Chapter 80

The perfume bottle that Cyrus brought along was eventually taken by Segalot.

As a gift in exchange.

Segalot gave him a rose ring carved from an expensive ruby, understated yet luxurious, with a silver band in the shape of thorns that intertwined around the rose.

This is again the pattern of the Desinia Family crest; they had previously given him a similar and equally valuable brooch.

His Holiness the Pope must have fallen into a rose garden!

Cyrus accepted the ring, and it fit perfectly on the index finger of her right hand.

He talked with Segalot for almost an hourglass before going downstairs to leave, Segalot saw him off at the door.

Cyrus had intended to send someone to find out where Marquis Lorry lived, but she did not expect that after returning to the Duke's mansion, Marquis Lorry would send a visiting card first.

He hoped to meet with Cyrus, and the location would be decided by Cyrus.

After thinking for a while, Cyrus agreed. The meeting place was set on a ship docked in the port, and Walker personally went to pick her up and led her into the cabin.

Darnell took off his hat as soon as he walked in, revealing his handsome face with his golden hair swept back. He smiled at Cyrus in a friendly manner, "I thought you would refuse to meet me."

Cyrus: "I happen to have something to discuss with you, Marquis Lorry."

Darnell hadn't expected that the other party would also have something to discuss with him.

Many thoughts raced through his mind, but he remained seated with an expressionless face. "The lord should be able to guess the purpose of my visit, but I wonder what the lord wishes to discuss with me?"

Cyrus: "Why don't you tell me why Marquis Lorry wants to meet with me?"

Darnell: "Naturally, it's because of the secret recipe for white sugar."

"The lord is a wise man, and I never beat around the bush when speaking to wise men. Within the Anas Empire, I can become the lord's ally, and I have only one request."

"--That means the secret recipe for making white sugar won't be taken away by the king or the parties aligned with him."

"I acknowledge that this formula has remained in your possession, and it is something that originally belonged to you and should not be stolen or plundered by others."

Cyrus was somewhat surprised. "Aren't you tempted?"

Darnell: "My heart is fluttering, but I can control it."

"Because for me, some things and matters are far more important than money."

He smiled at Cyrus's expression, "You may not trust me now, but you should be more wary of the king and his illegitimate son."

"You know who I'm talking about."

Cyrus nodded, giving a firm answer, "I will not let the king and his bastard take anything from me."

"As for what I want to discuss with you— Marquis Lorry, I wish to see the Queen; this birthday gift must be delivered to her personally."

Darnell hesitated; his aunt hadn't seen anyone from outside the family in a long time.

Cyrus pushed the box containing rose perfume and instructions in front of Darnell.

He said, "Please, Your Excellency, give this item to the Queen."

"I need to present the Queen with a birthday gift before the banquet, and this gift will surely make her shine at the banquet; no woman can overshadow her charm and beauty."

Darnell took the box wrapped in red velvet. "I can only deliver it to you; whether you agree or not depends on your aunt's reply."

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Cyrus had no objections.

Two days later, the day before the banquet began.

Cyrus received a definite reply from Darnell: the Queen had agreed to see him, and the meeting would take place secretly at the Marquis Lorry's residence.

Cyrus, carrying the people and supplies she had prepared beforehand, finally met the Queen of the Empire under Darnell's guidance.

The queen was surprisingly plain in both appearance and attire. She had beautiful features, but wore almost no makeup, revealing a few freckles and pale lips.

She was fair-skinned and her skin was well-maintained, but the cold arrogance and sharpness in her eyes made people unconsciously keep their distance from her.

She was a very proud and self-respecting woman.

In the Western Continent, "white" signifies elegance and wealth, and is a symbol of the rich and noble. Women with fair skin are more popular and favored by men than others.

Ordinary women especially desire to have fair skin.

The cosmetics and skincare products that women use are directly linked to doctors and are developed through research by some of them.

They would use white flour, wheat flour, or large amounts of lead-containing cosmetics to coat their faces, creating an extremely white effect.

While it may indeed conceal flaws and blemishes to some extent, it can also severely damage a woman's skin and even her body.

For example, some women who are very concerned about their appearance will use lead-based paint to apply to their faces.

This leads to their husbands inadvertently ingesting "cosmetics" containing lead or even arsenic when kissing their cheeks, resulting in heavy metal poisoning and death in men.

But no one realized what the cause of death was.

Although it sounds absurd and ridiculous, it is indeed true.

Of course, there are also some harmless plant-based skin whitening methods, such as crushing lily roots and applying them to the face to achieve a whitening effect.

Cyrus looked at the Queen, who had just finished looking her over and then looked away.

The queen Minina, was accompanied only by a maid. After Cyrus greeted her, she asked, "What gift would you like to offer me?"

Her voice was slightly cold, and her face was expressionless. However, she kept holding the perfume bottle that Darnell had given her on Cyrus Zoe's behalf, which looked like it had been used quite a bit.

