Celebrity Lady - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 75
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Lark’s capable escort and advisor, Ren, burst through the door with unbridled enthusiasm.
“Well, well! The man of the hour!”
Ren sprinted straight toward Lark, who was out on the Office terrace.
“Yesterday and today—Boutique Street is packed solid. People from the neighboring territories are coming to see your video, and Jedo’s servers are overloaded.”
“That’s good.”
“Good? That’s way too casual! Can’t you hear the merchants losing their minds from here?”
The impact of the collaboration video featuring the Crown Prince and Blanc de Rubis was staggering.
The flood of onlookers had converted directly into customers, and the merchants of Jedo were reaping the trickle-down effects handsomely.
The Commercial District’s two-day sales exceeded three months’ worth of average revenue—a feat that had everyone talking.
“But how exactly did you get to know that boutique owner? I heard she’s harder to see than the Emperor’s face. Completely secretive, apparently…….”
“What? ……Pffahahaha!”
For some reason, Lark dissolved into laughter, clutching his sides. Ren tilted his head in bewilderment, only to snicker himself.
“Jokes aside, you really are something special. I probably won’t meet another mind as sharp as yours for the rest of my life.”
“Stop it—you’re giving me chills with that honeyed tongue.”
“I mean it.”
There was such a thing as the Crown Prince’s image, so why would Lark have randomly promoted a clothing boutique? It had to be calculated.
A thorough, strategic play aimed at securing merchant-class support!
“The Second Prince must be practically trembling by now.”
Even those who’d been somewhat disappointed by Lark’s common-welfare policies were reacting positively.
‘So the wealthy nobles are taking another look at Lark because of this, are they?’
Blanc de Rubis, which Lark had chosen, was a prestigious boutique that catered primarily to high-profile clientele.
In other words, the most sought-after fashion house among the wealthy nobility.
For Lark to promote luxury goods available only to the wealthy through a premium boutique was unexpected—yet it had given the nobility reason to reassess him.
‘He’s openly framed it as supporting commercial activity, so the justification is flawless! And it naturally endears him to the nobility!’
Ren barely suppressed the grin spreading across his face.
Moreover, before the youth of the Empire—who were captivated by the image of a celebrity, an accessible idol—Lark was cemented once again as the perfect icon.
The era of stuffy leaders who sat at the highest seat and quietly did their work was over.
“Winning the support of common merchants and the wealthy elite. Plus the image of a leader swiftly adapting to changing times!”
Clap, clap, clap!
Ren applauded with an expression of admiration, shaking his head in wonder.
“Extraordinary, Your Highness.”
“Enough of that. How is Father doing?”
“Ah, the Emperor!”
Ren, still grinning, leaned against the terrace railing and continued.
“When he first saw your video, he grabbed the back of his neck immediately. The sound of him chewing out his secretaries echoed through the Imperial Palace.”
“Oh no.”
“But then, when he realized that Jedo was absolutely full of praise for you, well—his mouth’s been stretched from ear to ear ever since.”
“Really?”
“Really! You know he hasn’t been sleeping well lately because of that outlandish Marriage Law Reform Bill of yours?”
Ren clucked his tongue and poked Lark’s shoulder with a laugh.
“But now that this went so well, he’s gotten a bit of peace of mind. You’ve done well.”
“Well, I didn’t intend this outcome. But now there’ll be plenty more reasons for him to grab his head, so I’m glad at least this one brought him joy.”
“Huh?”
Something felt off. Ren’s instincts screamed danger.
“What are you talking about?”
“From here on, I’m planning to put considerable effort into defying Father. I’ve spent my whole life as the obedient son—figured it was about time I turned his world upside down a little.”
……
Ren’s confusion turned to understanding, and his jaw dropped.
“You, you, you—don’t tell me you’re actually going to keep pushing that absurd bill, are you?”
“Yes.”
“You madman! How could that possibly work?”
“If it can’t work, then I’ll make it work.”
The radical Marriage Law Reform Bill to abolish polygamous marriage—permitted only to the Emperor.
It seemed Lark hadn’t given up on it yet. Ren was dumbfounded.
“Why? What’s got you so bent out of shape?”
The Empire’s marriage law, which stipulated that the Emperor must take at least five spouses—a privilege granted to the Emperor alone.
This was directly tied to the crucial matter of imperial succession.
Lark, as Crown Prince, understood this well, and given his conduct so far, there was no reason he should be dissatisfied with this law.
So why……?
Lark let out a quiet laugh as he met Ren’s utterly baffled gaze.
“I need to prepare a rather large-scale wedding gift ahead of time. Something along the lines of, say, a Marriage Law reform?”
“What, what?”
Ren’s shock turned to realization as he chewed over Lark’s words, and his eyes went wide.
“You don’t mean—there’s a woman?”
“Maybe?”
“What? So this woman wants you to change the law first before she’ll marry you?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Well, out with it! Who is she!”
“Let me see. What time is it now? How long until the meeting starts…….”
Lark dodged the question by asking the time, and with an exclamation, he lifted his left wrist to check his Wristwatch.
