“So… this is soap?”
“Yes, my Lord. This is a new product we’ve developed.”
“Oh…”
A month after Hestia visited the soap workshop, Isaac came to the Frost mansion with Jerome.
In their hands was a successfully scented soap.
“It smells better than olive soap!”
“Indeed. I’ve never seen a soap that smells this good.”
Derrick and Anna’s reactions were positive. The gently spreading fragrance was so pleasant that it could easily be used as an air freshener.
“What is its usage?”
“The cleansing power is similar to before, but the skin dryness has improved somewhat. Besides removing odors with the black herbs… what was it again?”
“It is effective for skin hydration.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
Jerome added to the incomplete explanation.
“In fact, this new product was created by my son. About a month ago, he insisted that we must make this and presented a prototype.”
“Oh, you have a very smart son. It must be reassuring to have such an excellent successor.”
“Hahaha! He takes after me, of course! Right, Jerome?”
Isaac laughed heartily, patting Jerome on the back. Jerome, twisting his back, smiled awkwardly.
Hestia quietly sipped her tea and glared at Jerome.
‘This is beyond my imagination. Truly, the founder of scented soap.’
Since she visited the soap workshop, Hestia has been waiting every day for good news.
And finally, today, the two had come to visit.
Hestia examined the new product they had brought once again.
‘Indeed, scented soap is wonderful.’
It smelled much better than regular soap. Moreover, it seemed that they had experimented with three different types of fragrances.
Seeing something she had only encountered in a distant future right in front of her was nostalgic.
‘At this pace, wouldn’t it be possible to develop other things as well?’
While Jerome was indeed famous as the founder of scented soap, but he hadn’t only developed scented soap.
‘He invented various moisturizers, fragrances, and many other products.’
Scented soap was just the foundation.
If he continued to receive good ideas like this, Jerome would surely…
Thud—
Hestia lifted her head and suddenly made eye contact with Jerome.
In fact, he had been staring at her intently.
Seeing the mix of joy and slight excitement in his eyes made Hestia feel a sudden unease.
‘Could it be…’
“I have something to tell the lady.”
Jerome turned to Derrick with a smile on his lips.
“Yes, what is it?”
“While I did develop this product, the initial idea came from the young lady.”
The adults, not fully understanding his words, tilted their heads, while Hestia stared at Jerome in shock.
“Could you take a look at this?”
Jerome pulled out a piece of soap from his bag. Compared to what he had shown earlier, it was mottled and unappealing, but the scent was far superior to the others.
“Huh? This smells familiar…”
Anna tilted her head at the familiar aroma.
“About a month ago, Miss Hestia visited the workshop. She expressed a desire to see the workshop, and I gave her a soap as a souvenir.”
Jerome recalled the situation from that time and explained in detail how he came to know about black herbs.
As the story continued, Hestia lowered her head to avoid the gazes of others, but their stares only became more pronounced.
Once Jerome finished explaining, Derrick looked at the soap Hestia had made with astonishment.
“…So, this is made by our Tia?”
“Tia, how did you come up with this idea?”
Seeing her parents unable to hide their surprise, Hestia stuttered.
“Uh, I just thought that since it smelled bad, maybe adding black herbs would help…”
‘Why am I saying unnecessary things…!’
Hestia glared at Jerome with resentment, but he looked back with a look as if expecting praise for doing well.
She had never intended to reveal her role in creating the product to others.
‘It would be strange for an 8-year-old to act like she knows everything.’
She only wanted to give Jerome a hint to help him develop the scented soap and assist the Frost family, not to receive attention like this.
Being under the gaze of adults as a child was an unimaginable pressure.
As she worried about how they might perceive her…
“Our Tia is a genius!”
Derrick exclaimed, picking Hestia up and bursting into a big smile.
“Who does she take after to be so smart? Hmm?”
“Maybe it’s because she’s a child? Her thinking is quite creative. She’s definitely my daughter.”
Seeing her parents’ joyful expressions, Hestia blinked her large eyes in confusion.
‘Are they not thinking it’s strange?’
Even though they recognized her contribution to the new product, she thought they would scold her for acting on her own…
“Tia, thanks to you, we were able to develop a really good product. Thank you.”
Feeling the sincerity in Derrick’s smile, Hestia felt a lump in her throat.
“Hehe… I’m glad I could help!”
As Derrick embraced Hestia, calling her a genius, Anna, who had been smelling the soap, seemed to realize something and looked up.
“Ah, so that’s where I’ve smelled it before; it’s my perfume!”
Hestia and Jerome flinched.
“Elvin said you were playing with my perfume before, so could it be you…?!”
As Anna’s eyebrows raised, Hestia quickly sent an SOS to Jerome.
“Uh, that’s a scent I added separately. I happened to have some perfume, so I thought it might work if I added it…!”
Anna looked between Hestia and Jerome with suspicion for a moment before putting the soap down.
“…Is that so? I misunderstood.”
Fortunately, she was easily deceived. Hestia and Jerome let out a secret sigh of relief.
“But adding fragrances like this might be a bit difficult.”
“Because of the cost, I suppose.”
“Yes, since perfume is a luxury item.”
