The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: A Grand Shopping Frenzy

Queen Marie curiously pulled out the cork from the glass bottle and cautiously scooped out some pale purple ointment, spreading it over the back of her hand.

“Hmm, quite smooth. Not bad.” She smiled warmly at her son. “Dear Joseph, you always surprise me. Where did you get this?”

Joseph immediately adopted his salesman persona.

“I developed it myself. I call it ‘Angel’s Water.’ It softens the skin and is particularly effective at removing acne.”

Hearing this, Queen Marie waved toward the maid standing at the door. “Morgana, you can try this.”

Joseph then noticed the maid, whose forehead bore several acne spots poorly concealed by powder. Many of the palace maids were only seventeen or eighteen, a prime age for breakouts.

As Morgana quickly approached, Queen Marie picked up one of the nine wooden boxes before her and handed it to the maid, who immediately knelt in gratitude.

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty.”

With a broad smile, Joseph said to the queen, “All you need to do is mention this to the noblewomen, say that you’re using it yourself.”

Queen Marie affectionately ruffled his hair but feigned a scolding tone. “Giving me a few bottles of skincare products and you already want payment?”

Joseph straightened, feigning an aggrieved expression. “I poured my heart and soul into creating ‘Angel’s Water,’ conducting countless experiments. The moment it succeeded, you were the first person I thought of, and I rushed to bring it to you. Yet you won’t even do me this little favor…”

The queen burst into laughter and, picking up a biscuit from the table, fed it to him as she reassured him. “Fine, fine, I’ll help spread the word, happy now?”

As it turned out, Joseph had no reason to worry about promoting “Angel’s Water.”

There was no need for the queen to advertise it herself; the noblewomen of Versailles practically scrutinized her under a microscope. The moment they spotted anything new, they would leap at it like rabid followers.

That very afternoon, the Duchess of Broye, visiting the queen for a chat and some music, immediately noticed the elegant wooden box on the vanity. Tilting her head, she asked the maid beside her, “What’s in that box? Which shop sent it?”

The maid quickly whispered, “It’s skincare made by the Crown Prince, called ‘Angel’s Water.’ They say His Highness created it himself.”

“‘Angel’s Water’? What a unique name.” The Duchess dismissed the idea of the prince personally concocting it, assuming it to be a marketing gimmick by some skincare workshop.

Upon hearing her, Queen Marie promptly instructed her servants to fetch a box of “Angel’s Water” and generously gave it to the duchess. “This is quite good, especially for treating acne.”

The Duchess was overjoyed but put on a show of reluctance. “How can I take something from Your Majesty?”

“I have plenty. Take it,” the queen replied.

“Then I shall accept it with thanks!” said the duchess.

Nearby, a group of noblewomen, who had been chatting, turned their envious eyes toward them, regretting they hadn’t been the first to notice the queen’s new “treasure.”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Queen Marie smiled and instructed her maid Deborninac to distribute a box to each of the ladies present. Only then were the noblewomen appeased.

Word of the queen’s use of the trendy new skincare product, “Angel’s Water,” quickly spread through Versailles like ink dropped into water.

By evening, nearly every noblewoman in the palace was searching for information on where to buy “Angel’s Water.” This frenzy was particularly intense among younger women, who had heard that the product was personally created by the Crown Prince.

How could they not buy a bottle immediately? Otherwise, how could they even dream of claiming the Crown Prince as their ideal suitor?

Finally, someone traced the origins of “Angel’s Water” to the Crown Prince himself, who had gifted it to the queen.

Eventually, after paying 50 silver livres for the information, someone learned from the prince’s personal beautician that 40 bottles of “Angel’s Water” had been delivered to luxury shops in Paris for consignment that afternoon.

By this time, night had fallen. Noblewomen couldn’t leave the palace, and countless young ladies spent the night sleepless, eagerly waiting for dawn.

Meanwhile, the assistant to the Crown Prince’s personal beautician fumed as he stared at the 50 silver livres someone had paid—not to him. Why hadn’t they come to ask him about “Angel’s Water”?

He recalled the afternoon he’d spent with a bag of the product, visiting luxury shops in Paris one by one. Notably, the manager of the prestigious “Silver Knight” perfume shop on the Champs-Élysées insisted on charging a monthly consignment fee of 100 silver livres, claiming it was store policy.

Even when the assistant mentioned the Crown Prince’s name, the manager remained unmoved. Unwilling to make financial commitments without the prince’s approval, the assistant had no choice but to leave in frustration.

Fortunately, the smaller but more accommodating “Elegance Source” shop across the street readily agreed to take all five bottles initially destined for “Silver Knight.”

By the time the assistant completed his task and returned to Versailles at dusk, no one had asked him a single question about where “Angel’s Water” was being sold.

The next morning, numerous carriages sped away from Versailles toward Paris.

In the lavish jewelry shop near the Louvre, a noblewoman’s maid spotted the small wooden box labeled “Angel’s Water” in the display window and exclaimed with delight, “Madam, it’s there!”

Coincidentally, two young noblewomen also entered the shop. Hearing the maid’s words, they abandoned decorum and rushed to the display, shouting, “Quick! That’s it. I’ll buy it!”

The noblewoman hesitated briefly before seizing the store clerk, declaring, “I want ten bottles!”

The clerk apologized profusely. “Madam, we only have five bottles of ‘Angel’s Water.’”

“I’ll take them all!” the young noblewoman exclaimed.

“No, I was here first. I’ll buy them. How much?” the noblewoman insisted.

The clerk, trying to avoid conflict, cautiously said, “15 silver livres per bottle, 75 livres total.”

The young noblewoman raised the bid. “I’ll pay 80 livres! Quickly, hand them over.”

The noblewoman sneered at the two girls. Outbidding her? Preposterous. Calmly, she countered, “90 livres.”

“100 livres!”

“120 livres!”

In the end, the noblewoman’s deeper pockets won. She secured all five bottles for 150 silver livres and strode out triumphantly, flashing a smug smile at the two crestfallen girls.

Meanwhile, several groups of noblewomen had also arrived at the “Silver Knight” perfume shop, asking if “Angel’s Water” was available. As Paris’s most renowned luxury store, it was expected to carry the product.

But the manager could only regretfully inform them that it wasn’t in stock. He silently berated himself for his decision the previous afternoon.

Not far away, a fierce battle for “Angel’s Water” was raging at the “Elegance Source” shop…

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