Chapter 53
On the first day of Laszlo’s long-awaited vacation and the day he decided to change his appearance, Idel took a deep breath and stood in front of Laszlo’s room.
“Count, it’s Idel. I brought the barber.”
“Come in.”
With that brief permission, Idel entered his room with the barber.
Laszlo was waiting for them in comfortable clothes.
“I’ve never entrusted my hair or beard to someone else before… I’m not sure about this.”
Idel was even more surprised by the fact that he had always cut his own hair and beard.
Of course, poor commoners didn’t spend money on barbers. However, unless they were in extreme poverty, it was usual to go to a barber.
Idel let out a deep sigh she couldn’t hold back and looked at the barber.
“As you heard, this is the first time our Count is entrusting a professional with his haircut and shave. Please be as careful as possible.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve worked with everyone from three-year-old children to ninety-year-old seniors.”
Idel trusted his confidence.
The barber she had called was someone her second brother often used.
He was skilled, had a pleasant way of holding a conversation, and his subtle presence made him popular among nobles.
Idel believed he would be to Laszlo’s liking, as he disliked those who babbled unnecessarily.
“Let’s get started then.”
The barber draped a white cloth around Laszlo and examined his hair and beard.
“Are you planning to keep growing your hair?”
“I haven’t really thought about it.”
“Shall I cut it short then?”
“Well, I’ve never had it short… Just do whatever you think is best.”
Hearing Laszlo’s response, Idel decided that giving him a choice was a bad idea and spoke directly to the barber.
“Leave the bangs about this long and cut the back short. Also, trim the sideburns as neatly as possible.”
“Understood. What about the beard?”
“Shave it clean.”
Laszlo looked at her with a startled expression at her firm answer, but the barber nodded in agreement with her.
“I think that would be best. Your skin seems a bit rough, so it would be good to shave and do some skincare.”
“A man doing skincare, seriously…!”
“Please proceed.”
Laszlo’s objection to the idea of skincare was brushed aside, and the plan for the haircut and shave was carried out without considering his opinion.
The barber started by cutting Laszlo’s thick hair.
As the sound of snipping filled the room and locks of hair fell, Laszlo’s eyes watched them but without much resistance.
Once the haircut was done, the barber prepared shaving foam in a small bowl and laid out a couple of sharp razors on the table.
“Now, I’ll start shaving.”
As Laszlo’s gaze turned icy while looking at the razors, Idel spoke up.
“This man wouldn’t assassinate you, Count. He loves his family.”
The barber, realizing what she meant, gulped, and Laszlo nodded in satisfaction.
A thick shaving brush spread soft foam over Laszlo’s face. He usually just scraped his face roughly with a razor, so this process felt unfamiliar.
‘Still, it’s refreshing and feels nice.’
The barber meticulously applied the foam and gently began to shave, revealing smooth skin beneath.
As the sharp, cool blade moved over his skin, Laszlo thought, ‘A razor is still a blade, after all.’
And this barber was quite skilled.
When shaving himself, Laszlo often nicked his face with his worn razor and unsteady hand, but now there wasn’t a single sting.
With only the soft scraping sound filling the room, Laszlo even felt like he could fall asleep. Just as he almost nodded off, the barber wiped his face with a damp cloth and spoke.
“All done. Let’s finish up.”
He placed a towel soaked in warm water over Laszlo’s face, wiped off any remaining foam, and lightly massaged his face.
The barber then applied something like lotion to Laszlo’s face and a touch of oil to his hair, adding a touch of style.
Finally, the white cloth around his neck was removed.
“All done. Thank you for sitting still.”
“You did the work.”
Laszlo awkwardly touched his now bare neck and chin, complimenting the barber’s effort. When the mirror was finally handed to him, he was stunned by his reflection.
“Is this… me?”
The barber smiled proudly at Laszlo’s reaction.
“You’ve been hiding such a handsome face all this time. I bet you’ll be getting lots of love letters now! Haha.”
Laszlo’s clear forehead was now more noticeable, and his neatly groomed eyebrows made him look sharp and fresh.
His nose had always been straight, but without the unkempt beard, his firm, full lips and strong jawline were more prominent, changing his appearance completely.
He wasn’t delicate or graceful; he was strikingly handsome with bold, chiseled features.
And Laszlo wasn’t the only one surprised by this change.
‘I knew he was handsome, but I didn’t expect this….’
Idel tried not to glance at him too obviously.
Just a haircut and shave had produced such astonishing results.
Linya, who had been waiting for Laszlo’s grooming to be completed, burst into the room as soon as the barber left, beaming at her brother’s transformed appearance.
“See, brother! I told you, your hair and beard were the problem!”
“Be quiet.”
“By tomorrow, you’ll be getting marriage proposals. Everyone will be shocked! Right, Idel?”
Idel couldn’t help but nod.
“You were already handsome, but this look definitely draws more attention.”
Laszlo’s ears turned slightly red at the compliment.
He had never received such praise for his appearance from a woman like Idel, so he didn’t know how to respond.
Fortunately, with Linya chattering away, he didn’t need to say anything more.
Seeing Laszlo’s subtle satisfaction with his new appearance, Idel felt a strange sense of motivation.
‘I can help even more from now on. This is just the beginning!’
The irritation and worry she felt upon waking that morning were already forgotten.
Laszlo’s “transformation project,” which began with a haircut and shave, continued with skin and hair care.
Laszlo found enduring the strange creams and treatments on his face and hair quite bothersome, but the results were astonishing.
“If a face mask could change my skin that much, I’d be thrilled.”
Linya envied Laszlo’s skin, which was now much more radiant than before.
“You already have great skin, so there’s no room for improvement. Nothing beats youth for good skin.”
Idel spoke as she collected the towels used to clean Laszlo’s face into a basin.
Usually, she would have let the siblings chat alone, but today she felt like she had to say something.
‘I’m still feeling nervous.’
Because Laszlo stubbornly refused to let a female skincare specialist touch his face, Idel had to take on the task of applying and wiping off the treatment on his face and hair herself.
The act of spreading the slippery substance on his warm face felt far more awkward and embarrassing than she had anticipated.
Realizing that Laszlo had dark, long eyelashes or that there was a slight scar just below his left cheek felt like stepping into a secret garden.
‘It felt so strange to do it in silence.’
She couldn’t have been more grateful when Rinia suddenly burst into the room as she was nearly finished.
Especially because when she was wiping his face clean, Laszlo’s gaze was so direct that she felt as if her heart might burst.
‘I’ve never seen such beautiful brown eyes before.’
While Idel was thinking about Laszlo’s brown eyes, he suddenly spoke.
“There’s something better than youth.”
“What is it, what is it?” Rinia asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. He smirked and replied.
“Having a kind heart and a proper mind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Most people who are beautiful, regardless of age, have that,” he said, glancing at Idel. She froze at the unexpected eye contact, but Laszlo casually returned to lecturing Rinia.
“So if you don’t want to grow old disgracefully, start putting in some effort now.”
“What did I do?”
Rinia, who was about to complain, glanced at Idel and pursed her lips, muttering. The memory of trying to humiliate Idel in the past just to see her cry flashed through her mind.
