hotmtlnovel Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Even in the midst of chaos and disbelief, Penelope managed to ask Yvette, “Are you... alright?”
“No...” Yvette murmured, her face pale.
Penelope glanced at her with growing anxiety before suddenly turning, her expression hardening into one of anger.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing? What if someone had gotten hurt? How could you recklessly throw water like that?”
Emily, the culprit behind the water bucket, responded furiously, “Because of you, my sister’s face is ruined! What are you going to do about it?!”
“What do you mean by that—”
Before Penelope could even finish her question, Emily raised her voice.
“It’s the green herb cosmetics you made! My sister used them, and her face broke out in a horrible rash. Now it’s oozing pus! How are you going to take responsibility for this?!”
“Oh, my goodness!”
Baroness Einsha gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.
Emily began to cry openly, her tears flowing as she sobbed uncontrollably.
The other noblewomen, alarmed, reflexively touched their own cheeks. Many of them were regular users of Halo’s cosmetics.
“Could it really be a side effect? Who’s responsible for this?”
“Could it happen to my face too?”
The buzz of worried whispers quickly turned the atmosphere of the banquet into utter chaos.
Penelope felt a pounding headache coming on.
“Her face is oozing pus from using green herb cosmetics? What in the world is going on?”
It was hard to believe that a product made from green herb extract—a key ingredient in healing potions—could cause a rash.
“Something must have gone wrong somewhere.”
After quickly gathering her thoughts, Penelope spoke up.
“Alright, let’s calm down and talk this through. What’s your sister’s name, and when did the symptoms first appear?”
“...Violet Dot. She started using the cosmetics yesterday, and the rash began almost immediately,” Emily replied, still sniffling. Given her boldness in storming into the banquet and dousing Penelope with water, her composure in explaining the details wasn’t particularly surprising.
Just then, a voice cut through the clamor.
“What kind of mess is this?”
“...Ahwin.”
The banquet hall fell silent as if someone had dumped cold water on the room.
Ahwin surveyed the scene with a glance before striding toward Penelope. His gaze landed on the wet floor where the water had spilled, and his expression twisted into a frown.
“What’s going on here?”
“This lady says her sister developed a rash after using Halo cosmetics. Now there’s pus,” Penelope explained succinctly.
Ahwin’s brows furrowed in confusion, as if the situation made no sense to him. It seemed he was wondering what that had to do with the puddle of water on the floor.
“Green herb is a core ingredient in healing potions. And you’re telling me cosmetics made from it caused a rash? That’s absurd.”
“I’ll explain to the master. Please, go quickly. I’m terrified Miss Violet might do something rash in her current state.”
“Understood.”
Emily turned to Penelope, who nodded, and then led them up the staircase to the second floor.
At the far end of the hall, they stopped in front of the door to Violet’s room. Emily knocked briefly and said, “Sister, it’s me, Emily. I’m coming in.”
Without waiting for a response, Emily pushed the door open. The room was dark, all the lights extinguished.
Penelope’s eyes were drawn to the figure lying face down on a white bed. She immediately realized this must be Violet Dot.
A choked, tearful voice came from the bed. “I told you not to let anyone in! Get out! Leave me alone!”
“Sister, I brought Baroness Halo with me. The Tower Master is here too,” Emily said.
“...W-what?”
Violet Dot, dressed in her nightgown, reluctantly lifted her head to look at Emily.
Ahwin flicked his hand, and the room instantly lit up as if it were midday.
Startled by the sudden brightness, Violet shielded her eyes with both hands. Penelope sighed deeply, almost groaning.
“Oh dear, her face is a mess.”
Violet’s face was covered with angry red rashes, with pustules oozing blood and yellowish pus in several areas.
“What do you think? Does it really look like a reaction to the cosmetics?” Penelope asked.
“We’ll have to investigate,” Ahwin replied.
Moving quickly, Penelope approached the vanity table by the bed and picked up a pale green cosmetics bottle.
“Huh...?”
Penelope frowned as she examined the label, then spoke.
“This isn’t Halo Cosmetics.”
“W-what? But I sent a servant to buy it directly from the Halo soap shop!” Emily stammered, her face paling.
Penelope turned the bottle to show her.
“All Halo products are marked with a serial number and date, starting with ‘HRO-.’ This bottle doesn’t have the right markings, and the herb leaf logo is also incorrect.”
“Th-that’s impossible... My servant said they queued properly to buy it!”
Emily’s face paled further, and then, as if struck by a realization, she abruptly left the room.
Violet, confused, glanced at her retreating sister before grabbing a robe from the coat rack and draping it over herself.
Moments later, shouting erupted from the hallway.
“How dare you switch the cosmetics! Tell the truth—where did you get them?”
“M-Miss, please spare me!”
“Speak now! That bottle—did you really get it from the Halo shop?”
“T-the truth is... While I was waiting in line, someone in the back alley was selling identical products at half the price. They said it worked the same!”
Hearing the servant’s confession, Violet’s eyes widened in shock. She began trembling, her lips quivering uncontrollably.