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 . Where did you buy this?"
Joseph switched to sales mode imdiately: "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 pri 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 ntion to those noblewon that you're using this."
Queen Marie playfully tousled his hair but pretended to scold him, "So you give a few bottles of skincare, and now you expect a favor in return?"
Joseph imdiately straightened up, putting on a mock hurt expression: "I poured my heart and soul into creating 'Angel Water,' running countless experints. The mont I succeeded, I thought of you and rushed to bring it to you. And now, you won't even do 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 ntion it. The noblewon at Versailles were so keen on observing every detail about the Queen that they practically watched her with a microscope. The mont they noticed sothing new, they followed suit like a pack of wolves.
That very afternoon, the Duchess of Broglie, who had co to chat and listen to music with the Queen, spotted the beautifully crafted wooden box on the dressing table. She imdiately 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 na," 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 so skincare company using the Prince's na.
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 sothing of yours, Your Majesty?"
"I have plenty, take it," the Queen insisted.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," the Duchess said, accepting the gift.
The other noblewon 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 won 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 won, who were practically frantic. After all, they had heard that "Angel Water" was personally created by the Prince himself. Not buying a bottle would an losing face as one of the Prince's admirers!
Finally, soone discovered the origin of "Angel Water"—the Prince had given it to the Queen. Later, after paying a 50-livre bribe, soone learned from the Prince's personal beautician that 40 bottles of "Angel Water" had been delivered to so luxury stores in Paris that afternoon.
By then, it was already dark, and the young noblewon 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 co 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 consignnt. Especially at "The Silver Knight," the most prestigious perfu store on the Champs-Élysées, where he had argued with the manager for a long ti, only to be told that they required a monthly consignnt fee of 100 livres, no exceptions—even after he dropped the Prince's na.
Since he couldn't promise the fee on the Prince's behalf, he left, disappointed. Fortunately, the manager of the slightly smaller "Elegance Source" perfu and costics store across the street was more accommodating, and the five bottles of "Angel Water" originally ant for "The Silver Knight" were placed there instead.
By the ti he returned to Versailles, it was already evening, but no one had co to pay him 50 livres for information about "Angel Water" consignnt.
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 noblewon, 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 montarily 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 ," 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.
anwhile, several groups of noblewon had visited "The Silver Knight" perfu store on the Champs-Élysées, asking if they had "Angel Water" for sale. Being the most famous perfu shop in Paris, it seed like the logical place to find it. But the manager could only apologize as they left disappointed, ntally 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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