About a week ago, the day after Penelope visited the Dot household, Emily set out to make amends, beginning with Yvette Corindel. Kneeling before her, Emily sincerely expressed her regret for her rudeness.
"I was terribly disrespectful at the imperial banquet. Lady Corindel, I deeply apologize."
"Please, stand up. I’ve already heard the gist of what happened."
Yvette accepted Emily’s apology graciously. After all, Emily’s actions had been an accident, and it was better that Yvette got splashed with water than Baroness Halo.
If I think about it, I ended up wet because of Grand Duke Rahinsel anyway.
The Grand Duke had pulled Baroness Halo aside, avoiding the splash entirely. Someone as adept with aura as he was could have easily deflected a splash of water. But no, he hadn’t cared what happened to those behind him—a selfish decision, to be sure.
And yet, he had the gall to offer his coat afterward. Probably just to maintain appearances.
Yvette was certain that if Baroness Halo hadn’t been present, the Grand Duke wouldn’t have even considered lending her his coat.
He didn’t say a single word during the carriage ride to my townhouse.
As she had sat across from him, watching him stare expressionlessly out the window, Yvette couldn’t help but think about the true definition of hypocrisy.
He’s a man whose outside and inside don’t match.
When the carriage had stopped in front of her townhouse, Yvette had abruptly handed his coat back to him. Her dress had mostly dried by then.
"Thank you for escorting me. I felt it was necessary to at least offer my gratitude."
The Grand Duke had looked genuinely surprised, but Yvette didn’t care. She disembarked from the carriage without a backward glance.
Good. If I hadn’t returned the coat that day, I’d probably still be agonizing over it now.
Shaking her head to dispel thoughts of the frustrating man, Yvette turned her attention back to Emily.
"You mentioned your sister suffered side effects from Green Herb cosmetics. How unfortunate."
"Yes. But it wasn’t caused by Halo cosmetics. Embarrassingly enough, one of our servants, driven by greed, bought counterfeit products from the backstreets."
"Oh dear... Does Baroness Halo know about this?"
"Of course. She recognized the counterfeits immediately, just by looking at them."
Emily began recounting Penelope’s visit to their house in vivid detail, and Yvette listened with admiration.
"I had no idea the markings and serial numbers on Halo cosmetics carried such meaning."
"Neither did I until now," Emily admitted.
"Such meticulous attention to detail," Yvette murmured to herself, clearly impressed.
Emily wasn’t done praising Penelope.
"You wouldn’t believe how generous and kind she is. Despite the humiliation she suffered at the banquet because of me, she forgave me the moment she learned the truth. She even promised to create a potion to heal my sister’s face."
"How incredibly thoughtful of her," Yvette said, her admiration for Penelope growing even further.
At the same time, Yvette found herself seeing Emily in a new light. She knew better than anyone how difficult it was for a noble to humble themselves and seek forgiveness.
Emily had not only apologized to Yvette but was also planning to visit each noble who had attended the banquet to apologize individually.
Yvette realized that Emily possessed a strong sense of responsibility and an admirable character.
Tentatively, Yvette asked, "Do you think Baroness Halo might visit your home again?"
"Hmm... I can’t say for certain. The baroness is so busy that she might send a messenger or courier instead."
"I see..." Yvette’s voice trailed off with a hint of disappointment. Noticing her expression, Emily subtly suggested, "I was planning to visit Baroness Halo next weekend with a thank-you gift. If it wouldn’t be a bother, would you like to come with me?"
Yvette’s eyes widened. "Really? Would that be alright?"
"I doubt the baroness would mind having one more guest. Besides, it was she who suggested I apologize to you at the banquet."
"Ah, that’s true..."
Now that she thought about it, Penelope had encouraged Emily to apologize.
Yvette felt her heart warm once again at the thoughtfulness of Baroness Penelope.
What an amazing person.
In truth, Penelope Ash Halo was remarkably close to Yvette’s ideal type. Despite losing her husband shortly after their marriage, she managed to take charge of her estate entirely on her own. Not only that, she had succeeded in ventures Yvette could only dream of, effortlessly turning them into flourishing businesses. No amount of petty schemes by jealous detractors could stop her.
Penelope had overcome every obstacle with her own strength, rising to a level of success that led the Emperor himself to grant her a noble title.
To earn a noble title purely through one’s own merit...
It was an honor so glorious it was almost overwhelming. It was no wonder the empire’s two most eligible bachelors were courting her.
"Would you mind waiting for my reply? I’ll send a messenger to request permission for us to visit Baroness Halo," Emily said.
"I’d appreciate that very much," Yvette replied, smiling. For the first time in a long while, she felt as though she had found a kindred spirit.
***
Meanwhile, Kaseren and Rube had finally completed their analysis of the cosmetics’ ingredients.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Kaseren muttered, "I had no idea it would be this difficult."
"Exactly. Who knew someone could cram this many harmful artificial chemicals into a single product?" Rube added.
"The person who made this must be utterly despicable. A complete sociopath, no doubt."
The two mages, rarely given to emotion, spoke rapidly, their pent-up frustration spilling over after days of sleepless labor.
Penelope listened to their complaints patiently before asking, "So, do you think it’s possible to create a treatment for the side effects?"
"Well..."
Rube began to speak but trailed off.
There are few things more infuriating than someone stopping mid-sentence, and Penelope felt a weight settle in her chest.
"Well, what?" she pressed.
"We handed that task over to the Tower Master."
"Neither of us are alchemy specialists, after all," Kaseren added.
"It took everything we had just to interpret a beginner-level alchemy textbook and finish the ingredient analysis."
Penelope’s hands clenched into fists as she struggled to contain her irritation.
So, all they’ve done is analyze the ingredients and nothing more?
After being spoiled by Ahwin’s efficiency, the mages’ lack of capability was glaringly apparent.
I should’ve known better than to wait around and trust this process!
Unconsciously, Penelope bit down on her lower lip. If she had known this would happen, she would have postponed the curling iron project and insisted Ahwin focus on the treatment instead.
She couldn’t help but worry about Violet, who was likely enduring painful days because she was depending on Penelope.
At that moment, the door to the sitting room swung open.
"There you are," said Ahwin as he strode in.
He was dressed impeccably in a crisp white shirt and black satin trousers, looking elegant enough to grace a catalog. His wavy blonde hair, now slightly longer, brushed his neck, giving him an air of princely charm.
"You're here?" Penelope greeted him warmly, causing Ahwin to pause mid-step, momentarily caught off guard by her tone.
Without missing a beat, Penelope pointed toward Kaseren and Rube, airing her grievances.
"They’ve only just finished analyzing the ingredients. It’s been almost two weeks since the incident!"
"With all due respect, completing an ingredient analysis in two weeks is a miracle in itself..." Rube began, but his voice trailed off under Ahwin’s sharp gaze. Kaseren pulled at Rube’s sleeve, urging him to stop.
The two mages immediately shrank under the Tower Master’s scrutiny, visibly wilting in submission.
Ahwin finally spoke, his voice calm and composed.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"Don’t worry. I can whip up a treatment in a day."
"Really?" Penelope’s eyes lit up.
"Once you know the ingredients, making a treatment is simple," Ahwin replied nonchalantly.
Rube opened his mouth in disbelief, looking as though he wanted to argue, but Kaseren’s firm gesture silenced him.
Kaseren sniffled slightly, a mix of exhaustion and indignation. They had spent two grueling weeks, sacrificing sleep, to complete the analysis, only to be met with disappointment for not producing the treatment. It was unfair...
Ahwin, as if to add insult to injury, let out a long sigh and shook his head.