As many as the perfumes sold on the market, there must be just as many creators.
All she had to do was hire a skilled perfumer.
‘And it would be good to make and sell perfume while I’m at it.’
Unlike existing perfumes focused on floral scents, creating a simpler and more modest yet effective fragrance seemed to have its own competitive edge.
Unknowingly, Morgana found herself thinking about making money again and lightly shook her head.
‘No, first, find the scent to lower Modred. Then, after.’
Coming to her senses, Morgana asked the employees, who were still struggling to distinguish the herbs.
“Where are perfumes usually most famous?”
Perhaps due to their experience working in the noble district, unlike when asked about the scent of herbs, the answers flowed effortlessly.
“Probably the salon run by Madame Oted is the most famous and expensive, right?”
“That’s right. It’s called ‘Rue’—it was originally a dress shop. They started the perfume business a few years ago…?”
“Has it been five years? Probably around that.”
So, they were the first to start making it in a salon.
In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for Tir na Nog, which sells herbs and medicinal teas, to make perfume.
As if even the mercenaries knew of the place, they let out short, agreeing sighs.
Jayden, who often took on guard duties for noble ladies, seemed to have been there frequently. He turned his chair around and sat backward, nodding.
“That’s right. Usually, three scents are the most famous. So much so that people say those three scents must have been made by selling one’s soul to the devil.”
Morgana flinched inwardly at the word ‘devil.’
Fortunately, most were focused on Jaiden’s words and failed to notice that small change.
After scratching the bridge of his nose for a moment, he opened his mouth hesitantly, contrary to his earlier fluent talk.
“But… I doubt the perfumes you’ve been releasing lately are as good as the old ones. As far as I know, the steady sellers are still those three.”
Raon clicked his tongue as if disappointed.
“Well, how can someone hit it big every time? It’s enough to have one hit. Anyway, what’s important for us is what scent Lord Mordred picked up.”
He looked at Morgana as if seeking agreement and asked.
“So, what should we do, miss? Should we look into hiring someone short-term? I’ve heard Madame Oted has an awfully high opinion of herself. I doubt she’ll agree to do it easily.”
“Instead, how about requesting a collaboration?”
If it were such a famous place, the chances of getting a condescending response were high.
While Morgana’s shop had suddenly risen to popularity as a latecomer on the shopping street, Rue’s reputation was built solidly from starting a dress shop.
Moreover, if they openly produced perfumes that were considered among the best, it might be difficult to get the desired answer unless under special circumstances.
She thought it would be better to invest a large sum of money at once for a collaboration and subtly inquire about Mordred’s scent in the process.
‘Of course, it would be even better if a good product comes out and sells well.’
Morgana didn’t know much about scents aside from herbs, so it seemed like the two could create quite good synergy together.
Raon got up from his seat, gathering his things, and asked.
“Then I’ll head back to the tavern and try sending a letter. Everyone worked hard with their noses buried in herbs.”
Tap, tap—
In the VIP floor’s now-clearing atmosphere, Morgana answered blankly.
“Ah, Raon can send the letter for you. I’m going to stop by Rue.”
“Huh? What for?”
“Just in case, you know… I thought perhaps His Lordship Mordred might have misjudged the perfume’s scent. I want to check.”
It was also an excuse to look at the perfumes and do some preliminary research for future sales.
‘Ah, no… Checking. I’m just checking. I don’t know much about perfumes!’
Thinking of the gold coins that kept flashing in her mind, Morgana laughed awkwardly.
💫
She went to Salon Rue with Olivia.
Since Olivia had managed to hold her own against most of the Fay family, Morgana figured she’d be good at distinguishing high-end perfumes.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt, seemingly blocked from proceeding further to the salon entrance.
Morgana tapped on the front window to call for the driver.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ugh, there’s a horse just planted right in front of us, miss. I’ll clear it and get you there right away.”
“We’re right there, it’s fine. I’ll just get out.”
Since it was only a few steps away, and she saw no point in waiting, she alighted from the carriage with Olivia’s assistance.
Standing in front of Salon Rue, Morgana came face to face with an unexpected figure.
“Oh, Lady Morgana?”
“Lancelot?”
“Wow, did you also come to check out the scents, Lady Morgana?”
Lancelot, who looked perfectly at home in the luxurious entrance of the glamorous salon, beamed and greeted her familiarly.
