HPCM 07

Devona clutched her fist over her pounding heart as she hurried away from her seat.

‘Could it be… she knew I was the owner of that perfume shop?’

But the shop was managed by a clerk, and Devona had kept her identity hidden.
She had only heard through the clerk that a woman who appeared to be a high-ranking noble had visited.

‘There’s no way. She couldn’t have known.’

Perhaps it was simply her imagination that Charlotte had seemed to speak directly to her.

—“If the perfume bottle had been better designed, it would have had much better promotional effect.”

The moment Charlotte finished saying that, she turned her head as though nothing had happened and went right back to showing off her perfume bottle.

Because of that, Devona could vividly remember exactly how that bottle had been decorated—even down to each tiny gem.

And all those countless young noble ladies looking at that perfume bottle with envy!

‘This is a jackpot opportunity!’

Even though Devona knew little about business, this time she clearly understood exactly what and how she needed to sell.

‘I remember perfectly the perfume formula Charlotte Noha bought.’

And she would invest every bit of her remaining business funds without hesitation to create a perfume Charlotte Noha would love.

Then anyone would want to carry Charlotte’s perfume.

Once she established her position that way, everything afterward would be smooth sailing.

A brand that became famous even once would naturally gain a steady customer base.

Without hesitation, Devona immediately turned back the way she came and ran toward Jacqueline.

“Sister, sister! Cancel the marriage arrangement!”

“W-What? What are you suddenly—”

“Cancel it! I can make my perfume shop a massive success!!!”

“Hahaha!”

Devona’s cheerful laughter rang loudly through the second-floor corridor.

“So… are you saying Your Grace got dumped because of… a perfume business?”

“…That’s right.”

At Alfonso’s confirmation, the expression on his adjutant Serge’s face became strange.

He was using every muscle in his face to somehow hold back his laughter.

In truth, it wasn’t just Serge.
Everyone who heard it wore a similar expression.

Eventually, Alfonso let out a sigh.

“Go ahead. Laugh comfortably.”

“N-No, of cou—Pffft!”

“Pahahaha!”

“Ugh, hah, hahaha! G-Got dumped over a perfume business?! Puhahaha!”

“I never thought I’d live to see the day Your Grace got kicked aside!”

“E-Everyone stop, ngh, stop laughing, Y-Your Grace’s dignity, ngh, think of his dignity…!”

“…You’re the most unpleasant one here, so get out, Ludvik Barthelemy.”

At Alfonso’s sharp rebuke, the knight called Ludvik looked wronged, but he still couldn’t hide the grin leaking out.

The problem was that Alfonso couldn’t even truly scold his retainers.

‘Because even I find this absurd…’

How could two marriage negotiations in a row collapse in such ridiculous ways?

Apparently everyone was thinking the same thing, because a curly-haired knight who was nearly dying from laughter while clutching his stomach wiped away tears and spoke.

“Ugh, hah, my stomach hurts. Could it be Your Grace’s path to marriage is cursed?”

“What kind of thing is that to say?”

“No, Serge, think about it. The first one was ruined because a secret meeting got exposed, and the second one dumped him because she wanted to do perfume business instead!”

At his words, a knight with long dark-blue hair tied back nodded.

“It is rather surprising. The head of the Obini family I met seemed like an exceptional negotiator.”

“Right. A capable businesswoman.”

“Then all the more reason Jacqueline Obini would never underestimate Eduard’s value. And yet I still cannot understand why she chose her younger sister’s perfume business over Eduard.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“Did Your Grace understand Obini’s reasoning?”

As the question turned to him, Alfonso nodded with a quiet face.

“Even businesspeople sometimes make human choices. Jacqueline Obini is also a person. I respect her decision.”

Alfonso suddenly recalled the moment he had spoken face-to-face with Jacqueline.

—“…So that’s why, I don’t think it can be helped. It hurt my heart to feel like I was forcing my younger sister into something she didn’t want. And since her perfume business is doing well, I plan to help her with that instead.”

Jacqueline had worn the face of a thoughtful older sister.

Perhaps it was only his subjective impression, but she had also looked rather happy.

“In any case, she chose the path she wanted, so it turned out well enough. As a gift, I even received that perfume.”

As Alfonso said this, he pulled out a perfume bottle from his coat and placed it on the table.

