8

Mabel

The only way I slept the night before the launch of Transformative was my own sleep tonic that I wouldn't be selling. I was a mess of nerves, excitement, and a hundred other emotions rolled into one. So when Kathy about forced me to drink it, I didn't even get mad.

Most of my upset was that I wouldn't be there to handle issues or be the owner. I hadn't realized how difficult it would be to trust Viscount Bryd to handle everything and not destroy my business. I knew he wouldn't do it intentionally since he needed this to work as well, but… I wasn't a very trusting person after everything I'd been through.

Which was why I agreed with Ian when he said I needed to move the factory. The capital was abuzz with gossip about who bought out the Bryd's company and failing business. When Transformative was a hit, people wouldn't simply be abuzz or curious but too nosy. They would know who was a part of the company.

And that meant we had to be smarter. Ian had already handled it and come to me like a little boy ready to be scolded, but instead I praised him, then warned him that if he steamrolled me in the future, I would be angry. I also had him handle moving everything and changing things around so the workers wouldn't have the same uniforms to fool people.

So the "factory" for Transformative was now the vast warehouse to hold product that needed two weeks to soak up everything to reach max effectiveness. Viscount Bryd actually set up an ingenious system of shelving and keeping track of it all. The man was a genius of efficiency and talented in management. Truly, he was.

He simply wasn't good at being an owner. There was no shame in that. All parts of the system were needed to make things work and work well.

If people were smart, they should respect that.

I was smart and did respect that. The way I paid my people reflected that as well. And it bought their loyalty.

Plus, the products were so good that the employees believed in them. Because they were so good and revolutionary, Viscount Bryd and I agreed to make sure no bad apples slipped in, so we had truth stones at the factory and stores. We checked with employees to make sure there were no thieves or anyone leaking secrets.

And we were honest that we would check and turn them over to the police. We would protect them if anyone tried to force them and gave them the option to quit if they were worried. But I paid well for loyalty and it was fair to expect it. So far, no one had any problem with that and everything had been going well.

That might change once the products hit the market and people realized they were the real deal.

To start, I was offering the cream to treat scars that I was the poster child for. There was also a male employee at each store who had a scar they could show as demonstration. I had found that shocking and couldn't believe it had worked out that way. I'd even asked Viscount Bryd how he had managed that.

He'd thought I'd been joking though. Apparently, it was completely normal for commoner men to have scars. Especially men who would want to work in shops because they couldn't use their bodies for labor anymore as most were former soldiers who had been hurt in the war or such.

Apparently, I didn't know as much about the world as I had thought.

And healers really were a luxury most could never dream of. Or medical treatment in general.

How horrible was that?

Then there was the lotion for aches and swelling that Andre swore he couldn't live without now. Between him, a dozen of his officers, and Ian's knights who had been testing it, it was all over the capital that the lotion was a miracle.

And that was before the excitement Kathy had built up from the people who attended that tea party. The mother of the one woman loved it, and after no one kept the secret about it, the lotion was all over the nobility, and they all wanted it. Kathy was rightfully proud of herself for being an amazing operative.

There was also the vitality tonic to help with fatigue. And the tonic for women only to help during menstruation that Kathy and the women in my house adored.

Last, there was the balm for headaches that was in a stick applicator where more came out when twisted. It was one quick swipe over the forehead and with a stern warning that it was only if people had a strong headache. It was medicine and needed to be treated as such. That it was for adults and that they had to sign off to only use it as directed.

I wasn't going to risk being held liable or taken to court later by someone who tried to start problems under the guise of finding out who the owner was. I allowed Alec and even Ian's attorneys to set up the best process that would keep me and my company safe. Everything had to be ordered and delivered later to real addresses and people.

They had to sign for the deliveries as if they had received them from a doctor and only citizens of the kingdom. All of the hoops that would protect me. If people misused them then that was on them. I would have copies of all the records that I could give over to the police and such. Every bottle and tube were numbered and recorded.

Beyond that… I honestly didn't know what to do. Pray to the goddess for people to not be idiots?

So those were the products we were starting with. If the way people were showing up to the stores early demanding to buy products before we even opened and trying to throw their titles around was any indication, things would be crazy.

Too crazy, which made me ridiculously worried.

Over and over again, Viscount Bryd promised me that he had it. The first day, only the flagship store was going to open, so he would be there to oversee everything. He didn't want to risk a noble trying to strong-arm the employees thinking he wouldn't be there and we knew that would happen.

