Chapter 71
“You sure are enjoying spending money these days.”
“The more you spend, the better it is.”
“Go inside now. The wind is chilly.”
Looking closely, Noah always had this blunt but caring side to him.
Seeing him like this, Elia thought Noah had grown quite dependable. He had sworn he would build muscle, and sure enough, his body had filled out.
“How’s the training?”
“It’s fun.”
“Then that’s good enough.”
In this life, she hoped Noah would live long and well.
“If we work hard, we’ll be able to march proudly into the capital together.”
Everyone would be surprised.
The sickly Noah, now grown into a fine, dignified young man—people would widen their eyes at the sight.
“Come on, get up. Let’s head inside.”
“Alright.”
At Noah’s urging, Elia chuckled softly and rose to her feet. Behind the two as they walked, the sunset spread magnificently across the sky.
Grand Duchy of Prussia, inside the ducal mansion.
Grand Duchess Christina had been in a foul mood for days.
“Why, why are the sales figures like this?”
In her hand was the sales report for Queen’s Cosmetics.
She threw the report at Roen, shouting:
“We held a grand re-opening, so why aren’t sales going up? Explain yourself.”
“The Beautiful Line is far more popular than we expected.”
“Are you saying it’s more popular than our Queen’s?”
“I have no excuse.”
“So there must be something special about Beautiful Line that makes it more popular than Queen’s, right?”
“I’ve already looked into it.”
Roen handed over a set of documents he had prepared in advance.
“They have this many varieties?”
The difference between Beautiful Line and Queen’s lay in product range.
Queen’s Cosmetics mainly focused on makeup—foundation, powder, lipstick, eyeshadow—whereas Beautiful Line specialized in skincare.
“The main feature of Beautiful Line is that it doesn’t cause skin troubles. Women with sensitive skin are flocking to it.”
“Why didn’t anyone think of this?”
“…Pardon?”
“Why didn’t our Queen’s researchers come up with such an idea?”
“Well…”
“All that research funding—what have they been doing with it? Order them to start developing new products immediately. There’s no reason we can’t create something better than Beautiful Line.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“If they don’t release a new product within this month, I’ll cut their funding. Tell them that.”
After sending Roen away, Grand Duchess Christina sighed.
Queen’s was the business she had poured her heart into. It was her most cherished enterprise.
“I can’t let Queen’s collapse.”
It was her first business to bring in wealth, which only deepened her attachment to it.
“I’ll have to find a way to destroy Beautiful Line—or take it for myself.”
She couldn’t allow it to thrive in the capital any longer.
Her gaze turned toward the window, where the vast Imperial Palace gardens spread before her eyes.
“This is my kingdom. I won’t let anyone ruin what I’ve built.”
Her goal was to rise higher than anyone else and construct a kingdom of her own.
Now, she sat as Grand Duchess. When her son became emperor, she would hold the highest position a woman could attain.
That day was not far off.
“No one will ever look down on me again.”
She had vowed long ago—she would step on others if she must, but never be stepped on.
She had clawed her way from the bottom to this position. There was no turning back now.
The Inner Palace.
Empress Marianne was enjoying tea time in the garden with noble ladies.
“So this is the so-called Beautiful Line cosmetics?”
On the table, alongside tea and pastries, sat several cosmetic products.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s a new brand—gentle on the skin and very effective.”
Marianne uncapped a bottle of skin essence and inhaled.
“The fragrance is subtle. Quite pleasant.”
“Yes, I personally prefer it to Queen’s because it’s not overpowering.”
“Oh my, I feel the same. Every time I used Queen’s, my son would avoid coming near me, saying the scent was too strong. But with this, he actually likes it.”
“That’s true. Queen’s scent is rather heavy.”
“Ladies, remember—Queen’s was created by the Grand Duchess. Let’s not speak ill of it.”
At Marianne’s gentle smile, the noblewomen quickly lowered their heads, embarrassed.
“Oh, I’ve misspoken… Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
“Be glad the Grand Duchess isn’t here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And yet, I too find Beautiful Line preferable to Queen’s. My skin is sensitive, so I’ve always been worried.”
Marianne remembered the humiliation at the banquet, when Christina had made her demonstrate her “new product.”
The result: her skin burned, and the next day she broke out badly. Her blotchy, inflamed face forced her to remain in the palace until she recovered.
No wonder she was cautious about cosmetics.
“I’d like to try this myself.”
“You’ll love it, Your Majesty.”
“Since you say so, I trust it even more. You’ve always had skin as sensitive as mine.”
“Yes, it was hard not being able to use most products.”
“And the cosmetics you’re wearing now, they’re from Beautiful Line too?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And this is their newest release.”
“Oh? A new product?”
“Yes, they’ve launched a makeup line—foundation, concealer, lipstick, eyeshadow.”
“I tried them myself, and they’re excellent. The staff explained that using the skincare line first, then applying the makeup line, gives the best results.”
“Oh, so skincare first, then makeup?”
The ladies leaned closer, scrutinizing the woman’s complexion.
“My goodness, how smooth your skin looks! Not a blemish in sight.”
“Surprisingly, this product even covers imperfections. Your Majesty, you must try it.”
The lady then presented Marianne with a set of cosmetics.
“Oh my, for me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How thoughtful. I’ll use them well.”
She instructed her maid to take the set aside, then continued chatting.
Later, back in the palace, Marianne looked at the gifted set and asked her head maid:
“This is what’s been troubling Queen’s lately, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems their sales are suffering. In social circles, Beautiful Line is used far more than Queen’s now.”
“So Queen’s is past its prime.”
“It seems so.”
“And the Grand Duchess must know it.”
The maid only nodded. Christina, who kept a finger on the pulse of the capital’s society, surely couldn’t be ignorant of it.
“She might make a move.”
“Indeed.”
Christina could never stand to see others succeed. With a rival brand surpassing hers, she wouldn’t sit quietly.
“Will she cause a scandal again, claiming the ingredients are harmful?”
Queen’s wasn’t the only brand in the capital.
There had been many others—but Queen’s had devoured them all. Christina spread malicious rumors, ruined their reputations, then bought them up at dirt-cheap prices.
It was likely she would do the same again.
“Beautiful Line… what a shame.”
“Your Majesty, do you not plan to intervene this time?”
“And what happened last time I did?”
The maid fell silent.
“I was the only one who ended up losing.”
Marianne hadn’t always stood by as cosmetic companies fell. Some of them made products she herself favored.
But no matter how she tried to help, they had all collapsed under Christina’s immense wealth.
“This time, we’ll just watch.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Still, deep inside, Marianne hoped Beautiful Line would win this time. She had long held a grudge against Christina.
The capital’s social circles had been stagnant for too long. Change was overdue.
