WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 35: I Knew This Would Happen!

──────

In my first life, I went through countless trials while making cosmetics.

As I recalled, I failed around thirty times before finally producing a finished product.

"As you know, slime mucus is acidic, so you need to thoroughly remove the impurities and neutralize it."

I began mixing the ingredients slowly, as if teaching Kyle.

"Then mix in Silverleaf Tree sap for the moisture base, and use camellia oil for the oil base."

"Ooh... You really know your stuff, don't you?"

"The important part is emulsifying it so the water and oil don't separate. That slime mucus also acts as a natural emulsifier."

I used my Sun Ring to create a gentle heat beneath the beaker.

Gripping a glass rod, I began stirring quickly in one direction.

The ingredients blended inside the beaker, taking on a luminous hue.

Kyle's mouth fell open like an idiot's.

I thought you only knew how to swing a sword, Young Lord. How do you know this stuff? His thoughts were written all over his face.

"Keep the temperature at exactly sixty degrees. If it's off by even one degree, it'll lose its viscosity."

I brought over finely ground pearl powder. Holding it over the mixture with a fine sieve, I carefully sprinkled it in.

The fine powder was quickly incorporated without clumping.

The timing for adding it and stirring was precise.

"To prevent oxidation, we'll need something that can act as a natural preservative..."

"We'll need Dewgrass seed oil!"

Just as expected of the original creator.

"An expert really is different. That's right. We'll add two drops of Dewgrass seed oil."

"Using the viscosity of slime mucus as a protective barrier for the skin... Now that I think about it, that's an incredible idea! As it cools, the mucus changes into a thick texture too. How do you know things like this, Young Lord?"

"Well, I'm a noble. I just happened to make it."

"Are you perhaps a genius? Shouldn't you be pursuing this path instead?"

At some point, Kyle's eyes began gleaming sharply. It was as though a genius's inspiration had been stirred awake.

He peered intently into the beaker before speaking.

"Young Lord. The formula is perfect, but there is one thing I find lacking. What if we added a small amount of Snow Magnolia essential oil?"

"Snow Magnolia?"

I knew about it, but I tilted my head anyway.

"Isn't that an herb used to treat burns and high fevers?"

"It is, but Snow Magnolia can soothe heat in the skin. Its unique, fresh fragrance will also completely mask the fishy smell of the pearl powder. It will make the cream go on much more smoothly too."

He was right.

Without highly concentrated Snow Magnolia essential oil, pearl cream was useless. The smell would not go away.

"Fine. Let's go with your suggestion. But we can't add it right now."

I withdrew the gentle heat from beneath the beaker.

"If we add it at sixty degrees, the fragrance might evaporate."

"The formula will only set once it cools."

"You know your stuff."

The heat inside the beaker gradually subsided.

I stirred steadily with the glass rod so the cream would not clump.

The runny mixture slowly became thick and rich.

"Now. Add it."

At my signal, Kyle added one drop of Snow Magnolia essential oil.

The contents soon came together perfectly and solidified into a smooth cream.

A subtle pearlescent shimmer. Even at a glance, it was a success.

A fresh yet intoxicating scent spread through the room.

"...This is insane."

"It's too early to celebrate. We need to check it first."

I scooped up a small amount with my fingertip and spread it over my face.

I was about to look in the mirror, but I did not even need to.

"Ooh..."

Kyle's dazed expression gave me the answer.

When I looked in the mirror afterward, it had indeed worked.

With only a slight exaggeration, my skin looked ten years younger.

"Young Lord. What if we temporarily halt antidote production and focus on cream instead? This will absolutely be a huge hit!"

"No. There's no need."

Mass-producing pearl cream would backfire.

Its effects mattered, but to stimulate the nobles' vanity, I needed to make them believe it was scarce.

The key to luxury goods was not selling a lot of them. It was selling them at a high price.

"We'll limit production to fewer than fifty units a week. We won't sell it at a fixed price. Every week, we'll put it up through the merchant guild for a secret auction. Once the Empress and the noble ladies start competing out of pride, one bottle of cosmetics will be worth a month's tax revenue from an estate."

Nobles went crazy for scarcity.

If others envied them, they would scrape together money they did not have and throw it around.

"It has both effectiveness and rarity. If the publicity hits right, it'll be an enormous success."

"Ooh. What sort of publicity do you mean?"

"I have just the right person."

The one woman who set trends in the imperial capital.

I had already gotten her consent, so all that remained was making money.

"Kyle."

"Yes, Young Lord."

"Making money is only a matter of time for us now."

The Ashen Forest Expedition required an astronomical sum just to prepare for.

This single cosmetic would serve as a reliable source of funding.

I finished bottling the cream from the beaker into a glass jar.

At a glance, it could have passed for a finished product.

Knock, knock.

It was the knock I had been waiting for.

"Come in."

Celine peeked her head through the open door. She wore a neat dress.

Perhaps unfamiliar with the smell of herbs, she sniffed as she stepped inside.

"You called for me, Brother?"

"Yeah. Come here."

I held out the glass jar containing the Mermaid’s Tears I had just finished.

The regret of what I had failed to do was almost a wish.

Celine would not know what I felt as I handed it to her.

"This brother of yours made it for you."

Celine blinked, looking confused.

"What is it? Do I drink it?"

"Drink it? It's a cosmetic. Dab on a little and put it on your face."

Celine accepted the jar obediently despite her confusion.

She glanced at me with faintly suspicious eyes.

It was only natural. Her brother, who had only ever handled swords, had suddenly given her cosmetics.

