“Miss. We’re almost out of the perfume and rouge you had been using. Shall we call the perfume master (artisan who makes the perfume) and the cosmetics dealer?”
“Oh, yes! Good!”
As expected, Anna was an essential character for the story!
‘I’m going to try luxury cosmetics too!’
She thought of her co-workers in her previous life who used niche perfumes or expensive imported cosmetics. She, who tried to look like them, never fixed her makeup in front of other people’s eyes. She wasn’t ashamed that it was a road shop cosmetic, but it was a bit embarrassing that she was scratching so hard that the bottom was exposed on a compact with all the transferred letters and stickers peeled off.
‘I used to hide lipstick in the toilet seat and put it on… Now that I think about it, there was no need to do that. What could have been so embarrassing?’
Maybe she subconsciously thought that it would be found out that she was unloved. A person with really high self-esteem would rather be proud saying, ‘I am this frugal.’ She smiled bitterly and waited for the people Anna would call.
Anna called a talented perfume master. He carefully sniffed the perfume she had been using before and nodded at her.
“This is the finest rose perfume with Ashley roses. Shall I make it this way again?”
“Are there different types of rose perfume?”
“Sure. The type that is commonly used is a perfume with Titania rose. It’s thick and heavy, and it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of rose perfume. However, there is a feeling that it is too heavy for young people to use.”
“Well, how much is that?”
“It’s relatively inexpensive. One small bottle is about 20,000 sena.”
‘Huh? Wait for a sec. If you count 20,000, isn’t it 200,000 won?’
She didn’t think that small bottle was less than 50ml, but that’s 200,000 won? That’s the sum of her monthly transportation, communication, and utility bills!
“Ha ha ha, that, that’s right… What else?”
“The kind of rose that young people are looking for is the Ashley rose. It is a light and fresh rose scent with a light grassy scent. What you are using is a very fine perfume mixed with Ashley rose, a type of wild raspberry, and ambergris.”
It sound expensive just by hearing the explanation.
“How much does this cost?”
“It will depend on the mixing ratio, but if you make it similar to the perfume you are using, maybe… It will be between 50,000 and 70,000 sena in a small bottle.”
‘Yes? Why did the price suddenly double or triple?’
500,000 won was far more than her monthly food expenses in her previous life…
“The highest quality is a perfume that uses a Tessian rose or a Nathaniel rose. It is over 100,000 senna in a small bottle.”
So, he was saying that a 50ml perfume bottle cost over 1 million won? …was she miscalculating the exchange rate between won and sena? Why was it so expensive? She was clenching her molars trying to control her mouth that was about to open, but the chief asked again.
“How about trying the Nathaniel rose this time? It smells a little deeper than Ashley’s rose.”
“Oh, oh, no! That… I’ll use the original one. I don’t like the sudden change of scent…”
“Ha ha ha. Well, you’re still at an age where you’d prefer a light and refreshing scent. Then I will make it similar to the one you used before.”
At that time, Anna advised.
“Why don’t you mix Ashley’s roses with a little Nathaniel’s?”
“Huh…?”
“You may like a scent you are familiar with, but since you are married, it would be nice to have a deeper scent.”
If it’s Anna, that would be the case, but she was nervous about how expensive it would be. Being the daughter-in-law of the Ludwig family, you couldn’t say no just because it’s expensive, really…
“Is that so? But mix a little bit of that expensive rose, just a little bit.”
“It’s a good compromise. Then it is about 80,000 Senna in a small bottle.”
“80,000 sena?”
Her hands trembled all the time. It’s money that she didn’t care if she got rid of all 5 million sena with her pocket money, but buying a small perfume for 800,000 won felt like she was committing a crime against Choi Sona in her previous life.
Anna next to her gave another piece of advice, as if she had noticed her hints.
“Anyway, since you keep using similar perfumes, how about ordering a larger quantity? Then the price will be much lower.”
“You’re right. If you craft it in a big bottle, um… It must be about 130,000 sena.”
A large bottle looked roughly 100ml, so 50ml was about 65,000 Senna.
“Can’t you do it at 120,000 sena?”
