Between Ice and Flame, or How to Brew a Good Potion

Melania has always dreamed of connecting her life with science, becoming a great scientist, and pouring into flasks the secret of eternal life. By the age of three, she already knew how to make simple potions, and at five she stole from her grandfather’s library a book about basic poisons. At ten, her relatives walked around with green spots from her first failed experiments, and at fifteen they allowed her to enter the Capital Academy of Magic to study potion-making. She cried with happiness, while the rector practically hung himself out of experiments that didn’t always turn out successful.
And who could have known that after yet another failure—when she seemed to be on the verge of discovery—she would suddenly be transferred to home schooling, and her father would decide to get rid of her by marrying her off? And what does “the fiancé will not be one” mean?