Chapter 39: The Crown Prince's Blessing
Angel Water had previously only been a sensation within the Palace of Versailles, but after a period of trials by noble ladies and young women, its miraculous effects had already spread throughout Paris.
Now, no woman in the entire aristocratic class of Paris was unaware of this miraculous cosmetic.
Claims like "acne smoothed in two days," "skin softened in five days," and "spots lightened in a week" all had numerous people ready to testify to their truth.
Especially the advertisement that began appearing on the front pages of major newspapers ten days ago, occupying the entire page with a single line of large text: "Angel Water, you deserve it."
Simple, direct.
Like an arrow, it struck deep into every woman's heart. 'Yes,' they thought, 'although the noble and luxurious Angel Water is expensive, I deserve to own a bottle!'
Flipping through the other sections of the newspaper, one could find news of the grand opening of the Paris Angel Specialty Store, stating that Angel Water would only be available for purchase there from now on, and many new products would also be released at this location.
Scheduled to officially open at noon, people had already gathered outside the specialty store before dawn, craning their necks to peer at the displayed goods through the fully transparent glass exterior.
Joseph frowned, observing the street that was packed to the brim with people awaiting the store's opening. Although he was the owner, he couldn't even approach the entrance...
At exactly 12 o'clock, more than a dozen sales associates emerged from the Paris Angel Specialty Store. They were all over 1.8 meters tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes, handsome faces, and dressed in sharp, crimson velvet uniforms.
They stood in two neat rows in front of the flower-adorned entrance, while a band behind them played cheerful celebratory music. Two graceful girls stretched a red ribbon, adorned with a floral ball in the center, across the doorway.
The specialty store's manager stepped forward, bowed deeply, and then announced loudly:
"Please welcome the 'Son of Divine Favor' from Versailles, His Royal Highness, the esteemed Crown Prince of France, to cut the ribbon for our establishment!"
A thunderous cheer immediately erupted along the Champs-Élysées. Seeing the royal guards maintaining order earlier, people had guessed that some important figure might be arriving, but they hadn't expected the Crown Prince himself.
Joseph, dressed in grand attire, emerged from the store, waved to the crowd, and loudly declared:
"Today marks the official opening of the first specialty store belonging to the Paris Angel Company.
"The mission of Paris Angel is to allow every woman in France to forever retain her youth and beauty!
"I wish you all happy shopping!"
The crowd erupted into another wave of excitement and cheers, with some eager admirers even shouting, "Long live the Crown Prince!"
Joseph took the scissors from the manager's hand, cut the red ribbon before him, and then swiftly "escaped" the scene through the back door under Clauzel's cover.
There was no other way; he feared that if he moved too slowly, he would be surrounded and practically devoured by the noble ladies whose eyes sparkled with adoration.
Petals rained down from all directions, and the manager smiled, gesturing for everyone to enter the store and browse.
People discussed the novel opening ceremony as they poured into the store. Almost instantly, the two-story, over one-thousand-square-meter specialty store was packed with customers, yet outside, another thousand people were gathered, anxiously waiting for those inside to emerge.
A tall, elegantly curved young woman, dressed in a dark blue gown with a wide-brimmed hat from which a thin veil descended to obscure her face, observed the sea of people outside the Paris Angel store. She couldn't help but frown slightly and complain softly:
"Why are there so many people? I should have just had Monsieur Balvet come buy it..."
She touched the almost imperceptible acne scars on her cheek, as if making up her mind.
A few days prior, a close friend had given her a small, half-full bottle of what was supposedly the most popular skincare product of the moment, "Angel Water." After just a few uses, the acne that had plagued her greatly had noticeably receded.
But that small amount of Angel Water was almost gone, and for the sake of her pretty face, she absolutely had to buy another bottle!
She glanced at the Paris Angel Specialty Store, then strode with her long legs quickly towards the back of the store.
Joseph exited through the back door of the specialty store, where a carriage was already waiting. As he was about to board, he suddenly spotted a small boy at the alley entrance, appearing eight or nine years old, with messy hair and dirty clothes, pitifully pleading:
"Noble sirs, ladies, please spare a few coins."
The small boy glanced at an even smaller girl leaning against the wall in the corner, and his voice grew anxious:
"Please, I beg you, just 5 Denier, so I can buy a single 'Crown Prince's Blessing' for my sister! Please, she's had a fever all day..."
However, there were few pedestrians in the alley to begin with, and even the occasional two people who rushed by didn't spare him a glance.
Joseph walked over and placed two silver coins into the broken pot the boy was holding. The child immediately knelt down in excitement, his voice choked with emotion:
"Thank you, noble sir, thank you! May the Lord bless you!"
Clauzel stepped forward and helped him up.
Joseph said:
"It's nothing. Go quickly and get your sister treated. By the way, what is this 'Crown Prince's Blessing' you just mentioned?"
The boy hastily replied:
"Noble sir, it's those small pills, called Salicin or something. They can save lives, and they're very cheap. I heard His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invented this medicine, so everyone calls it the 'Crown Prince's Blessing'."
Joseph gestured to Eman, who immediately brought over a few Salicin pills—Joseph himself had been using Salicin to manage his pneumonia.
"Is it this medicine?" Joseph handed the pale yellow pills to the boy.
"Yes! That's it!" The boy was overjoyed. He leaned down and fed a pill into his sister's mouth, then gave her some water, nodding vigorously at her. "Swallow it, swallow it! You'll feel better soon."
Seeing him about to kneel again, Joseph quickly held him steady and asked:
"Where are your family members?"
The small boy managed a strained smile:
"They all fell ill and died last year. Only my sister and I were spared."
As he spoke, a series of growls rumbled from his stomach.
Joseph felt a pang of sadness. He gave the boy some more money, but then his gaze drifted to the crowd frantically buying Angel Water on the other side of the alley.
'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.'
He looked at the small boy. "Would you like to stop going hungry?"
The boy nodded very earnestly.
"I'll teach you a method," Joseph said, pointing towards the crowd. "There's a store over there called Paris Angel. Take this money, buy some chairs, and rent them out in front of that store. It's 2 Denier for an hour's sit. Remember to collect a deposit.
"Once you get familiar with the store's operations, buy yourself some clean, tidy clothes and change into them. Then, you can help ladies and madams who don't want to queue by holding their place in line, or even make purchases for them. You could probably charge 1 Livre for each service."
The boy's eyes widened. He bowed deeply and vigorously:
"Thank you so much! You must be sent by the Lord to save my sister and me!"
Behind a protruding wall column in the alley, the long-legged woman with a veiled face watched Joseph from a distance, murmuring softly to herself:
"That man seems to be the Crown Prince? I didn't expect him to have such a kind heart. It appears the royal family isn't entirely made up of vipers and parasites after all."
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