The noisy group immediately crowded around it, each adding their own comment.

“Wow, so this is the perfume that made Your Grace get dumped? Quite an expensive guest.”

“The scent is softer than I expected.”

“The bottle’s design is impressive. The ruby and emerald combination catches the eye, and the crystal wrapping around the exterior reflects light from every angle—I imagine it would look even more beautiful under extravagant lighting like a chandelier—”

“Huh? Isn’t this Charlotte Noha perfume?”

At those words, everyone abruptly fell silent.

Instead, all eyes turned toward the speaker.

“W-What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“…Ludvik Barthelemy. You know this perfume?”

At Alfonso’s question, Ludvik looked dumbfounded.

“Of course. It’s the hottest trend in high society right now.”

“It seems Sir Barthelemy’s title as the third son of a prestigious noble family wasn’t for nothing after all.”

“I honestly thought he only said that stuff for show because he never seemed noble to me.”

“I thought the same.”

As each knight added a comment, wrinkles formed on Ludvik’s forehead, but he had no chance to protest.

Because Alfonso immediately asked:

“Then why is this called Charlotte Noha perfume?”

“Well… because Charlotte Noha used it and made it popular, obviously. Usually, when something is named after someone, it’s because they made it famous.”

“What an interesting coincidence. Even if she immediately burned the proposal letter, Charlotte Noha was still someone who proposed to Your Grace, wasn’t she?”

What a strange connection between women who had all proposed to Alfonso.

Serge laughed as though it were fascinating, but Alfonso couldn’t laugh at all.

‘Charlotte Noha again?’

Because he already knew Charlotte Noha had visited Count Olivier’s estate.

Two absurdly ruined marriage negotiations.

And each time, Charlotte Noha was intricately involved.

‘Can this really be called coincidence?’

But it was too gentle to be Noha’s usual method.

Wasn’t the Noha family famous for using power struggles and violence to force through and resolve every issue?

That was why everyone had panicked so fiercely when the proposal arrived in the first place.

With confusion written on his face, Alfonso picked up a sheet of paper from his desk.

It was a list of families, written in order, with whom marriage talks with Eduard had been arranged.

The top two lines—Olivier and Obini—had already been crossed out.

And next was Vivian Mavel of the Marquis Mavel family.

Alfonso’s instincts were screaming that something was there.

He just didn’t know what.

But one thing was certain:
If he failed to figure out what it was, this unsettling feeling would continue.

“…Serge.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Find out everything you can about the Marquis Mavel family and Vivian Mavel. Whether she has a lover, whether she’s doing anything behind the scenes—everything.”

Charlotte Noha.
Whatever that woman was thinking—

‘I have no intention of being played so easily anymore.’

Alfonso’s blue eyes gleamed coldly.

“From what I’ve learned, Vivian Mavel has neither a lover nor any secret dealings.”

“That’s the most troublesome type.”

Charlotte muttered as she draped sable fur over her arms.

In the mirror, the red-haired woman dressed flawlessly from head to toe wore an expression utterly devoid of amusement.

The reason was simple.

She had encountered an obstacle.

‘Olivier and Obini were easy to deal with.’

Laila Olivier had a lover, and Devona Obini had ambition.

Especially in the latter case, this was information Charlotte knew because after Charlotte ruined the marriage talks, Devona devoted herself to her perfume business and succeeded in skyrocketing her own brand the following year.

But Vivian Mavel?

‘No lover. No ambition.’

After Charlotte ruined that marriage negotiation, no news of Vivian followed.

As though she intended to bury herself quietly in maidenhood forever.

‘To begin with, despite her excellent family, the only reason she’s still unmarried is because Vivian herself has been obsessively inactive socially.’

As a result, the only information available was that she was an enormous bookworm, and that she had one maid who had been as close to her as a twin since childhood.

In the end, after much deliberation, Charlotte made her decision.

She would personally involve herself in this marriage negotiation.

“The Marquis Mavel family’s banquet is tonight, correct?”

“Yes. Shall I prepare the carriage?”

“Yes. I suppose I should go.”

Tonight, Alfonso will also attend the Marquis Mavel family’s banquet.

The moment she reminded herself of that fact, the woman in the mirror’s expression twisted.

As though she might burst into tears at any moment.