Chapter Eighteen: Surprise.-Fêmea com boa gestação super cheirosa e macia, o beastman estéril a abraça pela cintura e a beija(Melancia de ameixa preta)

Faced with Duchess Leslie’s admonition, Kelly and Kay were nauseated. They had always looked down on Lu Xia, and they held her in even lower regard now. Although Grace was their younger brother, they had never cared for him; to them, he was merely a "defective product" unworthy of being their sibling, a stain on their ducal house. It was baffling that someone they so deeply despised was being treated like a treasure by someone else—they couldn't help but think that Duchess Lu Xia must have never seen anything truly valuable in her life.

They considered themselves superior and felt that Duchess Lu Xia’s actions were a disgrace to all females. Being lectured by Duchess Leslie on account of such a person left them feeling deeply resentful.

Lu Xia, having already departed, cared little for what the two sisters thought. Her primary goal for the visit had been achieved. She was certain that curiosity would drive Duchess Leslie to use the rejuvenating balm, and once she did, she would realize its true worth. After all, the balm was effective for scars, but even more so for those without them, as it brightened and whitened the skin—no female could refuse the allure of becoming more beautiful. The balm contained a small portion of spirit spring water, not much, but enough to achieve the results Lu Xia desired.

Indeed, Lu Xia was right. That very night, before going to bed, Duchess Leslie washed her face and applied the balm like a mask. She had already been curious about Lu Xia’s "Courtyard No. 1," and since she had received the product directly from her, she felt compelled to try it. If it proved effective, she would continue to maintain a good relationship with Duchess Lu Xia; if it failed, she would simply dismiss the woman as a useless chatterbox and maintain only a superficial facade in future dealings.

The jet-black balm felt cool and refreshing on her skin. Its scent was faint, light, and pleasant. Aside from the unappealing color, the experience was quite satisfactory. With these thoughts, Duchess Leslie waited twenty minutes, somewhat surprised to see the black paste turn transparent. After washing it off and examining her face carefully in the mirror, she discovered that the dryness caused by the recent weather had been relieved. Moreover, her skin seemed fairer and more supple than before. She couldn't help but touch her hydrated cheeks, murmuring to herself, "Must be a psychological effect, right?"

What kind of product could work so quickly? Even the expensive "Everlasting Cream" she had gone to great lengths to acquire was not this potent. Reassuring herself, she dismissed the matter and went to bed. However, when she looked in the mirror the next morning, she realized in the natural light that her skin was visibly fairer and more delicate—it was no illusion.

At breakfast, Kelly and Kay asked her in surprise, "Mother, did you sleep well last night? You look wonderful today; you even seem younger."

"I was just about to say the same thing. You look much fairer, Mother. Have you been using a new product lately?"

Hearing this, Duchess Leslie’s heart raced. Unable to contain her joy, she asked, "Do you really think I look fairer than before?" As she spoke, she couldn't help but pick up a mirror, checking her face from every angle, desperately trying to find a reason to refute the notion and convince herself it was all in her head. Yet, she couldn't find a single argument against it, because she was indeed much fairer; she could tell just by looking at her neck. She had only applied the balm to her face the night before, not her neck, and the contrast was stark.

"Yes, Mother, you really are fairer. Well, maybe not just 'fairer'—it’s more that your complexion is glowing and looks very natural." It wasn't the artificial paleness of heavy makeup.

"I never expected Duchess Lu Xia to be so capable. This 'rejuvenating balm' is truly effective. I’ve only used it for one day, and the difference is already apparent." Duchess Leslie looked at her reflection with satisfaction, feeling that the results were better than any expensive professional beauty treatment.

But to Kelly and Kay, these words sounded entirely different. They exclaimed in shock, "What did you say, Mother? You used the balm Lu Xia gave you? How could you dare? Weren't you afraid there was something wrong with the things she makes?"

"What could possibly be wrong with it?" Duchess Leslie looked at them, her eyes filled with confusion. "Can’t you two see the results for yourselves? Have you ever seen anything this effective? Stop looking at people through colored lenses. You should learn from her instead of always complaining. She may have been reckless in the past, but she has proven her capability now. As for you two, all you do is look down on this and that, yet I have never seen you produce anything worthy of me showing off!"

Duchess Leslie had already held a decent impression of Lu Xia, but after using the balm, she was completely won over. The sisters, sensing this, only felt more convinced that Lu Xia had malicious intentions, but Duchess Leslie was no longer listening to a word they said.

Lu Xia had hoped Duchess Leslie would try the balm, but she hadn't expected her to use it immediately and, by the next day, be so satisfied with her radiant appearance that she would go out to meet friends, receive numerous compliments, and—greatly satisfying her vanity—actively promote the product for her.

As time passed, within a month, news about the Courtyard No. 1 rejuvenating balm spread across the public network. During this period, Maelon, who had been using it consistently, saw his scars improve significantly. The once ugly, cratered, and discolored half of his face, marred by failed laser treatments, had faded to a shade nearly matching his natural skin tone. Furthermore, his rough skin had become smooth.

He flipped through the comparison photos he had uploaded consecutively for 30 days, witnessing the entire process of his recovery. In 30 days, the Courtyard No. 1 balm had given him a miracle. Although he was not yet fully recovered—his case had been severe—he was now full of confidence in the balm. Full recovery was only a matter of time.

Judging by the comparison photos shared online, many others had regained their confidence in life after trying the balm. As such posts proliferated, many initially suspected it was a marketing ploy. However, people gradually realized that these were spontaneous testimonials, not orchestrated by anyone behind the scenes. After all, while only volunteers were initially involved, everyone had family and friends. Whether it was real or not was obvious at a glance.

Thus, even before the product officially hit the market, it trended on the hot search list due to the public's advocacy: #RejuvenatingBalmRestoresYourBeauty#

"When I first saw these posts, I thought it was a marketing gimmick. But yesterday, I saw a friend of mine—my god, he’s a completely different person! He had a 10cm scar on his face from an accident and had tried everything to get rid of it, but nothing worked. He secretly signed up for the Courtyard No. 1 trial, and I never expected it to actually work. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it, as it looked just like one of those ads!"

"You're definitely not alone. My brother also signed up as a volunteer. We all thought it was impossible, but since he had been so depressed after his injury, we let him do it just to give him some hope. I never imagined this single bottle would restore his confidence. Our whole family is so grateful to Courtyard No. 1!"