Sniff sniff….

Selina looked at the Silver-haired girl, who was staring blankly at her and tilting her head.

In her red eyes, there was curiosity and faint wariness, and for some reason, she was sniffing her nose as if smelling her scent.

‘Is she… smelling me?’

Selina extended her hand, recalling Melka, whom she raised.

Then, the Silver-haired girl, who had been sniffing, tilted her head and opened her mouth.

“I smell Asha-nim.”

“Hmm…?”

Selina blinked.

Certainly… it was true that she had an unexpectedly intimate time with him… no, with her today, but she hadn’t even imagined that the scent would still linger.

‘…Or perhaps this girl is special.’

It seemed that the girl in front of her was the ‘Homunculus’ Asha had mentioned.

If so… it would be good to leave a good impression.

Selina smiled faintly and said to the girl.

“What is your name?”

Her red eyes blinked as if in thought. She seemed to be pondering whether she should say her name. The girl, who had been mumbling for a moment, soon smiled brightly and replied.

“Cecil is Cecil!”

“Is that so… That’s a pretty name.”

Selina, who had no intention of being satisfied with just knowing her name, smiled brightly back at Cecil.

“My name is Selina. If it’s not rude, could you let me in?”

“Hmm….”

At Selina’s question, Cecil began to ponder again.

The lesson that she shouldn’t let strangers into the house, and the faint scent of Asha emanating from Selina’s body, clashed in Cecil’s mind.

Selina somehow felt as if she could see her dilemma and had a strange feeling.

First, to alleviate her concern, she smiled.

“As Cecil-yang said, I… no. Don’t I smell of Asha? I am her friend.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.”

While Selina was wondering how to persuade Cecil, who was still hesitating, her eyes caught sight of red hair.

The front of the door was noisy, so Veronica had come out to check. On Selina’s face, who had spotted her, a look of delight appeared.

“Ah, Lady Kaltz.”

“…Her Highness the Princess?”

Veronica, who was about to hastily bow.

Selina waved her hand, saying it was fine. Cecil, realizing that Selina also knew Veronica, finally nodded.

“Well, it’s okay to go in now, right?”

“I think it will be fine!”

“Ce-Cecil….”

Veronica, who had rushed out, greeted Selina with an awkward expression and pulled Cecil away.

It was because the visit was too sudden.

‘…She must have come looking for Asha.’

Some might think it was a great opportunity to get into the Imperial Family’s good graces, but Veronica just felt uncomfortable.

However, since she couldn’t treat her lightly, she had to carefully guide Selina inside.

Selina, who smiled contentedly at Veronica’s attitude, turned back and opened her mouth.

“You all… I’ll contact you separately, so for now, go back.”

“…We cannot do that, Jeonha.”

Selina, with half-closed eyes, looked around.

They might have been able to deceive others’ eyes, but Selina could see the knights hidden nearby very clearly.

“It seems sufficient already.”

The man, who had been silent for a moment, at Selina’s firm attitude, finally nodded.

“…Understood.”

Selina, who had sent the carriage back, smiling faintly, stepped into Veronica’s Workshop.

Then, Veronica was seen whispering something to Cecil. Cecil, listening to Veronica’s words, kept nodding her head.

“Lady Kaltz?”

“Ah, Jeonha, are your errands finished?”

“Thanks to you. Then, let’s go in.”

“…Yes.”

Walking down a rather long Corridor, a strange silence flowed among the companions entering the Workshop.

Veronica was busy thinking about why Selina had come, and Cecil was quiet as if she had zipped her mouth, just as Veronica had told her.

Selina, with an interesting expression, was walking while looking at Cecil.

Soon, upon arriving at the reception room, Selina said to Veronica, as if it was a fact she had forgotten.

“Lady Kaltz. I had forgotten, but when visiting someone else’s house, a gift shouldn’t be missing, should it?”

“…Your Highness’s visit isn’t it like a gift itself?”

“Huhu… Even if it’s just empty words, I’m pleased.”

Saying so, Selina handed something wrapped to Veronica.

“Still, I brought something for us to enjoy together, so please, how about we enjoy it together?”

“Ah… um, y-yes.”

Veronica, who checked the contents, for a moment looked at Cecil with uneasy eyes.

Since leaving Cecil like this felt uneasy, the moment Veronica grabbed Cecil’s hand, Selina stopped Veronica.

“I’ll be talking with this cute girl for a while… so don’t worry and go.”

‘That’s what I’m most worried about, though.’

Veronica looked back and forth between Cecil and Selina, then sighed inwardly and left the reception room.

