1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 466 Zoe's First Move

When Zoe walked up to her, Princess Stephanie first gave her a thorough look.

The latest skirt suit from a luxury brand is paired with accessories from another brand's main collection this year, and the shoes and handbag are also noteworthy.

Princess Stephanie was seeing this person for the first time, but just by looking at their makeup, clothes, and outfit, she could guess their profession—they must be someone who deals with the media or magazines.

Given her stunningly beautiful face that made it impossible not to look twice, the princess deduced that this woman in the white dress might be a rising star in the entertainment industry, one with immense potential.

This guess also aligns with tonight's banquet guest list.

"What's your name?" Princess Stephanie asked, looking at Zoe.

Zoe, the lady, said:

"Zoe."

“Zoe.” Princess Stephanie thought for a moment, confirming that she couldn’t match the name with any local celebrity, but strangely enough, she felt that she had heard the name mentioned recently.

The Monaco royal family is known for their busy schedules and has met countless socialites; it's common for them to not be able to match names. The princess didn't dwell on the question but instead continued to ask:

"Is the white rose you're wearing on your chest a tribute to my mother?"

Zoe nodded, a shadow passing over her face:

"Five years ago this month, the Princess passed away. A while ago, the Royal Palace held an official memorial event, but I regret that I was unable to attend due to work. Today, I am fortunate to be here at the Royal Palace to participate in the banquet, and I would like to make up for this regret in this way. I am wearing the white rose that the Princess loved most."

It's not surprising that the late Princess Grace loved white roses.

At the beginning of this month, the Monaco royal family held a multi-day memorial service, with tens of thousands of people spontaneously coming to the palace to remember the most beautiful princess in their hearts. It is said that nearly 5 flowers, all of which were the princess's favorite white roses, were placed on the steps in front of the palace.

But the fact that the lady in front of her was wearing the Princess's favorite perfume was rather intriguing, Princess Stephanie thought to herself.

Princess Grace's favorite perfume was called 'Joy,' a fragrance launched in 1930 with Bulgarian rose, Grasse May rose, and jasmine as its core ingredients.

Because 30 ml of 'Joy' perfume requires 10000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses to make, it was once known as 'the most expensive perfume in the world'. It is also a landmark example of floral perfume.

Although it was once a fierce rival of Chanel No. 5 and even surpassed this famous top-tier perfume to become the best-selling fragrance, in 1987, fashion icons felt that its scent was too old-fashioned and could no longer keep up with the development of modern perfumes. As a result, its sales and reputation had long been marginalized.

In recent years, only a small number of wealthy women have continued to use it, but they are usually over 60 years old.

Five years have passed since Princess Grace died. When she was alive, 'Joy' was the 'fragrance of the century'.

But Zoe's various behaviors highlight her fashion sense and avant-garde style, so how could she be spewing 'joy'?

Princess Stephanie guessed that she had probably smelled it wrong.

Grasse, the perfume capital, is not far from Monaco, so it must be a niche perfume ingredient.

"Thank you," the princess replied gracefully, then added, "The perfume smells wonderful."

The fashion world says 'Joy' is old-fashioned, but the princess doesn't think so.

This perfume, like her mother's, is a timeless classic, so this perfume, which smells remarkably similar to 'Joy' and which she had never tried, also smells wonderful.

After saying that, she turned her face to the other side, ending the brief conversation.

The most important thing now is to find a way to deal with her father's criticism.

Zoe politely leaned forward to say goodbye to the princess.
“Joy is a timeless classic, thank you princess for liking it.”

"Wait a minute." Princess Stephanie turned around abruptly, asking in surprise, "You sprayed 'Joy'?"

Zoe looked 'surprised,' as if she hadn't expected the princess's reaction:
"Yes, it's 'Joy'. It's my favorite floral fragrance. It's a pity that fewer and fewer people like it now."

The look of astonishment spread to Princess Stephanie's face:

Don't you think it's not stylish enough?

