Renly had been told by Anthony how wonderful and comfortable the soap was, and that intrigued him. To test it out, Renly decided to take a bath himself.
"I just bathed too! I was sweating earlier," said Ser Loras, holding the soap in his hand as he instructed a servant to fill the bath with water.
Anthony watched as Renly and Loras left and could only sit in the garden, waiting for their return.
Renly and Loras entered the bath together and tried the soap.
After finishing his bath and getting dressed with Loras' help, Renly felt fresher than ever.
As Loras fixed Renly's clothes, he leaned in and sniffed Renly's neck, chuckling. "My lord, you smell amazing!"
Renly smiled, grabbing Loras' hand and sniffing it as well. "You too! It seems that what the merchant said was true. This soap is much better than the old saponin! From now on, I'll only use this when I bathe or wash my face."
"Of course, my lord, whatever you wish," Loras replied with a smile as he finished getting dressed.
The two walked back to the garden with smiles, and Anthony stood up and bowed immediately.
"Your name is Anthony, right?" Renly asked, smiling as he took his seat again, with Loras beside him.
"Yes, my lord," Anthony responded respectfully, sensing good fortune from Renly's pleasant tone.
Sure enough, Renly smiled and gestured for Anthony to sit down, ordering a servant to pour him some wine.
Anthony gratefully accepted the drink and thanked Renly over and over.
"The pens, paper, and soap you brought are all excellent, especially the soap!" Renly said, sipping his wine. "How much of this soap do you have? I'm hosting a grand banquet soon, and even the King will be attending. I'd love to give this soap to the noble guests. I'm sure they'll enjoy it as much as I do."
Anthony beamed with excitement as Renly continued, "So, how much do you have?"
"My lord, aside from the few we've used, there are 97 pieces left. I'll have them delivered to your estate right away!" Anthony was thrilled. If the King and the nobles in King's Landing started using the soap, it would become hugely popular throughout Westeros.
Renly, however, frowned. "Only 97? That's not nearly enough. I need enough for the King, the Queen, and their children—Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. They'll want plenty."
Anthony quickly added, "I can go back north and buy more from Lord Jason in the far east, but it'll take at least a month."
Renly thought for a moment and then made a decision. "Send the 97 pieces you have now. The banquet will go on as planned, but I can only give the soap to a select few."
Renly began listing those who would receive the soap: the royal family, Jon Arryn, Ser Barristan Selmy, Littlefinger, Varys, Pycelle, and a few other noble lords in King's Landing. His brother Stannis wouldn't be attending, so he didn't need any.
Satisfied with the plan, Renly instructed his butler to accompany Anthony and collect the goods, adding one final order: "Get more soap as soon as possible!"
Anthony and butler went to Anthony's house to load up the pens, paper, and soap onto the carriage. While the pens and paper weren't worth much, Anthony was careful to price the soap high, as it was intended for the most elite in the realm.
"50 silver stags per bar," Anthony stated cautiously, watching for the butler's reaction.
"That's cheap," the butler remarked, used to the luxury of high nobility. Anthony, silently cursing himself for not charging more, knew he could have asked for double. But he wasn't willing to push his luck. Fifty times the profit was still good.
After calculating everything, the total came to 69 gold dragons and 50 silver stags. The butler didn't hesitate to count out 70 gold dragons, even throwing in the extra silver stags.
Grateful, Anthony discreetly handed a golden dragon to the butler as a gesture of thanks. The butler, who had previously been aloof, softened and told Anthony that he could always bring new luxury goods directly to Renly's household in the future.
Anthony left with his purse full of gold dragons, not just excited about the money he had made, but about the potential for future business.
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