Chapter 16
Rita’s body kept trembling uncontrollably, and she found herself unable to uncross her legs on her own.
“Why… why hasn’t anyone come yet? Could it be… could they have forgotten where the duchess’s bedroom is?”
*Knock, knock.* A soft knock on the door startled Rita so much that she let out a sharp scream.
“What took you so long to crawl in here!”
“I… I’m sorry, Duchess.”
The maids who were considered her personal attendants rushed in all at once. Unlike Rachel, who had none, Rita had five personal maids assigned to her.
“Two of you, go run the bath. The rest, help me up.”
“Hel… help you up?”
“I might have overexerted myself today; my legs won’t hold me up.”
“Ye… yes, Duchess.”
The three maids struggled as they half-supported Rita to the bathroom. Although she was thin as a stick, Rita was surprisingly heavy, likely because she had gone completely limp.
Once she immersed herself in the warm bath, Rita seemed to regain some calmness, the tension easing from her previously furrowed brow.
Thanks to the maids who worked busily under her watchful eye, the bath was finished earlier than usual. However, afraid of being left alone in her room, Rita lay in bed and nitpicked over trivial matters.
“This room could use some more cleaning.”
“Right now, ma’am?”
“Yes, with all the people who have come and gone, the bedroom feels dirty.”
Even though there had been a wedding at the duchy today, none of the guests had entered Rita’s bedroom. In fact, since the ceremony and reception had been held outdoors, no outsiders had even entered the duchy’s interior.
The maids knew Rita’s complaint about the dirty bedroom was completely unfounded, but they had no choice but to obey. In the duchy, Rita’s word was law.
***
Around the same time, Bell was also stuck with Stefan.
He had naturally assumed he would be in the marital bedroom, but when he heard he was looking for him, he had rushed to the study in a panic.
“Your Grace, why are you here?”
“…The Duchess, having drunk too much, threw me out.”
Bell had stayed by Stefan’s side throughout the reception. Thanks to his hovering near Rachel, Bell had been able to keep an eye on her as well.
But Rachel had been so busy greeting guests that she hadn’t had time for a sip of champagne, let alone to overdrink.
“The Duchess drank too much? But where…”
“There’s a small storeroom and bar next to the marital bedroom, isn’t there?”
“There wasn’t even enough time for her to drink that much…”
“…”
Finally, it felt like the fog clouding his mind was beginning to lift. Stefan’s crimson eyes glowed brightly with realization.
Stefan always carried a pocket watch to keep track of time, but he had just come out of the bath and didn’t have it with him. But wasn’t Bell as accurate as a clock?
“Bell, how long did you stay in the study earlier?”
“About 20 minutes.”
“Is that so?”
There was no way someone could drink too much in just 20 minutes. Moreover, the small storeroom didn’t even have any high-proof wine at the moment.
“Bell, do you have any other plans tonight?”
“At this hour, Your Grace?”
“…”
Stefan gave Bell a slight smile, silently urging him to give him the answer he wanted without further delay.
“No plans, Your Grace.”
“Well, that’s convenient. Come, have a seat.”
“…Your Grace, shouldn’t you return to your bedroom?”
“There will be plenty of nights to spend with my wife in the future. So tonight, let’s have a good time, just the two of us.”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
***
The next day, I began moving around diligently from the early morning.
First, I sought out the head maid, Joanna. Since she was the most diligent person in the duchy, I had to hurry if I wanted to catch her for a conversation.
Fortunately, I managed to stop her just as she was about to leave her room.
“Young Madam, how did you know where my room is…?”
“I asked Mary. Can you spare a moment to talk? I won’t keep you long.”
When I smiled and glanced into the room, Joanna stepped aside with a slightly embarrassed look.
“…It’s humble, but would you like to talk in my room?”
“Thank you, Joanna.”
As soon as Joanna guided me to a small tea table and sat down, I got straight to the point.
“Joanna, have you ever thought about becoming a professional hairstylist?”
“What? Wh-what is that?”
“Someone who goes around styling hair for noble ladies.”
“There’s… such a profession?”
It was only natural that Joanna looked puzzled. The profession of a professional hairstylist wouldn’t appear in the Merwin Empire for another three years. And even then, it would be introduced by a foreigner from the Huayue continent.
