Chapter Sixty-seven: Invitation to Beauty
“Another poison, huh…”
When Karen reported the matter to Waltride, the princess furrowed her brow.
“I don’t know everything about that powder, but I understand it well enough to turn it into a poison potion. Still, I wasn’t aware it had any effect on magical power. I think there’s something mixed into the powder—something that doesn’t interfere when it’s turned into a potion.”
Healing potions were usually made from herbs and water, but by adding magical materials, people tried to enhance their effects to create medium or large healing potions. There were materials that could be mixed without breaking the potion. But she didn’t know what those materials were.
Facing Karen, who was grinding her teeth at her lack of knowledge, Waltride nodded.
“In any case, we must stop the use of this powder. Although Earl Ehlertt has made an announcement, I’m not sure if the young ladies will simply stop using it.”
“You think so?”
“When it was introduced at the tea party, the young ladies called it ‘Love Powder’. They cling to it, saying it will make their love come true—or rather, it will help them secure a marriage arrangement.”
“A marriage arrangement?”
“There are various reasons to seek a favorable match. But most desperate are the noble ladies who cannot fight. Nobody says it openly, nor can they, but it’s the truth.”
Waltride let out a deep sigh.
“It’s our duty as nobles to fight and protect the country. However, there are those like myself who struggle even to move, and not everyone is skilled in battle like Julius. But those who do not fulfill their duty are not granted rights… Though I’m hardly in a position to talk.”
She spoke with self-deprecation.
“Even among nobles, women must bear children. Therefore, by marrying, women can escape their duty to fight. Those who have given up fighting become desperate to find a marriage partner. To be chosen by a better match, they become obsessively fixated on beauty…”
Was Petra the same? If her life depended on it and she wasn’t just fixated on Julius, Karen felt a bit sorry for her.
“Petra’s not the only one. How can we save them?”
“Leave them be, Your Highness.”
Julius sighed and shook his head. His expression was bitter, and it was clear his feelings differed from Karen’s.
“I will handle this matter together with Brother Helfried. Since we don’t know what malice might be involved, you need not concern yourself with those who would consume poison to avoid fighting.”
“Even so, I can’t help but worry about those who once showed me kindness.”
“If they cannot fulfill their noble duties, they could choose to become commoners. If someone tries to avoid fighting without choosing that option, they are criminals. You need not concern yourself, Your Highness.”
“Hmm…”
Waltride sighed with a dejected expression. Karen softly asked her:
“You want to save the Ehlertt Earldom’s young ladies who were kind to you, right?”
When Karen asked Waltride this, Julius gave her a reproachful look. He seemed to want to say they shouldn’t involve the princess further in this matter.
Karen gave Julius a small nod as if to say, “I understand your concern.”
Julius’s eyes widened slightly.
Waltride nodded honestly in response to Karen’s question.
“Yes. I’m somewhat familiar with the feeling of struggling with an uncontrollable reality. If I could do anything to help, I would. But the most I can manage is calling an alchemist through my connection to the Ehlertt family.”
Saying this with a wry smile, Waltride was met with Karen’s sparkling eyes.
“You just said you’d do anything, right?”
“Hmm? Well, if it’s something I can do—”
“Essentially, these young ladies want to fulfill their love, or at least secure a good marriage arrangement, and want to become beautiful, correct? If they can become beautiful, they don’t need to use a poisonous powder, do they?”
“That’s true. But they are stubborn and won’t believe that they would be more beautiful without the powder. Even when Petra collapsed, everyone somewhat knew it was poisonous. I’ve also raised warnings. Yet they continue to use it.”
“Then let’s put them in a situation where they have no choice but to believe. And for that, Your Highness’s help is essential.”
“My help…?”
Karen gave a business-like smile and scooted closer to Waltride.
“What if we use my potions to further polish Your Highness’s beauty?”
Waltride was surrounded by many maids, but her complexion was sallow, her skin rough, and her hair looked dull.
“By showing Your Highness’s beauty enhanced by my potions, we’ll liberate the young ladies from their obsession with the poisonous powder.”
