Chapter 9
As Rita had predicted, the pink embroidery shimmered and dyed Rachel’s wedding dress pink, while the extravagant pink diamonds sparkled brightly. This was precisely the reaction she expected.
“Oh my, aren’t those pink diamonds? The pink hair makes the diamonds look dull.”
“The beautiful wedding dress is not being properly worn by the bride.”
“The next Duchess of Edmond looks completely underwhelming.”
“It must be due to her provincial awkwardness.”
Despite the intended ridicule and derision, the guests’ attention was drawn not to the expensive wedding dress or dazzling pink diamonds, but rather to the bride’s unconventional hairstyle.
“A short-haired bride…?”
The bride’s bright pink bob cut looked even more striking without a veil. In the Merwin Empire and across the continent, there had never been a case of a noble lady with short hair. Moreover, Rachel was the only bride in the world to enter her wedding with a bob cut.
The bob haircut, which was common among working women in the Huayue continent, was a style that conservative noble ladies avoided entirely.
“How brave in ignorance… Rachel, you are just that.”
Stella, who had not noticed Rita’s reddening face, asked earnestly, “Could it be that Mother arranged for the bride’s shocking hairstyle too?”
“Sister, be quiet…”
Susan tried to silence her younger sister, but it was too late; everyone had heard.
Countess Kina, sitting at a nearby table, glanced at Rita. Known for her sensitivity to trends, she spoke with interest.
“Duchess of Edmond, are you planning to start a trend with that radical hairstyle through the bride?”
“…”
Unable to respond immediately, Rita remained silent, and the Countess’s interest grew.
“I heard the Duchess of Edmond handled all the wedding preparations, and I’m truly impressed. I’m even considering trying a bob cut myself this summer.”
The Countess’s words started to stir the other noble ladies around her.
“That hairstyle might make the face look smaller.”
“It also seems to make one look younger.”
“Maybe I should try it too.”
“Oh, me too.”
Given this situation, it was impossible to say that Rachel’s short hairstyle was a mistake or that it was unimpressive.
“I’m glad you like it, Countess. I tried the style because I heard it was popular on the Huayue continent.”
“So that’s it. It’s indeed a fresh and wonderful style.”
The Countess seemed so pleased with Rachel’s bob cut that she stood up and clapped. Soon, other guests followed suit, applauding energetically.
The thunderous applause initially startled Rachel, but she remained composed, smiling serenely. Without a veil to obscure her, the bride’s confident expression was fully visible. Standing with her head held high and shoulders back, her slender and elongated neck stood out prominently. Without the draping pink hair, the pink diamonds against her fair skin added an air of sophistication.
“She’s truly a beautiful bride.”
“You can feel the grace from the new Duchess.”
“Indeed, the bride is the highlight of the wedding.”
As the venue filled with praise for Rachel, Rita’s insides burned with frustration. Soon, her face was likely to turn a color as dark as the dirt.
In the midst of this, Rachel’s gaze shifted towards Rita, as if deliberately making eye contact. Rachel’s relaxed smile made Rita’s frown deepen.
‘Is she mocking me now?’
In her shock, Rita’s mouth fell open, and Rachel approached the stage. Stefan came down from the platform to take her hand, helping her ascend safely.
‘Why is he going so far…’
Rita felt a knot in her stomach from the unexpected and excessive attentiveness of her son. Meanwhile, the guests were once again expressing their amazement.
“They make such a perfect pair.”
“The Duchess of Edmond is every bit as impressive as the Duke.”
Although Rachel on the stage couldn’t hear these comments, they were all too clear to Rita. As the carefully built façade of two years crumbled in an instant, Rita’s anger led her to bite her own lips in frustration.
‘Where did things go wrong?’
***
The night before, I had planned to hide away in the bride’s waiting room after an unexpected meeting with Stefan. However, due to the strict security, I couldn’t even get close to the waiting room.
The next morning, clutching a well-sharpened pair of scissors hidden in my possession, I entered the bride’s waiting room. I intended to make frequent trips to the bathroom under the pretense of an upset stomach while looking for the right moment.
