It would be wonderful if Graces was willing to go with her. Lu Xia emerged after changing her clothes. "Can we buy it at the black market?"

"Not necessarily. Sometimes you have to wait and see if the auction house has any in stock. It’s best not to buy from private individuals."

Although Graces didn’t explain in detail why she shouldn’t buy from private individuals, Lu Xia had a good idea of what he meant.

Potions from private sellers were usually overpriced and possibly fake. In contrast, goods from the auction house were at least guaranteed to be authentic.

Lu Xia nodded. "Then how will we know when the auction house has some?"

"Leave it to me. If they have some in stock, I’ll accompany you to the black market."

"Alright. I’ll have to trouble you, then."

"You don’t need to be so polite with me." Graces’s eyes were gentle as he spoke.

After spending so much time with Graces lately, this wasn’t the first time he had looked at her like that. Still, every time she met his gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

Pursing her lips, Lu Xia turned away. "Let’s go downstairs and eat."

Seeing Lu Xia’s flustered retreat, Graces’s expression darkened for a moment before he quickly composed himself.

*

In a brightly lit room, Prince Li Mang, who was about to celebrate her 40th birthday, was sorting through the wigs brought by her attendants.

Before her lay more than ten wigs, all newly custom-made in different styles and colors.

Looking at the wigs, there was no joy in Prince Li Mang’s eyes. If she didn’t suffer from hair loss, why would she need a wig at the age of forty?

The attendants holding up the wigs all had their heads bowed. At times like these, Prince Li Mang was particularly irritable. The current silence was merely the calm before the storm.

Whoever was careless enough to cross her was bound for misfortune.

After looking for a long time, Prince Li Mang still couldn’t find one she liked. Her expression immediately soured. "This bunch of incompetents! I pay them so much every year, and all they do is churn out the same old styles. There’s no creativity whatsoever! Useless!"

Unable to suppress her frustration, Prince Li Mang grabbed the nearest wig and hurled it to the floor, frightening the attendants so much they immediately fell to their knees.

After venting her anger, Prince Li Mang collapsed weakly into her chair. "Get out! All of you, get out!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Once she had driven them out, Prince Li Mang’s eyes were red-rimmed and filled with bitter resentment. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t grow her own hair!

Over the years, she had lost count of the specialists she’d seen and the medications she’d taken for hair growth. She’d even undergone a transplant, but not only did it fail, it left behind ugly scars. Now, she couldn’t even bear to look in the mirror, refusing to accept that the hideous person staring back was her.

In the end, her only option was to wear wigs all day to hide it.

She had no idea how many people in her social circle were mocking her.

Just then, the butler’s cautious voice came from outside. "Your Highness, Duke Leslie is here to visit. Shall I show her in?"

Prince Li Mang heard him and asked irritably, "It’s so late. What is she doing here?"

The butler said softly, "She said she has something to give you."

Prince Li Mang composed herself. "Then let her in. Take her to the drawing room, and have someone clean this place up."

"Yes, I’ll arrange for someone to clean up immediately."

By the time Duke Leslie came in, Prince Li Mang was already waiting for her in the drawing room. "For Duke Leslie to visit so late, I’m truly flattered."

"Your Highness, I can only hope you don’t mind me disturbing you at this hour. I just came by something wonderful that I thought you could use, so I brought it over at once." As she spoke, Duke Leslie placed the No.1 Institute Beauty Cream she had brought in front of Prince Li Mang. "This is a beauty cream with scar-removing and whitening properties developed by Duke Lu Xia. I’ve been using it recently, and the effects are remarkable."

Hearing the words "scar removal," Prince Li Mang was intrigued. She picked up the container. "Developed by Duke Lu Xia? I heard she was an uncultured good-for-nothing. Is she really capable of something like this?"

"It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? If I hadn’t seen the change in her with my own eyes and used the product myself, I wouldn’t believe it either. Look, see the difference between my hand and my face? They’re two different shades. This is the difference between using it and not. When it comes to whitening, at least, I can guarantee it’s far better than the Anti-Aging Cream I’ve been using."

To convince Prince Li Mang, Duke Leslie deliberately placed her hand next to her face for comparison.

Prince Li Mang didn’t care whether the product could actually whiten skin. She was far more concerned with one thing: could it truly remove scars?

And so, that’s what she asked. "What about its scar-removal properties?"

"I don’t have any scars, so I can’t personally vouch for that. But I’ve seen quite a few posts on the Holonet lately. The volunteers from the clinical trial all seem to have been cured, so it must be effective. In the end, I think you’ll know for sure once you try it for yourself."

Hearing this, Prince Li Mang nodded. "I understand. Thank you for thinking of me and bringing this so late at night."

"You’re too kind. Your 40th birthday is coming up, isn’t it? I was hoping to bring Duke Lu Xia to wish you a happy birthday, so I wanted to ask for an extra invitation."

"You came all this way for such a small thing? Butler, prepare an invitation for Duke Leslie to take with her."

The butler heard the order and quickly prepared an invitation, presenting it to Duke Leslie.

After Duke Leslie accepted it, she didn’t linger. Once she had left, Prince Li Mang returned to her room with the beauty cream.

She couldn’t wait to try it.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried other scar-removal products over the years; they had all ended in failure. But that’s just human nature. Even knowing it might be another false promise, she would still grasp at any sliver of unrealistic hope, caught in a perpetual cycle of hope and disappointment.

She spread the black cream all over the top of her head. The cool, soothing sensation was relaxing.

Prince Li Mang carefully noted the time. When she washed it off 20 minutes later, she found that the raised, dark-brown scars seemed to have lightened significantly.

But maybe it was just a trick of the light. She didn’t dare to believe it, yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to.

After leaving the bathroom, she couldn’t resist opening the Holonet and searching for what Duke Leslie had mentioned. Sure enough, after she typed "No.1 Institute Beauty Cream," the holo-screen filled with related articles, and it was even a trending topic.

The comments and before-and-after pictures she found made Prince Li Mang’s eyes light up.

Scars even more severe than hers had flattened after a month’s trial, their color fading back to the skin’s natural tone. ’If all of this is real,’ she thought, ’does that mean my scars can disappear too?’

This news gave Prince Li Mang a renewed sense of courage.

At the same time, it sparked her curiosity about Duke Lu Xia.