemy hut in the mountains, bringing some of her luggage with her. By her side was a young girl helping her carry her bags.
“Actually, you didn’t have to come along. I can handle this much luggage on my own.”
“Are you rejecting me?” Sherry pouted, her expression full of discontent.
“No, of course not.”
Anis found herself speechless.
When Anis pushed open the door to the alchemy hut, a tabby cat was sitting on the table to greet them. However, as soon as the cat saw that Sherry was also there, its internal alarm went off immediately!
*Meow — *
“There, there, it’s all right.”
Anis walked over to the cat’s side and gently scratched the top of its head to soothe it. Sherry watched all of this, her lips still pouted in displeasure, though she didn’t say anything.
During this time, Anis had reorganized the layout of the alchemy hut. In the center was a stone platform engraved with multiple magic circles, surrounded by herb racks, distillation equipment, and cooling tanks. The flickering candlelight reflected off the cold stone walls, making the entire space feel quiet and secluded.
After enjoying the dinner Sherry had brought, playing with the cat for a short while, and seeing Sherry off, she walked to the brewing stand. She took a deep breath and focused.
Anis placed the *Witch’s Apothecary* on one side of the stone platform and flipped to a familiar page.
“Starting from the core of the Frost Lily,” she murmured to herself.
As the words fell, a hand reached out and placed the prepared flower core within her reach.
“Thank you… Hmm?”
Surprised, Anis turned her head only to find a petite girl, looking as if she were born from a snowflake, smiling at her.
“Sherry? Didn’t you go back?”
“Well… I changed my mind.”
Sherry looked at Anis with a pitiful, hard-to-refuse gaze. “I want to stay here. Is that not allowed?”
“…”
Anis pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment.
‘Send Sherry away? I don’t feel like there’s any need for that.’
“As long as you don’t cause any trouble…”
“Then it’s a deal!” Sherry responded instantly. At the same time, the cat nearby let out another loud cry.
*Meow — *
It was protesting, but its protest was ignored.
“Miss Xia Mi, we shouldn’t disturb Anis’s work. Come on, let’s go play in that room.”
She gave a gentle push to the window of the bedroom Anis had secretly modified and walked inside as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Watching this, Anis could only offer a bitter smile. Nothing could be hidden from her.
‘But she doesn’t know any magic. How did she see through the disguise?’
Anis thought about it for a while, but she quickly put the question out of her mind. The upcoming potion concoction was the key.
Combining the theoretical knowledge from the book, she began to work on innovative improvements — this was the best way to further increase the purity of the potion.
It started smoothly. The Frost Lily slowly melted under the heat of the low-temperature flame, releasing a stable and clear stream of mana. Anis focused intensely on adjusting the heat and the mana ratio, the hair on her forehead slightly damp with sweat from her concentration.
This was her most familiar state, where the world was compressed until only the liquid medicine, the flow of mana, and the next judgment remained.
Meanwhile, Sherry had stood behind her at some point, within arm’s reach. She didn’t offer suggestions or interrupt; she just quietly watched Anis organize materials and record data. When Anis wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand, Sherry perfectly timed handing her a clean handkerchief.
At first, Anis felt quite surprised, but she soon grew accustomed to Sherry’s presence. Later, when Sherry handed her the handkerchief again, she didn’t even make a sound.
She simply reached out her hand.
The items Sherry handed over gradually upgraded, from a handkerchief at first to a piece of paper, then a quill, and finally a cup of warm water. When Anis realized this, her heart trembled slightly, yet she didn’t lose her focus.
The first failure occurred at the third step.
As the liquid entered the cooling stage, a subtle mana oscillation occurred, and grayish-white streaks with a clashing color appeared on the surface.
Anis frowned. “Could the ratio be wrong?”
She muttered under her breath, her tone carrying a hint of suppressed frustration. The liquid quickly turned into a pot of gooey, failed potion. She stood there, staring at the failure in the cauldron, her fingertips slowly tightening.
In the past, she would have endured such moments alone, but this time, she felt a gaze from her side. It wasn’t judgmental, nor was it worried. She was simply looking at her.
Anis regained her composure, cleared the potion from the pot with her wand, and tried again.
“I recorded the changes just now,” Sherry suddenly said, handing over a piece of paper. “Do you want to see?”
Anis was slightly stunned. She turned to look at Sherry, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She took the records Sherry had written and read them carefully, quickly finding where the problem lay.
Anis looked up again to meet Sherry’s gaze. The other girl didn’t look away, only giving her a gentle smile.
“Try again. You can do it.”
Anis remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a soft laugh.
“Okay.”
The second attempt went more smoothly than the first. With the help of the data Sherry had recorded, Anis successfully concocted a pale purple solution this time.
‘The purity is only slightly higher than last time. If I use that new magic power, “Natural Energy,” next time, I’m sure I’ll make a breakthrough.’
Anis didn’t say the second half out loud since Sherry was still there.
“Let’s go back.”
She stretched her aching ankles, only then realizing she had been standing for a very long time. The fatigue brought on by intense concentration surged up without warning.
Her feet swayed slightly, causing her to instinctively reach out and grab the sleeve next to her. The movement happened so fast that even she didn’t have time to react. By the time she realized it, her hand was already gripping Sherry’s cuff.
Sherry’s body stiffened imperceptibly, but she didn’t pull away. She took the opportunity to hold Anis’s shoulders and looked at her, speaking softly.
“Rest a bit before we go back,” she said.
Her tone was gentle but left no room for refusal. This time, Anis didn’t argue. She sat in a chair to rest and closed her eyes to recover her energy.
The sound of flowing water echoed in the air. When she opened her eyes again, a cup of warm water sat before her.
“Thank you.”
Anis took it and drank slowly. “When I used to brew medicine, no one was ever here.”
Sherry didn’t respond immediately. She sat beside Anis as if confirming her condition. After a moment, she finally spoke.
“Well, you will from now on.”
The sentence was simple, yet it caused Anis’s breathing to falter slightly. She understood what Sherry was trying to do, and while she wanted to say something, she felt it wasn’t necessary. She would just treat it as Sherry wanting the Princess to recover sooner.
After a short rest, Anis stood up again. Her movements were a bit slower than before, but they were more stable.
“Let’s go back,” she said.
Sherry nodded, and the two of them packed up the equipment and cleaned the room. Little Mi took the opportunity to slip into Anis’s robes and leave with them.
As Anis gazed at the starry sky, she realized one thing clearly — from now on, whether she succeeded or failed, she would not be alone.