Mage And Wolf
Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Chapter 197

Amanda wakes me up from my bed in the guest room next to hers before the sun is even up the next morning, leaving me to activate my Priestess Robes to avoid being dragged out of the room naked.

"It’s alchemy day! Do you know how to make Celestial Insight Pills? I really want to make them today, but I haven’t succeeded yet."

"In fact, I do know them. How about we both make them today, the lingering energy in the air has been pushing me towards another string of breakthroughs, so I’ll need some by the end of the week." I tell the excitable royal.

Once we get settled in for our concoction, she is properly focused though. I spent half an hour explaining the tricks and techniques to creating the pills successfully as well as I could, and now we’re both on our way to a passable batch of pills.

I notice at the end that her purification step is still lacking, she succeeds with a purity over 80 percent, but I’m certain she can do better. Towards that end, I delay finishing mine until she has retrieved hers from the cauldron.

"Watch what I do here, feel how I pull all the impurities away before burning them and then slowly pull anything that is left away before the pills solidify? That’s the step you missed by forming them in the ashes."

My pills done, I pull them from the cauldron and Amanda sighs. "You’re so good at that. I’ve been trying for years and I haven’t mastered the technique."

"You’ve got this, it’s just a matter of persistence. I had a very good teacher to get to where I am. But it’s lunch time now, should we go down and eat, or ask for something brought up?"

"We should go down. I want to know what you got for big sister Paula." she says with determination. I hope Paula can find a good explanation, because I’m not ruining this moment.

We get seated in a much smaller dining room today, with just the King, a few advisors and us present.

The two newlyweds arrive just before the meal is served, Paula limping and Mahmoud is gently supporting her while looking very under the weather. I hope the incense pill didn’t have a negative interaction with their physiology.

"I am glad you both could make it down. Here, take this pill and a bit of ambrosia juice, it should cure you right up." The King says with a knowing grin and the couple both happily oblige, looking better in just a few seconds.

"We thank you for your kind gift, High Priestess, but must everything carry a risk of death?" The Crown Prince asks me.

"Did I not include a warning to keep water available? I’m very sorry for my oversight, your Highness." I grin and Paula turns red from her nose to her ears.

"Oh, I brought in a pitcher of water. But the effects lasted nearly ten hours, it was woefully inadequate. I’ve only just recovered enough to leave the room, and I had no healing remedies on hand." He says and Paula covers her face in her hands, hiding.

"I am glad you both enjoyed it. I had the tailor enchant the pajamas for self repair by the way, so don’t throw them out, they’ll be fine by evening." I grin and Amanda gives me a pouty face, not knowing what we’re talking about.

"It’s a gift that makes a husband and wife enjoy each other’s company a bit more than usual. Nothing you need to worry about yet." I whisper to her and the King finally begins to actually laugh, drawing incredulous looks from all the servants and his children.

"I’ll be going for grandchildren sooner than later then. And here I thought it would take a full century before those two caved and started sharing a room." He guffaws.

"Please can we drop this subject? Just remembering is embarrassing enough." Paula pleads and I jump over to give her a big hug.

"I’m sorry dear Paula. I meant only the best for your happiness." I soothe her.

"When I’m Queen, we’re banning that incense. The royal nursery wouldn’t survive regular use of such a nefarious product." She insists and the men present all chuckle.

"Fine, but we’re having new Royal pajamas made." Price Mahmoud teases his wife who ignores him to instead look for Amanda.

"How did the morning alchemy go? Did you manage to finally make the Celestial Insight Pills?" she asks the younger Princess.

"We did, Young Miss Katrina is a wonderful teacher." She takes her results out and sets them on the table for everyone to inspect.

"Very impressive. Where did you learn to make that recipe so well you can teach others, Young Miss?" The King asks.

"I had an unusual teacher known as Librarian Song. A long lived Immortal with a wealth of experience. This is one of the pills he deemed essential to know." Best not to mention he plugged it all straight into my brain just to see if my head exploded. They might want to keep me here even more than they already do.

"The Dark Librarian Song who once claimed an Immortal Empress and her Daughter at the same time and was caught by both of their husbands?" an advisor asks intrigued.

Most likely, I can definitely see him doing it.

"No, probably not. At the very least I haven’t heard that particular story about him."

"That’s a shame, that man was a genius when it came to inventive alchemy and medicine creation. One day I hope to meet him again." The advisor says, before going back to talking business with the man beside him.

I’ve really got to talk with Elder Song about what he did with his life. Everywhere I go, the man is famous.

Paula pulls me aside after the meal to ask a few questions. I’m a bit concerned, but she doesn’t look mad, which is a good start.

"You seem to have a wealth of knowledge about obscene and morally questionable alchemy techniques." Well, that’s a bit rude. Not wrong, but rude.

"Nephilim have a very hard time conceiving, do you think there’s anything you could do to help? I’ve always wanted children, but the thought of making them was too embarrassing to mention it. I think we’re past that point now though." She whispers as if afraid someone will hear.

"I’m not saying I can’t help. But the help I can offer is just a bit extreme. Exactly how much do you like children?" I ask.

"I would like to have ten. Just a whole castle full of little feet running around." She says dreamily.

"Tell you what, if this round didn’t take, I’ll leave you with a regimen of pills to take every night for a week, near your next fertile cycle. When will that be?"

"It started yesterday, and goes all week, then another six months before the next good opportunity." Paula tells me with a smile.

"Would you like more of the same? Or I can make some of the morally questionable items you mentioned and see if we can increase your chances." I tell her with a grin. A week of mass fertility pills should be enough to get even a Nephilim on her way to motherhood.

"Do you have more of that incense? You know, just in case?" she whispers.