A Scent of Chaos | ONC 2024

Chapter Eleven

The Miracles Festival had always been a time of the year for me to gather customers and sell perfumes to work toward my goal of becoming one of the Head Perfumers. I hoped that the Gods were looking upon me in those very moments, that they could see my determination and the wish that caged my heart. I had given out small samples of perfumes and hand-written cards with details of how to contact me and where to find my work.

However, since our forest illusion had been approved and deemed safe for public use, this year was the first exception.

I had cleared my morning to prepare for the festival and decide how the perfume was going to be displayed, but Corvin had only dismissed me and told me not to worry about it. According to his judgement, he had everything under control. Those words were what worried me most.

As well as Corvin, I had put a lot of effort — even a trip to the Velux Emporium infirmary — into the perfume and I wanted to make sure it would be a smooth transition for the guests to be sprayed. Each attendee needed an even amount of the fragrance so that we didn't run out.

All day, I had paced back and forth in my shared workshop with Nalyn and Salris attempting to calm me down. Nothing could stop me from wearing holes into the soles of my shoes, not even the temptation of focusing on more work. When the evening finally rolled around, I was ready to storm into the Miracles Festival, find the Head Perfumer, and kick him until he couldn't stand.

Shrines to the Gods had been set up outside of the festival and rested against people's homes, ready for guests to make offerings in the hope of getting their wishes granted — for a miracle to happen. Banners of gold and silver were strung from building to building, symbols of various stars painted onto them. I followed the crowd of people down to the end of the street, curious as to where the perfume had been poised to spray people.

As I approached the gates that had been set up, I spied Corvin greeting people as they filtered in with a welcoming smile. He wore what appeared to be pieces of a suit. Both the tie and jacket had been forgotten and all that remained were the waistcoat with silver embellishments, a long-sleeved shirt with several buttons undone, and trousers. Everything was a shade of navy blue, matching the theme of the evening.

When he noticed I was next in line to enter, his grin grew tenfold. "What a wonderful surprise it is to see you here," he remarked.

I extended my hand, preparing my wrist for the perfume to be sprayed on. "With your terse words this morning, I was tempted to stop by and help with the setting up anyway."

Instead of spraying the perfume, he turned my hand over and kissed the back of it, causing my heart to thud rapidly in my chest. "And leave no surprises for the festival? Where's the fun in that?"

As Corvin placed a few drops of the fragrance onto my wrist for me to rub into my skin and sprayed more over my head, the forest illusion appeared around me. It stretched as far as I could see, houses and shops disappearing to be replaced with thick foliage. A hoard of fireflies floated above the entrance, marking the way for attendees. Further into the festival, I could see people enjoying the forest and marvelling at our creation. The fact that they loved our hard work pushed tears to the corners of my eyes.

Corvin squeezed my hand. "Go and enjoy the festivities. I'll join you soon."

I turned away before I truly started crying. "How long are you going to be stuck at the entrance?"

"Not for too much longer. I'm just waiting for someone to arrive and take my place." He ushered me away, shooing me since a queue was beginning to form behind me.

I complied, rushing into the festival, eager to see what was lurking deeper inside. Everywhere, people beamed with joy. Children ran through the forest, weaving between the trees to catch fireflies, and others strolled through the illusion, wondering how such magic was possible. It wasn't too busy just yet as guests were still entering and I could tell because the long table which held the grand feast of the evening was still mostly untouched. Foods from different kingdoms were scattered across the table, framing the centrepiece of a large, fried Manticore in the middle. Dishes of silver rain pancakes, molten storm cake, and jasmine delight caught my eye and made my stomach growl.