“Yes? Alas, then I have nothing left!”
“Ugh! Then… 125,000 sena.”
Is there a law that says nobles couldn’t haggle over prices? So, how could you rip off the nobles to your heart’s content? She tried to maintain that dignified attitude and smiled softly at the perfume master. She even added an excuse or something.
“It’s because I don’t want to hear that I spent too much money as soon as I got married. Instead, I will definitely call you next time.”
“Hahaha, this is why a ducal family has hired me for their daughter-in-law. I can’t win. Then I’ll just believe what you say and do it for 125,000 sena.”
“Thank you!”
Successfully bargained for the first time in this world! Was there a more confident feeling? But the ordeal was not over. This was because the cosmetics merchant came after the perfume master was gone.
“I need rouge for my lady. Do you have a color similar to this?”
When Anna opened the rouge jar she was using and asked, the cosmetics dealer took a closer look and then she opened the bag she had brought.
“It must be from Melrose,” she said. “It is a good product, but the response to the new product from Lang is also very good.”
Then she pulled out a few jars of rouge. Melrose’s jade-colored pottery was pretty, but Lang’s pink pottery was even prettier. It was because the lid had a ribbon attached to it.
“The color is similar, and there is a saying that Lang’s products have better color development. I think this color will suit you well, in addition to the colors you have used before.”
“They are all really pretty. But how much are these?”
“Melrose products are 8,000 sena, and Lang products are 10,000 sena.”
…She thought they could bring the price down further by subtracting the price of the pottery jar. The pink rouge jar was really, really pretty, but she turned her head away with tears in her eyes.
“Um… I’ll just keep using the original product.”
“All right. Don’t need a puff? There are also hand mirrors and hairbrushes.”
She didn’t need it, she tried to shake her hand, but Anna said she needed a brush to apply the rouge by her side. In the end, she had no choice but to pay 8,000 sena for that.
‘Price… It’s too expensive.’
She spent 141,000 Senna on just one perfume, one rouge, and one rouge brush. Her hands kept shaking because she felt like she was going to lose her sense of money.
‘Enjoying what you have isn’t easy either.’
Recording her money in a small notebook like a household account book, she had to admit that she was too pathetic for luxury. But she couldn’t help it. Even though her brother often robbed her small salary, she really lived a long way away, trying not to look ugly in the eyes of others.
‘I need to slowly get used to the luxury of spending money. Let’s start with other luxuries.’
She couldn’t afford to spend money, so she decided to enjoy the luxury of not having money.
Because enjoying culture and art would be a luxury that even her depressed soul could fully accept.
‘First of all, the Sistine Hall!’
From the time Philip showed her around the mansion, it was the room full of art that she had been eyeing the most. Even in her previous life, she liked to appreciate art works, but the opportunity to see the actual work in front of her eyes was not common. There was no way that the artist or work she knew in her previous life could exist here, but it was enjoyable to see the work with the artistic spirit even if it was not the artist she knew.
She left only to tell Anna that she would go to the Sistine Hall, and walked slowly towards the there. After taking a deep breath in front of the heavy door of the hall, she opened it with all her might, and a somewhat musty smell greeted her in the stillness of the air.
“Ohh…!”
She couldn’t help but admire it like the first time she saw it. The walls of the hall, larger than most galleries, were hung with a variety of works, from items as small as the palm of your hand to large enough to be seen at a distance. She enjoyed the work with a relaxed mind, as if she had rented the gallery alone. It couldn’t be more luxurious than buying expensive perfume.
“My God, how the hell did you draw something like this?”
In front of a work so elaborate that she wondered if it had been taken as a photograph, she approached it right in front of it and examined its detailed brush strokes.
“It reminds me of Monet’s style.”
Like Monet’s work, the feast of light and color made me stare at it endlessly from a few steps away.
“Oh, this is so cute!”
She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the dog’s expectant expression in the picture of the girl playing with the dog. Then, an incredibly large piece appeared. In front of it, it was impossible to capture the entire painting at a glance, so she went over to the opposite wall and sat down on the floor looking up at the painting.
How do you feel?