Next week the other stores could open, but the first day everyone would work out of the largest store and then could handle orders out of the other store. It was smart and made me glad that he was managing everything for me.

Even if I was still a nervous wreck.

I was about to weep with relief when Ian said he installed a mirror with magic in the store that we could use to watch what happened from there. It wouldn't show us everything, but it would show a lot and gave me peace of mind.

Until the duke who had been the main competition of Viscount Bryd and done everything to tank his business cut the line the moment the store opened and demanded to buy the entire stock. It was like watching my worst nightmare, and I found myself sitting too heavily.

"My Lord, if you do not keep your manners and to the rules of this establishment, I will have to ask you to leave and you will be banned from any of the stores going forward," Viscount Bryd told the duke calmly.

"Well, he has an axe to grind," Colin chuckled darkly. "This must feel good for the viscount. The bastard did everything he could to hurt that business and now he cannot touch what you have done."

I hadn't thought about that.

"Have faith, Mabel," Kathy whispered, reaching over and taking my hand. "You are thinking about how scary it would be for you to have to deal with this. This is probably therapeutic for the viscount."

Sure enough, Viscount Bryd smirked the entire altercation.

"What is the meaning of this?" a deep voice said from out of view.

"Well done, Cousin," Ian chuckled.

I fanned my face. The king had shown up for the opening of my business?

Viscount Bryd seemed ready for it though and immediately bowed. "Your Majesty, you are earlier than we expected. I apologize for not meeting you outside."

"Thank you for giving my party permission to skip the line and accommodating us," the king said as he came into view. "What is going on here, Duke?"

"The duke misunderstood that I am no longer the owner of the stores and was too busy telling me what to do and how to handle the business instead of listening to what I was trying to tell him," the viscount answered.

The king didn't hide his amusement. "Was he now? Well, a man of his rank should be smarter and not make the nobility look like a fool." He squared off with the duke. "It's not a hard concept. The new owner bought out the stores and the family formulas from the Bryds. They made new products with them and the viscount runs it all. See? Simple."

"Yes, Your Majesty, but no one knows who this—"

"I know." The king nodded when the duke did a double take. "I am the king; I know everything. I know who the owner is. You do not need to know. Why do you need to know? To bully them like you did Bryd? To try and drive competition out of business? No, not this time. This time you will have to deal with business fairly because these products will help my kingdom.

"Other than that, there is nothing to discuss. You are not the Minister of Commerce. We agreed to the exception of not publicly listing the name of the owner and only a select few knowing to protect them from the normal nonsense. The products are medicinal, not for beauty and for vanity like yours are. So act with honor and as you should and do not upset me."

"Your cousin is terrifying," I whispered, rubbing my arms. He was defending me, standing up for me, and still I was scared.

"Yes, but how he grew up…" Ian trailed off and shook his head.

It worked though and the duke mumbled an apology and left. I didn't know if he went outside to get in line or went home.

I doubted a man that full of bluster and ego would wait in line, but I'd seen stranger things.

The queen was allowed to enter after the altercation was resolved. The way the king treated his wife was honestly his most redeeming quality. She allowed the first few people in line to enter the store as well, probably noting they were commoners who would never have the chance to meet their king and queen otherwise.

It was good for their image but also the store, so I appreciated it.

"He's getting one of his headaches," Ian muttered as the king rubbed his head again. "That's why they came early. Grandfather used to get them as well." He leaned in and kissed my hair. "Thank you, lovely. He suffers so much from them and the stress he's under. Even if my cousin does not love me, I never want him to suffer."

"I am glad it will help. I never want anyone to suffer."

The man who had been first in line and had waited countless hours for that spot wanted the lotion to help his aches and pains and the headache tube but didn't have the money for both. He was only going to order the headache tube for his wife who was suffering horrible headaches since she'd given birth, but the queen overheard and paid for both.

Everyone in the store froze, clearly overhearing and shocked by the kind gesture.

"I insist," the queen said gently, looking at the employee before glancing around. "As long as it does not break the rules of the shop."

Viscount Bryd cleared his throat and moved closer. "It does so no one can be forced to purchase medicines for others and go over the limits. That way we can keep accurate accounts of where everything is going. If you give him the coins he's short, what he does with them is up to him though, Your Majesty."

She gave him an amused look as if to say she found him funny that he thought she carried coins around with her. She waved someone over and nodded for the woman to handle it. "Bring your wife home a nice meal so she can take a night off. She needs to rest. Congratulations on your baby. You are being a great father taking care of the mother and working hard."

