The day of the surprise was finally here.
“This is today’s dessert? It’s huge!” Father’s eyes widened with surprise as the servant wheeled in the cake on a cart.
“Oh, my! There’s something written on the top!” Mother said, leaning over to see.
Family is forever!
That was what I had written. Around the message we had placed several flower-shaped baked cookies. The writing wasn’t very neat, but even though the letters were a little clumsy, I’d poured all of my love for Father, Mother, Remus, and Dahlia into it.
“It’s Daisy’s handwriting!” Remus said with a smile.
“I’ve been feeling sad about spring coming,” Dahlia, who would be staying behind at home, said with a smile. “But somehow, seeing this makes me feel a little better.”
“Let’s cut the cake together as a family!” I suggested. I stood up and invited everyone over to join me. Father and I held the cake knife together and cut a slice for Mother.
“Remember when Daisy was so devastated that she didn’t become a Mage at her Baptism?” said Father. “She locked herself in her room and I didn’t know what to do. But when I showed her the alchemy equipment in my office, her eyes sparkled.”
“Well, they were so fascinating and shiny!” I said. “And there were three thick books filled with words I’d never seen before. It was all so exciting.”
Father was talking about the day when it all began. The day I discovered Alchemy. My first encounter with it hadn’t been pleasant, but thanks to the guidance of my parents it had become both my Occupation and my passion.
“Then there was that truth serum. That decision must have been hard on you, Daisy.”
“You were so worried at the time, Father. But looking back on it now, I realize it was a valuable experience.” That bitter memory was part of my journey as well. It was something I knew I’d have to think about further going forward.
Next, Mother and Remus cut a slice for Father.
“I still remember the taste of Daisy’s first potion. It was awful! You really should’ve tried it yourself first,” Remus said with a grin.
“I made a better one right after, just for you!” I said. “But the look on your face… Your expression must’ve changed like seven times in one second!” We all burst out laughing at the memory of my very first, extremely bitter potion.
“And then you caused an explosion that shattered the beaker while doing an experiment! You put Kate through the wringer too…” said Mother.
“Oh, Mother! It’s not like I caused that many explosions!”
Mother brought up the not-so-fond memory of that time I lost control of my mana and blew up my lab equipment. I puffed up my cheeks. Kate always went straight to her to tattle on me!
Then, Remus and Dahlia cut a slice for me.
“Remember how you used to join in our magic practice before your Baptism? You were never able to cast a spell, though.”
“But Daisy was the first of us to slay a monster! Remember, that killer rabbit?”
They both reminisced about how I used to sneak into their lessons, and how I fought a monster alone during my first foraging trip and came back in one piece.
“Don’t forget how you ran off onto the battlefield during that behemoth attack on the capital! Father was so furious when he found out! That was so reckless,” Remus teased.
“Hey, I couldn’t just sit around when I knew Father was fighting too! And he gave me a whole lecture afterward, so you don’t need to bring it up!”
Remus was talking about how I ran off to the front lines of battle to pass out potions when the capital was under attack. Father chuckled and patted my head gently. I remembered how he had bonked me very solidly on the head that day.
Next, my brother and I cut a slice for my sister.
“Thanks to Daisy, only our house and the royal family get to eat fluffy bread at dinner every night. I’m going to really miss that when I go away to the academy,” said Remus.
Finally, my sister and I sliced a piece for my brother.
“Make sure that bread mix keeps getting delivered to our house, okay? I refuse to go back to bad bread,” Dahlia said. “Maybe I’ll come home every weekend!”
I was pretty sure they would fall behind on their studies if they came home every weekend… Was that really a good idea?
As we shared memories and cut into the cake, Miina’s carefully crafted design crumbled away, and the message I’d written became a messy blur. But now that we had sliced the cake together, it felt all the more precious somehow.
My family enjoyed that cake more than anything else I’d ever made. And honestly, it was the most delicious thing I’d ever eaten.
Soon, fresh buds would sprout in our garden, the spring roses would bloom colorfully, and the day would come when two of the Preslaria children, myself included, would leave our family home.
I stood before my brand-new Alchemy workshop on the outskirts of the royal capital. Trees in full bloom lined the street, their petals swirling in the breeze as if blessing the grand opening of my shop.
I wondered what kind of people I would meet here. Would I come to understand the wide world? Would I become a true Alchemist?
As I stood there lost in thought, Leaf tugged on the hem of my dress with his mouth, as if to say, “Come on!”
I reached for the doorknob and opened it, stepping through the door.
Atelier Daisy
My new story was just beginning.