Soon, Veronica’s somewhat hurried footsteps gradually faded away.

In the reception room where Veronica had disappeared, Selina sat facing Cecil.

As if she had no intention of opening her mouth, Cecil sat with her lips tightly pressed together. Her bright, clear eyes seemed full of determination.

Selina, looking at those determined eyes, smiled faintly and said.

“What do you think about Asha?”

“Asha-nim….”

At the mention of Asha, Cecil quickly showed interest.

Hap! Looking at Cecil, who covered her mouth with her hand, Selina continued speaking with a smile, as if claiming to be harmless.

“I’m not trying to do anything bad. It’s just that I want to know a little more about Asha, whom you like… How about it? Won’t you tell me just a little?”

At Selina’s seemingly sincere persuasion, Cecil hesitated for a moment.

Cecil, having finished her deliberation, removed her hand from her mouth and smiled brightly.

“Asha-nim is kind!”

“Hmm….”

A story she hadn’t expected came out from the beginning.

Indeed, thinking back to her Academy days… no, in a way, even if she was taciturn, she didn’t seem to be a harsh person. If that were the case, it made sense that she hadn’t pushed away Lady Kaltz, who bothered her, or the Saint.

‘…It might have just been annoying, though.’

Selina nodded her head and chimed in as if listening attentively.

“And… she’s smart. She likes Milk!”

“Indeed, that’s true.”

Counting on her fingers, Cecil, who had been telling various stories about Asha, suddenly blushed and smiled.

“And Cecil loves Asha-nim!”

“Uh… huh?”

At that story, Selina’s face, which had been smiling faintly, couldn’t help but be tinged with embarrassment.

A story she had not expected at all.

But Cecil, not caring about Selina’s expression, smiled brightly.

Selina was a little confused.

‘Was there a record that Homunculi considered their creators as parents?’

From what Selina had observed… there were indeed often those who formed such relationships.

However, whether they truly thought so, there was no clearly documented record.

‘…Are the feelings that girl is experiencing the feelings of love one feels for a parent?’

If not….

At that moment, the closed reception room door burst open with a bang!

Beyond the door, Veronica, panting, and Ariel, with a subtle expression, stood.

When Veronica appeared, Cecil again tightly closed her mouth and blinked her eyes as if nothing had happened.

‘…She’s exactly like her master.’

Selina felt a strange sensation.

As expected of the Alchemist she had her eyes on, she seemed to have created an extraordinary Homunculus.

‘It seems her body also changed in that process, but….’

There’s nothing particularly bad about it, is there?

On the contrary, she became cuter than before and changed in a way that made her fun to tease… so it would be a gain if anything.

…If ‘that medicine/drug’ had no side effects, there would be no need to worry about succession.

Selina, who had thought that far, shook her head inwardly.

‘…This seems like too much of a premature thought.’

Selina, smiling faintly, met Ariel’s eyes.

“I never dreamed that I would be able to meet Forest Keeper here.”

Ariel, with a somewhat displeased expression, looked at Selina and replied.

“…Didn’t you already know?”

Selina shrugged her shoulders as if saying, “What are you talking about?”

As if asserting her innocence.

Ariel, who shook her head slightly, with her water-colored hair fluttering, approached Cecil and took her hand.

“Child, you go inside with me.”

“Ariel-nim!”

Cecil, who had spilled all she wanted to say, seemed to have no intention of sitting any longer.

Selina was a little disappointed, but she decided to back down for now.

‘Today won’t be the only day.’

Besides, the purpose of her visit today was separate.

In the reception room from which Ariel and Cecil had left, only Veronica and Selina remained in the end.

The reception room, where an atmosphere more awkward than before flowed.

Selina, who moistened her throat with tea, brought up the main reason for her visit.

“Lady Kaltz.”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps… do you know about the medicine/drug that makes Male Genitalia grow on women?”

“…Nowadays, there’s no one in the Capital who doesn’t know about that.”

Selina nodded.

Unless it was someone completely uninterested in such entertainment, if they had even a little interest, they would have at least heard about it, even if they hadn’t tried it.

“Then the conversation will be quick.”

Selina began to confide about what happened after Asha took ‘that medicine/drug’.

As the story progressed, Veronica’s face turned bright red, like her own hair.

It was difficult to explain to the Princess, who didn’t know what ‘Heat cycle’ was.

And why Asha took ‘that medicine/drug’, she was extremely curious.

While the conversation was progressing in Veronica’s reception room like that.

Asha, who was in Claire’s room, barely regained consciousness.

What she felt first was.

To a painful degree, it was pleasure pouring into her mind.