Countess Youngae’s Money-Sweeping Makeup Shop - Chapter 88
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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88
“Really.”
“It’s the best.”
“Exactly.”
The two models, Lili, Berinea, and I huddled together to look at the saved data.
If we did just a tiny bit of color correction here, it would be truly perfect, but this wasn’t bad as it was.
It was good because it really looked like a scene you were watching right before your eyes.
We selected 15 photos from among them and transferred them one by one onto white canvases.
Once transferred like this, they were no different from works of art.
I gazed at the 15 canvases hung on the wall like someone enchanted.
A photo of Ricardo holding a single blue rose with his long fingers, looking at it with an indifferent expression,
A photo capturing his languid golden eyes in the center,
A photo of him tucking a strand of fallen hair behind his ear,
A full-body photo of Ricardo with one hand on his hip as if annoyed, his head tilted slightly upward.
These four in particular caught my attention.
Considering they were all from Ricardo’s photo shoot, I was clearly quite taken with Ricardo.
While sighing and letting out a small laugh, I organized the cosmetics and brought them down to the first floor.
When I came back up to the second floor, Ricardo and Felix, who had changed clothes, were sitting on the sofa.
I also scurried over to sit next to Berinea and exhaled with a “whew,” releasing the tension from my body.
“Ugh, it doesn’t feel like we did much, but why is it so tiring?”
“Exactly. It feels like the fatigue of making four dresses all night. I’m sure I’ll collapse as soon as I get back to the manor.”
“I think I will too.”
Even Berinea, who was usually full of energy, seemed very tired now, her voice lacking strength.
Berinea had used a lot of magical power today too, so it was understandable.
I adjusted my posture and turned my head to look at the canvases by the bookshelf again.
Now I needed to make magazines like photo books with those pictures and hang photos in front of the shop too.
I hoped that by displaying outfits at Berinea’s shop, both Berinea’s shop and mine would prosper, and all that would be left was for everyone to rake in money together.
After indulging in happy fantasies for a moment, we went to a restaurant for dinner and drinks, had an early dinner, and parted ways.
***
Raking in money.
Right, to rake in money, there was still one big hurdle left.
I got out of the carriage and stood in front of Juber’s shop.
Many things were scheduled to happen today.
First, the report to the Magic Tower.
Lucian was in an extremely angry state.
He had worked so hard to get time off and was enjoying a good rest in the pile of fluffy cushions I had made for him when news came from below.
The news that the cosmetics sold at Juber’s shop were consumable magical tools heavily infused with dark magic.
When dark magic was discovered, it had to be reported to the Imperial Court immediately along with evidence.
Therefore, on the fourth day of his vacation, Lucian was forced to work as the tower’s owner, and when I saw him last night, I thought a beast had visited.
Dark circles hung long under his eyes, and his deep double eyelids expressed his fatigue instead of words.
His hair was disheveled, and the way he kept grinding his teeth showed he seemed really very angry.
Seeing him constantly muttering things like “I won’t let this slide, my precious vacation…” made me wonder how severely resentful he was to have gone this crazy.
Lucian delivered the report for the accusation to Helena this morning, and Helena said the Imperial Court would send the Order of Knights this evening.
Second, getting makeup done by Juber.
I planned to get makeup done by Juber.
Because I needed to confirm whether the cosmetics used during makeup also contained dark magic.
That way I could determine who should be held accountable for their crimes, right?
According to El, it wasn’t that dark magic had no effect on me.
Especially dark magic for brainwashing would gradually damage the spirit’s power if not removed quickly.
Then when the power became completely weakened, I would fall victim to dark magic.
But if I removed anything containing dark magic from my body while even a little of the spirit’s power remained, then took the medicine El had given me, I would be fine.
With this insurance, and most importantly, Lucian had handed me a necklace, telling me to go get hit by dark magic.
The blue necklace around my neck now looked like just a fancy accessory, but it was actually a necklace that revealed what kind of magical power was in the wearer’s body.
While wearing it, it could show the details of all magical power that had entered the body, so it could serve as important evidence.
Finally, third, rescuing the noble young ladies.
