At around four o'clock every afternoon, Sean usually returned to Baron Horton's Villa. Today was no exception, except Sean had brought several bottles of perfume he had made himself. They were gifts for his uncle's family, but he also had his own plans; he wanted to open up a market for these perfumes, and the best way was to have others testify to their merits firsthand.
No one was more suitable for this task than his uncle, Baron Lex Horton, and his family. His uncle and aunt were both typical nobles, one dignified and imposing, the other noble and elegant. Sean's perfume could add a unique charm to them both.
As for Sean's nineteen-year-old cousin, Lust Horton, he was clearly at a "special" age; eager to "sow his wild oats" everywhere, whether he wanted to use it himself to enhance his charm or give it to a lady he fancied to win her heart, Sean's perfume would make an excellent gift. In Sean's view, its power was probably only slightly less deadly to women than jewelry.
At the same time, Sean needed to create the illusion that he could not produce perfume in large quantities due to limited materials. He estimated that the great nobles of the Imperial Capital would "accidentally hear" about perfume in about half a year, "roughly understand" its use after a year, and "desperately want" it after two years.
By then, Sean would basically have become a Formal Knight and set out for the Imperial Capital to seek opportunities. Coupled with the deliberately disguised problem of low production, no one would likely set their sights on him. After all, no farmer deliberately cultivated fragrant flowers and plants on a large scale.
This would greatly reduce the chances of the great nobles in the Imperial Capital taking action to pressure him. After all, Sean's perfume was a slowly consumed luxury good. Though expensive, a single bottle could generally last one to two months. For nobles of count rank and above, a year's expenditure on perfume for themselves and their families would not be enough to draw their attention. Under the premise that it could not be mass-produced, pressuring a Formal Knight from a Viscount Family for the production method would be rather pointless even if they obtained it easily. As for nobles below count rank, Sean would surely possess enough strength by then to make them wary.
Sean soon returned to the baron's Villa. After entering, he went straight to find Lady Angelina.
Aunt Angelina was drinking tea on the balcony before the garden. When she saw Sean approaching, she immediately smiled happily. Sean also stepped forward with a smile and said, "Dear Aunt, I'm back. Ah, the weather is wonderful. It's warm, perfect for drinking tea and admiring the flowers..."
"Hehe... little Sean, come have tea with your aunt." Lady Angelina smiled happily and invited him.
"That would be my honor..." Sean bowed slightly, then slowly sat across from Aunt Angelina. After Lady Angelina personally poured him some milk tea, Sean smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt... Today, I prepared a special gift for you. I hope you'll like it..." With that, he took out a bottle of perfume he had made from a wooden box he carried with him.
It was a Subtle Fragrance Type perfume for women, shimmering with a faint pink luster. The entire bottle was just the right size to fit easily in one hand. Through the slightly cloudy Crystal Bottle, one could see the pale pink translucent liquid inside.
Sean gently shook the Crystal Bottle in his hand. After waiting a moment, he reached out and unscrewed the cap. Then he lightly placed the Crystal Bottle in the middle of the table, and a faint, subtle fragrance immediately drifted out from within.
Lady Angelina had been delighted by Sean's words. Her eyes remained fixed on him until he carefully took out a Crystal Bottle filled with an unknown liquid, instantly arousing her curiosity. When the fragrance finally spread, she covered her mouth in surprise and cried softly, "Oh my... what a wonderful scent..."
"Little Sean, dear... is this a gift for your aunt?" Lady Angelina immediately asked Sean with a smile. Then she took a deep sniff and asked happily, "What is this? It smells so wonderful."
Pleased by Lady Angelina's reaction, Sean smiled ingratiatingly. "Of course... of course it's for my beautiful and noble aunt." After a pause, he asked with a smile, "So, do you like it?"
"I do, your aunt likes it very much. Thank you, little Sean." Lady Angelina answered happily at once. Then she picked up the Crystal Bottle from the table, examined it in front of her eyes, and asked, "It's so beautiful. Is it meant to be placed in a room?"
"Haha, Aunt. This is called perfume." Sean found it somewhat amusing that Lady Angelina had mistaken perfume for something like an air freshener. Under her puzzled gaze, he continued with a smile, "It's applied to the body, to cover up... um..."
Sean stopped awkwardly. He needed to find a more suitable way to phrase it. His previous wording had truly been rather impolite; fortunately, the person before him was family.
After a pause, Sean leaned forward slightly and apologized, "Dear Aunt, I'm terribly sorry. Please forgive my crude words..." He glanced at Lady Angelina, who showed no unusual expression, then continued his introduction. "This perfume gives its user a captivating fragrance that lasts for an entire day. Whether you attend noble banquets, tea parties, or balls, it can highlight your beautiful and noble status..." As he spoke, he added several enthusiastic gestures.
"Oh... that's truly wonderful. Perfume? Mm... that's a lovely name." After hearing Sean's introduction, Lady Angelina's eyes suddenly brightened, and a delighted expression appeared on her face. Then, half seriously and half teasingly, she said, "Little Sean, you must be careful... You mustn't use improper words in front of ladies next time..." She even made a slightly playful threatening expression.
