NOVEL NEXT chapter 28
28 – The Third Ingredient
Each of the three princesses of the empire had been assigned a palace as their own.
A result of the current emperor drying up the nobility’s bloodline during his ascent to the throne.
Servants in each palace toiled like loyal subjects, focusing solely on their respective mistresses.
The Minster Palace, where Anais resided, was no exception.
“I hope you contributed your fair share.”
“….”
“Think about it. The product is called ‘Chandelier Madame’s Health Elixir.’ Imagine the response if the real Chandelier Madame endorses it.”
Anais persuaded, and awkwardness crept onto the face of the elderly maid who stood gracefully before her.
The maid’s name was Dorothy Chandelier.
For 40 years, she had served various nobles indiscriminately, regardless of lineage.
In her youth, she handled cleaning, laundry, and sewing, and for the past decade, she held the position of head maid overseeing other maids.
With an excellent reputation and many admirers, even noble-born maids dared not disrespect her.
“Indeed, this grandma is the most suitable.”
Anais narrowed her eyes and glanced up and down at Mrs. Chandler.
Even if she wandered around with a basket, she had a cozy appearance that seemed to invite guidance rather than attracting trouble… A kind gaze that seemed like she had never said a harsh word in her life, and moderately modest attire.
However, despite her kind appearance, she had good skills. She had married her husband, who was a scholar, and retired him as a sergeant major.
In Anais’s eyes, there was no better candidate than her.
“Of course, there are many servants available for recruitment. But for some reason, they all seem stiff and awkward in front of the counter.”
“Your Highness. I, too, have been working in the palace all my life.”
“You can do it, right? Just like taking care of your own children and grandchildren.”
“……”
“I hope you will personally assist me until I settle in. …Mrs. Chandler must understand, too. Didn’t she make the morphine business a success? Money aside, what’s more enviable is receiving support from many people. …That’s what I need most right now.”
“But I’m not a pharmacist or anything.”
“Experience can be decorated in its own way.”
Mrs. Chandler only smiled in response to Anais’s pressure, without giving a definite answer. There was no sign of her being intimidated.
Even if she was forced to give orders, she would probably follow them.
But what Anais wanted was more than that.
This time, she needed someone who could encourage and motivate the dozens of servants she had mobilized as salespeople to steadily increase the sales of health syrup. At least until “Health Syrup” succeeded in popularity, she needed to actively engage in sales.
“It seems like you’re not very enthusiastic.”
That’s to be expected. It’s not easy to suddenly start selling medicine.
So, she decided to provide motivation.
“By the way, Mrs. Chandler, I used your name without permission.”
“I don’t mind at all, so please don’t worry…”
“No, it’s not that. I’m just concerned. I want to somehow compensate you… Right. What if we do it like this? If ‘Healthy Syrup’ succeeds in the market, I’ll reward you generously. I’m thinking of giving you around 50,000 dollars as an encouragement fund. How does that sound?”
At this proposal, Chaendel’s eyes flickered in Mrs. Chandler’s gaze.
No matter how kind a person is, they cannot be free from material desires. Especially an old maid approaching retirement, even more so.
‘Yes. This is the best way.’
This was also a method learned from Siena.
Siena told her subordinates to do difficult tasks and rewarded them with money.
One of the well-tamed figures was none other than Alan Maydoff, that guy. It was disheartening to see the trash that used to beat up poor people for pocket money now pretending to be a businessman.
Imitating the stoic Siena wasn’t something Anais was fond of, but… to fight against those harsh elements, compromise was necessary.
“If you give me some time to prepare, I’ll give it a try.”
Finally, Mrs. Chandler seemed to have gained enthusiasm.
A maid who had built up her career over 40 years, having seen everything there is to see, entering the syrup sales business.
Her performance exceeded Anais’s expectations.
…
Sunday. In front of the general store, there were people strolling around the ‘Healthy Syrup’ booth. The number was roughly around fifty.
Mrs. Chandler, standing in front of them, opened her mouth with a warm smile.
“…I received nursing education in my younger days. Before getting a job at the palace, I briefly worked at a hospital. And even after becoming a maid, I used the knowledge I gained back then to make syrup for my colleagues.”
“A maid making medicine?”
“I am a maid at the Minster Palace. I’ve served four nobles for 40 years.”
“Oh?”
Little by little, attention began to focus on her.
Until recently, it was just a syrup made to take care of friends. Every time the seasons changed, I made it for my junior colleagues who caught colds and body aches. But not long ago, Lady Anais happened to learn about the existence of the syrup. She said it’s not just a medicine given to the needy, she said.
“Her Highness…!?”
In the end, she decided to support me in trying out a business. Have you heard of morphine? It seems that the medicine invested by Princess Siena is a great help to the soldiers.
