Chapter 6

And finally, I was able to start making the floral water.

I was led to the kitchen by Ruri.

"Oh, Ruri and... "

"This is Lady Julia, the mistress of the detached palace. She wishes to make a facial toner from roses, so I brought her here. Lady Julia, this is Hans, the head of the kitchen, and Maria, his assistant."

Upon hearing that I was the mistress of the detached palace, they bowed dramatically, but I told them there was no need and asked them to raise their heads.

"I want to make a facial toner from roses and water. For that, I need to use a steamer to 'distill' it. Could you lend me a place and the tools?"

When I explained the reason for my visit, Hans and the others readily accepted my request.

"Of course, Lady Julia. Still, if they hear that facial toner can be made in the kitchen, all the free women will want to see it."

"Indeed..."

I nodded at Ruri's last words.

"Then, shall we gather some people who want to watch?"

So, there's no floral water here, huh.

"Yes! The maids will be delighted!"

Thus, a large group of women gathered around me.

I filled the bottom of the steamer with plenty of water. Then, I placed a perforated plate in the steamer and put a stable glass on the center of the plate. I scattered plenty of rose petals around the glass.

I need a lid with a handle that is slightly curved towards the handle part. I placed the steamer lid upside down. On top of the lid, I placed plenty of ice to cool the steam. I need to quickly add more ice when it melts.

With that, the preparation was complete.

I turned on the stove to boil the water inside.

After about half an hour of continuous evaporation, the floral water, containing the aromatic components of the flowers, would collect in the glass.

"Wow, the scent of the roses is wonderful!"

As the water boiled and the rose petals began to steam, the women in the audience exclaimed in amazement.

I turned off the heat to prevent the water from boiling dry. Then, I waited for the steam to condense sufficiently before opening the lid.

When I did, a layer of oil separated and floated on top of the floral water. This is the precious rose oil!

I repeated this process several times, using all the picked flowers to make the floral water.

"Adding a little honey will give it antibacterial and moisturizing effects."

I added a small amount of honey to the floral water I had made. This completed the toner!

For the first batch, I put three bottles of the toner into cosmetic bottles, one each for me, Astaloth, and Ruri. I also kept the aromatherapy oil for my personal use.

The remaining toner was distributed in small bottles to the gathered maids, and it seemed to be very well-received.

"To be able to make something that can care for the skin so effectively and easily. Lady Julia, you are truly knowledgeable!"

"I only got a little, but we want it too..."

"But it would be a bother to trouble Lady Julia."

"Then, let's ask for permission to make it ourselves, including for Lady Julia and the others!"

The maids led the petition to the higher-ups.

◆

Meanwhile, this is Lucifer's office.

"A petition from the maids to allow them to make toner... What is this?"

Lucifer tilted his head at the petition from the maids. Adramelech, who was standing by, peered at the document.

At that moment, Astaloth, who had received the toner from Julia and had been using it for a few days, arrived.

"Julia made a 'floral water' that extracts the components of flowers and herbs and has the effect of toning the skin. She even let the maids watch her make it and gave them a little each. Then, the maids got excited and wanted to make it themselves."

She then leaned in close to Lucifer and Adramelech, showing her cheek.

"Look! She gave me a bottle because I take care of her, and my skin has really improved from using it every day! My makeup also applies better. What do you think, Adramelech?"

Astaloth boasted about her beautiful skin to Adramelech, who is a man with a high sense of beauty and wears makeup.

Hmmm, boasting Astaloth and seeing the effects, Adramelech began to consider visiting Julia.

Watching this, Lucifer sighed and signed the petition, thinking, "This can't be stopped."

"Oh, by the way, about Julia. It seems she has a mysterious power to freely grow plants and make flowers bloom."

Not only is she a saint, but she can freely grow plants and create something like 'floral water' that others don't know about. She's a mysterious woman.

—What kind of woman is she?

Lucifer began to be concerned about Julia's presence in his heart.