On the day of the official opening of the exhibition, both Jeanne d'Arc and Elizabeth had matters to attend to. Jeanne needed to visit the Duris family, while Elizabeth had to handle some tasks for Lacloche's booth.
After all, these businesses were partially owned by the two ladies, so naturally, they needed to contribute during such an event, at least in theory.
In reality, more than half of the jewelers had stopped participating in this exhibition years ago, mainly because the antique dealers protested that the organizers were not prioritizing antiques.
As a result, the remaining jewelers were either those with a long history or private designers showcasing their art and design. Many more mainstream jewelers chose to withdraw from this exhibition.
Thus, Liang En’s participation was somewhat fortuitous, as traditional jewelry had a clear advantage in such an exhibition.
Especially when the entire event was centered around antiques and relics, traditional jewelry naturally blended with the overall atmosphere, highlighting their unique qualities.
Marie also arrived at this time. As the owner of a top-tier gallery, she had been invited and was showcasing a series of works Liang En had previously painted.
Yes, a series of works. Although he had only painted one sunflower during his time in the gallery, he later used extraordinary powers to create several oil paintings in the style of Van Gogh.
These paintings were created as he experimented with merging various artistic techniques he had mastered. He believed that to integrate them, he first needed a thorough understanding of each skill.
Marie happened to see these oil paintings during a conversation and requested Liang En to let her handle them, believing they had significant commercial value.
Judging by the exhibition, her assessment was correct. The modern pigments and fresh appearance made it obvious to the professionals present that these were not antiques.
Yet, despite this, the gallery’s booth was crowded, with many art dealers eager to learn the stories behind these paintings.
The professional art dealers clearly recognized the value these paintings held, prompting them to acquire these highly artistic pieces.
Marie was well-suited for such interactions, and Liang En observed how quickly she identified potential buyers and began promoting—or rather, persuading them.
"It seems that a former queen is indeed different from ordinary people. Even if history portrays her as a naive figure, she must have had some hidden talents. She’s definitely a master at persuading people," Liang En thought as he watched Marie skillfully navigate the crowd.
After ensuring that the three ladies were managing their tasks smoothly, Liang En began his own tour of the exhibition, starting with some modern luxury goods.
The reason for this choice rather than the antiques, which drew more collective attention, was simple: Liang En had seen far too many antiques in his life, including some national treasures. By comparison, the antiques here were far less impressive.
In contrast, his understanding of luxury goods was quite poor. Neither he nor Jeanne had much interest in such things, so their exposure was minimal.
Now at the exhibition, Liang En hoped to satisfy his curiosity and perhaps gain some inspiration from these luxury items.
While ordinary items might not inspire a high-level artist, luxury goods were different. Every luxury item, from packaging to contents, was meticulously designed with art in mind, striving to enhance its value.
Although they belonged to different fields, from an artistic perspective, there were commonalities. A high enough level of artistry could indeed extract something meaningful from these luxury goods.
After visiting just two or three booths, Liang En was stopped. The person who stopped him was none other than the fourth-generation head of Guerlain, who had since retired and was attending the exhibition in a private capacity.
The reason for stopping Liang En was simple: having seen the jewelry Liang En had designed, the Guerlain patriarch wanted to commission him to design the packaging for their latest perfume.
This was typical of Guerlain—they placed great importance on the packaging of their perfumes, believing it could significantly elevate the perfume's status and provide customers with a comprehensive aesthetic experience.
"Thank you for the invitation. I would be happy to take on this design, but I’d like to smell your new perfume first. Otherwise, it would be difficult to create a matching design."
Liang En accepted the invitation, recognizing it as an important favor. However, he knew designing would not be easy; he needed to understand the essence of the perfume to create a complementary bottle design.
"Of course, this is our latest perfume." The patriarch produced a small bottle of golden, transparent liquid. "It’s infused with inspiration from the French court."
"Please let me have a whiff." Upon hearing this, Liang En applied a drop of the perfume to the back of his hand, blew on it, and after waiting for about two minutes until the cool sensation faded, he gently inhaled the scent.
After a few minutes, allowing the fragrance in his nose to dissipate, Liang En rubbed his hands together to generate some warmth, then sprayed the perfume on his palms to simulate the scent after half an hour of wear.
"Honeydew, peach, jasmine, plum blossom, orchid, rose, musk, and blackberry—all layered and distinct. This seems to aim at mimicking the fresh fruit and elegant floral scents of a court garden."
After savoring the scent, Liang En capped the perfume bottle and contemplated for a few minutes before speaking to the Guerlain patriarch, who had been watching him intently.
"Elegant and majestic, with a unique architectural style, a splendid garden, breathtaking flowers, lush greenery, and the royal lifestyle celebrated by kings and queens—this is what the perfume seeks to embody."
Clap, clap, clap—
As Liang En finished, the Guerlain patriarch softly applauded, and his previously formal smile transformed into a genuine one.
"Yes, exactly. My inspiration this time comes from Louis XIV, the powerful Sun King, and the Palace of Versailles, a symbol of a glorious era in French history."
"But I sense that this perfume is more than that." After the Guerlain patriarch finished, Liang En offered a different perspective after some thought.
"If it's inspired by the Sun King, the perfume should evoke a grand or luxurious feeling, yet the base note is delicate, giving a sense of balance between the court and the outside world, not as opulent as one might expect—"
"Ah, you’re quite an expert. If I didn’t know you were a historian, I’d think you were a professional perfumer," the Guerlain patriarch said with a smile.
"Indeed, this perfume draws inspiration from the gardens of Versailles, but not from Louis XIV—it's inspired by the women in his life."
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