My heart hurt at the pitying looks people gave her. The fact she couldn't conceive was always a topic of the kingdom, but at least the people were being kind about it right then.

The man thanked her profusely and the king gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before they finished their business. They had preordered what they wanted, and even if we weren't doing it… They were the king and queen. Yeah, we did it for them.

The queen also set up schedules for the menstruation tonics like we were hoping women would. As every woman knew, menstruation wasn't always on time or by the calendar as doctors told us or men seemed to think, but having an idea of orders and when people would typically want the product would help us with stock.

I was impressed when the employee still went over the discount program for returning bottles, jars, and the cork stoppers.

And so was the queen.

"Gerald, come listen to this," the queen said. "This is ingenious and very forward-thinking how to help the problem of growing waste."

The king came over and the employee looked ready to faint having to explain it to the king. I didn't blame the poor woman, and luckily Viscount Bryd took over and even handed the printout to the king.

"I understand your cousin is putting the same policy into practice for his ink business, Your Majesty," the viscount said quietly at a volume we could barely hear.

"Yes, Ian would definitely be wise enough to see the value in this and he's always efficient. Any chance to reduce waste and handle things better he always jumps on." The king's lips twitched. "It's his patience that's lacking when people disagree with what's smart."

"He's not wrong," Ian admitted. "But that's honestly one of the nicest things Gerald's ever said about me."

And he sounded heartbroken to admit that.

I reached back for his hand, squeezing it when he accepted the gesture.

Word must have spread about how the king and queen behaved and were supporters of the store because everyone behaved after that… Which was a miracle when it came to nobles. After lunch, the line started to finally die down a bit, so we decided to go and see it all for ourselves. All the employees knew to pretend I was just a customer when I was there, but I was still nervous.

Which was why Kathy and I went and left Colin and Ian behind. They were shocked because Colin had come to the capital just for the launch. I hadn't asked him to, but he'd been so excited.

Fine, we allowed them to meet us there separately instead of like we'd all been watching the store from a magic mirror and waiting for our chance. Kathy agreed and said we could have a late lunch and enjoy my success as we should.

I hadn't thought to go that far, but I didn't argue either.

Of all of my worries and concerns, never did I think one of them should be seeing my former in-laws at my store. They walked in right after Kathy and me. I turned to say something to her and there stood the marquis and marchioness. I went to greet them as I should even with the shock, but the bastard opened his mouth first.

"I am shocked to see you out so publicly, Mabel, but I guess you would want to spend all my family's money you were given."

Rage filled me so fast that I was shocked I didn't explode. "If you speak publicly about what happened, so can I, Richard, and like I said before, I will not be the one ashamed."

He did a double take as anger filled his eyes. "How dare—"

"I addressed you as you did me," I said sweetly. "I have never given you permission to use my first name and we are not close. I have actually asked you repeatedly to treat me as you should. If you continue to be petty and act as if you know me, I will do the same as is my right." I took a step towards him. "Or we could go hash this out at noble's court?"

As if I hadn't already won the argument, I gestured around to everyone there witnessing this. Our guards and the employees made up at least twenty people.

"Old habits die hard, as you understand, My Lady," the marchioness said gently, moving a hand to her husband's arm.

I smirked at her. "Yes, those habits you make when you meet someone twice before our third time in court." I didn't hide that I was looking down at them. "I hear slips happen with age. I am able to let something so silly go. I wish you both a lovely time shopping."

I turned and went over to the other counter as if we were going to get our menstruation tonics, bristling at what the monster said next.

"Why is that woman even allowed in here?" the marquis seethed to Viscount Bryd.

Upset like I'd never seen filled Viscount Bryd's eyes as he stepped into the marquis's face. "That sweet and wonderful lady is the only reason the owner was able to create the cream to heal scars. She took all of her suffering at the hands of your son and helped make it into something that can help the kingdom. And you dare to look down on her?"

"Remember your place, Viscount," the marquis seethed.

I couldn't hide my shock when the viscount snickered.

"We are both nobles. You are but two ranks above me. You might think you are as important as the king, but you are not. You are not the king and I am not a commoner. The king was here earlier and treated everyone in the store with respect, and you have the ego to question why I allow a customer here? You are the problem here, My Lord."

He might not have the vision for being the boss, but he was the right person to be my shield. I was truly impressed with Viscount Bryd and was jealous that Viscountess Bryd had landed herself such a good man.