Zoe gently tidied a stray hair behind her ear and confidently raised her head:
"Fashion is not so easily defined. Many retro decorations have become popular again. Elements that are considered 'ugly' at fashion week are immediately viewed differently when worn by models. Clothes, accessories, or perfumes are just combinations that are matched according to the environment. At this time, tonight, in this place, in my heart, 'joy' is the most fashionable thing."

Princess Stephanie's eyes lit up, and she waved to Zoe, gesturing for her to come closer:
"Zoe, right? What do you do?"

Every word Zoe said after she appeared resonated with Princess Stephanie.

At this moment, the princess was extremely interested in Zoe!

The guests at the dinner party were unaware that the princess was in a bad mood and didn't want to socialize because she had been scolded by the prince before the qualifying race that afternoon.

I just felt that the princess was not very 'approachable'. She would exchange a few pleasantries with the guests and then hide behind her bodyguards to deal with them. She seemed indifferent to everyone, as if she didn't want to talk to them, didn't want to look at them, and wanted them to stay away from her.

This situation effectively dashed their hopes of currying favor with the royal family.

Although somewhat disappointing, there is a slightly positive aspect: there are still many targets present who can be 'curried over'.

Celebrities are always the most eye-catching presence, no matter the occasion. Looking around the entire Golden Hall, you can definitely find one or more beautiful figures that you can only see on TV or the big screen in the vicinity of the bustling crowd.

Even Ines had to set aside his pride in this situation.

Michelin Media Group is currently only a dominant player in the print media market in southern France. It still has a long way to go before it can expand beyond southern France and become a renowned magazine group in France.

Despite the numerous difficulties, this has always been Ines's goal, and the most straightforward way to achieve it is to collaborate with international stars.

Before the advent of the new media era, celebrities had an immense ability to empower brands, media outlets, or media platforms.

Some unknown emerging brands, as long as they are willing to spend a lot of money to hire celebrities and grit their teeth to promote these materials, can generally expect decent returns.

Such cases are numerous.

Meanwhile, Ines was navigating the social circles of celebrities, securing cover shoots and interviews for several fashion and entertainment magazines under the Michelin Magazines umbrella.

Today, the Monaco royal family invited media partners, and there are quite a few people who share the same goal as Ines. Such social occasions are the easiest to finalize cooperation.

Getting a celebrity to directly agree is far more effective than sending an invitation in person and going through layers of intermediaries. Ines's target this time is a well-known female singer with considerable recognition in both Italy and France.

During their discussion about the collaboration, Ines noticed the female singer kept glancing in the princess's direction and seemed distracted. She smiled and said:
"The princess isn't in a good mood today; it's already quite good that she's even here."

The implication is—don't bother looking, it's pointless.

Let's look at something more practical right in front of us.

The singer, who had dealt with Ines many times and knew of her exceptional ability to "see everything," lowered his voice and asked her:
"I heard that Princess Stephanie is a relatively easy-going person in the Monaco royal family. Why is she acting like this today? So cold?"

The feeling that Ines created for his partners that "you are definitely my top priority" was intentional.

In fact, she is the person who understands the importance of boundaries the most.

The other person wasn't a confidant like Ronan, so she wasn't foolish enough to spread gossip; that would only cause her trouble.
"It's hard to say for sure, but the princess has been having some headaches lately, so she probably won't be very enthusiastic today."

"Sigh—" the female singer said with a disappointed look, "Alright, let's continue chatting. By the way, where were we?"

"Speaking of whether we can finalize the September cover, if you're going to be busy in the next few months, you can have the photos taken in the next few days—"

Before Ines could finish speaking, the female singer opposite her suddenly leaned out, her expression and tone filled with utter surprise:
Who was the person who was "having a pleasant conversation" with the princess?

"Having a pleasant conversation with the princess?" Ines turned to look.

Because of his relationship with his bodyguard, the prince has recently become increasingly annoyed with everything about the princess. He seems to feel like he's missed a meal if he doesn't scold her three, four, five, or six times a day.

The princess is far from being in a good mood for a pleasant conversation. She should hurry up and think of a way to appease the prince.

