The next day, as promised, I rode in a carriage with my father up to the royal castle. On the way, we stopped by my atelier and asked Mina to help me with dressing in my dress while also asking her to look after the shop while we were away.
“Understood. Leave the shop to us and do your best up there!” Mina smiled and tilted her head slightly, causing her pale pink hair to sway.
The “Lucky Pendant” was made into a choker with a red ribbon, with the pendant top at the center and tied in a ribbon.
“Aww, so cute! Even seeing those peeking white cat ears is so soothing.”
Squeeze.
“Huh?” Mina didn’t understand why she was being hugged, but she quietly accepted it with a “?” floating above her head. After being comforted by Mina for a while, I went up to the castle with my father.
In the room we were led to, there were His Majesty and Her Majesty, the Prime Minister, Heinrich, and also Oliver-san and Cattleya from the Commercial Guild.
“Huh? Why is Cattleya here?”
“Regarding the ‘face powder’ imported by the Cattleya Trading Company, it has been discovered that it may have harmful effects on the human body,” His Majesty opened the topic, which made me realize why they were here.
“We apologize deeply for bringing it into the country without knowing it was poisonous. We entrusted the matter to others and did not conduct proper inspections. We are truly sorry!” Oliver-san and Cattleya stood up and bowed as low as possible.
“I too, had been appraising the product that Her Majesty was planning to use. I did not realize it was poisonous, and I am deeply sorry for endangering Her Majesty’s health!” Heinrich also stood up and bowed deeply.
“Please raise your heads. Sit down. We did not call you here to punish you. We want to discuss the future,” His Majesty said, causing the three of them to raise their heads and sit down.
“Prime Minister, what is the result of the investigation?”
“Under His Majesty’s orders, we have used the ‘shadow’ and ‘bird’ to investigate the situation in the country where the product was imported from,” the Prime Minister replied.
Apparently, after my conversation with my father yesterday, he reported it to the castle immediately. And the next day, the Prime Minister had the results. He was really amazing. And he used ‘shadow’ and ‘bird’? It sounded like something from a story. I was getting excited about the unfamiliar words, but it was an inappropriate reaction.
“And the results?”
“Well, first, about the lead-based product. It seems that it’s easy to get stains with long-term use, leading to a vicious cycle of applying more and more. To cover up the stains, beauty marks have become fashionable. Next, about the mercury-based product. Long-term use can cause the gums to turn black and teeth to fall out, so using a fan to cover up the mouth has become fashionable. The poor are forced to sell healthy teeth, which are then used as dentures by the upper class,” the Prime Minister reported.
“How awful…” Her Majesty frowned and covered her mouth at the part about selling teeth.
“But, although this is still just a suspicion, in that country, the infant and child mortality rates are much higher than in our country, and strange phenomena such as deformities are occurring,” the Prime Minister continued.
Upon hearing that report, the expressions of His Majesty and Her Majesty changed.
“My dear, until safety can be confirmed, the use of face powder is prohibited. If there are any official duties, such as diplomatic events, where it cannot be helped, you may excuse yourself due to health reasons. Understood?” His Majesty said to Her Majesty.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your consideration,” Her Majesty bowed her head to His Majesty.
“Until I give permission, Cattleya Trading Company is prohibited from importing and selling face powder,” His Majesty ordered, causing Cattleya and her father to bow their heads.
“…But once a woman’s heart is set on wanting to look beautiful, will it really stop? It will be difficult to retrieve what has already been sold. And even if it’s prohibited, there’s no guarantee that people won’t secretly obtain it,” the Prime Minister leaned his elbow on the desk and put his hand to his forehead, sighing.
“Daisy, Oliver, Cattleya. Even using alchemy or minerals and pigments available in the Commercial Guild is fine. Could you develop safe cosmetics for our people?” His Majesty asked us three.
First of all, Cattleya and Oliver couldn’t refuse after importing the face powder. And Cattleya is my friend, so I have to help her too.
However, the Prime Minister’s report continues further.
“And although this is still just a suspicion, in that country, the infant and child mortality rate is extremely high compared to our country, and strange events such as child deformities are occurring.”
Upon hearing this report, the expressions of the King and Queen quickly changed.
“My dear, until we can confirm its safety, we prohibit the use of white powder. If there are unavoidable occasions such as diplomatic duties, it is acceptable to be absent due to health reasons. Do you understand?”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration,” the Queen bowed to the King.
“The Kachua Trading Company is prohibited from importing and selling white powder until I give permission.”
“Yes.” The Kachua family bowed to the King’s command.
“However, once a woman’s desire to be beautiful is ignited, it may not be easy to quell that desire. It may also be difficult to retrieve what has already been sold. Furthermore, even if it is prohibited, there is no guarantee that people won’t obtain it secretly,” the Prime Minister groaned, leaning his elbow on the desk and placing his hand on his temple.
“Daisy, Oliver, Kachua. Whether it be through alchemy or using minerals and pigments available through the commercial guild, can you develop safe cosmetics for our citizens?” The King addressed the three of us.
“…First of all, the two of us who imported the white powder cannot refuse, can we?” I thought to myself as I looked at Kachua and Oliver, both of whom were already bowing to the King’s request in acceptance.
“…Kachua is my friend. I have to help her too.”
