Chapter 243: Countess, Please Do Purchase It

[A/N: At the end of every month, I’ll be mentioning the Top 3 Golden Ticket donators and the Top 5 Power Stone donators in the Author’s Note! Thank you all for the support! ❤️]

"Actually, I have a medicine I’d like to recommend to you, Baroness von Kirchhoff."

I casually pulled a wine glass out of my mana bag. The baron and baroness both stared at the bag like it was a magic trick. Oops... I thought.

Let’s get back on track.

"Her Grace the Duchess of Veles has already tried it, so you can see the effect for yourself. This is a rejuvenation medicine that works only on women."

I slid the glass closer. The baron immediately exploded.

"What nonsense!! We’ve heard every scam in the book, but I’ve never seen the real thing! With debts like ours, what kind of new ambassador pulls off a scam like this?! It’s pathetic! Marie Kingdom’s talent pool must be dried up already! Hahaha!"

He laughed so hard it was painful to watch. Of course he doesn’t believe it. I would have laughed too if I were him. Same as those TV shopping infomercials.

But the baroness wasn’t laughing. She looked half-suspicious, half-curious. She couldn’t just dismiss it outright.

"Do you really think this works?"

Her voice was sharp. She was asking out of pure curiosity, even if she didn’t believe it.

"Everyone’s different, of course. But the maids who served the Duchess—especially Elle—have already confirmed the effect with their own eyes. So the only way to see it is to ask Her Grace the Duchess herself."

I looked up at her with puppy eyes.

"Yes, I suppose. I’ll ask her when I have time."

Still not buying it, I thought. But I could see the tiny spark in her eyes! The baron was practically waving his hand: Don’t bother, it’s a waste of time. That only made the baroness’s interest flare even hotter.

"Also, this medicine can only be produced in very limited quantities. Her Grace only allows it to be sold to people she personally recommends. You’re the first one. She’s already promised to introduce it to the Queen. I brought it straight from Her Majesty’s table!"

The baroness’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of the Queen. Perfect. The "you’re the only one" line. Limited stock, exclusive, special for you—classic sales pitch.

"But... if it doesn’t actually work, you’re just lying, aren’t you? Or maybe people just have different reactions? That’s how you’d explain it, right?"

She was digging deeper. I’m ready for this. I laid out the exact benefits I’d heard from the Duchess—smooth skin, daily bowel movements, less acne, glowing complexion—and the baroness’s half-skepticism started melting away.

"So... how much is one cup?"

She’d finally asked the price. That meant she was at least considering it.

"Sixty gold coins."

"«Sixty gold coins?!»"

Both of them yelped in unison.

"What?! No one in their right mind would pay sixty gold coins for this nonsense!!"

The baron slammed his fist on the table. His face was turning purple. Watch your blood pressure, sir.

"Exactly! Who would be stupid enough to hand over sixty gold coins for some unknown drug!"

The baroness was practically foaming at the mouth.

"I don’t blame you for not believing it. So this is a free trial. Drink it. If you see no effect, I’ll take nothing. If it works, I’ll come back later for the sixty gold coins. How about it? You can test it yourself, then come see for yourself how young and beautiful Her Grace the Duchess has become. That’s fair, isn’t it?"

I bowed low, looking up at her.

"Free? Well... all right, let’s try it."

Classic pattern. Even the richest, most arrogant person is weak to free. The baroness picked up the glass and drank it down in one go. The baron looked like he was about to explode.

"Ugh—! Tastes terrible! It’s disgusting!"

Good, I thought. "Didn’t you ever learn the saying ’A good medicine tastes bitter’? The stronger the effect, the worse it tastes. You have to swallow it down."

I ordered more wine for her. She chugged the second glass with a face of pure disgust, then washed it down with tea.

After that I explained the rules: this medicine was made by a special method, so it would only be sold to a very small number of people. I asked her to keep the existence of the medicine completely secret. She promised.

The baron was already shaking his head: This is nonsense. But the baroness... she was different. She loved the "you’re special" part. And then—

"I feel warm inside... Is this the medicine working? Maybe I’ll go see the Duchess this afternoon and check for myself~"

The baroness was already sweating, eyes sparkling. Blood flow is improving. Metabolism is speeding up. Fat burning is accelerating... I thought smugly.

"Hey! It’s sixty gold coins, you idiot! Wake up! It can’t possibly have any effect!"

The baron roared, but the baroness’s ears were completely plugged. She was already in full sales mode.

"Can I drink this every day? How do I get more?"

"Once every ten days. It starts degrading the moment it’s made, so I keep it in my mana bag and transport it straight to wherever I’m drinking it. If you have a mana bag, you could store it that way too. But I can’t guarantee the effect if it degrades."

Perfect. I’d keep the pure version for the Duchess and the Queen, and dilute the rest. No need to lie about that.

The baron finally realized his wife was lost. He started pleading, trying to pull her back. But the more he tried, the more she dug in. The baron was losing the battle he thought he’d win. I could see the baroness thinking, My beautiful husband is helpless against this pretty boy. Time to push him just a little...

"Baroness, forgive me for asking, but... has your hair gotten shinier since this morning? And your skin... it looks so much plumper and healthier. I never thought the effect would be this quick."

I complimented her honestly. The baroness blinked, then suddenly grabbed a mirror.

"Oh my... you’re right! My hair does feel shinier, doesn’t it? And my skin... it’s glowing! This really does work! What do I do? If it works too well, other ladies who aren’t taking it will be so jealous! I can’t wait to show off!"