“Thirty minutes left. Let’s head out. Things are going to get busy from today on. I’ll have to fight it out at every council meeting.”
“You, you—are you seriously going back into that meeting and pulling this nonsense again? The nobles won’t give you the time of day!”
“If they won’t listen, I’ll keep going until they do.”
“My god……. Is this really you? The Lark I knew? You’re going to pull something this crazy over one woman? Tell me who it is, damn it……!”
Leaving the protesting Ren behind, Lark headed toward the council chamber, his face radiant with laughter.
* * *
A whirlwind.
That’s how the public referred to the brand Blanc de Rubis.
This prestigious boutique, which had appeared like a comet and instantly transformed the fashion landscape of Jedo, saw its influence soar higher with each passing day.
“Miss Valet, have you seen the new product video from Blanc de Rubis?”
“Of course. You’re talking about the Fur Hat coming in next week, right? I heard it was handcrafted by a famous artisan from the Karta Kingdom…….”
“Exactly. It’s part of a set with the new dress line. They’re taking separate reservations for the hat, so I went right away, but I’m 128th in the waiting list.”
“Eeeek!”
Late December, with white snow collecting in the streets.
The noble ladies strolling through Jedo were uniformly dressed in Winter Dresses with dyed wool draped across their shoulders.
This design, unveiled for the first time by Blanc de Rubis, had naturally sparked a trend, and surrounding boutiques hastily produced similar designs.
But the dresses from Blanc de Rubis were on an entirely different level—the wool and fabric were top-of-the-line luxury goods.
To the naked eye, the difference between “authentic” and “imitation” was unmistakable.
Noble daughters who couldn’t afford to commission pieces from Blanc de Rubis, despite their wealth, wandered around with long faces and stamping feet.
And…….
Noble gentlemen sporting long, slender Cravats were frequently spotted hurrying about.
“Ahem, look at this. Word came yesterday that it arrived, and I got mine right away.”
“Ooh……! You’ve finally gotten your hands on it after waiting so eagerly! I’m envious!”
A noble with his shoulders thrust back proudly displayed the Wristwatch adorning his wrist.
Ever since Crown Prince Lark van Lushmach Deckard personally promoted this “Wristwatch.”
Men had swarmed like bees to the Blanc de Rubis boutique, the exclusive distributor of Reubon-made Wristwatches.
But at present, only about a dozen people actually owned one.
It was a product requiring considerable time from commission to handcraft completion.
“Ooh! Look at how finely the diamonds are cut and polished. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“Hamilton Galakio works on them personally, I hear. That craftsman’s skill is already renowned abroad.”
The two men exchanged remarks and hurriedly joined the line at the Blanc de Rubis accessories section.
Several days prior, they’d purchased an adjacent building and opened a separate showroom, but even so, there weren’t enough staff to accommodate the overflow of customers.
The entrance of the Blanc de Rubis building remained perpetually congested with queuing shoppers.
“But what kind of person is the Blanc de Rubis owner that she managed to recruit such a high-minded craftsman?”
“I can’t say for certain, but they’re no ordinary person. The Crown Prince himself offered his support directly, after all. Aren’t they probably already acquainted?”
“True enough. And Sera Ugo is serving as the exclusive model, which says something.”
As the two men’s conversation made clear, the focus of attention in Jedo these days had also turned heavily toward the mystery surrounding the identity of the Blanc de Rubis proprietor.
“I heard she’s a commoner-turned-merchant—a man in his forties who started the business with money he earned selling fruit.”
“What, what? Really? I thought it was a woman? The way things started with dresses for young noble ladies and all…….”
“Well, dresses for the ladies would’ve generated buzz, so that’s probably where the strategy began. But look at the sharp tailoring aimed at male customers, and the way they’ve commodified the watch as jewelry—don’t you see the sense in that?”
“Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
Yet rumors abounded without anyone truly knowing his identity.
Is she a woman, is he a man, a wealthy commoner, a fallen noble…….
Wild speculation swirled, but the proprietor of Blanc de Rubis never revealed themselves.
Such mystique, oddly enough, stimulated the nobles’ curiosity and functioned as an unintended business strategy.
A luxury secret—
“Blanc de Rubis’s Winter Collection.”
The two men chattering fell silent, their attention seized by the image of the Crown Prince flowing across the video screen.
The clothes were beautiful, certainly, and the model was impressive, but what truly captured everyone’s interest was this video itself.
The Blanc de Rubis video, produced with cutting-edge editing techniques, delivered a positive shock to all who saw it.
One of the men muttered as he watched.
“One thing’s for certain—whoever runs this business has a gift for strategy.”
Recruiting Sera Ugo, the Empire’s top actress, introducing unprecedented visual promotional tactics, crafting custom products for wealthy clientele…….
“Either they’re a genius, or they’re a seasoned veteran who’s been grinding it out in this industry for years.”
“Mm, I’d say so.”
The two men nodded, drawing their own conclusions.
* * *
At that very moment.
“What a nice day! Perfect weather for a morning workout!”
The Blanc de Rubis proprietor everyone was curious about (age 15, female) was…….
Still in isolation at Reubon, a territorial domain with nothing but clean air.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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