Chapter 65
At last, a month had passed. I scheduled a meeting with Mikhail.
Conveniently, he had a prior appointment with the Leighton estate’s financial administrator, so I suggested we meet together.
The administrator needed to hear this too, after all.
And so, I packed the products I had prepared and headed to the main castle.
The meeting was held not in the parlor, but in the administrator’s office. I had intentionally timed my visit for tea time.
Mikhail still greeted me with his usual bright smile.
“Welcome, Mother.”
“It’s been a while.”
It really had been a while—since the New Year’s banquet.
When I entered the office, an elderly man who looked like the administrator knelt to greet me.
I told him he could rise, and he slowly lifted his head.
His features were stern—straight eyebrows, tight lips, and sharp, intense eyes.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Madam. I am Licht Chamber.”
Though his greeting was polite, I didn’t sense any reverence in his gaze.
It had been a while since I felt this.
That wary look that treated me as an outsider.
Which, to be fair, was natural. But it was especially stark in contrast with Mikhail, who was always so welcoming.
When Licht stood up, Mikhail guided me toward the sofa.
“Please have a seat, Mother. I’ll prepare some refreshments.”
“No, let’s get to the point before tea.”
There was no time to waste sipping tea.
I had only an hour with Mikhail. I had to seal the deal within that time.
If not… I’d considered continuing over dinner, but I didn’t like that idea.
I preferred to dine peacefully and alone in the annex.
No working outside of business hours—that had been a rule in my previous life.
Rarely followed, but a rule nonetheless.
“Is this about the annex? Helene has been away for a gathering the past two days. If it’s annex-related, it can wait.”
“No, this has nothing to do with Helene. It’s not about anything inside the castle.”
“Then…?”
“I’m here to propose a business.”
Licht’s eyes grew colder.
I could guess what he was thinking.
Just a foolish young lady’s naive ambition.
He wasn’t wrong. If I were him, I’d look at me the same way.
Which was fine—it lowered expectations.
Mikhail, with his curious gaze, would have been harder to impress.
“Let’s start with this.”
I handed them the business proposal I had written myself. Thankfully, I had prepared two copies.
Licht and Mikhail opened the documents.
Mikhail’s gaze was intrigued. Licht looked back and forth between the document and me, astonished.
“Did you write this, Madam?”
“Who else in the annex could’ve done it?”
“No one.”
There were attendants in the annex, but none capable of this kind of paperwork.
Looks like the format is acceptable.
I had used past documents from the annex as references and designed the layout as neatly as possible.
It had been tough drawing the tables and graphs by hand, but also satisfying.
The two of them silently read through the proposal.
About thirty minutes later, they finally closed the documents and returned to the cover page.
“This formatting is… unique.”
Oops. Maybe a bit too modern.
Mikhail marveled at the line graph, and I coughed to change the subject.
It would be hard to explain how I came up with it.
“Ahem. As it says in the introduction, I’ve developed three products—two kinds of moisturizers and a deodorizing desiccant. I’d like to sell them.”
Moisturizers did exist in this era.
But most were oil-based and spoiled quickly.
Some rumors even claimed lotions made with arsenic were in use.
In comparison, my moisturizers were cheaper and had a longer shelf life.
Thanks to modern knowledge, they were also much more effective.
And when it came to deodorizing desiccants, the situation was worse.
They typically used unidentified powdered minerals. Nobles used dried herbs and wood—but those materials were expensive.
Now I understood why Illina acted the way she did.
That ghostly white makeup, the sticky lotion that didn’t suit tight corsets.
Seeing that had inspired these products.
I quickly explained to the two still reeling from the proposal.
My plan was to overwhelm them before they had time to object. Just like aggressive salespeople.
“This hand cream is great for dry, cracked skin. It’s especially effective for people doing manual labor.”
I took out the hand cream.
It had been carefully crafted by our confectioner using a desert plant native to the southwest.
Thankfully, even though there was no aloe, a similar cactus existed, and it grew abundantly—making it cheap.
I explained the cost benefits and ingredients, then brought out the second item—a facial lotion.
“This one has a different texture, but similar ingredients. I added a few herbs known for their brightening effects. We can also make an additive-free version for sensitive skin.”
Now, the final product—my crown jewel.
I held out a container full of powder.
Normally, I would’ve called it baby powder, but here, that wouldn’t communicate its use clearly. So I gave it a new name.
“A local-area desiccant and deodorizer.”
“…What?”
At my words, Mikhail blushed, and Licht’s expression froze.
I was honestly surprised to see Mikhail look like that.
“Is that too technical? Then for areas like the groin or armpits—”
“W-Wait! Mother, please mind your dignity!”
“There’s no such thing in product descriptions. Save that for the social circles.”
Ignoring Mikhail’s protest, I pointed to a section in the proposal Licht was holding.
I had a gut feeling—winning Licht over was the key to this pitch.
“Mikhail, you’re a knight, right? You know how many issues come from wearing armor or riding horses. Rashes, bedsores—right?”
“Well… yes. That’s why I try to wash frequently and take off my armor.”
“But what about regular soldiers? Or knights during wartime? If they don’t have time, they just endure the itching, right? And isn’t it hard to remove steel armor without a squire?”
“…That’s true.”
“Deodorizers exist, but they’re harsh on skin. Can’t use them too often. And if you don’t treat it, the rash spreads.”
I had even asked Nata about this.
The most common places for baby powder were folds—like armpits and buttocks.
So I asked him whether it’d be useful if such powder were available.
(He really didn’t want to answer, but he said knights would use it on their butt, groin, or back.)
In summer, heavy armor caused heat rash all over, and after long marches, the lower half would even ooze.
He added that fairies like himself didn’t get such things—but I ignored that part.
Not helpful.
“It’s the same for women. Corsets compress the waist and block ventilation. That’s why women frequent the lounge—to loosen the corsets and wipe off sweat.”
The same logic applied to heels and high-neck dresses.
My example seemed to land. Licht’s eyes grew more serious.
“This is what the product is for. Here, give me your hand.”
I took Mikhail’s hand and dusted the powder on the back of it, patting it to spread it evenly.
“How’s the scent?”
“…Nice. Is that rose?”
“Spring roses were knocked down by the rain, so I used those. But we can change the scent anytime. And… isn’t it soft and dry?”
“Yes, it is.”
With the recent heavy spring rains, both the castle and the annex were damp.
Even a small amount of this powder would make a clear difference in such conditions.
Licht applied some to his own hand and murmured in admiration.
Of course. Do you know how hard it was to make this?
Especially securing the mineral powder—the arguments I had with the alchemists!
“…So I want to sell these three products. I’d like the main estate’s support.”
After my storm of a presentation, the two men looked dumbfounded.
If everything written in the proposal was true, they had no reason to reject it.
And since I’d prepared the production cost analysis with Jane’s help, Licht, as the financial administrator, would be able to verify it.
Not to brag, but I could confidently say this was the most innovative business proposal in this world.
