ELDERFLOWER & GOOSEBERRY

Top: gooseberry, violet, white wine
Heart: elderflower absolute, lilac
Base: musk, honey, styrax

She swept into the roadside inn beside the orchard, leaving the patrons stunned into silence—no one dared to speak. Sipping her cordial from a crystal goblet, she surveyed the room with a piercing, violet gaze. Her face betrayed nothing. Her status was her shield, her power—her weapon. No one would suspect that somewhere deep inside, maternal feelings might be hiding. After all, she hadn’t come here to look for just anyone…

THE SWALLOW

Top: blueberry, elder blood accord
Heart: blueberry, forest rose
Base: hay, musk, birch

Whistling gusts tear through slopes covered in coniferous forests. Although winter hasn’t yet begun, the sharp wind already bites into her rosy cheeks. It’s in these harsh conditions that she forges her new character. Far from palace comforts, the royal rose grows thorns. Bruised, cold, and exhausted, yet she does not give up. She’s warmed by a lion’s heart and the care of those who ended up here with her. Maybe if her next pirouette goes well, they’ll let her walk the forest path where she’ll still find some mountain berries.

TRIAL OF THE GRASSES

Top: juniper
Heart: cypriol, vetiver haiti, vetiver bourbon
Base: oakmoss, leather

He made his way toward the ancient forest. With careful steps in his tall boots, he ventured deeper and eventually hid himself in the undergrowth. Kneeling, he pulled a leather bundle from his quilted jacket. He spread it out on a damp, moss-covered stone before him. Inside the bundle were crystal vials of various shapes and conditions. Some contained thick, tar-like sludges; others glowed with lush green decoctions. The secret of his profession...

THE WHITE FLAME

Top: ember, metal notes
Heart: incense, rose
Base: leather, alder

The mighty sun was setting over the imperial capital. Behind the ornate arcades a great game unfolded. A dance of intrigues, bribes, and destruction. Time and again, the city squares glistened with the executioner’s axe. Palace gardens and suburban groves hid the bodies of those who lost the game of power. Amid this intricate construct, there was one man who tried to keep everything under control — the White Flame. The Emperor was like a slave to the power he wielded.