“…I can see right through you. You want to treat my Bloodline Blessing under the pretext of these young ladies. I’ve said I don’t need treatment. Am I really that ugly?”
A sarcastic smile escaped Waltride.
Feeling her strong pushback, Karen said, somewhat perplexed:
“Well, in some lands, a chubby figure is considered beautiful. And my potions don’t include weight loss medications.”
At Karen’s words, Waltride’s eyes—partially hidden beneath her heavy eyelids—opened wide in surprise.
“You’re not trying to make me lose weight?”
“Honestly, medications that claim you can lose weight just by eating and drinking are suspicious. In my personal opinion, they’re mostly fraudulent or close to harmful poison.”
“Fraud and poison…”
Waltride blinked in bewilderment, her eyes going round.
Truthfully, Karen had no idea how to make Waltride lose weight. What immediately came to mind was the very poison that had consumed Petra. Since that poison drained magical power, if used appropriately by Waltride, who had an excess of magical power, it might drain her surplus magic. But she could never use an unknown poison on a princess.
“The potions I propose are beauty potions. Instead of applying poisonous powder to whiten the skin, let’s aim for the natural beauty of bare skin!”
“Natural skin beauty…”
Waltride scratched her cheek.
Even as a princess who likely used healing potions as toner daily, she already had tiny pimples forming around her chin.
“I’m quite knowledgeable about beauty potions.”
Karen stated that firmly.
It was one of the first things she tried after learning her creations could become potions.
“Indeed, Karen’s skin is white and smooth, beautiful like porcelain.”
Karen shot an unimpressed glance up at Julius, who had blurted out the compliment without thinking. Everything was this man’s fault. During her time in the Ehlertt family’s manor, she couldn’t always wear makeup. With the danger of being seen bare-faced by this man at any moment, how could she afford rough skin?
Moreover, he sometimes suddenly brought his face incredibly close—recalling the recent incident, Karen shook her head. She couldn’t exactly squeal and make a scene when Julius was seriously trying to share his heart’s wounds back then. She had bit the inside of her cheek, holding back the feeling like her brain was going to explode, but it was bad for her heart.
“Why are you looking more radiant than ever, without using any special potions, Master Julius?”
“Perhaps because I haven’t been in any dungeons lately? I haven’t had much chance to burn off my magical power.”
Julius said that, looking a bit shy.
Karen narrowed her eyes as if shielding them from the dazzling glow of Julius’s radiance.
In any case, with magical power, one’s body should be maintained in a relatively perfect state, like Julius. Yet Waltride’s overflowing magical power did not maintain her body in a perfect state.
Averting her gaze from Julius’s dazzling smile, Karen said:
“Not everyone can be as radiant as Julius, but with potions, that’s possible. I want Your Highness to use it to prove this to the young ladies. Since they already know how you look now, the impact will be stronger.”
“However, using an alchemist like you, who can cure the side effects of the Bloodline Blessing, to create a skincare potion seems like a waste of talent.”
Julius had said something similar, too.
Honestly, Karen wished the two of them could stop flaunting how in sync they were, especially in front of her.
“Beauty potions are one of my top research priorities, especially since I’m often near Master Julius. Please, feel free to become a valuable subject for my research.”
“A subject for research, huh… well, that’s fine, then. Hahaha!”
Waltride first looked blank, then burst out laughing.
It seemed she didn’t take it badly.
Though she called them beauty potions, Karen intended to experiment with ones that might help with Waltride’s Bloodline Blessing.
“I feel like I’ve been smoothly led along.”
Though she had agreed, her expression remained unconvinced. It seemed she couldn’t shake the feeling that using the treatment on herself would be wasteful.
How kind could this princess be?
Julius leaned close and murmured into Karen’s ear:
“As expected of you, Karen.”
He was praising her skill in guiding the unwilling Waltride toward treatment.
Karen’s face was about to soften with embarrassment, but thinking Julius might just be happy about finding a treatment approach for Waltride, she quickly straightened her facial muscles.
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