The yellowish-white blocks lay quietly on the wooden board, emitting a strange scent of animal fat mixed with lye.
Sansa's brow furrowed even tighter.
This was what Lynn had spent the entire afternoon brewing from disgusting fat and filthy wood ash?
It didn't look like much.
"That smell... is truly awful."
Arya pinched her nose, speaking the honest truth.
Even the usually quiet Myrcella couldn't help but take half a step back.
Having witnessed the entire production process, her pretty face was written with resistance.
"Don't be hasty."
Lynn acted as if he hadn't noticed their disdain, turning to take several exquisite glass bottles from a nearby chest.
The bottles contained colorful liquids, along with some dried flower petals and herbs.
"What's this?"
Arya's curiosity was piqued again.
"Rose, lavender, mint..."
Speaking of which, Lynn couldn't help but think of Maester Aemon.
If he were still alive and knew Lynn was using his herbal knowledge for this, what expression would be on his face...
Lynn sighed, stopping himself from thinking further.
He uncorked one of the bottles, and a rich, pure scent of roses instantly permeated the courtyard.
Sansa's eyes lit up.
A small bottle like this must be worth a fortune; noble ladies would use it to scent their clothes or baths.
Lynn tossed a small piece of "soap" back into a pot, melting it slowly over a low fire.
Then, he dripped a few drops of rose essential oil into it and sprinkled a handful of crushed rose petals.
He stirred gently with a wooden stick, and the strange fatty smell was replaced by a rich floral fragrance.
When the liquid in the pot solidified again and Lynn cut it into small, pale pink cubes, everyone stared in awe.
It was no longer a crude lump of lye.
It looked more like a piece of art.
The pale pink paste was dotted with specks of deep red petals, emitting a refreshing rose fragrance.
Lynn handed a piece to Sansa.
"Try it?"
Sansa hesitated, but the alluring scent was irresistible.
She extended her slender fingers, carefully taking the cooled soap.
A servant had already brought a basin of clean water.
Sansa dipped her hands in the water and, mimicking Lynn's earlier actions, rubbed gently.
In the next second, her eyes widened sharply!
A dense, fine, unbelievably smooth foam surged from between her fingers.
The feeling was softer than the most expensive velvet, lighter than the smoothest silk!
She instinctively used the foam to wash the back of her hands and her cheeks.
Unlike the roughness of fine sand or the sting of lye water, it was an unprecedentedly gentle touch.
Like a lover's caress.
When she rinsed it off with clean water, she froze.
She lifted her hands, staring blankly at her skin.
Her hands, maintained meticulously due to years of practicing embroidery and etiquette, were already excellent.
But now, under the sunlight, they glowed with a jade-like luster, feeling so smooth to the touch they seemed ready to drip water.
What shocked her most was that the elegant rose scent seemed to have penetrated her skin—an indescribably captivating fragrance.
Sansa murmured to herself, lost in thought.
She touched her cheek, smooth as a newborn babe's.
Her blue eyes were filled with a shock that overturned her understanding.
"Let me try! Let me try!"
Arya couldn't wait any longer.
She grabbed a mint-scented soap and washed excitedly.
"Wow! So cool! So comfortable!"
After washing, she excitedly shoved her hand under Sansa's nose.
"Sansa, smell! Isn't it fragrant?"
Sansa pushed her away with disdain, but her gaze couldn't leave her own flawless hands.
Myrcella also mustered the courage to pick up a lavender-scented soap.
When the fine foam wrapped around her small hands, the little princess's face showed a look of novelty and enjoyment.
"My Lord..."
Steward Robb, watching the three noble maidens enraptured, spoke with a trembling voice.
He used to be a merchant.
He knew better than anyone what terrifying wealth lay behind this small bar of "soap"!
Across the entire continent of Westeros, all noble ladies still used the most primitive, skin-damaging methods to clean their bodies.
If this thing appeared in the markets of King's Landing...
Robb felt dizzy.
He seemed to see mountains of gold dragons flying into Lynn's pocket.
This was exactly what Lynn wanted. Wars were fought with men, true, but men didn't appear out of thin air; these gold dragons were the best pass to acquire an army.
If he couldn't make money, his transmigration would be a waste.
"You are responsible for the mass production of ordinary soap."
Lynn handed him the parchment with the formula.
"Remember, be fast."
"Do not fail my trust."
Then, Lynn turned to face the three girls.
"And you, you are responsible for the more important part."
Lynn pointed to the bottles of spices and essential oils.
"Sansa."
Sansa instinctively straightened her posture.
"You understand the preferences of noble ladies best."
"I need you to blend at least ten different scents, each with its own name and story."
"This..." Sansa's heart skipped a beat.
"For example, this rose scent, we can call it 'Highgarden Love'."
"This lavender one, 'Dorne's Dream'."
Lynn smiled.
"You are a princess from the stories; making these up shouldn't be hard for you."
Sansa's cheeks flushed slightly.
But in her blue eyes, an unprecedented light burst forth.
This was no longer simply making soap.
It was an art of endowing beauty with a soul!
"Arya."
Arya puffed out her chest like a little soldier.
"Your task is to follow Steward Robb, supervising the craftsmen's production process, ensuring the quality of every bar of soap is impeccable."
"Okay!"
Arya ran off excitedly.
Compared to boring ledgers, she preferred this kind of outdoor activity.
Finally, Lynn's gaze fell on Myrcella.
The little princess nervously clutched her skirt.
"And you, Princess Myrcella."
Lynn crouched down, looking into her emerald eyes.
"Your task is the simplest, and the most important."
"You just need to bathe with these most expensive soaps every day, making yourself the most fragrant, cleanest princess in all of King's Landing."
"You are our best advertisement."
Myrcella nodded, seemingly understanding yet not fully.
She looked at the man before her, her heart filled with endless curiosity.
Who was he, really?
Why did he know such incredible things?
He could create miracles that drove even princesses mad using the crudest ingredients.
He... didn't look like the terrible demon her mother described at all.
Lynn stood up, surveying his peculiar "startup team."
A future Queen in the North, a future Faceless Man, and a Baratheon Princess.
"Our goal is to empty the purse of every noble lord in King's Landing, making them willingly pay for their ladies' beauty."
"Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
The three girls answered in unison.
Even the quiet Myrcella was full of anticipation.
---
Late at night.
While the girls had gone to sleep dreaming of the future, Lynn's study was still brightly lit.
Steward Robb respectfully placed a new ledger on the table.
"My Lord, as per your instructions, the first batch of one thousand bars of ordinary soap has been produced."
"Very good." Lynn nodded.
"From tomorrow, all rooms in the seven brothels must be equipped with soap, and the girls taught how to use it."
"But... My Lord." Robb hesitated.
"This stuff is so precious. Giving it to them for free... isn't it a waste?"
"Waste?" Lynn smiled.
"Robb, remember, the most expensive commodity is never the item itself, but the habit."
"First, let them get used to cleanliness, used to this feeling of dignity."
"When they can no longer leave this feeling, what do you think the men paying the money will think?"
Robb's body shook, instantly understanding the key point. His gaze toward Lynn was filled with awe.
This wasn't just business anymore.
This was using minimal cost to maximize influence.
"I understand, My Lord!"
"Go do it." Lynn waved his hand.
"I look forward to seeing the reaction of those men, who usually only think with their lust, when they smell that clean soapy scent on a woman."
---