Chapter 1:
The Workshop Is Open!
SPRING HAD COME. IT WAS THE START OF A NEW season, with tender new leaves sprouting and flowers blooming everywhere you looked. The sky was a soft shade of blue, and the weather was perfect. Sunlight gently filtered through the fresh young leaves of the trees, casting a dappled glow as beautiful as a blessing from the gods.
I stood in front of my very own workshop—with my divine beast Leaf right beside me, of course. My heart was practically beating out of my chest. Why, you ask?
Because today was the grand opening of my workshop, the one I’d always dreamed of!
My name is Daisy von Preslaria. I’m ten years old and the second daughter of a viscount of the royal capital in the kingdom of Saltenburg. In our kingdom, every child attends a Baptism when they turn five, and there they are given an Occupation from the gods. At mine, I was told I would be an Alchemist, and ever since that day, I’ve poured my heart and soul into the study of Alchemy, working out of a laboratory on our manor grounds. My dream was to have my own workshop in the capital, and thankfully I’ve had so much support and encouragement from everyone—including my family, our household staff, and even the fairies from my garden.
The first thing I ever made was a potion, the foundation of any Alchemist’s craft. Potions are liquid medicine, you know. As I immersed myself in my studies, I found myself wanting to make even higher-quality potions, so I planted my own herb garden to grow ingredients. Before long, I was able to craft potions of the highest quality.
And all my hard work paid off, because once word spread about my potions, I began to supply a regular order of them to the kingdom’s military every week. Thanks to the payment from my government contract, I was able to realize my dream and fund the construction of my workshop. It was located on the outskirts of the capital near the northwest gate, in an area that sat right between the merchant district and the lower nobility quarter. The gate itself was bustling with adventurers coming and going from the nearby dungeon city all the time, so it had lots of activity and great foot traffic.
So many people who had supported me along the way sent me potted flowers to celebrate the workshop’s grand opening. Right now, they decorated the spaces outside the second- and third-floor windows, covering the whole exterior of my workshop in beautiful blossoms. Each pot of flowers was a heartfelt wish for my dream to succeed, gifted by someone who believed in me. Potted plants were a custom in our kingdom: Giving a blooming pot of flowers was how one would congratulate new business owners. It meant, “May your business take root here and flourish just like these.”
My plot was laid out with the Alchemy workshop on the right side of the building and a bakery on the left. There, people could buy bread to take home; there was also a café space where our customers could eat. A carved wooden sign hung between the two outlets that read ATELIER DAISY. Two large daisies—my namesake flower—were carved on either side of the letters. The text was painted in a cheerful green, the daisies in soft pink and white.
Reaching for the doorknob of the workshop, I stepped inside, with Leaf accompanying me, of course.
There was a service counter straight past the entrance, where customers and staff could interact face-to-face. On the counter was a bell for customers to ring in case Marcus or I were working in the back or helping at the bakery.
“Thanks for getting everything ready, Marcus!” I called over to him as he stocked freshly made potions in the storage cabinet.
“Good morning!” Marcus paused to turn and greet me properly as he gave his report. “I’ve done the watering, made a batch of distilled water, and checked our potion inventory. Everything’s good to go! I’m also going to make the delivery to the military this afternoon. It’s a bit early, but I figured I’d stop by to let them know we’re open!”
Marcus was my trusted assistant and a fellow Alchemist with the Appraisal skill, a rare ability I shared. He was a year older than me and used to be a bit of a troublemaker, but thanks to some strict training by our family butler Sebastian, he’d grown into a polite and thoughtful boy. He came to assist me with the workshop after I’d moved out of my parents’ house.
“Good thinking,” I said. “It’s important to say hello and let them know we’re officially open for business. Thanks, Marcus!” I left the workshop feeling at ease.
There were two types of shelves in the bakery: one for displaying sample products for our customers to browse, and another one kept extra clean that stored the actual products for sale. Miina was currently arranging freshly baked bread on those shelves to prepare for opening.
Miina was a white cat-type beastfolk girl, the same age as me, and a skilled cook. She came with me because she wanted the people of the capital to try the fluffy bread and pastries I invented. I could always tell how she was feeling by watching her tail. She’s adorable!
The only thing that physically set Miina apart from humans were her cat ears and tail. And as long as she always wore her apron, there was no danger of getting fur into the food.
“Morning, Miina!” I said. “Is everything ready for today’s opening?”
Miina set the tray she was carrying down on the table and turned toward me. “Good morning, Miss Daisy! Everything’s ready on the bakery side. The morning batch of both today’s regular breads and savory breads are all baked and ready to go. Now all that’s left is to put the rest of them on the shelves!” She looked as though she could barely contain herself in her excitement for the opening. Her whole face glowed with curiosity and anticipation. I wondered if she was imagining what kind of customers we’d receive today.
“Since you’re managing both baking and customer service, don’t hesitate to call me if it gets too busy, okay? I can help you out,” I said.
“Thanks! I just can’t wait to see our customers’ faces when they taste the bread!” Her white tail wagged from side to side with excitement.
I usually left the daily bakery selection up to Miina, and we would have four types available today. First was a flatter version of our fluffy bread, topped with salami and thinly sliced seasonal asparagus. Next, a Danish covered with Chantilly crème and slices of fresh strawberries. Then we had our two standard items: our original recipe fluffy bread, and crescent-shaped Danishes. Prices varied depending on the goods, but typically they were 300 to 500 lira apiece.
We also offered tea and fruit-infused water for drinks; today’s water was flavored with oranges. No one on our staff was over the age of fifteen, the legal drinking age in the kingdom, so we didn’t sell any alcohol.
Miina returned to organizing the bread, and I quietly stepped out so I wouldn’t get in her way.
My next stop was the accounting office, where Katya was already hard at work. She didn’t work for us full-time, but she came in early today to do a final check of the ledgers. I was the one handling the workshop’s accounting and finances, but Katya had agreed to keep an eye on things and help out occasionally.
She was a very responsible girl two years older than me, and she was the daughter of the commerce guildmaster. Thanks to that, she had all sorts of connections with different merchants and craftsmen. Honestly, I couldn’t have built the workshop without her. She helped me with everything from finding the property to introducing me to interior decorators and more.
Her dream was to be a merchant and run her own trading company someday. That suited her, didn’t it?
“Good morning, Katya. How’s everything looking so far?” I asked as I opened the door.
“Good morning, Miss Daisy,” she replied. “I’ve finished checking the ledgers. They’re all set up, but just make sure you’re recording all sales and expenses going forward, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll do my best!”
A week was seven days long, with the last day a rest day. It was basically a holiday, so Atelier Daisy would follow that rule and be open six days a week with the last as everyone’s day off.
And that was our team! Oh…but there…are still more friends I haven’t introduced yet.
I said goodbye to Katya and took the back exit out of the workshop. There was a big herb garden behind the building where the nature fairies and mandrakes were soaking up the warm spring sun. They were all precious friends of mine who followed me here from the manor garden when I opened the workshop.