‘Farewell, the luxurious pink hair my mother gave me.’
There was no reason to regret cutting my hair myself. After the wedding, it was going to be hastily chopped off by Rita anyway.
‘I need to delay as much as possible. I must cut it before Rita can do anything…’
So after finishing my bath and coming out as the maids busily worked on the dressing, I started conversations, asking for their names and requesting small tasks. My goal was to leave a good impression and delay the wedding preparations.
Additionally, this was part of my process of finding “Emily,” who would become my trusted ally.
‘I need to find Emily, who was the only one to cry for me. I need to do it quickly!’
In my previous life, Rachel had lived a thoroughly neglected existence at the Duke’s estate for five years. She had never had a proper conversation with her mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, or even the servants.
Therefore, she didn’t even know about the existence of a maid named Emily, let alone her appearance or name.
So, I asked each maid who was helping with the dressing for their names. Unfortunately, none of them were named Emily.
‘I must find Emily no matter what.’
After stalling with the maids for a while, and putting on several layers of undergarments and petticoats, I hurriedly announced, “My stomach hurts again. I need to use the bathroom.”
“Pardon?”
It was time to put on the wedding dress and makeup, yet I was asking to use the bathroom.
Taking off the petticoat and tightly bound corset would take an enormous amount of time, so it was only natural for the maids to become anxious.
“I’m really sorry. It seems the upset stomach hasn’t subsided yet.”
The bride, who had been exchanging friendly conversation and warm smiles, now looked apologetic, making it hard to ignore.
“Quickly, help the young lady out of her petticoat and corset.”
“Yes, Madam Head Maid.”
Now free, I dashed to the bathroom at lightning speed. I took out the scissors I had hidden and began cutting my hair haphazardly.
Without a mirror, the length was uneven, and it looked as if it had been chewed by mice, but I was grateful not to have cut my ears.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the bathroom door and muttered, “I’m sorry… I had to cut my hair because of a situation.”
Everyone who saw me was stunned into silence. This was what one might call a silent uproar.
“Is there perhaps a veil to cover the hair? Or is there someone among you with hairdressing skills…?”
I rubbed my messy, bird’s nest-like hair and gave an awkward look to the head maid. I had seen her cut the hair of young maids as a hobby in my previous life, so I was confident she would tidy up my hair after I had cut it.
Of course, the head maid was likely to be quite embarrassed by the situation. She probably had specific instructions from Rita.
Given the strict instructions from the Duchess, the head maid, having made a significant decision, carefully spoke up.
“Although it’s modest, I have some hairdressing skills. Please, sit over here, young lady.”
“Thank you, Joanna.”
The head maid rolled up her sleeves and issued swift orders to the other maids.
“Find me a sharp pair of scissors and a fine-toothed comb. Go to the kitchen and fetch some water, and also bring a stove and tongs.”
“Yes, Madam Head Maid.”
“Oh! And bring a large, wide cloth to cover the young lady completely.”
“Yes, Madam Head Maid.”
As the maids brought a large cloth and wrapped my entire body, the head maid expertly began trimming my hair.
Her hairdressing skills, which I had seen in my previous life, made me completely at ease despite the bird’s nest-like state of my hair.
So, I spun a fake story about a dream I hadn’t even had the previous night, hoping to justify my sudden action.
“My late mother came to me in a dream and made a frightening prophecy that I would have an unhappy marriage if I didn’t cut my hair.”
“A prophecy?”
“In fact, my dreams tend to come true.”
“Dreams come true?”
While everyone focused on my story, Mary and Jane seemed particularly intrigued.
“I often experience that what I hear in dreams becomes reality.”
“Are you saying you receive forewarnings through dreams?”
“Something like that. Not everything is accurate, but…”
“Wow…”
The innocent maids appeared to believe my story wholeheartedly.
Thanks to this, I had a good excuse to make up for my sudden actions.
“All done, young lady.”
At the head maid’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to me in the mirror. My appearance exceeded my expectations.
Well, this story is awesome