Being considerate of me, who would feel burdened, Princess Vivian dressed me up as if the person I was meeting today was her and not Crown Prince Enoch.

‘Her Highness, really. How could I form a business partnership with His Highness?’

I had always been called a villainess, so it was novel to hear the encouragement that I would be able to do something like that.

“I guess I’m expressing my gratitude belatedly. Thank you so much for helping my sister, Lady.”

There was no time to think about it.
I uttered my humble words to the person in front of me.

“It was my great joy, Your Highness.”
“At first, I didn’t think her condition would improve this much. But Vivian even went outside of the imperial palace… I don’t know how many years it has been.”
“… Thank you.”
“Isn’t it okay to be a little proud? I think you and Vivian have become good friends as well. If it weren’t for the Lady, Vivian might never have shown her face to anyone else.”

Hm, I don’t know what to say when I hear compliments. I said the same thank you again.
The Crown Prince looked at me strangely and continued.

“I heard you’re thinking about starting a cosmetics business. I’d like to hear more about that.”
“…”

It was right for me to find a business partner.
Since Crown Prince Enoch was leading a business in the imperial family, it was clear that I could learn a lot from him, as well as reduce the trial and error I could make while running a business for the first time.
With the premium called ‘the imperial family’, the cosmetics business would be smooth, and most importantly, it would be a solid shield.

However…

“Thank you for your interest in the business, but there is no need to show your sincerity just because I helped Her Highness.”

Since the meeting had already been arranged anyway, the reason I came here was to politely decline.
I was worried that the man in front of me had been forced to come here by Princess Vivian for nothing.

“Because Your Highness also helped me with Sir Vieira. I was just paying my debt.”

Wasn’t I also helped by Crown Prince Enoch?

“If I get something more from Your Highness here, it won’t be fair.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”

In fact, I should have refused right away when Princess Vivian suggested it to me.

I was never mistaken.
Crown Prince Enoch, who ran the imperial businesses, was not easy to deal with. Though I knew it was a big deal to sit at a table and talk about business, whether he would become a partner or not.
It wasn’t because my business was great.
The business proposal would be a reward for improving Princess Vivian’s skin.

The expression on the Crown Prince’s face became strange as I spoke my thoughts.

“Is that what you think?”

I was surprised to hear Princess Vivian call me ‘Lady Yuria’ at that moment, so I nodded my head in a moment of confusion…

I bothered the other person. This was my mistake.
I tried to apologize again, but Crown Prince Enoch’s mouth opened first.

“Of course, it’s as the Lady said. It is correct that I wanted to work with you when I saw that Vivian’s skin had improved.”
“Yes, then…”
“But the reason is wrong. Didn’t you think that seeing the obvious before-and-after differences convinced me that you had business potential?”
“…!”
“It won’t be sold only to people who buy cosmetics just to make their skin beautiful. I think this project has a lot of potential.”

That’s right, I also thought the cosmetics business was promising. I was confident enough to attract investment.

“Apart from the reward for helping Vivian, I am genuinely interested in the cosmetics business.”

However, as he was the brother of Princess Vivian, he anticipated my worries.
While I couldn’t open my mouth, the Crown Prince continued speaking fluently.

“I heard that you are working on several things, not just the cosmetics Duchess Primrose and Vivian used. There will be huge demand, even if only a few of them are properly promoted.”

If it was someone else, I would have gone further and explained the future of the cosmetics business.
But as expected, Crown Prince Enoch understood my business without me needing to do so.

“I have a question about the type of cleansing product…”

And in some ways, he seemed to have a better understanding of my business than I did.

“You said there are cosmetics that suit each person. Doesn’t the cleansing product depend on your skin type?”
“That’s a good question. People with sensitive skin and people who need sebum control should not use the same product. Even so, I’m thinking about how to refine the types of cleansing products.”
“But the problem is that if you launch too many products from the beginning, you can confuse the customers… Have you thought about how to do it?”

And the discussion continued for a short time.
I never imagined that I would say something like this when it came to cosmetics. I didn’t even expect to hear advice from such diverse perspectives.

I decided to admit it.
The Crown Prince didn’t just ask me to meet him because he was grateful.
However.

“Just because the cosmetics business is promising doesn’t mean I trust the Lady completely. I think product research and business management are different fields.”

His tone of voice was different from the one he usually used when talking to noblewomen.
Of course, he respected the other person, but he had a public and business-like expression.

“So you’re saying that it’s better if I only research the products, and for someone else to manage the business?”
“To put it bluntly, yes.”
“…”
“Of course, my intention to invest remains the same. This business idea is yours, and I think it has that much value. However, as an investor, please think of it as suggesting a better direction.”

Maybe I’m weird.
The fact that he said he was looking at it objectively made me feel rather comfortable.
He was telling me that he wasn’t investing because of what I had done to help Princess Vivian.

‘Yeah, it’s no use having ridiculous consideration.’

Even if he wasn’t Crown Prince Enoch, I expected to be in this situation anyway.
I took a moment to breathe, then began the words I had been thinking about while preparing for my business.
Even if I thought about it, it was a more relaxed voice than before.

“The most important thing for me in the cosmetics business is to earn the trust of my customers. Lead poisoning has made people sensitive to cosmetic ingredients. That’s why I’m going to mark all the ingredients on the cosmetic package.”

Noble ladies dying of lead poisoning.
Fearing that they might die the same way, one day, people saw my mother, who appeared with better skin than before without applying lead powder, and began to pay attention to the ingredients of cosmetics.

“What did Duchess Primrose apply to change her skin like that?”
“I heard that lead was really dangerous. I also don’t want to apply powder mixed with lead if I can…”
“But isn’t what Duchess Primrose put on her face more frightening than lead?”

I knew what they were thinking.
And I no longer wanted to see noblewomen die and suffer because of lead.
Even though my mother had died in my last life, her exact cause of death wasn’t even dug into because she had been applying powder mixed with lead. When something so futile flashed through my mind, when I closed my eyes and opened them, it had disappeared.

“In general, cosmetics are known to be applied to the face for beautiful skin, but I want to give the impression that they are made professionally. So that it can be helpful not only for those who want clear skin, but also for those who suffer from problematic skin.”
“I don’t think it’s a bad direction, but since we’ll be announcing all the ingredients, can’t other business entities follow suit?”
“It’s hard to follow with just the ingredients. Just mixing all the ingredients together doesn’t make the cosmetics. There’s a ratio, and I have my own skills.”

I was a little embarrassed to talk about it with my own mouth, but I had to show how great the cards I had were, as much as possible.

“Besides… the crops I grew are different from normal crops. They have the power of my blessing.”

I never imagined that the day would come when I would speak in front of the crown prince about the blessing of growth that was considered the most insignificant of the Primrose duchy.

“Yes, it’s like a blessing from God.”

Crown Prince Enoch grinned.

‘A blessing from God…’

… It wasn’t a big deal compared to my brother’s blessing of the sword. I thought so myself, and so did everyone in the duke’s castle.

But I couldn’t believe he used the metaphor that it was a blessing from God for my blessing of growth.

‘I didn’t feel confident before. But it’s different now. This power… If I use it well, I can keep in check the blessing of healing for which Lilika will later be called the saintess.’

——