The shop was incredibly large compared to other salons.
The space was only one floor, but the length of the wall displaying dresses seemed at least three times that of a typical small salon. Here and there were sculpted pillars and vibrant colors fit for a royal palace.
Fresh flowers adorned every corner, starting from the signboard.
Butterflies naturally gathering and fluttering about looked almost like an intentional part of the decor.
Lancelot playfully extended a hand.
“Shall we go in, Lady Morgana? Allow me to guide you.”
“Let’s just go in. Why bother…”
“It is not knightly etiquette to walk ahead of a lady.”
Morgana recalled the many knights she had simply left behind but chose not to say anything.
Even his exaggerated manners suited Salon Rue quite well. Reluctantly accepting his escort, Morgana entered the salon.
Ding-a-ling—
As the bell chimed, a staff member greeted them kindly.
“Hello, welcome to Salon Rue. Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes. It was made under the name of House Lac.”
It was unclear whether he had even made the reservation. Olivia, seeing Lancelot’s dazzlingly handsome face up close for the first time, narrowed her eyes and whispered.
“My lady, are all Britton men this smooth…?”
“Well, if you think of His Highness Kellive, not particularly…?”
“Ugh, His Highness has a completely different aura. He has a certain gravitas, but this one is more like…”
Searching for words, Olivia lowered her voice even further as if she had just thought of it.
“Closer to the feeling that if you let your guard down, he’d make you spend your entire dowry.”
Well, proclaiming oneself a fan of someone does require a considerable amount of money, so her instinct wasn’t entirely off.
Among the whispering group, Lancelot nodded toward the employee leading the way and flashed a bright smile.
“Shall we go in?”
The employee guided them into a room lined with numerous perfumes.
Small bottles, specially prepared for sampling, were displayed at even intervals.
It was the kind of room young ladies would absolutely adore.
There were so many pots and vases it was hard to tell if it was a room or a flower garden.
With the large window letting in the bright, midday sunshine, it couldn’t have been more visually splendid.
There was just one thing.
‘Won’t all these scents mix together too much?’
For a place supposedly curated by someone with such deep expertise in perfume that they were rumored to have sold their soul to the devil, it was surprisingly crude.
Even Lancelot, who picked up a scent strip to smell, seemed to find it overwhelming and lightly covered his nose with his hand.
“The scent is stronger than I expected.”
“That one is inherently quite strong. Would you like to try a different scent?”
At the employee’s suggestion, Lancelot’s smile stiffened slightly as he smelled another fragrance.
He wasn’t usually one to fail to control his expression, so it seemed the scent wasn’t to his taste.
Morgana picked up a testing strip from the front, wafted it gently with her hand, and took a sniff. She couldn’t really tell if it was worthy of such high praise.
‘Are all perfumes like this?’
Even Olivia made a noncommittal expression.
The employee continued recommending other scents, but what actually caught Morgana’s eye was a bottle placed in the farthest corner.
Morgana’s eyes widened as she subtly sniffed the perfume placed in an inconspicuous spot.
At first, a cool scent seemed to clear the sinuses, followed by a pleasant, not overpowering, fresh fragrance, and it finished with a soft blend of wood and forest aromas.
Even without anyone saying it, it was clear this was one of the most famous three scents Jayden had mentioned.
Morgana held the scent strip and asked the employee.
“This scent is really lovely.”
“Ah, yes…. Thank you.”
The response was oddly stiff and awkward for some reason.
Morgana asked cautiously, “If it’s alright, I’d like to meet the person who created this scent. Would that be possible?”
“Well, Madam Oted is quite busy…”
Lancelot, who had naturally pinched his nose at this, grinned and asked back in a light tone.
“But when we made the reservation, we were told the Madam would personally attend to us. Was that not correct? I’m certain that’s what we were told.”
“Sh-she will be a little late. I’ll go fetch her right away.”
The employee, who had been hesitating with an ambiguous expression as if she might cry, quickly bowed her head and then scurried away.
She had heard they were proud, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
Just as she was starting to feel strange about it.
Olivia, who had been testing the scent alongside Morgana, tilted her head.
“Were all the perfumes here made by the same person?”
“That’s what I understand. That’s why Madam Oted is famous.”
At Lancelot’s quick answer, Olivia frowned.
“Hmm, but this one… it really feels like a different person made this scent compared to the others.”
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