Many people at the scene noticed what was happening and turned to look.

Beside Princess Stephanie, who was originally known for her unapproachable demeanor, sat a beautiful woman in a white dress. The woman's appearance and temperament were no less than any of the female celebrities present, and the two of them were chatting animatedly with smiles on their faces.

The princess gestured with her hands, looking extremely excited.

"Ines, you know all the gossip in and around 200 kilometers of southern France, but do you know who's with the princess?" Several people crowded around Ines, eager to get some inside information.

Who is this person?

I've never seen this before!

Ines remained silent, only squinting, frowning, and pursing his lips, his face displaying four or five different expressions in a single second.

Everyone was getting impatient. Although Ines only remained silent for two or three seconds, no one had the patience to wait for her answer and started chattering among themselves.

"Ines is just a 'gossip encyclopedia' in the South of France, not a 'facial recognition machine'. How can she recognize everyone? Forget it, let's not make things difficult for her."

"Is she a celebrity? I've never seen her in magazines before. Has any magazine interviewed her?"

"Which media outlet brought this? Speak up, speak up now!"

After several seconds, Ines finally finished her complex and lengthy internal monologue and slowly began to speak:
“I actually know this person.”

With a 'whoosh,' seventeen or eighteen ears swarmed over.

Even international celebrities who are usually surrounded by people are looking over.

Ines let out a long sigh of relief, his expression finally softening, and his facial expression ultimately settling on 'pride':
"That girl was brought by me."

The people in the hall waited for as long as Zoe and Princess Stephanie talked.

If the princess can have a pleasant conversation with the first person, she will surely be able to have a pleasant conversation with the second person as well. Tonight's gains are destined to be more than just this.

It all depends on who the second lucky one is.

What's infuriating is that the two women chatted for a very long time, as if they had endless topics to discuss.

Some bold and meticulous individuals took great risks to go and listen in a few times, and then came back to tell everyone that the two seemed to be talking about a type of sock called 'Kandi', 'Mundi', or 'Aphrodite'.

Everyone looked at each other.

It's impractical for them to cleverly intrude on such a bizarre topic.

I have absolutely no idea what to say, so I'll just wait patiently!

After waiting a while longer, the entire Golden Hall was filled with an atmosphere of anxiety and jealousy. No one had the mind to do anything else. Their eyes were constantly on the other side, waiting for the two to finish their conversation so they could rush over and let the princess take a closer look at them.

But at that moment, a piano melody suddenly appeared, drawing the attention of everyone present, including Princess Stephanie, who was chatting with Zoe about a skirt-pants called 'Mirrush'.

“This is—” The princess slowly stood up and walked to the piano parked in the corner.

Behind her, Zoe let out a breath that was both tense and relieved.

To learn more about this family, Zoe has spent the past month reading various biographies and anecdotes about Princess Grace and the Monaco royal family.

This includes, but is not limited to, books such as *Princess Grace: Between Hollywood and the Crown*, *Grace: The Secret Life*, *Grace Kelly: From Philadelphia to Monaco*, *The Grimaldi Family: 700 Years of Monaco's Reign*, *Monaco History: Money, Power, and Scandal*, and *Rannier III: The Lonely Prince*.

While watching, she read and analyzed every word and sentence, almost as if she were using a magnifying glass. Her level of seriousness was such that even Vieri, who was about to take his final exams, would have to admit he was "impressed." She filled an entire notebook with notes on the members' preferences and upbringing.

Thank goodness, her efforts have finally paid off!
Finally, it caught the princess's attention.
Zoe believes that her name will be mentioned repeatedly in Monaco tonight, and by tomorrow, even more people will take the initiative to get to know her and Ronan.

Ronan.

Hey, right, where's Ronan?
Where are his preparations?
Zoe then wore a 'victorious' smile.

Ronan couldn't possibly be better prepared than her!

No!Can!can!
Tonight, he'll just sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.

Thinking of this, Zoe quickly followed Princess Stephanie ahead, wanting to see what had attracted the princess's attention.

(End of this chapter)