“Morphine is said to be very expensive.”
“It’s not that expensive. And it’s not something made for just the soldiers.”
Following that, Lady Chandler drew everyone’s attention to the syrup bottle she held in her hands.
A common syrup bottle containing health syrup. Priced at 79 talers per bottle.
It was more than twice as expensive as other syrups of the same quantity.
Originally, syrup itself wasn’t just a sweetener that the middle class could enjoy anytime. But thinking of it as ‘medicine,’ the price wasn’t exorbitant. So, at that moment when everyone hesitated, Lady Chandler spoke again.
“You only need to take a teaspoon two or three times. With one bottle, a family can use it for several days. Wouldn’t it be good to have it as an emergency medicine?”
“Oh…!”
With this, people finally began to pull out their wallets. The number increased even more when coughing sounds were heard from the crowd.
**
Health syrup.
Siena tried to ignore her half-brother’s cute gestures.
Honestly, it was worth ignoring. After all, it was just syrup sold on the street, set up on a stall. The price was also on the cheaper side.
I don’t know the exact production cost, but maybe it’s not difficult to sell a bottle and make a profit of 4-5 talers? Perhaps it could even be in the red.
Compared to the overwhelming profitability of morphine, it was truly on a trivial level.
‘But I can’t let my guard down.’
The thought that ignoring Anais might lead to serious trouble later, the thought that I shouldn’t just stand by, lingered in her chest.
Mixing medicine with syrup and entrusting sales to a warm-hearted grandmother. The idea seemed strangely plausible.
In fact, Siena had a similar idea once.
It wasn’t that long ago. Just two months ago?
She had planned to dissolve op*ium in port wine to offer it to the queen. Believing that the sweet wine would mask the unpleasant taste of op*ium. She had confidently thought it would work, only to fold when Alan suggested an alternative.
Moreover, syrup would be much sweeter than wine. Not only delicious to consume, but if it also relieved pain, who could resist?
“I can’t just let it be.”
It had to be stopped, as the morphine business could become a blessing or a curse. Of course, there was also a desire to step on Anais just for fun.
First, understanding about the health syrup was a priority.
Siena decided to inquire by loosening people to find out about its efficacy.
It might not be easy since it had just started selling, but there was nothing she couldn’t do. After securing information from people who had tried the syrup, she would find out about its effects.
Let’s find out, right now.
However, Siena’s thoughts were soon put on hold.
“Your Excellency, I have something to report.”
It was because of the knight in conquering attire who came to her office without notice. There was only one knight who dared to behave like this.
“Alan?”
Grayish hair with a somewhat nervous expression. The usual Alan, but Siena smirked. He held a bottle of syrup in his hands.
“Could it be health syrup? Made by Anais?”
“Yes. I investigated it myself.”
Alan’s enthusiasm, not commonly displayed, was intriguing. Even after earning big money with morphine and becoming a prominent figure in society, he had always been indifferent. So, why was Alan particularly sensitive to syrup? To prevent potential competition? It seemed unlikely.
“Alan? Why all of a sudden?”
“I need to look into it more closely. …I had Jacob find customers who have purchased health syrup at least once. If someone has done that, it means they have already experienced the effectiveness of the syrup and might even be captivated by it.”
“The herbalist who supplied the ingredients must be thrilled, judging by that level of enthusiasm.”
“Yes. Naturally.”
If Alan went to this extent, it seemed worth listening to at least.
“The syrup contains three added herbs: op*ium, belladonna root juice, and one herb with a different name according to each herbalist. Even the merchant who supplied herbs to Lady Anais’s company doesn’t know the exact efficacy.”
“Is the reason you’re tense perhaps because of the third herb?”
“Tense… yes. That could be it. If only op*ium and belladonna were included, the syrup would have only had pain relief and soothing effects. If abused, it would be so calming that one might never get up again.”
“…”
“But when we caught someone who had taken the health syrup and asked, they said their heart was racing intensely. They even mentioned breaking into a cold sweat, and the fever that was boiling over subsided overnight. This should be attributed solely to the efficacy of the third ingredient.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“I know now, finally.”
Alan, who had spoken up to this point, remained silent for now.
Sienna didn’t press him.
She was curious. It was the first time Alan was expressing this much concern and willingly sharing information. However, judging by his demeanor, it seemed that Alan needed time to organize his thoughts. In that case, waiting was probably the right thing to do.
After a somewhat static interval, Sienna could finally hear the answer.
“It’s ginseng. A plant that is probably widely used as an herb in the East.”
Sienna had no idea what ginseng was. However, she could easily read the emotions that surfaced in Alan’s expression.
“That health syrup is going to start selling like crazy.”
It was an immediate conviction.