After getting makeup done, I planned to break the brainwashing of the young ladies in the building with the help of Lucian and El, who would be waiting, just before the Order of Knights arrived from the Imperial Court.
And it would be perfect if I told the young ladies about the Imperial Order of Knights needing to investigate dark magic-related matters while they were listening.
After witnesses appeared, breaking others’ brainwashing wouldn’t be difficult.
Because El had definitely said that having magical power and pushing the spirit’s force into brainwashed people would work.
That meant it could be solved just by using the collaborative cosmetics that Lucian and I had made.
Most of the young ladies I had seen before had their skin in terrible condition.
To solve this, they would have no choice but to do skincare.
This is when I would give cosmetics from our shop to all the young ladies for free.
These cosmetics were also treated as being made with magical power. Since magical power was used!
So, it would break the brainwashing while not harming the body but actually helping to soothe the skin.
My expectation was that people who had their brainwashing lifted and became aware of the existence of dark magic would actively recommend this to their acquaintances to eliminate dark magic.
I swallowed and entered Juber’s shop.
I hoped everything would proceed according to plan.
***
In the past, somehow knowing about it, Casual introduced a dark mage as soon as he promised collaboration with Juber, telling him to entrust the cosmetics production to them.
Since dark magic was illegal in the Empire, he opened the cabin door to cancel the deal with Casual and report them.
“Are you going to make the Marquis’s efforts come to nothing? With just a small amount of dark magic, everyone will forget the existence of ‘Sillia’ and think only of the Marquis.”
That story made Juber stop in his tracks.
The snake-like young woman’s voice continued as soon as she confirmed that fact.
“What if it’s magic that disappears the moment it’s used? No dark magic remains in the person who used it. If you don’t get caught, that’s all there is to it.”
“There’s no guarantee we won’t get caught.”
“How about thinking realistically, Marquis? Honestly, can you beat Sillia, that wench’s makeup skills? You have to make cosmetics one by one too.”
“…”
“Ah! The Marquis could probably do it. But when will you make them, when will you improve your skills, and when will you open your shop? Meanwhile, that wench will also improve her skills, and only that place will be imprinted in customers’ minds.”
“Dark magic is illegal.”
“If you open that makeup shop now, it’ll look like the Marquis is copying Sillia. I’m quite a capable mage, you know. My magic is also hard to track. So…”
The single phrase that it was hard to get caught shook Juber’s heart.
Right, if he really didn’t get caught, that would be the end of it.
Dark magic was magic that even the tower’s owner found difficult to detect.
Those who still got caught were caught because they acted like fools.
If such results could be achieved with just a small amount of magic, there was no reason for Juber to refuse.
If he got caught, he could just hand over those two people and claim he really didn’t know. If that didn’t work, he could threaten the Emperor.
Though it wasn’t a large amount compared to the Shusser Ducal House, the Nekiard Marquis Estate was also one of the families supporting a fairly large portion of the Imperial Court’s funds.
The impact would definitely be significant, so they would cover it up well on their own.
Back to now.
That mage, as if proving their ability, hadn’t been caught using dark magic-infused cosmetics until today, almost a month after opening.
Just as people all seemed unable to remember Sillia, only stories about Juber’s makeup and Juber were heard everywhere, whether at shops or tea parties.
It was a very satisfactory situation.
Now only one step remained until the perfect ending.
So to avoid creating even the slightest variable, Juber gritted his teeth and learned dark magic.
Dark magic wasn’t as difficult as expected.
No, it was easy. There was definitely no magic easier and stronger than this.
Even though he hadn’t been learning for long, Juber had reached the point where he could use dark magic naturally without drawing spells or magic circles.
‘Now if I do makeup for that wench, all plans will be finished. A perfect ending will welcome me.’
When the plan was finished, he intended to remove the dark magic from the cosmetics, operate the shop as if nothing had happened, then obediently hand the shop over to Casual.
Juber was looking forward to the Crown Prince’s next birthday banquet.
As she gazed at the purple light flickering in her hands, a pretty smile appeared on her face.
‘Now the center of high society will be mine forever, Ebennain Yeongae.’
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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