Clamoring for soap

The following day, one of the maids set off to the town closest to the Vanderbilt estate: Kingsbridge.

This was a city of sophisticated places made for those living above normal means. Kingsbridge catered—royals, businessmen, and other such wealthy individuals who stayed and lived their lives in wealth.

Castella, a maid of the Vanderbilt estate, made her way toward one of the town's most exclusive establishments that only the rich women frequently visited. 

This was a place where wives, their daughters, and their maids frequented to have their tea and share some juicy gossip.

Since Castella was a maid of the Vanderbilt estate, she had access to these high-class establishments.

Inside, well-dressed women lounged at lavishly adorned tables, their conversations laced with a hint of rivalry.

"Do you like it? My husband bought it for me from overseas! It's made from the pearl of the Orient," boasted one of the madames, showing off the dazzling necklace on her neck to the rest of the women sitting at the table.

"How envious! I shall make my hubby buy one for me and my daughter here as well," said the woman opposite her, fluttering her handkerchief.

Laughter rippled through the group of women, but even if there was a jovial atmosphere among them on the surface, beneath the facade lurked a ruthless game of status and wealth.

This wasn't just a place to socialize; this was a place to brag—a battlefield of luxury.

They wanted to show off how wealthy they were, how much their husbands spent to pamper them, and how much better their lives were compared to the others.

It was a vicious environment. If one wasn't grossly wealthy, then they didn't deserve to participate in these kinds of gatherings.

Just then, the door to the tea party opened, bringing with it the soft chimes of the bell, signaling the arrival of a newcomer.

Normally, the wealthy madames would have simply given one look at Castelle and immediately turned their heads away the moment they noticed her maid uniform. However, there lingered a certain smell in the air that they couldn't simply ignore.

Castelle walked inside and bowed to the madames before taking her place among the maids in the next room.

The Madames and their rich daughters all turned their noses up as they smelled the fragrant scent of flowers in the air. 

It was strong, but it wasn't imposing like perfume. 

It was subtle yet made its mark on their noses all the same.

"Do you smell that?" asked the madame wearing the pearl necklace.

"I smell it too, Auntie. It's… it's really good!" one of the young daughters at the table chimed in.

"Be honest, ladies. Did any of you spray your perfume?"

The women at the table shook their heads.

Just then, Castelle walked over to the table with a tray in her hand, carrying tea and biscuits.

"I apologize, Madames. The Vanderbilt mistress cannot attend today's meeting because she is currently out of town for the entire month. She has asked me to come in her stead and serve you the finest biscuits and tea from our warehouse."

Castelle didn't notice that everyone at the table was looking at her with intense eyes. As soon as she stepped closer, the scent intensified as if she were a bundle of flowers put together.

Even though the Madames immediately noticed her aromatic scent, Castelle herself thought that nobody might have noticed the difference and remained oblivious to their sharp gazes.

The reason for that was because, according to her, nothing was unusual—everyone in the Vanderbilt mansion smelled good. Ever since the young master gave them soap and shampoo, every member of the household washed themselves with it without any exceptions.

So, to her own nose, Castelle smelled no different than usual.

It wasn't until the entire table fell silent for an entire minute that Castelle realized that something was different with them.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

The madame with the pearl necklace finally asked.

"What perfume do you use?"

Castelle was caught off guard and a bit flustered with the question. "Perfume? I'm sorry, madame, but I don't wear perfume."

The rest of the women at the table shook their heads, exchanging knowing glances. 

"No need to lie. We're all women here. Now, tell us which perfume you buy to smell this good."

Only then did Castelle finally understand what was happening.

"Oh! You must be smelling my soap," she said enthusiastically.

"That must not be it. Soaps don't smell this good," the madame insisted, her eyes narrowing. "Are you lying to us?" 

"No, madame!" Castelle vehemently shook her head, causing her hair to whip back and forth. With each moment of her head, the scent of her shampoo drifted over the table.

One of the young daughters on the table immediately stood up to her feet and deeply inhaled near Castelle's hair. "Your hair smells so good! And your skin… it's so soft, too!"

The rest of the women quickly gathered around Castelle and began examining her. There was no way of mistaking it—her entire body was emanating a natural, lingering fragrance that simply couldn't be achieved by any perfume. It wasn't as if she had applied something to her skin, but rather as if her skin and hair themselves were the ones that smelled good.

"Ladies, mind your manners," the madame with the pearl necklace stopped the ladies from crowding around Castelle too much.

"Now, are you certain that you achieved this scent through nothing but soap?" she asked after turning back to Castelle.

Castelle nodded her head obediently. "Yes, madam. I only used soap to clean my body, and something called a 'shampoo' to clean my hair after every shower—I mean, bath."

The rest of the women at the table slowly returned to their seats, completely bewildered by the thought of smelling this good with nothing but soap.

"Can you tell us the name of this soap and 'shampoo'? Or better yet, will you sell me some of this material? I am willing to buy it at the price of one gold!"

"Me too! I'll buy it for one gold as well!"

"Reserve two for me! I want to buy one for my daughter as well."

…

…

…

Before sundown, Castelle rushed back to the Vanderbilt mansion and immediately knocked on the young master's door.

"Castelle? What's wrong?"

The moment she entered his room, she immediately recounted everything that had happened to her in the tea establishment.

"I'm telling you, young master. Your product will certainly be devoured by a lot of women if you sell it at the market. Those women didn't hesitate to offer gold just for a chase to buy it."

Michael was intrigued. 

If a simple soap and shampoo were enough to make the wealthy women of Kingsbridge clamor for buying it at one gold a piece, then perhaps it might be a good idea to start selling them at the market.

Even though he would inherit the riches of the Vanderbilt family in the future, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some money by himself.

If he continued to rely on the Vanderbilt family's money, he would have to ask his mother for money each time he needed to buy materials for his experiments.

But if he had made his own fortune…

He could keep his projects a secret.