"You also do not have the backing that my cousin has," Ian said from the doorway, and he was furious from his expression. "As the restaurant you pushed into blacklisting Countess Phoenix has learned. They did your bidding and did not allow her to dine there, and now they are losing business. People are tired of these games and these antiquated judgments on women."

"No one asked you, Brooker, nor—"

Ian snickered and stepped into the marquis's space, nodding when the viscount backed off. "You were throwing the weight of your title around with him, but now you dare not address me properly? I am two ranks above you, fool. I am a royal. You disrespect me and you will spend time in jail, or I could call you out for insulting me?"

I couldn't hold in a gasp. Ian would have a duel for something so silly? Was he truly crazy?

Kathy grabbed my arm and gave me a squeeze. She was trying to tell me something or keep me out of it, but my mind was buzzing with fear. Duels were dangerous and fools died to them every year over ego and silliness!

Insults and words were never worth someone's life.

I pulled away from Kathy and went to stop Ian, but one of his knights who was my guard stepped in front of me and blocked me from the situation. I knew it was intentional to protect me, but I was going to give him an earful later.

But to my utter dismay, the marquis backed down. I could barely pay attention over my fear. My blood thudded in my ears and I felt cold. The Matthiases left and then Ian was standing in front of me with a worried expression.

And all I could do was look at him like he'd grown another head.

Who was this man?

"Excuse me, Your Grace," I whispered, realizing we had too many eyes on us. People probably thought I was shaken from seeing my former in-laws and the altercation, but it wasn't that at all. I didn't want to be involved with someone who was so flippant with his life when I'd fought so hard to survive mine.

He followed me outside and helped me into the carriage, getting in with me instead of Kathy. I didn't understand what was going on, but we started moving, so I assumed Kathy with went Colin to… I didn't know.

He knelt on the floor in front of me, but I pulled my hands away from him when he tried to take them. "Mabel, I do not understand what is going on, but your upset and terror are making me panic."

I swallowed loudly and rubbed my hand over my chest, trying to force myself to calm down. "Your life is never worth words. I cannot—a duel? Are you that reckless, Ian? What were you thinking?"

Mirth and amusement filled his eyes which felt like he slapped me across the face at my worry. He immediately swallowed it down, but I looked away.

He sat on the bench next to me and pulled me onto his lap, ignoring my protests. He kissed my temple and held me tightly, making me realize I was still shaking. "Lovely, most men are all talk. Bullies back down fast. I throw out my ace to make them fold."

"That's dangerous, Ian!"

"You are so fucking adorable," he whispered, rubbing his nose against my cheek. "Not when you are the best shot in the kingdom, Mabel. I was a sniper in the war. People know I am one of the main reasons we won the war. I kept killing their generals. Even my cousin has acknowledged we would not have won the war without me."

I leaned away and gave him the look he deserved, glad when he frowned and let me go. I moved off of his lap and sat on the other side of the carriage, my upset calming when he seemed confused. "Your ego will get you killed if you are not careful, Ian, and that would be a shame."

"I do not understand," he hedged.

"I know, and that's the only reason I am not angry." I let out a slow breath. "I understand what you are saying and that it has worked for you so far." I held up my hand when he opened his mouth and he wisely closed it. "But I did not know that about you in the war. There is a whole group of younger nobles who would not know. Will you kill them to keep this point going?"

He winced and I was glad I'd won the point. "No, but I'd gladly clip someone in the leg for insulting you. I have no problem with that."

Fair enough. I'd like to do damage like that to those who had hurt the people I cared about as well.

"I am glad to hear that you are not so flippant with life, but you are still being too flippant with your life." I shook my head when he tried to argue. "Someone is always better, Ian. There is someone out there who is a better shot than you."

He swallowed down what he probably wanted to say and nodded. "I am sure there is. I have yet to meet them."

"And when you do, you could be dead. Would that insult to me be worth that? It would not be to me."

He sighed, scrubbing his neck. "I hear what you are saying, but it would not have been Matthias, Mabel."

I raised an eyebrow, ready to win this discussion. "And I bet everyone in this kingdom would have said with the same amount of certainty as you are feeling that I was not a saint blessed by the goddess. How many of them would have been wrong? How many of them would have lost their lives if they had taken that gamble?"

The moment he winced, I knew I'd won.

Good. It wasn't about winning the argument but hitting his ego down a bit so he was safe. I worried about the loveable dolt. He'd done so much for me, and I would help him as well even if it meant hurting his pride some.

His life was more important.