Yeri adjusted the jar on the shelf, turning it until the label faced front. The curly handwriting read ‘Lavender’ and fresh buds of the purple flower were nestled within. Irene had always taught her to clean up before and after meeting with a client, but this one was particularly important. Anyone who would send a scout ahead had to be that important.

She finished straightening the herb cupboard and picked up her broom. Sweeping dirt and negative energy out of her space was always the most satisfying part of the cleaning ritual. And it was right as Yeri finished sweeping that a knock came at her door. 

Yeri brushed her hands on her skirt before opening the door. Standing on her front step was a pair of women. One appeared to be the scout that had visited two days prior, and the other was an elegant woman dressed in a long pale blue gown. Behind them stood two soldiers alongside horses. Clearly this woman had some influence.

“Welcome guests, please enter so that we may discuss your request.” Yeri put on her best saleswoman smile, only feeling someone outshone in her own home.

Only the elegant woman entered and sat down at the main table. Yeri closed the door behind her and sat on the other side.

“I am the Lady Nayeon, and I come on behalf of her majesty the Queen. She wishes for a spell to be done on her daughter.”

Yeri clasped her hands together on the table. The princess a very popular topic, even in this neck of the woods. Princess Chaeyoung was young, beautiful, and the most desired bride in any kingdom. She nodded for the woman to continue.

“The queen wishes for her daughter to be found an optimal suitor. Most of them are equally beneficial as alliances so that fairly unimportant to consider. As such, she wants you to perform a spell that will match her daughter to a suitor that matches her properly.”

Yeri raised an eyebrow “The queen wants me to perform a soulmate spell?”

“A modified soulmate spell, yes.”

“Modified how?”

Nayeon paused, seeming to decide the exact words she wanted to say “She wants not a true love, but a true partner for her daughter. There is a distinction, correct?”

Yeri paused. That was definitely a very specific wording. Whoever advised the queen on this decision must have had some knowledge of magic. “Yes, there is a difference. Now how much is she willing to pay? It is a very expensive spell.”

“The queen is well aware. She is willing to pay triple your regular rate to assure it is done perfectly.”

Yeri tried to keep her expression calm and not let her eyes bug out of her head. That was a lot of money. Enough to be set for a very long time. One of the rules of Irene’s coven had been to never do spells within politics, but Yeri didn’t have to obey Irene anymore.

“I will do the spell. I’ll have to do a lot of preparation work before it can be cast though.”

The woman nodded and set a bag on the table. “Here is the first third of your payment. The princess shall be escorted here in one month’s time. Be ready by then.”

“One month is acceptable.”

The woman nodded, rising from the table and walking back out the door. Yeri sat, watching as she rejoined her escorts waiting outside and left. It was once they were out of sight that she finally flopped onto the table. She had cast many love spells but a soulmate spell? A completely different beast. And with the specifications given, it could be even harder.

It was definitely possible though. She just had to do a lot of research and then get the supplies. Maybe someone in the coven knew something. No, Irene would never give her help for something like this. But Joy maybe… Joy had always been a fan of love spells so she likely knew the perfect approach. Would she help is the other question. Yeri couldn’t rely on that, no matter how close they used to be. Yeri was expelled from the coven, Joy no longer had any obligation towards her.

Which left Yeri to old fashioned research. She had many a tome and countless grimoires, at least one of them had to have a soulmate spell right?

It only took three days for Yeri to give in and write a letter to Joy. There were so many spells yet not one of them were quite right. Most of them were divination or attraction spells which wold have been useful if they weren’t so damn vague on their definition of soulmate. Thus, the request for help.

Trying to meet in person was dangerous and begging to be caught by Irene, but a letter was much more easily hidden. The letter was brief, asking Joy if she knew of any soulmate spells, especially ones based in potential. Most importantly, she signed it as Katie. Katie had been the name she used when they were playing as kids and the name she used when they would sit and talk about the future. Joy was always weak for that sort of thing, which Yeri hoped might make her more likely to respond. Once the letter was completed, a quick incantation meant it was on its way.

She truly expected nothing back, no matter how much she hoped for it, so when she woke up the next morning with a letter laying on her bed, Yeri’s heart soared. The response was simple, just a book title and page number, but that was enough. Joy had always been a better researcher than Yeri, and her help was always invaluable.

Yeri immediately pulled the book off her shelf and flipped to the page. A spell to physically mark a person’s soulmate. This was definitely what she was looking for. And the best part is that the main component is a potion. All she had to do now was prep the potion, potion the princess, and then take a good long nap.  Nice and easy.