"Then does that mean even rejuvenation is possible?"
At the clear, almost refreshed look on her mother's face, Lieselotte was momentarily speechless.
All the time she had spent agonizing over it suddenly felt faintly ridiculous.
Ah... Mother has given up trying to make sense of it.
Honestly, that may be easier.
Seeing her like that, Lieselotte understood.
Rather than trying to comprehend a Gift so far beyond common sense, the only real option was simply to accept it.
Better to stop brooding over it and start thinking about how to make use of it instead.
While those thoughts ran through her mind, Yuri worked silently with his hands.
It was as if he were manipulating an invisible panel hanging in midair.
His eyes were sharp, as though he were chasing something only he could see, and the movements of his fingertips grew faster by the moment.
That look of intense concentration made Lieselotte's heart quicken.
"For a hundred thousand gold coins, I can get a potion that makes someone a year younger."
The moment Yuri answered so casually, Lieselotte almost thought she had misheard him.
"That's expensive."
"That's cheap."
Lieselotte and Celine spoke at the same time, then involuntarily looked at one another.
"No, Mother, a hundred thousand gold coins is far too much!"
Lieselotte reacted at once.
Given the dire state of the Reberk Barony's finances Celine had explained to her the other day, that figure was astronomical.
For a territory whose annual income was only around five hundred gold coins, it was simply impossible.
But Celine countered without the slightest hesitation.
"What are you saying, Liese? You can become younger for a mere hundred thousand gold coins!"
Lieselotte's eyes widened at that.
"Even if it does make you younger, it's only by a single year.
In your case, Mother, the difference would hardly be that dramatic."
She said it as calmly as she could, but Celine meant every word.
"Even a single year makes a world of difference.
Aina, you understand, don't you?"
Having the conversation abruptly turned on her, Aina let her gaze wander in visible discomfort.
"Um... please don't drag me into this..."
Seeing Aina answer with such a troubled look, Lieselotte almost smiled.
But Celine went on regardless.
"You may not understand now because you're still young, Liese, but give it fifteen years and you'll be saying the same thing."
For a moment, Lieselotte could find no reply.
Indeed, when she herself grew older, she might end up thinking just like her mother.
"That may be true... but to begin with, it would be impossible for our territory to come up with a hundred thousand gold coins."
Lieselotte pointed out the practical problem in an even tone.
Given the size of the territory and the state of its finances, an expenditure on that scale was utterly out of the question.
"That's why we'll use my lord husband's Gift to source products and sell them.
The rejuvenation potion is far too dangerous, but...
there must be other things that are safer and easier to sell.
Yes... what about beauty elixirs aimed at royalty and the high nobility?"
Celine said it with her face lighting up.
"If we're selling to royalty and the high nobility, they won't care about the price.
If we can guarantee the quality, they'll pay whatever it takes for the sake of beauty."
Lieselotte considered that for a moment.
It was true—if their customers were royalty and the high nobility, they could set prices much higher, and if the goods were good enough, they could earn real trust.
But at the same time, she could also feel the pressure that came with doing business with nobles.
"In that case, it may indeed be realistic...
If they're high-end beauty elixirs, those who value quality among the royalty and nobility may well accept them."
Lieselotte gave cautious agreement, but did not abandon her careful stance.
When dealing with nobles, their demands would only be stricter, and a product's reputation would spread at once.
"Lord Yuri, could you tell us in a little more detail what kinds of products there are?"
Yuri had said that his Gift could procure any sort of item.
But when the customers were royalty and nobles, identifying the goods that would truly meet their standards would be no easy matter.
If they chose poorly, they could end up disappointing them.
And a failure like that might prove impossible to undo.
"Just a moment... let's see.
There are categories like skincare, makeup, body care, hair care,
oral care, nails, and fragrance.
And even within skincare alone, there seem to be cleansers, face wash, toner, emulsion,
essences, gels, moisturizing creams, and things like that.
Most of them cost at least ten silver coins, and the highest-end ones go up to around ten gold coins, I think...
Still, wow, that's expensive."
Yuri continued explaining in a faintly exasperated tone as he worked at whatever he was manipulating in front of him.
"...What? Wait, a beauty elixir isn't just one thing?"
Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, Lieselotte let out a baffled little gasp.
"My lord husband, do all of those items you just mentioned have different effects?"
Looking intensely interested, Celine pressed on with yet another question.
"I think so. I don't really know the details myself, but
if they're divided into categories,
I assume each one serves a different purpose..."
Yuri answered a little uncertainly.
Judging from his expression, even he did not seem to know much about beauty products in detail.
At that, Celine smiled faintly, folded both hands before her chest like a saint in prayer, and murmured with an almost ecstatic expression,
"So, to make a woman beautiful,
one must never stint on money..."
She looked so much like a goddess at prayer that Lieselotte could only shrug.
Mother is completely serious...
There was something almost exasperating about how devoted her mother was to beauty, though Lieselotte could not say she failed to understand it.
"If we were to stock the full range, it sounds as though the cost would be quite enormous...
If we prepared the highest grade for royalty and the high nobility,
about how much would that come to?"
With the number of products involved, Lieselotte began to think they might even distinguish between offerings according to a noble's rank.
"Um... around a hundred gold coins, I think.
Even the bare minimum would still come to more than twenty-seven silver coins."
For some reason, Yuri sounded almost apologetic as he explained.
"So the bare minimum would be one gold coin and seven silver...
Commoners would never be able to afford that.
We'd have to aim for the lesser nobility and wealthy merchants."
Lieselotte pictured the sort of people who might actually be able to buy beauty elixirs.
"At that rate, if we want to earn two hundred thousand gold coins a year,
selling only within the kingdom won't be enough.
We may have to expand our routes all the way to the Empire."
Celine said it lightly, but the sudden mention of the Empire left Lieselotte no choice but to stare.
Was she really planning to buy rejuvenation potions every single year, even if it meant trading with the Empire...?
"Mother, why two hundred thousand?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
The rejuvenation potion was supposed to cost a hundred thousand gold coins.
"For mine and Aina's."
Celine answered without a moment's hesitation.
"My Lady..."
Aina gazed at Celine with eyes gone misty with emotion.
"Well... I probably won't need one for another ten years."
"Young Lady, some thoughts are better left unspoken."
Aina said it with a wry smile, as though gently admonishing her.
"R-right. That was thoughtless of me."
Noticing the flat look in Celine's eyes, Lieselotte hurriedly corrected herself.
"Even if we began by selling only within the kingdom,
the most we'd likely make would be around three thousand gold coins a year at best...
No, this simply won't happen unless we foster core industries and make the territory as a whole prosperous..."
Celine let out a sigh.
"Wait... you really mean to buy a rejuvenation potion every year?"
Lieselotte had been thinking, You really mean to drink one every year? and before she knew it, the question had escaped her lips.
"Of course I do.
That's what I'll work toward—for the sake of the territory, and for House Strauss as well...
But more than anything, I want to stay beautiful for the husband I love."
When Celine looked up at Yuri through her lashes, his face turned red by the second, and he quickly averted his eyes.
At the sight, Lieselotte could only sigh inwardly.
Mother really shows no mercy.
"That said, the Reberk Barony doesn't really have any notable resources."
"It has the Demon Forest, but that's dangerous... whatever are we to do?"
For once, Celine had fallen into genuinely serious thought.
The Demon Forest certainly held abundant resources, but it was not something they could exploit at the cost of the people's lives.
What they needed was a safer way to spread work and income throughout the whole population.
As she breathed in the scent of tea that had begun to cool, Lieselotte continued to weigh their options.