"Yes, I'll remember that... Thank you very much for not pursuing my discourtesy." Sean answered with a serious expression.
That's enough, little Sean. Hurry and tell me... how do I use this perfume?" Lady Angelina immediately asked impatiently after seeing Sean's solemn promise. Before he could answer, she suddenly asked, "Where did you buy this perfume?"
"Hehe, Aunt. I made this perfume myself. You can't buy it outside." Sean said with a smile. Seeing Lady Angelina's surprised expression, he continued, "Aunt, it's made from Fragrant Grass. Please rest assured, it isn't dangerous at all."
"Little Sean, you're truly remarkable. Of course your aunt trusts you." Lady Angelina smiled and tried to pinch Sean's cheek. After missing, she spoke with some regret. Sean dodged Aunt Angelina's devilish hand with cold sweat pouring down his back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterward, Sean explained in detail how to use the perfume and personally guided Lady Angelina as she applied it for the first time.
Soon, it was time for dinner. Sean carried the wooden box and followed the exceptionally happy Lady Angelina into the dining room.
"Dear, what's gotten into you?" Baron Lex asked suspiciously as he sat beside the dining table and looked at his excited wife.
Like a cheerful young girl, Lady Angelina walked over to Baron Lex, bent down, and kissed his cheek. Only then did she sit at his right-hand side and say with a smile, "Dear, you'll never guess what gift little Sean gave me..."
"Good evening, Uncle." Sean greeted Baron Lex first. Then, seeing Baron Lex looking at him with a puzzled expression, he smiled and said, "It's perfume I made myself... nothing much..."
"Good evening, Cousin Lust." Sean smiled as he greeted Cousin Lust, who sat in the seat of honor to his left. Cousin Lust smiled in response. Then Sean greeted his younger cousin Jim, who sat opposite him.
At that moment, Baron Lex asked suspiciously, "Perfume? What is... hmm, that smells wonderful..." A subtle fragrance suddenly wafted into his nose.
"Dear, perfume is..." Before Baron Lex could finish, Lady Angelina cheerfully chattered on, explaining the uses and application method of perfume in detail. Finally, she had Baron Lex confirm that the fragrance was coming from her.
After learning the use of perfume and smelling the captivating subtle fragrance emanating from Lady Angelina, Baron Lex and Cousin Lust exchanged a glance, a shared understanding flashing in their eyes. Then they immediately turned and stared hard at Sean until his scalp tingled.
He promptly looked toward Aunt Angelina for help, only to see her smiling at the three of them with an extremely amused expression. She ignored Sean's pleading look and even gave him a mischievous wink.
"Fine, I prepared gifts for everyone..." Sean gave up on seeking help and directly opened the wooden box. He handed Baron Lex a bottle of amber-colored Crisp Type perfume and said, "Uncle, this is for you."
Then he handed the other two bottles of pale green Fresh Type perfume to Lust and Jim respectively. "This is a perfume type suited to passionate, uninhibited young men. Cousin Lust, Cousin Jim, I hope you'll like it..."
"Sean, do I look very old to you?" Baron Lex asked, pretending to be angry after hearing Sean's words.
"No... no, Uncle. The perfume I prepared for you is suited to mature, dignified, and charming men." Sean hurriedly explained. Sure enough, Baron Lex soon displayed a satisfied, self-satisfied expression. Sean breathed a sigh of relief, then said to Baron Lex, "Uncle, I still have some perfume on hand and would like to ask for your and Aunt's help. And Cousin Lust's as well..."
"Oh... Sean, tell me, how do you want your aunt and me to help you?" Baron Lex asked Sean gently. Aunt Angelina, Cousin Lust, and Jim also turned their attention toward Sean.
"Uncle, I want to sell the perfume in your shop." Sean said with a smile. After a pause, he continued, "You, Aunt, and Cousin Lust often attend noble gatherings, banquets, balls, and the like. When other nobles ask about it, you can help introduce the effects and usage of perfume for me. Please rest assured, this perfume is absolutely safe."
"Also, making perfume requires a great deal of fragrant flowers and plants. I'd like to ask your permission to use your name and connections to purchase them." Sean continued before Baron Lex could speak.
"I thought you were going to ask something difficult of me..." Baron Lex said to Sean with a smile. Then he continued, "As for your other requests, I can agree to all of them. But Sean, tell your uncle, what is the production volume of this perfume like?"
After hearing Baron Lex's question, Sean thought for a moment before answering, "Uncle, a bottle of perfume like the one in your hand requires the concentration of many flowers and plants used as raw materials. So the output is very low..." After speaking, he shrugged with a helpless expression.
"That really is a pity..." Baron Lex thought for a moment, shook his head, and spoke in a rather disappointed tone.
"You know, I recently recruited several attendants, so I wanted to earn a little spending money..." Sean deliberately showed a helpless expression. Then he added, "I only happened to make perfume by accident..."
Afterward, Sean and Baron Lex's family discussed the selling price and profit distribution in detail, and dinner soon came to an end.
After dinner, Sean rested for a while before going to the training room for his daily knight training.
After finishing, Sean's attributes were: Strength: 2.559 Constitution: 2.567 Agility: 2.800
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