Cyrus: "A gift that will change you."

"Please allow me to have my people serve you from now on."

The Queen hesitated slightly, turning her gaze to Darnell, who was standing to the side.

Darnell: "I wonder what exactly this gift, Lord, is referring to?"

"A makeover, a feast."

Cyrus stepped aside and gestured for Queen Minina to look at the people standing behind him: tailors, maids... each holding a neatly packaged wooden box.

He considerately said, "The maid you brought can stay and keep you company."

It was probably Cyrus's calm and confident demeanor that impressed the Queen.

She finally nodded in agreement.

Cyrus ordered all those who were dressing and grooming the queen to stay behind, while he and Darnell left the room and went to the living room to sit down and talk.

After an unknown amount of time, the Queen's maid rushed over in a panic, her face a mixture of disbelief, unimaginable joy, excitement, and tears...

She stammered, "Oh, oh heavens, praise the Creator God! Thank you, my lord! Marquis, Marquis, please go and see the Queen..."

Darnell became extremely nervous at the maid's flustered behavior of crying and laughing, and hurriedly stood up from the sofa to ask, "What happened to the Queen?!"

Cyrus stood calmly to the side with her hands behind her back. "We'll find out when we go take a look."

The queen's maid was speechless, only nodding excitedly as she led them to the room they had just left and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The queen's voice trembled slightly.

Darnell's heart tightened, thinking that something had really happened to his aunt.

He quickly reached out and pushed open the door. After uttering just one byte, he froze on the spot, his worried expression freezing on his face, before blossoming into a look of amazement.

Minina stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with her hands, which were covered by white gauze gloves. In the end, she could only cover her nose and mouth and quietly wipe away the tears that welled up in her eyes.

She remembered her makeup, then looked slightly flustered and put it down, finally clasping her hands together in front of her.

The Queen wore a magnificent gold gown with a bold tulle design at the shoulders, and two long ribbons that draped down her back, creating a flowing and graceful effect.

The dress was cinched at the waist, outlining her beautiful and curvaceous figure.

The gown features exquisite patterns embroidered with gold thread that extend upwards from the waist to the shoulders and then downwards, gradually disappearing into the layers of the skirt that resemble blooming flowers. Expensive crystal gemstones are interspersed among the patterns.

Without stealing the spotlight, the skirt sways or reflects the sunlight or candlelight, making the wearer appear radiant and elegant.

Minina wore a pair of matching gold high heels, revealing her fair feet, which visually elongated her figure, making her appear even taller.

The most significant changes were to her face and hairstyle.

Queen Minina's eyebrows were beautifully shaped and not overly styled, serving more to conceal minor blemishes, wrinkles, and paleness on her face.

Before arriving in the Anas Empire, Cyrus ordered the alchemists in the Alchemy Tower to quickly develop a set of cosmetics that included plant extracts and were harmless.

Due to limited resources, only whitening, concealing, contouring, and lipstick are needed.

Other tools, such as eyebrow razors, eyebrow pencils, and hair coloring tools, are easy to handle; simply heating the tongs until they are red-hot will create a curly effect.

The current Queen Minina has long, wavy hair, deep-set eyes, fair skin, and rosy lips...

Her previously somewhat plain appearance had been completely transformed; she was now incredibly charming and alluring.

Darnell couldn't help but step forward, exclaiming, "By the Creator God!"

"Aunt, you look absolutely stunning right now! Even the sun's brilliance cannot overshadow your beauty. If this were a banquet, you would be the center of attention, the most beautiful moonlight!"

The queen couldn't help but laugh.

This was probably the umpteenth smile she'd shown since she got dressed up, clearly indicating she was in a good mood and completely captivated by the custom-made gift.

Darnell couldn't help but close his eyes, inhaling the fragrant scent in the air, and exclaimed, "It smells like roses!"

"Aunt, you seem to be walking through a field of blooming roses; even the flowers cannot compare to your radiance."

Cyrus was unwittingly provoked by his string of flattery and subtly rubbed her arm.

The next moment, Marquis Darnell, genuinely delighted for his aunt, suddenly turned and hugged Cyrus, expressing his deepest gratitude. "Your gift is absolutely wonderful!"

Cyrus politely pushed him away, and then received the Queen's thanks.

"Whatever you need, I will do my best to make it convenient for you."

Minina looked at Darnell: "The Lawrie Family is the same."

Darnell nodded.

Cyrus asked softly, "Do you still have any feelings for the King?"

Minina's expression suddenly turned grim. "No, I wish he were dead, that his soul would go to the abyss, where the devil resides—that would be his final resting place!"

The people Cyrus brought remained expressionless, pretending not to hear, and stood calmly to the side with their heads down.

The queen's maid wore the same expression of resentment.

Darnell: "My lord, we share a common enemy; we are on the same side."

Cyrus smiled and said, "I understand."

He bowed slightly. "Please allow my people to do your hair and makeup again before the banquet begins."