'Once she tries it, she'll see the difference.'

Pop!

The moment Celine opened the lid, the scent of Snow Magnolia spread through the room.

Her wary eyes softened warmly.

"..."

Celine quietly inhaled the scent, then lightly dabbed her fingertip into the cream. She began patting it onto both cheeks.

The way it melted into her skin like snow the instant it touched her was amazing, even though I knew it would happen.

"Gasp!"

Kyle's eyes, nose, and mouth had all gone wide as he stared at Celine. He was not putting on an act. The shock had left him utterly stunned.

It was an understandable reaction.

She was already a goddess, and now the cosmetics made her face glow.

...Damian would have a heart attack upon seeing her.

"Here, look."

I held the hand mirror I had just used in front of Celine.

Her body froze like a stone statue as she gazed into it.

Celine's skin had always been firm, but there had been tiny blemishes.

Now even those were gone. A subtle pearlescent shimmer had seeped into her skin, leaving a clear, bright glow over her cheeks.

"B-Brother."

"Yeah."

"Is this really my skin...?"

"Yeah, it is."

As if she could not believe it, Celine kept touching her cheeks. An irrepressible smile spread across her lips.

"I'm going to save this and use it for the rest of my life!"

Celine jumped up and down in place with a beaming smile.

She must have loved seeing her face in the hand mirror that much.

"Why save it? I'll make you more when you use it up, so use as much as you want."

Using too much would not damage her skin.

That was why it could become a sustainable source of funding.

Smiling contentedly, I patted her small head.

Celine did not avoid my hand. Instead, she pushed her head up higher like a puppy.

"By the way, I made it myself."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."

"It is true that the Young Lord made it himself. I was watching from the side, and I was so surprised."

Celine looked at me with wide eyes. Then she slipped into my arms and wrapped both arms around me.

Still holding me, she rubbed her face against my chest.

Her actions conveyed feelings words could not express. A pure, radiant smile covered her face.

I had always wanted to see this expression on Celine's face.

If I had given it to her back then, would she have reacted like this?

There was no reason to remain bound to the past.

I was here now, and so was Celine.

"Kyle."

"Yes, Young Lord."

"Increase the quantity I mentioned by another thirty units. I'll set aside ten for Celine."

"Ah, yes!"

Ten for Lucia, ten for Celine, and ten for Selena.

I planned to set aside cosmetics for all three of them.

"Now that your skin is even bouncier..."

Celine's shoulders twitched.

She tried to inch away from me, but my hand had already grabbed her cheek.

"Aah..."

"Oh, this feels even more special. So fresh."

This was why I could not stop pinching Celine's cheeks.

* * *

Swoosh.

The moment water touched Selena's cheeks, her brow twisted.

A stinging pain washed over her as though salt had been sprinkled over them.

Selena roughly dried her face and sat before the vanity mirror.

With calm hands, Selena took ointment from the medicine box.

Using fingertips hardened with calluses, she scooped up some ointment and carefully spread it over her cheeks.

The burning sensation seemed to lessen a little, but there was no chance her skin texture would recover.

Forget it.

Selena repeated the words she had told herself dozens of times.

She had experienced worse injuries than this again and again.

Compared to those, damaged skin and chapped cheeks were nothing.

A warrior should naturally accept such things.

Knock, knock.

A knock echoed through the silent room.

"...Celine."

It had to be her.

No matter how much Selena pushed her away and treated her coldly, Celine always approached with a bright smile.

That poor bastard child.

Selena let out a short sigh and walked to the door.

Creak.

The person who appeared through the open doorway was someone she had never expected.

"I thought I'd die from missing you, Sister."

Astin stood before the door, his eyes curving into a sly smile.

Selena's expression twisted strangely.

"What are you doing here?"

Her flat voice carried undisguised disgust.

Her gaze passed over Astin's face and landed on the object in his hand. It was a glass jar with a luminous pearly glow.

"Your skin has been badly damaged, hasn't it? You may not care, Sister, but it pains me as your younger brother to see it."

Astin casually held out the glass jar.

"I made this cosmetic myself at the workshop. In just three days, it'll completely restore your lovely skin. It can be used in place of ointment too, so please try it at least once."

A clear emotion entered Selena's silver eyes.

"What will change no matter how you struggle, Sister? Stop struggling and prepare for the social season instead."

He was holding cosmetics out to someone who wielded a sword.

In other words, the place she belonged was not the battlefield, but the social scene.

It was an insult from the legitimate son toward the eldest daughter, carrying precisely that implication.

Whoosh!

Before she could even consciously process it, Selena's hand shot out.

Clang!

A sharp shattering sound rang through the corridor.

The glass jar was thrown straight to the floor.

The pearlescent cream spilled across the floor amid the shattered fragments.

Astin stared blankly at the ruined cosmetic.

"Get out."

Without even looking at Astin, Selena pulled the doorknob.

Thud!

Astin quickly stuck his boot into the gap to block the door.

He faced Selena without a word. Selena's brow twitched in irritation.

"..."

"..."

Selena took it as a tense battle of nerves between heirs.

Even if it killed her, she did not want to be the one to look away from Astin first.

In the end, Astin was the first to avert his gaze.

He crouched low, lowered both hands diagonally, then raised them.

He stubbornly thrust both hands toward Selena.

Selena flinched for a moment, then her eyes widened.

Astin held two more cosmetics identical to the one from earlier.

"I knew this would happen, so I brought plenty!"

"...?"

Selena's silver eyes wavered slightly.

What the hell is this guy doing?

Author's Note

Another chapter will be posted at midnight.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried