Capítulo 32: Chapter 32: The Shopping Frenzy
Chapter 32: The Shopping Frenzy
Queen Marie carefully removed the cork from the glass bottle, took a bit of the lavender-colored cream, and spread it on the back of her hand. "Hmm, it's quite smooth, not bad," she said, smiling warmly at her son. "Dear Joseph, you always manage to surprise me. Where did you buy this?"
Joseph switched to sales mode immediately: "I actually made it myself. I call it 'Angel Water.' It softens the skin and is especially effective at clearing up acne."
Hearing this, Queen Marie quickly waved over one of the maids standing by the door. "Morgana, you should try this."
It was only then that Joseph noticed a few pimples on the maid's forehead, barely concealed by makeup. Many of the palace maids were around seventeen or eighteen, the prime age for acne.
As Morgana approached, Queen Marie handed her one of the nine wooden boxes on the table. Morgana curtsied deeply, her voice full of gratitude: "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."
With a broad smile, Joseph said to the Queen, "All I need is for you to casually mention to those noblewomen that you're using this."
Queen Marie playfully tousled his hair but pretended to scold him, "So you give me a few bottles of skincare, and now you expect a favor in return?"
Joseph immediately straightened up, putting on a mock hurt expression: "I poured my heart and soul into creating 'Angel Water,' running countless experiments. The moment I succeeded, I thought of you and rushed to bring it to you. And now, you won't even do me this tiny favor..."
The Queen laughed and fed him a biscuit, soothingly saying, "Alright, alright, I'll tell them for you, will that do?"
As it turned out, Joseph needn't have worried about promoting "Angel Water."
The Queen didn't even have to mention it. The noblewomen at Versailles were so keen on observing every detail about the Queen that they practically watched her with a microscope. The moment they noticed something new, they followed suit like a pack of wolves.
That very afternoon, the Duchess of Broglie, who had come to chat and listen to music with the Queen, spotted the beautifully crafted wooden box on the dressing table. She immediately whispered to the maid beside her, "What's in that wooden box? Which shop sent it?"
The maid quickly replied, "It's a skincare product called 'Angel Water' that His Highness the Prince gave to Her Majesty. He made it himself, I hear."
"'Angel Water'? That's an unusual name," the Duchess mused, not paying much attention to the claim that the Prince had made it himself, assuming it was just a marketing tactic by some skincare company using the Prince's name.
Upon hearing the Duchess, Queen Marie promptly ordered one of the boxes of "Angel Water" to be brought to her and generously gave it to the Duchess. "This stuff is quite good, especially for clearing up acne," she said.
The Duchess was overjoyed but feigned modesty, "How could I take something of yours, Your Majesty?"
"I have plenty, take it," the Queen insisted.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the Duchess said, accepting the gift.
The other noblewomen chatting nearby couldn't help but glance over, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy. They wished they had been the first to notice the Queen's new "item."
Sensing the tension, Queen Marie laughed and instructed her maid to distribute a box of "Angel Water" to each of the women present. They all left feeling delighted.
Soon, the news that the Queen was using a new skincare product called "Angel Water" spread through Versailles like wildfire. By dusk, nearly every noblewoman in the palace was asking where they could buy "Angel Water," especially the younger women, who were practically frantic. After all, they had heard that "Angel Water" was personally created by the Prince himself. Not buying a bottle would mean losing face as one of the Prince's admirers!
Finally, someone discovered the origin of "Angel Water"—the Prince had given it to the Queen. Later, after paying a 50-livre bribe, someone learned from the Prince's personal beautician that 40 bottles of "Angel Water" had been delivered to some luxury stores in Paris that afternoon.
By then, it was already dark, and the young noblewomen couldn't leave the palace. Many spent a sleepless night eagerly waiting for dawn.
Only the assistant to the Prince's personal beautician was left fuming as he stared at the 50-livre bribe, wondering why no one had come to ask him about the "Angel Water" sales.
He couldn't help but recall how he had spent the afternoon going from one luxury store to another in a carriage, trying to convince managers to take the "Angel Water" on consignment. Especially at "The Silver Knight," the most prestigious perfume store on the Champs-Élysées, where he had argued with the manager for a long time, only to be told that they required a monthly consignment fee of 100 livres, no exceptions—even after he dropped the Prince's name.
Since he couldn't promise the fee on the Prince's behalf, he left, disappointed. Fortunately, the manager of the slightly smaller "Elegance Source" perfume and cosmetics store across the street was more accommodating, and the five bottles of "Angel Water" originally meant for "The Silver Knight" were placed there instead.
By the time he returned to Versailles, it was already evening, but no one had come to pay him 50 livres for information about "Angel Water" consignment.
The next morning, countless carriages raced out of Versailles, heading straight for Paris.
At a lavish jewelry store near the Louvre, a maid excitedly pointed to the display case, "Madam, there it is!"
Two young noblewomen, around seventeen or eighteen, had just entered the store. Upon hearing this, they abandoned all pretense of decorum, rushing over and shrieking, "Quick! That's it, I'll take it!"
A wealthy noblewoman was momentarily stunned, but she quickly stepped forward, grabbing the clerk and demanding, "I'll take 10 bottles!"
The clerk apologized profusely, "I'm sorry, madam, but we only have five bottles of 'Angel Water' in stock."
The young noblewoman reacted swiftly, "I'll buy them all!"
"No, I was here first!" the noblewoman insisted. "How much?"
The clerk nervously replied, "They're 15 livres each, so that will be 75 livres."
"I'll pay 80 livres, give them to me," the young noblewoman countered.
"90 livres!" the noblewoman shot back.
"100 livres!"
"120 livres!"
In the end, the noblewoman's deeper pockets won out, and she walked out of the store triumphantly with the five bottles of "Angel Water," leaving the two young ladies fuming.
Meanwhile, several groups of noblewomen had visited "The Silver Knight" perfume store on the Champs-Élysées, asking if they had "Angel Water" for sale. Being the most famous perfume shop in Paris, it seemed like the logical place to find it. But the manager could only apologize as they left disappointed, mentally cursing himself for his decision the previous afternoon.
Not far away, a fierce battle was already underway at "Elegance Source" over the few remaining bottles of "Angel Water."
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