Penelope felt a pang of frustration, a mix of disappointment and regret.
The feeling was particularly strong when it came to the hair essence, as she had personally combined the oils and ingredients to create it.
"We definitely need a solution," she muttered seriously, crossing her arms. At that moment, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"A solution? What kind of solution do you need?"
"Ah! Lucas, what are you doing here? What about your work?"
"I just finished coordinating things with the accountant. What’s troubling you so much, Baroness?"
Lucas, freshly returned from his outing, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow as he replied. Penelope looked around, startled to find the store completely empty.
"When did this happen?"
She had been so lost in thought about how to boost sales for the underperforming products that she hadn’t realized the shop had already closed for the day.
Lucas glanced around the shop and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"The hair dryers seem to have sold out. That’s truly remarkable."
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"Yes, but the sales of the hair essence and round brushes have been poor."
"And you’re already worrying about that? Isn’t it normal for new products to struggle at first? They say it’s common for fresh launches to be overlooked."
Lucas spoke as if trying to console her, but Penelope didn’t feel any better.
"I thought everything would be a hit from day one."
From the green herb soap to the hair dryer and even the cosmetics, every product Penelope had introduced to the Halo Soap Shop had seen explosive sales from the first day.
For someone who had built an undefeated streak of successes, this first stumble hit hard.
Just then, Pablo entered the store, having finished inspecting the soap workshop, only to pause mid-step.
"Baroness...? You’ve come to the shop yourself again? What if someone recognizes you?"
"No one paid any attention to me. Everyone was too busy buying hair dryers."
"...Even so, please be cautious. After what happened last time, you’re being far too careless."
"Would anyone really try to harm me here in this shop?"
"That’s unlikely, but still... Why do you look so upset?" Pablo tactfully changed the subject, realizing further argument would be pointless.
Penelope seized the opportunity to voice her concerns.
"Don’t you think the hair essence and round brushes are selling far too poorly?"
"Hmm, it seems they didn’t perform as well as we hoped," Pablo replied, his expression turning as serious as Penelope’s as he stared at the display of round brushes.
After a moment, he made a precise assessment.
"The trend has only just started among the nobility. It will likely take some time before it trickles down to the commoners."
"...Ah," Lucas remarked, looking as if he had just heard something fascinating.
"That makes sense. Trends among the nobility usually take a while to reach the commoners."
Penelope nodded, belatedly understanding. You couldn’t expect instant success with every new venture.
Still, the bitter taste of disappointment lingered.
"But with hair dryers exceeding expectations, customers will gradually become interested in other products too," Pablo said confidently.
Unfortunately, his reassurances did little to comfort Penelope, whose ambitious mind had already moved to the next step.
"What we need is proper marketing...!"
***
Penelope continued to ponder her dilemma even after returning to the townhouse.
She racked her brain over how to effectively promote the round brush and hair essence on a large scale.
"Should I demonstrate them again at Countess Hinas' tea party?"
Penelope immediately shook her head.
Pablo had already done extensive promotions among the noblewomen, so gathering them again for another event seemed excessive and unnecessary. It might even make her look desperate to sell the products.
"A noble’s reputation is important. I can’t afford to tarnish mine. What about placing an ad in the newspaper?"
It wasn’t a bad idea. Advertising the new releases in the newspaper that the empire’s citizens read daily could be quite effective.
"The problem is the cost and the limitations of explaining the brush’s usage with just illustrations."
Newspaper advertisements typically used simple images and brief text. Anything too complex would lose the readers’ interest immediately.
Perhaps creating a product catalog would be a better option—more affordable and more informative.
"If only there were video advertisements in this era..."
Penelope sighed deeply, filled with regret at the limitations of her world.
Seeing her troubled expression, Giselle, who had come to greet her, looked concerned. She was holding several stacked cardboard boxes for some reason.
"Did the hair dryers not sell well?" Giselle asked.
"They sold out."
"Then why do you look so serious?" Giselle asked, visibly shocked. Penelope rubbed her cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"It’s just that the other products aren’t selling well. You’ve seen the hair essence I worked so hard to make, haven’t you?"
"Still, as long as the hair dryers sold well, that’s what matters. The rest will sell eventually," Giselle said, echoing Pablo’s earlier words.
"Both of them are so relaxed," Penelope thought, pouting slightly. She then glanced around, curious about Ahwin’s whereabouts.
After the antique auction, Ahwin had practically started commuting to Penelope’s home daily, treating it like his own.
"By the way, where’s Ahwin? Didn’t he stop by today?"
"Master Ahwin is still in your study, poring over that magic book—or whatever it is. His expression was so intense I didn’t dare interrupt him."
"I see..." Penelope replied slowly, walking toward the study. It seemed Ahwin was having considerable trouble deciphering the book written by the first Tower Master.
"How terrible must the handwriting be for it to take this long to read?"
Even someone as skilled as Ahwin, who could decode any language, seemed stumped by atrocious penmanship. The thought brought a small, ironic smile to her face.
"What’s in those boxes, by the way?" she asked, noticing Giselle’s burden.
"Oh, right! Someone named Rector came by earlier. He said to deliver these to you," Giselle replied, placing the stacked boxes on the floor and handing the top one to Penelope.
Excited, Penelope eagerly opened the box. Inside was the prototype she had given to Professor Orlan—a hair iron.
"It’s the hair iron! So they’ve already finished developing it?"
"The ones based on the prototype are in these other boxes," Giselle said.
"They’re faster than I expected!" Penelope exclaimed, her smile widening as she pulled out the hair iron. Giselle, unable to contain her excitement, took it from her and hugged it tightly.
"You don’t know how much I’ve missed having one of these!" Giselle said.
"Right? I was just thinking about how hot it’s been getting lately."
"It’s been unbearable! Standing near the brazier is enough to make you sweat buckets," Giselle agreed enthusiastically.
Heating an iron rod over a brazier to style hair was not only tedious but also hazardous. The smoke and heat from the fire made the process even more unpleasant.
"Take that one for yourself. I’ll handle the rest."
"Yes, ma’am! I’ll also prepare some tea for you to take to the study."
"Thanks."
Giselle placed the hair iron back into the box and disappeared with a skip in her step. Her delight was evident.
Penelope, holding the remaining boxes, headed to the study. Despite wearing a short-sleeved blouse, the rising temperature made her feel warm.
"With this heat, relying on a brazier every day must be unbearable. I should get Giselle a magical brazier just for brewing tea," she resolved.
As she pushed open the study door, she found the scene exactly as expected: Ahwin lounging lazily on the sofa, still engrossed in the magic book.
What she didn’t expect was the gathering around him. Two of his followers, Sain, and even Sain’s tutor were sitting nearby, clustered together.
Penelope couldn’t help but ask, "What on earth are you all doing in my study?"