Later that evening, Alfred delivered the spices to the prince’s residence.

"Such a wonderful scent!" Joan grabbed a handful of spices and held them to her nose, closing her eyes in enjoyment.

Ysabeau examined the spices and spoke. "My Lord, these are agar wood, balsam, dried jasmine flowers, dried tulips, and borneol. I am somewhat familiar with spices from my time in the palace, and these are indeed of the highest quality."

"Good. We cannot afford any mistakes when presenting a gift to the Empress." Simon replied.

Joan asked curiously. "My Lord, are you planning to gift these spices directly to the Empress? But Her Majesty already has a vast collection of spices. Even though these are fine, they may not necessarily impress her."

Ysabeau shot Joan a glance and spoke. "Foolish girl, didn’t you notice? His Highness also bought alcohol. Clearly, he’s not just giving her raw spices."

Simon nodded. "Of course. In a few days, when the tools arrive, I’ll personally show you what I’m making."

Three days later, Fjord delivered the distillation apparatus that Simon had requested—essentially three interconnected ceramic containers.

During these three days, Simon had not been idle. He gathered the servants of the residence and explained the process of distilling alcohol and extracting essential oils.

Once the distillation apparatus arrived, the servants promptly set it up, using a coal stove beneath it to refine alcohol and extract essential oils.

This project put the entire household into a flurry of activity. While Roland led a group to mine graphite, Joan and Ysabeau joined in to help.

Over the past few days, Joan and Ysabeau had also received a crash course from Simon. When the alcohol and essential oils began to drip from the distillation apparatus, they carefully collected them in delicate porcelain bottles and mixed them thoroughly.

Simon had a vast knowledge of perfume-making, with countless formulas in his mind.

In essence, perfume consisted of essential oils, fixatives, and alcohol.

The essential oils were extracted from various plants, while fixatives, such as balsam, were oil-rich substances that stabilised the scent, similar to the base ingredients in modern facial creams.

Simon was well-versed in the precise ratios needed. Since this was the first batch, there was no need for experimentation, and the process went smoothly.

The final step was to mix everything.

Two distillation setups operated simultaneously. One refines alcohol, the other extracts essential oils, while the rest of the household shook the bottles vigorously to blend the ingredients.

Even Simon took a bottle and shook it, preferring to keep active in the freezing weather rather than standing still.

"My Lord, how long do we have to shake this?" Joan panted, her breath forming white clouds in the cold air. Her face was flushed from exertion.

Simon instructed. "Open the bottle and take a sniff. If the scent is evenly distributed, then it’s ready."

Joan nodded, pulled out the stopper, and took a deep breath. She froze in surprise. "My Lord, this smells amazing!"

Ysabeau also leaned in to take a whiff, her expression turning to one of astonishment. "These spices were already fragrant, but this scent has a unique depth. My Lord, how is this meant to be used?"

In the empire, fragrances were typically crafted into incense cakes and applied by rubbing or burning. This liquid perfume was an entirely new concept.

Simon explained. "It’s simple, just dab a little onto your skin."

Curious, Joan poured a small amount onto her hand and applied it to her face. Instantly, a delicate jasmine fragrance filled the air.

Ysabeau, feeling envious, quickly followed suit.

"Well? Isn’t it much better than incense cakes? The scent will last for a whole day." Simon said with a smile.

Joan giggled happily, sniffing herself and then Ysabeau, like an excited child.

Ysabeau also smiled. This perfume, as Simon called it, was truly remarkable. Incense cakes had to be rubbed onto the skin and easily wore off, whereas this perfume was far more convenient.

"My Lord, if this perfume is gifted to the empress, she will undoubtedly be delighted," Ysabeau remarked.

Simon felt reassured. Since both Joan and Ysabeau had spent time in the palace, their opinions carried weight. "In that case, I have nothing to worry about. We’ve made about a hundred bottles this time. You two can each keep one."

"Thank you, My Lord!" Joan beamed and curtsied, while Ysabeau hugged her porcelain bottle as if it were a precious treasure, afraid that Simon might change his mind.

Though they had used up all the essential oils, there was still a significant amount of leftover rice wine.

Not wanting to waste it and finding it too unpalatable to drink, Simon decided to refine it into a more potent liquor.

"Gius."

Simon wasn’t familiar with all the servants yet, but he had taken note of Gius.

Guis was a talkative and efficient worker, and Ysabeau had spoken well of him.

Roland was too busy, and Simon couldn’t always rely on Joan and Ysabeau, as some tasks weren’t suitable for women.

"Yes, My Lord! I’m here!" Gius jogged over. "What do you need?"

Looking at the cheerful, clever servant, Simon said. "Prepare a few large wine jars and distil the remaining rice wine."

"Understood, My Lord!" Gius immediately ordered the other servants to fetch the jars from the storage room and continued the distillation process.

Unlike the earlier perfume-making, where the rice wine was repeatedly distilled to obtain high-proof alcohol, this time they distilled it only once.

The murky green rice wine was transformed into a clear, potent spirit.

It retained the sweet aroma of rice wine, but its alcohol content had increased significantly.

In the past, people boasted about drinking a thousand cups without getting drunk, but that was only because traditional rice wine had a low alcohol content. This newly distilled liquor, however, would be a different story.

The entire household spent the whole day distilling rice wine and making perfume. By nightfall, all the ingredients had been used up.

"Gius, store the distillation apparatus away. No one else is to see it, and you are not to reveal what it’s used for." Simon instructed. He knew that proprietary technology needed to be kept secret.

Gius thumped his chest confidently. "Rest assured, My Lord! Even if they beat me to death, I won’t say a word."

Simon nodded approvingly. "Good. But I have another task for you. I need you to take these perfumes to the capital and deliver them to my mother, the Lady Isolde."

"To the capital? Your Highness, the journey to Eldora is over a thousand miles. If I go alone and run into bandits on the way..." Gius hesitated.

"No need to worry. You’ll be travelling with the Chandlier family’s trading ships." Simon reassured him.

After all, he had recently given the Chandlier family a hard time, it was only fair to offer them a little incentive now. The strategy of balancing sticks and carrots had to be applied wisely.