NOVPUBMarquis Branford rubbed his forehead.
‘Damn, this annoying brat.’
Ghislain wasn’t someone to be easily dismissed. He was serious, and Marquis Branford knew it.
Rosalyn also backed Ghislain, adding weight to his words.
“If that happens, the Aylesbur family’s banner will fly across the kingdom, and people will laugh at us for throwing away an opportunity that came to us on its own. Imagine that humiliation. You have to think about the dignity of our family.”
Sensing the marquis wavering, both Rosalyn and Ghislain kept pressing.
“Father, the only reason Baron Fenris approached us first is because you're his guardian. Don’t you understand?”
“That’s right. I wanted to offer this great opportunity to you, Marquis. I'm glad Lady Rosalyn sees my sincerity.”
“Father, hurry and accept the offer!”
“Marquis! You won’t get another opportunity like this!”
Marquis Branford’s face turned red with frustration, and finally, he shouted at both of them.
“Enough! Why are you both talking so much?!”
At the sound of his booming voice, both Ghislain and Rosalyn immediately shut their mouths.
The marquis rarely raised his voice, and pushing him further would only have adverse effects.
“...Sigh.”
With a deep breath, Marquis Branford stood up and looked at Rosalyn.
“You handle it. But if anything goes wrong, you’ll be married off before you have the chance to delay it any longer. This is your last chance.”
“Understood!”
Rosalyn folded her fan and flashed a triumphant smile.
With her proven abilities, it was as good as done.
Marquis Branford then turned to Ghislain and warned, “I’ll assume you need this money urgently, which is why you’re making this deal. But if you pull any tricks or cause harm to the family, you won’t get off lightly.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything properly.”
“I’m going to rest now. The two of you can take care of the rest.”
With that, Marquis Branford walked out, though a lingering feeling of injustice still clung to him.
‘Ugh, I still feel like I’ve been duped. My head hurts too much to think about it any longer.’
He massaged his temples and sighed deeply. The irritation would likely persist for several days.
As the marquis left, Belinda and Claude exchanged a silent cheer. They were so overjoyed that they bumped into each other.
“Hey! Get off me! Why are you sticking so close?”
“Ugh, I’m more disgusted than you are!”
Startled, they glared at each other, ready to bicker, until Gillian, who had been quietly watching, intervened. He grabbed both of them by the shoulders and forcefully separated them.
After Marquis Branford left for good, both Ghislain and Rosalyn breathed a sigh of relief.
Ghislain smiled and turned to Rosalyn.
“Thanks to you, everything went smoothly.”
Rosalyn shrugged with a confident grin.
“Well, I had my reasons.”
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“There won’t be any problems with the product supply, will there?”
“No. Once I return, I’ll immediately expand production.”
“Good. I’m not sure why you need such a large sum so suddenly, but...”
Rosalyn trailed off as a thought crossed her mind. She scrutinized Ghislain’s face before cautiously asking, “You’re not secretly sick or anything, right? You’re not planning to blow all this money and die, are you?”
Ghislain responded with an incredulous expression.
“I’m perfectly healthy.”
“Alright, alright. Just making sure.”
Ghislain sighed. As expected of Marquis Branford’s daughter, Rosalyn was full of suspicion.
But once she made a decision, she was bold and decisive, which was one of her strengths.
The two of them immediately drafted a contract. After signing beneath Ghislain’s name, Rosalyn smiled brightly.
“I’m glad I could help you this way. Let’s make this work.”
“Thank you. It’s reassuring to have you as my sponsor.”
This time, his gratitude was sincere. Initially, he had just been playing along out of courtesy, but now he genuinely appreciated her support.
In fact, Ghislain hadn’t expected to receive the full 300,000 gold. His plan was to start with a high number and negotiate, either increasing the percentage of shares given or lowering the investment.
But with Rosalyn’s intervention, the deal went much more smoothly than anticipated.
‘This is the best outcome. Better than I expected. This amount should be enough for now.’
Now that they were tied together in business, the Branford family would have no choice but to pay more attention to him. And with 300,000 gold at his disposal, Ghislain could rapidly accelerate his next plans.
Suppressing the smile that threatened to spread across his face, Ghislain shook Rosalyn’s outstretched hand firmly.
News quickly spread across the capital that cosmetics sales had resumed.
On the day of reopening, nobles arrived in full force, many bringing their soldiers along with them.
“This time, I won’t leave empty-handed! I’ll be the first to enter!”
“Make way! We’re going in first!”
“Push through! Don’t let them get ahead!”
Prideful nobles, learning from their previous failure, were determined not to leave without securing the product. The battle for cosmetics had now escalated into a matter of personal honor.
The soldiers they had brought along began physically pushing against each other at the mansion’s front gate. It was a scene that resembled a siege.
Creak! Crash!
With so many people pushing, the gates of the mansion finally gave way.
“The gates are open! Charge in!”
“Get in before them! Don’t be late, or I’ll have your head!”
“Hurry up and push them aside!”
Once they entered the wide garden, the nobles immediately started fighting amongst themselves.
As long as they didn’t touch Baron Fenris, they believed it was fine to fight each other for the chance to buy the cosmetics first. In their minds, it wasn’t a problem at all.
The garden soon turned into a massive battlefield.
“Ugh! Don’t step on me!”
“Forget him! Just run ahead! Get to the mansion first!”