A foreign woman with a bold hairstyle had introduced herself as a professional hairstylist, hosting demonstrations and confidently claiming she could create any style they desired.
Curious noblewomen, including Rita in my previous life, invited the hairstylist into their homes to style their hair and their daughters’.
Joanna was always by my side, watching enviously as they received the hairstylist’s services, just as I did. We both had similar looks in our eyes.
“There’s no such profession in the Merwin Empire yet, but I’ve heard that it exists in other countries.”
“Are you really saying that such a profession exists?”
Johanna’s previously thin eyes grew as large as saucers.
Surprised, I widened my own eyes in response. I hadn’t realized that she could open her eyes so wide, nor had I expected Joanna to be this interested in hairstyling.
“How would you like to become the first professional hairstylist in the Merwin Empire?”
“What skills do I have to do such a thing…?”
“Joanna, your skills were validated just yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
When I pointed to my roughly brushed short hair, Joanna jumped up from her seat.
“It seems I’ll need to style your hair for you for the time being, Young Madam. It’s more challenging to manage short hair than long hair. Please wait just a moment.”
Standing behind me, Joanna meticulously brushed my hair down. In the meantime, various items were placed on the tea table—brushes made from different materials, cylindrical tools of varying thickness, clips, and papers.
After a short while, Joanna held up a mirror in front of me.
“How is it, Young Madam? It might not be as good as yesterday, but I think I’ve added some volume to the ends, giving it a lively look.”
I stood up from the chair without saying a word and turned to Joanna. Seeing my dark expression, a look of distress flashed across her face.
“D-Do you not like it? If you want, I can redo it…”
“I love it, Joanna.”
“T-Thank you, Young Madam.”
As Joanna let out a sigh of relief, I quickly grabbed her hand and began persuading her again.
“Look at this. You’re truly passionate about hairstyling.”
“I-I do enjoy it.”
“You could definitely become a wonderful professional hairstylist.”
“But…”
“I know it won’t be easy at first.”
“…”
“I’ll help you, Joanna.”
“…”
Joanna kept her lips tightly sealed, staring straight into my eyes. At that moment, I could hear her thoughts.
‘The Young Madam can’t really help me. Managing this vast duchy leaves no time for practice, and it’s hard to find someone to practice on. But thank you for the thought.’
Just as Joanna was about to open her mouth to respond, I began laying out my plan.
“Let’s distribute the duties of the head maid. Divide the areas of responsibility and assign each area a supervisor. Of course, in the beginning, you’ll have to oversee things yourself, but everyone will get used to it quickly.”
“…”
“And each night, call one maid to your room for a consultation.”
“A consultation?”
“Praise them or offer advice, and listen to their concerns or complaints. You could also ask about their preferred hairstyles during these sessions.”
As I continued talking, Joanna’s expression gradually brightened. It seemed she was starting to see that my plan was quite plausible.
“Oh, and could you teach Mary a few simple hairstyling techniques?”
“Why Mary?”
“I’m planning to make her my personal maid.”
“Yes, understood.”
“If the Madam asks about my hairstyle yesterday, make sure to put all the blame on me. Tell her I cut and styled my hair myself in the bathroom.”
“…Why?”
“If she finds out about your excellent hairstyling skills, she’ll want to keep you all to herself.”
“What?”
“With her greedy nature, do you think she’d want to share a professional hairstylist with others?”
Joanna swallowed nervously as she finally understood my point. Now it was time to drive it home.
“To become an expert in any field, you need time and effort, but you also need to be perceptive.”
“Perceptive?”
“You need to be able to distinguish between people who will help you and those who will hold you back. And of course, it’s equally important to make sure others don’t catch on to your intentions.”
Having made up her mind, she nodded firmly.
***
After devising a plan with Joanna, I headed to the room where Leopold and Remington were staying, as they would be returning to Burke estate in the afternoon. I wanted to ask Leopold to investigate the Duke’s aide and also to see off my brothers, unsure of when I’d see them again.
Since it was still early, Remington was fast asleep. While waiting for him to wake up, I discreetly led Leopold to the sofa.
“Leo, could you look into this person who’s the Duke’s aide?”
“…Why do you need information on him?”
Leopold, still unaccustomed to my sharply cut hair, seemed unable to hide his disapproving gaze.