However, the scents of the other prototypes that didn’t have added fragrances were also quite luxurious.
“What was in this prototype?”
“I used inexpensive herbs like black herbs.”
“You seem to know a lot about herbs?”
“I took this opportunity to study a bit and consulted with an herbalist. Since the main ingredients of fragrances are herbs, flowers, or fruits, I figured it would be fine to use the raw materials directly.”
“It definitely doesn’t feel cheap. Moreover, herbs like black herbs shouldn’t be too expensive.”
“That’s why I wanted to ask… what do you think of this prototype, my lord?”
Isaac and Jerome swallowed nervously as they looked at Derrick.
Derrick smiled as he enjoyed the subtle fragrance wafting from the soap he touched.
“I think it’s a revolutionary product that could turn the empire upside down.”
Isaac and Jerome’s faces lit up, and Hestia secretly clenched her fist.
“I will fully support it.”
“Thank you! Thank you, my lord!”
‘Everything is going smoothly.’
Fortunately, Derrick understood the marketability of this scented soap well.
The bankruptcy in the future was due to the schemes and traps set against him, not because he lacked business sense.
While Isaac was the owner of the soap workshop, the Frost family was fully funding it and handling distribution and sales.
Thus, the profits from the workshop were shared according to the ratio agreed upon in the contract between the owner and the Frost family.
The growth of the soap workshop means the growth of the Frost family.
This will be the foundation for the future of the Frost family.
‘But I need a bigger investment source.’
Even if the Frost family provides full support to the soap workshop right now, there are limits.
The Frosts aren’t that wealthy. Therefore, to grow the soap workshop further, a new investor is necessary.
If I ask Harbor or other branch families for help, I might end up losing the scented soap recipe, so a place that can provide a large investment while protecting the soap workshop would be…
‘I’m not really inclined towards that option.’
But thinking about the future, that place would be the best investment opportunity. After finishing her thoughts, Hestia licked her lips.
“Dad, is this better than the soap used by the nobles?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Then, it should be better than what Duke Winston uses, right?”
“Are you talking about Duke Winston?”
“Yes, since the Frosts are a branch of Winston. If this is better than what the duke uses, why not gift it to him?”
“…A gift.”
Derrick’s eyes lit up.
It seemed he realized that he couldn’t provide full support due to his financial situation.
“Indeed, that could serve as a justification. I was planning to visit the duke’s house soon… Tia, that’s a very good idea.”
Hestia smiled innocently at Derrick, who was patting her head.
“Until the finished product comes out, we’ll only supply the existing soaps. We might need to produce a larger quantity.”
“Are you planning to sell aggressively from the start?”
“No, I think that soon people will start looking for soap more. So, it would be better to quickly make the finished product and sell it.”
At his significant words, Hestia tilted her head in confusion.
“Do people use soap a lot? Why?”
“Do you remember? The cosmetics that our Tia was playing with last time.”
The toxic powder!
“There’s a very bad poison in that, and the same poison is in other products as well.”
“Gasp! Then isn’t that dangerous? …People shouldn’t be in danger.”
“I’m already looking for a solution. For now, we have to completely stop using it, and aside from washing it off, there’s no other way. Just like last time when Tia mentioned it, I think people will look for soap to wash off the cosmetics.”
‘Half of that is right, and half is wrong.’
It’s true that there was a soap shortage due to the initial cosmetic toxicity incident, but it didn’t last long.
Soap alone couldn’t completely eliminate the toxicity of cosmetics.
“For now, let’s discuss this matter in more detail later…”
“Lord Frost! What nonsense is this about stopping the partnership!”
At that moment, an uninvited guest barged into the office.
“What kind of rudeness is this!”
The intruder was none other than Victor Harbor.
Derrick shouted angrily at the disrespectful behavior, but Victor responded with a flushed face and a brazen attitude.
“That’s what I should be saying! To withdraw from our business with just this letter! Did you think I would accept that without question?!”
‘He’s saying he’s withdrawing from all business?’
I thought he had only rejected the cosmetic partnership proposal, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Branch families have complicated business connections, and unless one intends to cut ties entirely, one cannot unilaterally withdraw from a business.
Yet, that’s exactly what Derrick was doing now.
‘What on earth are you thinking, Father…?’
Of course, it’s necessary to thoroughly punish and sever ties with the Harbor family someday, but this is too early.
Hestia looked at Victor and Derrick with anxious eyes.
“It is as I said. From now on, the Frost family will not engage in any business related to Harbor.”
“The Frosts and Harbors are family! We are both branches of Winston! How can you act so unilaterally?! Do you really think this is acceptable?!”
As Victor grew increasingly agitated and pressed aggressively, Derrick’s eyebrows twitched.
“Family… Ha, it seems the family you speak of is the one that lurks behind, waiting for an opportunity.”
“What on earth are you talking about?!”
“A few days ago, you proposed a partnership regarding cosmetics. Did you know it contained toxins?”
“W-What?!”
Victor stepped back in shock, but to Hestia, he looked like someone whose secret had been exposed and didn’t know what to do.
However, Victor soon put on a bewildered expression, pretending to know nothing.