“Capture those guys!”
From a distance, Ghislain and his group watched the scene unfold.
There was no point in trying to stop the pride-driven nobles. If they tried to intervene, they’d only get dragged into the fight.
With a playful smile, Ghislain turned to Rosalyn.
“Well then, I leave this to you, Lady Rosalyn.”
“Understood.”
Rosalyn raised her chin confidently and strode toward the chaos.
The nobles, who had been throwing punches, suddenly sensed an ominous presence and gradually stopped fighting.
When they looked around, they realized that they were surrounded by soldiers in armor, brandishing weapons.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
“Are these Baron Fenris’ soldiers?”
“When did such a large force appear...?”
The confused nobles finally noticed the woman standing in front of the soldiers and widened their eyes in shock.
“No way...”
“Is that... Rosalyn Branford?”
“Why is the marquis’ daughter here?”
As their excitement gave way to confusion, they noticed the emblem on the soldiers’ armor.
“That’s the Branford family’s crest.”
The nobles stared at Rosalyn in bewilderment. She, maintaining the same calm expression her father often wore, spoke clearly.
“From today onward, the Branford family will be managing the sale of cosmetics on behalf of Baron Fenris.”
The nobles’ faces turned pale.
They had just attacked a property now under the protection of the Branford family, a serious offense.
Seeing their panic, Rosalyn continued, “I’ll overlook this incident, as it seems you didn’t know. However, in the future, there must be order. Everyone, please line up.”
The chaos was swiftly brought under control. As unruly as the nobles could be, none of them dared to defy Rosalyn—or the Branford family behind her.
With the tension defused, the nobles began glancing at Rosalyn, many seeing her up close for the first time.
Although some had seen her at the banquet, others had only heard rumors about her, and most hadn’t realized how stunning she was. Her radiant skin made it hard to believe that she had ever suffered from a skin disease. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
‘It’s true. She’s completely cured.’
A nobleman from the provinces, unable to contain his curiosity, boldly asked the question everyone was thinking. He knew it was a bit rude, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Is it true that the cosmetics cured your illness?”
Fortunately, Rosalyn didn’t seem offended. She smiled softly and answered, “Yes, Baron Fenris treated me, but these cosmetics played a big role in my recovery. That’s why our family is now overseeing the sales.”
She lied effortlessly, maintaining her composure.
‘It’s not really a lie, though. The product is effective, after all.’
Her words gave the nobles a new sense of confidence.
Now that the Branford family was backing the product and there was visible proof of its effectiveness, their trust in it skyrocketed.
‘It’s expensive, but I’d better stock up while I can. I should bring some back for my wife.’
‘The demand is so high that the supply could run out. I might even be able to resell it at a higher price.’
‘If I use it, I’ll look even more handsome, won’t I?’
With a graceful wave of her fan, Rosalyn spoke kindly, “Now, please form a line.”
In an instant, the nobles obediently lined up.
Although it took some time, they all waited their turn and purchased the cosmetics in an orderly fashion.
With so many people crowding in, and with Rosalyn personally overseeing the sales, the profits on the first day were staggering.
Smiling brightly, Rosalyn reassured the customers, “There’s plenty of stock, so there’s no need to rush. Please continue to line up like this in the future.”
With the Branford family’s soldiers standing guard, there was no chance of another riot.
As a result, nobles who didn’t want to wait in line started sending their servants again, and peace returned to the Crow Mansion.
“Wow, the mansion is calm, but the cosmetics are flying off the shelves.”
Claude marveled, while Ghislain nodded with satisfaction.
Though he had given up a portion of the profits, he had secured the necessary funds and offloaded the hassle of managing the sales.
Rosalyn, it seemed, was fully committed to the cause, going so far as to promote the product herself.
‘Whether she’s eager to recoup the investment quickly or to earn her father’s approval, it works to my advantage. This will make it harder for other groups to interfere.’
Even though there were undoubtedly other factions eyeing the cosmetics greedily, none would dare make a move with Rosalyn firmly in control.
‘Who knows how long it’ll last with Duke Delfine’s looming presence, but that’s a problem for later.’
For now, everything had gone better than expected.
All that was left was to return to the estate in peace.
“Let’s head back. Make sure to prepare a list of the supplies we’ll need to bring back with us.”
“Understood.”
While Claude and the others packed up and prepared for departure, Ghislain made his rounds to bid farewell to the capital’s influential nobles.
His final stop was at the Branford mansion, where he received some good news.
“I appreciate all your assistance. I’ll be returning to the estate now.”
“The first round of support for Ferdium has been prepared as promised. Would you like to leave with the supplies?”
“Is that so? I’ll travel with them then.”
Though it might slow him down to travel with the support unit, it was worth it.
He could oversee the distribution of the supplies, ensuring they were used to his advantage.
“They’re waiting outside the city gates. You won’t need to worry about security; the royal family and various noble houses have sent soldiers to escort the supplies.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Ghislain gave a slight nod of appreciation.
While receiving support was certainly beneficial, the arrangement had been mutually advantageous, so there was no need for excessive gratitude.
As they exited the city, Ghislain’s entourage was greeted by an impressive sight: wagons stretching endlessly, loaded with supplies.
Food, horses, and weapons were packed tightly onto the carts, prompting awe-struck murmurs from Ghislain’s followers.
